The Beautiful Struggle

Chapters 1-2

Reading Check

1. Murphy Homes (Chapter 1)

2. Wrestling (Chapter 1)

3.  The pope” (Chapter 1)

4. Tioga Parkway (Chapter 1)

5. Crack (Chapter 2)

6. Upward Bound (Chapter 2)

7. The athletes (Chapter 2)

Short Answer

1. Coates’s father is strict, committed to work and discipline, and he does not support Coates and his brother’s interest in wrestling. He is a “Conscious Man” in that he is committed to reviving lost histories of African American culture. He is also a teacher of “Knowledge” who prints books in his basement for his self-run publishing house. He is the father of seven kids by four different women. (Chapter 1)

2. Big Bill is the oldest sibling in the Coates household, and he seeks to turn all his younger siblings into warriors. He is a fighter. (Various chapters)

3. Coates’s narrative transitions between anecdotal story, contemporary reflection, and broader characterization of the people in his life. He writes with a style that is part poetry, part stream-of-consciousness prose, which aids in the effect that every day events and people come across as myth. (Various chapters)

Chapters 3-4

Reading Check

1. The Vietnam War (Chapter 3)

2. Black Classic Press (Chapter 3)

3. Putting mailing cards in each book (Chapter 3)

4. A dollar per hour (and “no plucks upside the head”) (Chapter 3)

5. Big Bill’s band (Chapter 4)

6. Baltimore Polytech (Chapter 4)

7. Because he mistreats his pregnant girlfriend (Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. Coates’s father’s publishing house was founded to reprint forgotten propaganda and other remnants of Black liberation. Coates’s mother, who is also a Black Panther, met his father while visiting the publishing house. (Chapter 3)

2. Coates is obsessed with music coming out of New York City, particularly by artists like Mike G. Coates realizes that, despite their bravado, they are as scared and uncertain of the future as he is. (Chapter 3)

3. While they are listening to Chuck D, Coates’s friend Sekyiwa hears the name of her Black Panther aunt referenced in the song. This inspires Coates to read the book African Glory. At this moment, he realizes that there is no other path toward redemption but through Black liberation. (Chapter 4)

Chapters 5-6

Reading Check

1. University of Maryland (Chapter 5)

2. Dealing marijuana (Chapter 5)

3. His mother (Chapter 5)

4. Washington, DC (Chapter 5)

5. The djembe drum (Chapter 5)

6. A spear (Chapter 6)

7. He fires a gun into the air (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. Coates has an obsessive mind, and he is unable to focus in school. He sometimes wants awards and accolades for being a good student, but he also longs to “live in [his] own head.” (Chapter 5)

2. The “Great Rites” are a series of labors, somewhat similar to hazing rituals, meant to instill “warrior code” in the boys of the camp. The final rite is for the boys to make their way back to NationHouse after being dropped in “Chocolate City.” (Chapter 6)

3. It ignites “an old burning in [his] chest” because it reminds him of all the times he was called names and taunted in the past. Unlike previous times when he would avoid conflict at all costs, he feels a swell of self-respect and pride, and he decides to fight back. (Chapter 6)

Chapters 7-8

Reading Check

1. 1.8 (Chapter 7)

2. Ebony (Chapter 7)

3. C plus (Chapter 7)

4. A dictatorship (Chapter 8)

5. Morgan State (Chapter 8)

6. The Fourth of July (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. Coates is referring to his romantic endeavors. At this time, he has only ever experienced failure when it comes to girls and romance. This statement reveals a lack of self-confidence, making it clear that Coates’s character still has room to grow. (Chapter 7)

2. Big Bill tries to improve academically at Howard and ends up getting a C plus average. As for Coates’s father, he decides to end his long-time relationship with Coates’s mother. Both men have imperfect, but nonetheless substantial, evolutions as they attempt to become better versions of themselves. (Chapter 8)