Print
Word
PDF
|
| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Who said, "Slavery was a bad thing and freedom of the kind we got with nothing to live on was bad."?
2. What year did the Civil War begin?
3. After working for a "share" for a while, what ended up happening to many of the ex-slaves?
4. Slavery was abolished but what was the new term for the new treatment of blacks?
5. What was Lew Cheney known for?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
There is a very long narrative about a slave named Paul in the novel. Give a brief summary about the story. Why is it included in the novel? Discuss what Paul symbolizes. What happens to Paul in the end? Discuss the reason for Paul's decision for his own life and how the narrator of Paul's story feels about it. Do you agree with Paul's decision? Why or why not? The narrator notes the iron collar around Paul's neck. What does it symbolize? The narrator also notes the three bells. What do they symbolize?
Essay Topic 2
There is no doubt that even today, people tend to flock towards others who are similar to themselves. Oftentimes, we find companionship and a sense of camaraderie amongst people who share the same background and ethnicity as ourselves. When Africans were brought to America to be slaves, the blacks supported one another and tried to help one another if they could. They understood and sympathized with the other blacks. Having said this, there were still those blacks who were considered traitors to their own kind. What were some of the betrayals that Julius Lester discusses in his novel? Discuss these stories. Why drove these slaves to side with the whites when the blacks were clearly being wronged? Be sure to include the story of Lev Cheney and discuss house-servants. What was the purpose of house-servants and how does it tie-in with this discussion?
Essay Topic 3
Most slaves craved freedom. Many thought death was better than the life they lived. The book mentions many accounts in which slaves mention that they would rather die than be re-captured into slavery or that they would rather their babies die free than be born into slavery. Discuss the reasons why a slave would think this way and whether it is the right way to think. Is death really the only option if freedom is unavailable?
|
This section contains 494 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
