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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. What did Clare's aunts do to her?
2. Clare's admission that she is lacking in morals
3. Does Irene want Clare in her life again?
4. When Clare falls from the window, Irene cries with
5. Brian demands that Irene not
Short Essay Questions
1. What is the author's intention when she puts the two women together in the hotel restaurant scene? What conclusions can we draw from Irene's memory of that day?
2. Discuss Helga's new exuberance as the wife of a minister.
3. Speculate on why Clare is silent at the Redfield dinner table, but talkative and gregarious a parties with others. Does she have a split personality, or is she just shy at the Redfields'? How does Larsen let on what is going on without saying it?
4. Discuss how giving birth to her fourth child seems to be Helga's breaking point. Why does this happen? What does the death of her infant symbolize?
5. What is it that has kept Clare from leaving her husband and living permanently in Harlem?
6. Why do you suppose Clare is pushing herself so rigorously to get involved in Irene's life? Why has she not chosen, for instance, Gertrude, to reacquaint her with the black culture? What is the particular attraction to Irene?
7. What is your initial assessment of Clare Kendry? Do we know enough about her in these first two chapters to draw any conclusions about her? If so, what would they be?
8. What is odd about the initial meeting among Irene, Gertrude and Clare? Are these conversations typical among women friends? What, if anything, makes the visit among the three women unusual?
9. What do we learn about the marriage of Irene and Brian Redfield in this chapter? Is it healthy? Is it durable? Why, or why not?
10. After two years pass, Clare again wants to become involved in Irene's life. Is Irene's reaction negative or positive? Explain her reaction.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Why did Helga Crane not fit into the culture of Naxos? Larsen suggests several reasons, but one stands out above the rest. Helga is a complex character, but has some basic flaws that hinder her development. What were they, and how did they hurt her?
Essay Topic 2
Write about the complexities of the personality of Mrs. Hayes-Rore. Why does Larsen develop her character? What does she symbolize? Is she a typical Harlemite? Is she important to Quicksand as a character? If so, what exactly is her role in the story?
Essay Topic 3
Write an essay about the music in Harlem during the 1920s, including popular musicians and their audiences. Do some of the same venues still exist there? Does the traditional music of the 1920s still exist there? What permanent mark did early Harlem leave on music, if any?
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This section contains 1,645 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) |
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