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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What does the word "shod" in line 12 refer to?

3. Which lines of each stanza are indented?

4. In lines 2 and 3, the expression "when the night lets fall/ Its veil" is an example of which technique?

5. What color does the speaker assign to the sex workers' feet?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the form of this poem.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There is a long tradition of visual and literary artists using sex workers as symbols. In a patriarchal society where sex work is largely dominated by women and the arts have historically been dominated by men, this means a large number of male painters and writers trying to convey something about the world through the figure of the female sex worker. Is this inherently problematic? Is Claude McKay's use of female sex workers problematic in any way? Do some research into how sex workers have been portrayed in art and literature. Use this background information to develop your own opinion about the reasons these female figures have been used symbolically and the ethical implications of this use. Then, decide to what extent McKay's use of sex workers as symbols falls in line with traditional uses and whether you find his particular use of them to be ethical or unethical. Write an essay in which you take and defend a position on these issues, supporting your assertions with evidence drawn from "Harlem Shadows" and from your background research. Be sure to cite your evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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