XI. Chapter Nine: Stargazing
A. General Comprehension
Working with a partner, answer these questions.
1. What story does Sidney Poitier tell about Carl Sagan and his appearance on Nightline? What kind of belief in the meaning of the cosmos did the scientist hold onto? Type Here
2. What belief in “the grand consciousness” (196) does Poitier affirm? Type Here
3. How does Poitier explain his respect for “nature and the natural order” (198) and his respect for Judeo-Christian ethics? Type Here
4. For Poitier, when we “align ourselves with the natural order” (202), we are able to “_________________________.” What does that mean? Type Here
5. What did Lilies of the Field have to do with the kind of consciousness Poitier writes about in this chapter? Type Here
6. Why does Poitier tell the story of the baby chimps and their “Wire Mothers?” How does this story connect with the fear he has about modern society’s state of being wired more and more by technology? Type Here
7. How does Poitier define the “real religion” (203) in his family’s life? Type Here