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Study Guide: Days of Grace. A Memoir

II. Chapter One:  My Outing

A. General Comprehension

 

Answer these questions in complete sentences.

1. Arthur Ashe writes: “No matter what I do, or where or when I do it, I feel the eyes of others on me, judging me” (1). Scan the first three pages of the book and identify who is watching Arthur Ashe. How, according to the author, have these two people had an influence on him?
   
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2. Arthur Ashe says that “of all [his] possessions, [his] reputation means most to [him]” (1).  In what two ways does Ashe want people to think of him?  How did his father make him see the importance of an individual’s reputation?  What were his father’s words in this regard?
   
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3. What secret did Arthur Ashe have about himself that was in danger of being revealed by others in April 1992?  Which newspaper was the most immediate threat and what role did his friend Doug Smith play in this dilemma?  Why did Gene Policinski, the managing editor for sports of this newspaper, believe that he had a right to publish information about Arthur Ashe?
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4. Name other celebrities who suffered from the same disease as Arthur Ashe.
   
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5. How can an individual’s admission to having AIDS affect his travel status from country to country?  What is the policy of the United States? Type Here
   
   
6. What did Arthur Ashe decide to do in light of USA Today’s provocation? How did he take charge of his own fate?
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7. Take notes in these boxes on the arguments people had FOR or AGAINST Arthur Ashe’s right to privacy.  Write down specific quotes from people that you believe are worthy of attention.

   FOR Arthur Ashe’s RIGHT TO PRIVACY
   Quotes
   
   

   AGAINST Arthur Ashe’s RIGHT TO PRIVACY
   Quotes
   

8. How does the U.S. Constitution defend the right to privacy (pp. 24-25)? Type Here
   
   
9. What companies did Arthur Ashe work for at the time of his “outing?”  What action(s) did these companies take in response to his situation?  Why would Arthur Ashe have understood if these companies had reacted differently? Type Here
   
   
10. What kinds of letters did Arthur Ashe receive after his “outing?”  What did some people say?  Which celebrities sent him their best regards?
    
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11. How did Arthur Ashe get AIDS? Read the account he gives to his daughter at the end of the chapter.
    
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