Section 10: Self and Social Identity in Justin Simien’s Dear White People
Skills Focus: Exposition Close Reading—Paying attention to details, patterns, and contrastsHW, part 1: “Reading" Watch episodes 1-4 of Dear White People, available on Netflix (if you don’t subscribe, you can get a one-month trial subscription for free or purchase a month-long subscription for $7.99). As you watch, take note of scenes you find particularly striking in some way—especially thought-provoking, surprising, or confusing, etc. Among other things, you might consider
- The role of the voice-over narrator at the beginning of each episode
- The way each episode is shot from a different character’s point of view
- The complicated chronology—the way the story moves back and forth in time
- The way some episodes (especially the first few episodes of season 1) revisit scenes depicted in prior episodes but present them from a different character’s point of view
- Striking interactions between characters
- Surprises (e.g. unexpected revelations about characters)
- Moments of hyperbolic theatricality or satire—how do they shape the meaning of the episode?
- Identify a specific episode and scene that intrigued you and briefly explain what you found striking or surprising
- Read through and respond to one or more other students’ remarks
