Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism

Bell uses a law professor persona in many of the pieces included in Faces at the Bottom of the Well, but he explicitly uses his own voice in the preface and introduction. Compare and contrast the voice of the persona and Bell’s voice. Use evidence from the text to discuss how including the persona helps Bell advance his arguments.

Discuss the role of Geneva Crenshaw in the book. Why does Bell include her as a character, and how does her presence allow him to advance his argument about the presence of racism?

Bell uses several different genres in the book, including science fiction, allegory, the epistle (personal letter), and dialogues; on the other hand, pieces like Chapter 3: “The Racial Preference Licensing Act” include few storytelling elements and are mostly conversation with Geneva Crenshaw. How does his use of storytelling help him advance his argument about the permanence of racism?