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

Short Answer Questions

1. Which literary term best approximates the sound Emperor Jones makes in the fifth forest scene?

2. What does Emperor Jones do once he sees his part in the vision in the fourth forest scene?

3. Which answer represents the setting when the last scene opens?

4. What is the significance of Emperor Jones dispelling his final vision?

5. What does Lem tell Smithers when Smithers does not believe what he tells him in the final scene?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do we know about characters through how they speak? How does Emperor Jones' speech change throughout the play? What does the change in his speech tell us about his experience? What other voices do we hear? Do they change as well?

Essay Topic 2

How has the situation of American blacks changed since 1929, when this play was written? Have they overcome the challenges Emperor Jones faces, or represents himself as having faced? Has the ambiguity of the play's ending been resolved by multiculturalism? Cite instances from recent history as well as instances from the script.

Essay Topic 3

Does Emperor Jones simply get what is coming to him, or does he learn anything through the course of the play?

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This section contains 320 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample