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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 do the three sections of "Invisible Man" represent?

2. What is Jimmy Rushing's instrument?

3. When is "The Birth of a Nation" released?

4. Who is Mrs. Lydia Maria Child?

5. What do the blues capture?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Ellison disagree with Jones when he says "A slave cannot be a man"?

2. When asked when he began "Invisible Man" what does Ellison answer?

3. What does Ellison say about a Negro President?

4. What type of music does the upstairs singer practice all day?

5. What is the film "Intruder in the Dust" about?

6. What captures the attention of many critics about "Blues People."

7. Who is LeRoi Jones?

8. What are the two categories Jones places the blues in?

9. What was Jackson's early life like?

10. What does Ellison say is the invisible man's discovery?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ellison's childhood is joyful and full of many artistic influences. What in the interview "That Same Pain, That Same Pleasure" gives you the most insight into his childhood? What activities stir up in the young Ellison that romantic longing and belief that any kind of life is possible? How does music and dance affect his life? Who are his heroes? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Who is Stephen Crane and why is Ellison so interested in him? What is it about Crane's style of writing that is important to Ellison's thinking about good writing? What does Crane do that makes him unique? Clearly Ellison holds Crane up as a great model for all novelists who follow. Is it Crane's technique, his ability to write in such specific ways, what impresses Ellison or is it Crane's willingness to look into the heart of the American culture and see what is there?

Essay Topic 3

The Lafargue Psychiatric Clinic is profiled with a sense of gratitude and anger. What is Ellison angry about and why? As much as he admires the clinic, why does he feel it should not be necessary? What is at the source of mental suffering for many persons in the Harlem community?

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This section contains 784 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample