34 pages 1 hour read

Paul Rusesabagina

An Ordinary Man

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2006

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Essay Topics

1.

Rusesabagina writes that “a false view of history is a toxin in the bloodstream” (54). Explain this statement in the context of the Rwandan genocide. 

2.

Despite being the aggressors in this instance of the conflict, Hutus thought of themselves as victims of the Tutsi’s, convinced that “the person whose throat you do not cut will be the one who cuts yours” (62). How does the history of conflict between the two tribes explain this seeming contradiction?

3.

What is the significance of the title of the book in the context of Rusesabagina’s description of himself? Is he really “an ordinary man”? Why or why not?