Hvis du skal skrive opgave om Rachel Dolezal, en hvid amerikansk kvinde, der identificerer sig selv som sort, så er denne study guide en god hjælp. Her hjælper vi med emnet ud fra de tekster, som var en del af A-opgaven i skriftlig eksamen i Engelsk B på STX fra 30. maj 2016. Opgaveformuleringen lyder:
The texts in section A focus on Rachel Dolezal, an American woman who claims to be black although her parents are white.
Write a paper (700-1000 words) in which you answer the following questions.
Answer the questions separately.
- Give an outline of the different views on Rachel Dolezal presented in the three texts.
- How does Guilaine Kinouani engage the reader in text 2? Give examples from the text.
- Taking your starting point in text 3, discuss whether people should be allowed to choose which race they prefer to belong to.
Sources:
- “Civil rights activist Rachel Dolezal misrepresented herself as black, claim parents” by Jessica Elgot, The Guardian
- “Why black women feel so betrayed by Rachel Dolezal” by Guilaine Kinouani, The Telegraph
- “Let Rachel Dolezal Be as Black as She Wants to Be” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Time Magazine
Uddrag
Herunder får du en smagsprøve fra vores study guide, som giver dig en idé om, hvad guiden indeholder:
“Why black women feel so betrayed by Rachel Dolezal”
Text 2 is an opinion article by French psychologist Guilaine Kinouani, published in the newspaper The Telegraph, on June 26, 2015.
Unlike Text 1, which is an objective news report, Text 2 presents the opinion of the author on the topic and it is, thus, subjective. Furthermore, the article presents a critical view on Rachel Dolezal and her lying about her racial heritage.
First of all, you should note that Guilaine Kinouani is of African descent herself, and has a personal stake in the matter. Her view on Rachel Dolezal is expressed harshly. For the writer, Dolezal has no excuse for lying about her origins: “For many black people, Rachel Dolezal’s masquerade provoked a similar sense of horror.” (ll. 41-43)
The quote above ends a rather lengthy analogy between Rachel and a lying psychologist to whom a patient had trusted his secrets, assuming the professional had experienced the same thing as him/her (the patient). Consequently, we can safely say that Text 2 presents Rachel Dolezal as a traitor, a person who has offended the African-American community.
