Genre
Short stories
Setting and Context
The book is set in the 20th century in the context of children’s interests.
Narrator and Point of View
Unnamed narrator
Tone and Mood
The tone is enlightening, and the mood is joyous.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist in 'There's Going to be A Fight…" is Cornel, while in 'The Griot of Grover Street’ is Mr. G.
Major Conflict
The conflict is in the story “There’s Going to be a Fight in the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman”, in which Batman is enduringly proscribed from all the future debates.
Climax
The climax is when a black boy finds delight in cooking, which gratifies his father in the story '“The Legendary Lawrence Cobbler.”
Foreshadowing
Science fiction is foreshadowed by the black boy’s joy in whatever he does.
Understatement
Fatherhood is understated in the text. All the stories try to show the connection between fathers and children. However, fatherhood is not limited to biologically sired children but also to all father figures who take up raising children.
Allusions
The stories allude to joy, fatherhood and friendship.
Imagery
The author uses sight imagery to enable readers to see the characterization and plot of the stories. For instance, "After the service wraps up, my older cousin, Brandon, loosens his tie and comes over to me. Suits don't look right on him, even if he's prolly done growing at seventeen. Brandon’s tall and wiry with a head full of waves and looks way more at home in a black Champs hoodie than he ever does with a suit billowing around him. Grief doesn't fit all the way right on anybody, at least not today.”
Paradox
The main paradox is that some people can only be father figures to their biological children.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Poetry is embodied.
