The Sellout

“Still, I don’t feel guilty. If I’m indeed moving backward and dragging all of [B]lack America down with me, I couldn’t care less.”

Me notes the theme of Racial and Personal Identity by juxtaposing his actions with “all of Black America.” The quote features hyperbolic diction like “dragging,” and irony—Me didn’t drag his community down but lifted it up.

“Problem is, they both disappeared from my life, first my dad, and then my hometown, and suddenly I had no idea who I was, and no clue how to become myself.”

As with Hominy, the loss of Dickens compels Me to question his identity. Me also cites his dad’s death as reason for his identity issues, which links to the theme of Fathers and Sons. Though often antagonistic, his dad helped give him a sense of self.

“But where my father saw an opportunity for information exchange, public advocacy, and communal counsel, Foy saw a midlife springboard to fame.”

The quote juxtaposes the different views on the Dum Dum Donut Intellectuals. F. K. sees it as a way to encourage truth and activism, while Foy wants to exploit it for personal visibility. The alliteration in the phrase “communal counsel” signals F. K.’s genuine if somewhat pious belief in the moral value of the group.