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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. Emperor Jones sees figures in the forest. What do they seem to know?

2. What happens to lift Emperor Jones' spirits at the beginning of the second forest scene?

3. When does Emperor Jones notice the tom-tom?

4. Where does the third forest scene begin?

5. What appears to Emperor Jones in the first scene in the forest?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Emperor Jones see in the fifth forest scene?

2. Describe Emperor Jones' state of mind when the fourth forest scene opens.

3. Some of Emperor Jones' apparitions are racial memories. What does this conclusion say about the state or the future of the black race?

4. Describe Emperor Jones' appearance in the second forest scene.

5. How well prepared is Emperor Jones for the experience of fleeing the palace?

6. How are the formless fears manifested on stage?

7. How does Jones break the spell of the apparition in the fifth forest scene?

8. What does the audience learn about Emperor Jones from the apparition he sees in Act 1, Scene 4?

9. In what way is the routine of the palace out of the ordinary as the play begins?

10. What does Emperor Jones do when he sees Jeff?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Henry Smithers is the only white man in the play, and the witch doctor and Lem and the old woman in the first scene are the only natives with speaking roles. Compare and contrast the roles of the white and black characters. How are they the same? How are they different? What difference does skin color make in this play? What can Smithers do that the natives cannot, and vice versa? Are these characters presented as individuals, or as typifying their respective races?

Essay Topic 2

Research essay. How has this play been staged in the past? Taking what you can from past reviews, describe the physical properties of professional productions.

Essay Topic 3

Emperor Jones takes advantage of the natives' superstition. Cite three instances of superstition in the play and describe the belief behind each one. Is there another way of believing in things in this play? Does superstition reveal its limitations as a method of belief? Does it reveal its strength? Is one kind of superstition more powerful than another when it comes to Emperor Jones' feelings, or his power over the natives, or Jones' guilt?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 791 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample