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

3. In the first image of the sex workers, what is being emphasized?

4. Which lines of each stanza are indented?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Describe the form of this poem.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you consider the symbolic imagery of feet in "Harlem Shadows." Consider their structural placement throughout the poem and what this is meant to convey. Consider how these feet and footsteps are described--what feelings and associations are they meant to convey? Consider their use as synecdoches to represent the sex workers and how this transfers feelings and ideas to the sex workers, as well. Be sure to show how the symbolic imagery related to feet and footsteps supports the overall meaning of the poem, and support your assertions with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem. Cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

In "Harlem Shadows," how does the personification in the first stanza create an aura of sympathy around the sex workers' situation? Does that sympathy continue throughout the poem? What feelings are attributed to the women? Are their voices ever heard? How is the choice to attribute feelings to them and not let them speak for themselves consistent with the purpose of the personification in the first stanza? How do other techniques, like antithesis, metonymy, synecdoche, diction, imagery, and symbolism work together with that personification to remove agency from the sex workers? How does this loss of agency support the poem's meaning? Write an essay in which you consider how McKay uses personification and other rhetorical devices to create a unified picture of the sex workers as more object than subject. Use both quoted and paraphrased evidence to support your claims, making sure to cite quoted evidence 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.

(see the answer keys)

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