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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Reuben say the ghost was wearing?

2. What does Seth say Joe Turner wanted from Loomis?

3. Where did Reuben see the dead person?

4. At the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1, what does Seth want to do about Loomis?

5. What are Seth and Bynum doing at the beginning of Act 2, Scene 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trauma is the enduring effects of an injury, such as slavery, which leaves a generations-long mark on African-Americans. Discuss trauma in the play.

1) How has Herald Loomis' trauma from being enslaved affected him and his life? Do any of the other characters affected a similar trauma?

2) How do the cultural repercussions of slavery affect Jeremy?

3) How do the cultural repercussions of slavery affect the women in the play and their relationships with men?

4) How is trauma from Herald Loomis' experience passed down to Zonia?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the metaphor of traveling in the play.

1) In the play, freed blacks travel across the country and become separated from each other. What motivates this traveling? What does it show about these people and their experiences?

2) Characters in the play travel in search of people and things that they've lost. What are the characters searching for? Why is travel important in their search?

3) Roads play important roles in both Bynum and Loomis' visions. Explain the significance of roads and traveling in the characters' visions.

Essay Topic 3

Though black slaves have been freed, the characters in the play still experience oppression. Discuss oppression in the play.

1) How is Jeremy oppressed, both when he is arrested and when he is fired from his job? What forces make this oppression possible?

2) Does Seth experience oppression or prejudice? Does his lack of backing in his metalworking plan and his relationship with Selig indicate any prejudice?

3) Is Bertha's story of how Selig makes money finding people credible? What significance does it have?

4) What forces in society lead to oppression of the characters in the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 401 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample