Yoruba Doors
Late 19th Century
Rosewood
African, Nigerian, Yoruba People, Ijebu-Ode
1976.12.1-3

Writing Prompts:

1. Doors mean many things for many people. They give us entrance into homes and workplaces. They allow us to enter movie theaters, malls, restaurants, and stores. Collect pictures and images of the doors in your lives. Look at the doors in the buildings you go in and out of each day – in your school, in your homes, etc. Compare the kinds of doors and their functions within the building.
2. These doors are particularly important for the story they tell. Look closely at the symbols on these West African doors; then create a feature article telling their story. Next, create your own symbolic tale by making a picture of a set of doors that tells a story of your own.
3. Many people believe that when one door closes, another one opens. Write an editorial essay which explains this idea. Choose a problem in society today and apply this idea to it, explaining why your think closing one door can open another. (Example: Banning smoking in all public areas including restaurants.)
4. Write a review of the West African exhibit at the Speed Museum. Choose one piece from the exhibit and give a detailed review of the work and its importance in the exhibit.
5. Research the area in Nigeria where these doors come from. Write an informative speech to be given to your class with information about the area and the significance of the doors to the culture of the people.
   6. Doors change throughout history within different cultures. Create a feature article which details the difference in doors throughout history. Include in the article a timeline of different doors, materials used, purposes, etc.
6. Today, locks and security systems are used on doors for homes and businesses. Some schools even used metal detectors at their entrances. Write a proposal for whether or not you think this is a good idea.

Literary Writing:

1. Doors are entrances to a person’s private world. Create a story with a magical doorway that transports the person entering to whatever world they would most like to visit. Write about passing through the magical doorway, telling where you would emerge and what you would do there.

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