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

Short Answer Questions

1. What room does Act 2, Scene 3 take place in?

2. Who does he say made up the song?

3. Zonia asks Reuben what something feels like. What does she ask about?

4. What does Seth remind Loomis of?

5. Who does Bertha blame for Jeremy's behavior?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trauma is the enduring effects of an injury, such as slavery, which leaves a generations-long mark on African-Americans. Discuss trauma in the play.

1) How has Herald Loomis' trauma from being enslaved affected him and his life? Do any of the other characters affected a similar trauma?

2) How do the cultural repercussions of slavery affect Jeremy?

3) How do the cultural repercussions of slavery affect the women in the play and their relationships with men?

4) How is trauma from Herald Loomis' experience passed down to Zonia?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the losing of the self in the play.

1) How does Loomis lose himself and his identity in the play? Why can't he reclaim it?

2) What is the significance of a person's Song, as Bynum describes it, and how does losing one's Song equate to losing one's self?

3) How can characters find themselves? Which characters are still lost at the end of the play?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the role of women in the play.

1) Discuss Molly's attitude toward sex, money, and freedom. Where does this attitude come from? Is Molly healthier or happier than the other women in the play?

2) Discuss Mattie's reliance on a man in the play. Why does she need a relationship and children?

3) Discuss Bertha's role in the play. Why is Bertha always shown in the kitchen, cooking? What role does she have in her marriage with Seth? Is their relationship a healthy one?

(see the answer keys)

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