Shadow and Act | Teaching Setting, Symbolism and Objects

Object Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major objects in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Objects

America - This is the country where Ellison sees tensions between the concept and reality of democracy.

The Southern United States - This American region is where slavery was institutionalized and widely practiced.

Oklahoma - This state is just north of Texas but did not have a history of slavery.

Blackface - This is the term used to describe white performers impersonating Negroes by painting their faces with dark brown makeup.

The Red Badge of Courage, Black Boy, Primer for White Folks, Blues People, An American Dilemma - These are what Ellison...
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