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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 word from "My Dungeon Shook" refers to extremely cruel and brutal behavior?

2. What must one become "concerning destruction and death," according to the author in "My Dungeon Shook"?

3. How does the author describe the letter recipient as a baby in "My Dungeon Shook"?

4. The author writes in "My Dungeon Shook," "The details and symbols of your life have been deliberately constructed to make you believe" what?

5. Where was "My Dungeon Shook" first published?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Charles Dickens and why does the author cite him in "My Dungeon Shook"?

2. What "is the danger in the minds of most white Americans," according to the author in "My Dungeon Shook"?

3. What does the author claim to be the only way you can be destroyed in "My Dungeon Shook"?

4. How has the black man functioned in the white man's world, according to Baldwin in "My Dungeon Shook"?

5. What paradox does the author describe in "My Dungeon Shook"?

6. How does the author define the word "integration" in the conclusion of "My Dungeon Shook"?

7. What does the author write about the words "acceptance" and "integration" in "My Dungeon Shook"?

8. What does the author remark about love and survival in "My Dungeon Shook"?

9. How does James Baldwin describe his father's defeat in "My Dungeon Shook"?

10. How is the essay "My Dungeon Shook" formatted and structured?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the parallels that the author draws between the Holocaust and the oppression of African Americans. How does the author indicate that World War II changed perceptions within the black community of white society? What did the fact of the Holocaust prove to the author?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the structure of "Down at the Cross." What is the thesis presented by the author in this essay? How does Baldwin go about proving his thesis? What is illustrated in the conclusion of the essay?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of identity in The Fire Next Time. How does the author illustrate this theme in "Down at the Cross"? How is the theme explored in "My Dungeon Shook"? What factors impact the white man and the black man's sense of identity?

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This section contains 896 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample