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

2. Which lines of each stanza are indented?

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

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

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the form of this poem.

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

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

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

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

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

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 use of the word "prowling" contrast with the poem's previous descriptions of the women?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of McKay's use of the word "brown" to describe his race? How does this separate the racial idea of "Blackness" from the way dark is being used in the poem? How does using the color white to refer to snow but never using the word "black" to refer to any of the dark things in the poem function in the same way? Write an essay in which you show how McKay is able to use traditional literary symbolism of dark and light/black and white without implying that Blackness in racial terms is associated with any of the negative qualities attributed to darkness or the color black in literature. 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 2

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 3

How does Claude McKay use diction in "Harlem Shadows" to convey meaning to the reader? Consider the level of formality and connotations of his word choices as well as patterns in the way diction creates tone and reveals the speaker's perspective. Show how these elements of diction contribute to the reader's understanding of the poem's meaning. Use both quoted and paraphrased evidence to support your claims, making sure to cite quoted evidence in MLA format.

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