“The Measure Of A Man” Pre-reading Activities (1/2)

Study Guide: The Measure of a Man

I. Pre-reading Activities

A. Interpreting the Title

Sidney Poitier entitled his memoir The Measure of a Man. A Spiritual Autobiography. Based on the title, what kind of journey do you expect him to take you on in his book?

I. The first part of the title is “The Measure of a Man.”

to measure something means:

to find the size, length, or amount of something, using standard units;
to judge the importance, value, or true nature of something (Longman, Advanced American Dictionary (Pearson Education Limited, 2000).

The first meaning of “to measure” implies a quantity. That is, we measure a man’s height by feet and inches. We measure his weight by pounds and ounces, etc.

Discuss these questions with a partner.

Does it make sense to you that the extent of a man’s worth can be quantified? Why or why not?
Since it is Sidney Poitier’s autobiography that you are about to read, what does he mean by “a man”? Is this “man” an ideal to which he is aspiring? Or is he “one man” (= Sidney Poitier) of the many other men living in the world? Or both the author and the ideal at the same time?

In the box below, identify the qualities against which you believe a man’s worth should be measured:

Would you have put the same qualities in the above box for “the measure” “of a woman?” Why or why not?

II. The second part of the title is “A Spiritual Autobiography.” What is the focus of a “spiritual” autobiography? If you were writing your “spiritual” autobiography, what topics would be central to your discussion?

III. As you read the book, take notes on how Sidney Poitier measures “a man’s” worth. You may want to use this worksheet to write down any conclusions he comes to about the qualities that make up “the measure of a man.”

QUALITIES MAKING UP THE MEASURE OF A MAN:

Quality	Important Statements Or Quotations (*page references*)	Incidents Relevant To Poitier's Description Of The Quality	Your Reaction
Cell 1 Type Here	Cell 2Type Here	Cell 3 Type Here	Cell 4 Type Here
Cell 5 Type Here	Cell 6Type Here	Cell 7 Type Here	Cell 8 Type Here
Cell 9 Type Here	Cell 10Type Here	Cell 11 Type Here	Cell 12 Type Here
Cell 13 Type Here	Cell 14Type Here	Cell 15 Type Here	Cell 16 Type Here
Cell 17 Type Here	Cell 18Type Here	Cell 19 Type Here	Cell 20 Type Here
Cell 21 Type Here	Cell 22Type Here	Cell 23 Type Here	Cell 24 Type Here
Cell 25 Type Here	Cell 26 Type Here	Cell 27 Type Here	Cell 28 Type Here
Cell 29 Type Here	Cell 30Type Here	Cell 31 Type Here	Cell 32 Type Here
Cell 33 Type Here	Cell 34Type Here	Cell 35 Type Here	Cell 36 Type Here
Cell 37 Type Here	Cell 38Type Here	Cell 39 Type Here	Cell 40 Type Here

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The Book-Of-The-Semester Project 2007 - 2008

Study Guide: The Measure of a Man