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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bertha recommend to Loomis?

2. What does Martha say Loomis needs?

3. What are Seth and Bynum doing at the beginning of Act 2, Scene 2?

4. What does Jeremy suggest Molly needs a man for?

5. At the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1, what does Seth want to do about Loomis?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the meaning of Eugene's pigeons in the play.

1) Why does Reuben keep Eugene's pigeons instead of setting them free? Why might Eugene want the pigeons set free after his death?

2) Why does Seth's mother's ghost come and force Reuben to free the pigeons?

3) What symbolism do the pigeons have in Bynum's rituals?

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)

This section contains 334 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample