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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Benjamin think about practicing socialized medicine?

2. Why is Dr. Leeds untouchable?

3. Why might Dr. Barnes feel guilty about the situation?

4. Who is the first person to speak in Scene 5?

5. What unflattering terms does Dr. Barnes use to describe the board?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There is a saying that charity begins at home. Yet, in this play, charity seems to have succumbed to a hardness and harshness. How do you define charity in its broadest sense? How do you explain the near absence of charity in the lives of the characters, if you see it as absent? What does charity do for the giver and receiver? What prices do individuals and society pay when charity disappears or becomes minimal?

Essay Topic 2

Odets' play has been called dated because of the language. The slang and figurative language almost demand a close reading of the play with a good dictionary at hand. How does the language aid communication and relationships in the 1930s? What does it communicate about the speakers and listeners? What if anything could have influenced the language of the working class? What if any contemporary communications are comparable to Odets' language?

Essay Topic 3

The first character introduced in the play is Fatt, who is described a certain way. Discuss the symbolic meaning for this character's name and appearance in relation to the situations in the play. Compare and contrast Fatt with Joe. How do you imagine Joe to look, and why use the name Joe? Whom do these two characters stand for? Who is the protagonist? The antagonist? What evidence supports your claims?

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This section contains 339 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample