RiA+Questions

1. Describe in a sentence or two what you think the theme, or message, of “Refugee in America” is.

2. The speaker of “Refugee in America” has different reactions to two words that mean nearly the same thing. Do you see any differences in meaning between the words freedom and liberty? Explain.

3. What is a refugee? (Look up the word in a dictionary if you’re not sure of its meaning.) How can someone be a refugee in his or her own country?

4. How does Hughes’s poem make you feel about being an American. In what ways is its message still relevant today?

5. Do you think Americans a different and better people since the days of the civil rights movement?