72 pages • 2 hours read
Ta-Nehisi CoatesA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Coates uses the term “Mecca” to refer to Howard University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) where his father works and the very seat of “Consciousness” of Black Americans.
Why do you think Coates refrains from referring to Howard University by its actual name throughout the book? Consider these points as you reflect on how “Mecca” functions in the text:
Teaching Suggestion: Coates’s calling Howard University “Mecca” functions to deepen the text on multiple levels: First, it creates an in-group where Coates is speaking to other Black Americans who are more likely to know precisely what university he is referring to when he refers to Howard as “Mecca.” This connects to the core theme of Black Culture as Liberation by creating a shared shorthand for this revered Black institution. Second, it is a religious allusion, which emphasizes the intense passion and near-holy respect that Coates has for Knowledge.
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