1. What is the selection’s thesis (or narrative point)? Locate the sentence(s) in which Lorde states her main idea. If she doesn’t state the thesis explicitly, express it in your own words.
2. In paragraph 4, Lorde describes the elaborate picnic her mother prepared for the trip to Washington, D.C. Why did Lorde’s mother make such elaborate preparations? What do these preparations tell us about Lorde’s mother?
3. Why does Lorde have trouble understanding her parents’ dictate that she “never trust white people” (paragraph 7)?
4. In general, how do Lorde’s parents handle racism? How does the family as a whole deal with the racism they encounter in the ice cream parlor? How does the family’s reaction to the ice cream parlor incident make Lorde feel?