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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Who brings Blood his breakfast at the beginning of Chapter 12?
2. How long does Slim spend in detox in Seattle?
3. Where does Slim escape to from the State Workforce?
4. Who besides Glass Top and the other dealers know about Slim's coke addiction?
5. Why doesn't Blood flinch when the gunshot nearly hits him?
Short Essay Questions
1. Why is Chris one of the few people who knows that Slim is addicted to cocaine in Chapter 13?
2. While out on bail in Chapter 16, how does Slim show his true colors as a friend to Sweet Jones and why?
3. What consequences to others does Slim fail to consider before or mention after his escape in Chapter 18?
4. Twice in Chapter 19, Slim turns to family for help. To whom does he go and for what?
5. What does the sewer in the chapter 15 title refer to?
6. Slim has two near-murder experiences in Chapter 20. Who does he nearly kill, how and why doesn't he?
7. How has Leroy been spending his years when Slim runs across him again in prison?
8. Why does Blood begin to feel like a real pimp in Chapter 13?
9. Mavis is a female drug dealer and one of the few women in the story who is not a prostitute. How does Mavis being female make her an appropriate target for Slim's robbery attempt in Chapter 17?
10. How does the Chapter 22 title "Dawn" reflect the evolution of Slim's life at this stage?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Nature versus Nurture. Bobby Beck's choices as Macking Youngblood and Iceberg Slim can be described as a result of an unfortunate and violent childhood, bad environment and bad parenting/role modeling. Instead of following the example of Henry Upshaw, a man he loved and wanted to be like, Beck chose to follow the example of Steve and the pimps of the Chicago underworld. Is Beck's path in life inevitable given his resentment of women, his violent handling by his father and his available options as a black man in a white, segregated world? Identify key choice points for Beck at various points in his life and his perceived alternatives.
Essay Topic 2
In Beck's early years, doctors, lawyers, bankers were the only high class "Negro" society he was exposed to that looked as well or lived as well as he and his family (with Henry Upshaw). Yet apparently this did not make enough of an impression upon him to lead him to highly value education and he is thrown out of Tuskegee University for bad behavior. In the late 1920's what were the educational and professional opportunities generally available to black men, and how did this affect Beck?
Essay Topic 3
Common reviews and/or criticisms of the book "Pimp: The Story of My Life" include:
It is actually categorized as a work of fiction.
It has poor character development, particularly of the female characters.
The slang is outdated and nearly unreadable.
The lurid detail is more self-serving than explicative.
The plot movement is slow.
It is an unapologetic and graphically real look at the lifestyle it attempts to portray.
The writing style is inspired and gripping.
Slim truly tells it like it is.
React to some of these statements and craft your own thoughtful and well-reasoned review of this book (attempt to use your knowledge of literary standards as opposed to visceral reaction).
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This section contains 1,173 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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