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

2. Which line most clearly echoes the tension between "little girls" (line 5) and "prowling" (line 6)?

3. In line 16, what word does the speaker use to describe the feet of his own race?

4. Which techniques are evident in line 4, "To bend and barter at desire's call"?

5. What ideas are associated with the snow in this poem?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Describe the form of this poem.

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is the speaker of "Harlem Shadows" Claude McKay himself? Use evidence from both the poem and research on McKay's ideas to construct a convincing argument about whether or not McKay can reasonably be said to be the speaker of the poem. You do not have to prove that, without a doubt, McKay is or is not the speaker. You are only trying to demonstrate what the balance of the evidence implies. Support your arguments with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem, and be sure to cite all evidence--including outside sources--in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Read Claude McKay's poem "America" (widely available online). Note the use of antithesis in this poem. How is it similar to the use of antithesis in "Harlem Shadows"? How is it different? Write a comparison and contrast of the use of antithesis in these two poems. Show how the technique is used in each poem and offer commentary on its purposes. Support your observations with both quoted and paraphrased evidence drawn from throughout the poem, and be sure to cite quoted evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Choose another of McKay's poems and write an essay that compares and contrasts it with "Harlem Shadows," using biographical information about McKay to illuminate the similarities and differences between the two poems. (For the second poem, do not choose a McKay poem already discussed in class.) Your goal is not to analyze these poems but to demonstrate how the two poems reflect Claude McKay's era, his typical subject matter, and his style. Support your arguments with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from both poems, and be sure to cite all evidence--including outside sources--in MLA format.

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