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

Short Answer Questions

1. What atmosphere does the drumming create during the fourth forest scene?

2. Which term describes the tone of the fourth forest scene?

3. Where does Emperor Jones go at the end of the fourth forest scene?

4. How does Emperor Jones feel about the thing he throws into the bushes in the fourth forest scene?

5. Where does Lem say he got his silver bullet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Emperor Jones makes a lot of money by ruling over the natives, but he is killed by money as well in the form of melted down silver coins. How does money appear in the play? What does it buy? What can it not buy? Are there other forms of exchange that use a different currency?

Essay Topic 2

How does the action of the play affect you as a viewer? Are you sympathetic to Emperor Jones' situation or does he seem like a villain? Do you want him to escape, or do you want him to be caught and killed? How does the play manipulate your sympathies and expectations? Do you feel relieved at the conclusion? Do you feel that justice has been done?

Essay Topic 3

How was Emperor Jones received in America when it premiered in 1929? What does it tell us about America in 1929 that it got the responses it did? What does it tell us about how blacks were treated in America at the time?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 336 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample