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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does John characterize his feeling about his brother?

2. How does John say he and his children and Robby act during their visit?

3. What does John say Robby feels about Garth's death?

4. Where does the word 'jail' come from?

5. Who is Faruq?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the geography of "Brothers and Keepers".

2. Describe Robby's entrance into drugs and crime.

3. Where does John say Robby has a place in Jamila's life?

4. How does John say he and his family act after visiting the prison?

5. What happened to Robby that he was wanted by the police?

6. Describe John's visit with Robby.

7. How does John characterize the freedom gained by escaping from a situation or place?

8. How does John characterize the prisoners?

9. How does John characterize the significance of Robby's birthday?

10. What happened after Robby's arrest?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

According to John Wideman, Robby is locked up like an animal. What other metaphors are common to "Brothers and Keepers", and what does the web of metaphorical associations tell us about Wideman and his ideas about Robby's incarceration? Does he treat the idea playfully? Is he deadly serious about it? Does he try to magnify the significance of it through metaphor? Does he try to diminish it or domesticate it?

Essay Topic 2

What is the genre of Wideman's book about his brother? Analyze the text and make an argument. Is it a memoir? A piece of advocacy? Journalism? History? Literature? Novel? A biography? Is it dated by its material, or is it timeless?

Essay Topic 3

What is John's relationship with his blackness? When does he feel most black? When does he feel least black? What does his experience tell us about being black in America? How is his relationship with his blackness different from Robby's?

(see the answer keys)

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