.Examine the role of condescension in Gwendolyn Brooks’s poem “The Lovers of the Poor.” Pay close attention to body language and other visual clues. How do these suburban women betray their charitable impulses? Where is Brooks’s poetic language most effective in exposing their hypocrisy?

2. On pages 52-53 of Another Country, Baldwin reenacts the violent and distrustful romance between Rufus and Leona. In what way is Baldwin moving beyond their troubled relationship to offer a commentary on American society in the late 1950s?

3. Offer a few examples of the way pride affects two characters in Book One of Another Country. Is pride a source of strength for these characters, or does it prevent them from establishing meaningful personal connections with others?

4. Despairing, freezing, and alone on the George Washington Bridge, Rufus prepares to meet his end (Another Country, pp. 87-88). Compare the language that Baldwin uses in this scene with the lyrics of the blues song played at Rufus’s funeral (p. 119). How do the two descriptions of Rufus’s fate give you a fuller understanding of the hurt he suffers?