DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - Konig & Lapham

“They’ve Got to be Carefully Taught”

1. Konig states that before entering school, children are “color-blind.”  What does she mean by this?  What happens to children once they enter school that takes this “blindness” away?

2. Clearly, Konig disagrees with Miss Laura’s method of teaching.  What problems does she associate with teaching children about cultural diversity?

3.  What is significant about Konig’s choosing to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame?”  Why didn’t Miss Laura appreciate this?  What point was Konig trying to prove?

4. Konig’s thesis is never explicitly stated, but what is it?

“Is There an American Tribe?”

1. Lapham says, “As a plain American I have neither a voice nor authentic proofs of existence.” What does he mean?  Can you find evidence in society that his claim is true?

2. In Paragraph 2, Lapham talks about “the club of the we.”  Who is the “we” he is talking about?  Historically, which groups have been excluded from this club?

3. Lapham states that “the American achieves visible and specific meaning only by reason of his or her association with the political guilds of race, gender, age, ancestry, or social class.”  How does he feel about this idea?  To what does he compare this idea?

4. Lapham argues that making cultural distinctions goes against the “American premise and the democratic spirit.”  What evidence does he give to back up this claim?  Do you agree with him?