View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 8 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the expression "feet of clay" in line 15 refer to?

2. Whose presence is implied in "To bend and barter at desire's call" (line 4)?

3. Which two lines of each stanza create a kind of refrain in this poem?

4. In line 1, "footsteps of a lass" is an example of which technique?

5. What is being referred to with the expression "silver break" (line 7)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the poem's first image, and how does it set a tone for the rest of the poem?

2. Describe the form of this poem.

3. How does the use of the word "prowling" contrast with the poem's previous descriptions of the women?

4. How does McKay convey the idea that these women are sex workers?

5. Where is Harlem and why is it significant to the meaning of this poem?

6. What does the poem conclude is the cause of the women's choice to pursue sex work?

7. What indications does the speaker give that he feels the sex workers' choices indicate something about all Black people in America?

8. How does the second stanza set up a contrast between dark and light?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do the particular adaptations McKay made to the sonnet form in "Harlem Shadows" allow him to more effectively communicate his meaning to the reader? How do the added four lines allow him to group ideas in a way that 14 lines would not? How does his rhyme scheme support this grouping of thoughts and also support the additional element of the refrain? How does McKay's use of stanzas support these same elements of the poem? If these goals were important, though, why use the sonnet form at all? Why not just write in free verse and have complete control of the flow of the poem's ideas? Write an essay in which you explore how McKay's adaptation and subversion of the sonnet form reveals the tension between his desire to use traditional forms and his need to clearly communicate his ideas. Support your arguments with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from both poems, and be sure to cite all evidence--including any outside sources you may choose to consult--in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Some might argue that McKay's use of traditional meter and rhyme is a kind of prison for his ideas, forcing them into rigid forms that are no longer necessary in the Modern era. But other critics have argued that McKay uses these traditional techniques as a kind of clever mask--his poems have the presentation of the traditional British poetry he studied in school, but this traditional presentation masks revolutionary ideas. In the case of "Harlem Shadows," which perspective do you find more accurate? Write an essay that takes a position on the effectiveness of the traditional rhyme and meter in the poem, making clear whether or not it serves a useful function as a way to make McKay's ideas more palatable to audiences outside of his own Black community. Support your arguments with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from both poems, and be sure to cite all evidence--including any outside sources you may choose to consult--in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Read Claude McKay's poem "On Broadway" (widely available online). In this poem, you will also see a speaker immersed in a New York environment, observing a nighttime scene. You will see the personification of desire as well as references to feet, the heart, and ceaseless motion. All of these elements are very like "Harlem Shadows"--but the intent of "On Broadway" is very different. Write an essay comparing and contrasting these two poems. Show how it is possible for two poems by the same author to have so many elements in common and yet convey very different ideas about life. Be sure to support your assertions with evidence from both poems and to cite your sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,060 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample