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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. Why does mammy say Sarny's birth mother was sold in Chapter 1?
2. How many miles does John say they run him in his first day in Chapter 3?
3. What substance does Sarny equate the color of her skin with in Chapter 3?
4. What word used in Chapter 3 refers to the process of preparing corn for eating?
5. What term refers to the movement to end slavery?
Short Essay Questions
1. How does Mr. Waller behave toward John as he brings him into the plantation in Chapter 3?
2. How would you describe the dialect and language style established in Chapter 1?
3. What is the trade that John offers to make with Sarny in Chapter 3? How does Sarny feel about the offer?
4. How is Sarny's character introduced to the reader in Chapter 1? What does Sarny say brought Nightjohn to her?
5. What does Sarny describe thinking about as the others sleep in the slave quarters at night in Chapter 1?
6. How would you describe the tone and mood of the novel as established in Chapter 1?
7. What does Sarny overhear from the white house while she works in Chapter 2?
8. What was Mammy's response when she discovered Sarny copying the symbols from the grain sack into the dirt when she was a child? Why did she react in this manner?
9. What imagery and/or symbolism is used in describing the slaves on the plantation in Chapter 2?
10. How is Sarny's relationship with Mammy illustrated in Chapter 1? How does Mammy feel about the other children she cares for?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
How is slave life described in the novel? List at least five ways in which Waller ensures that his slaves are stripped of their freedom. Which seems most invasive to you? Why? What freedom(s) would you most miss if you lost your freedoms today?
Essay Topic 2
Examine and discuss the themes of cruelty and abuse in Nightjohn. In what ways do Waller’s actions in the narrative appear cruel? Do you think that Waller derives pleasure from the abuse and torture of his slaves? Why or why not?
Essay Topic 3
Discuss the meaning and the value of money as seen through Sarny’s eyes in Nightjohn. What does Sarny remark about the monetary value that her mother brought for Waller? How does this perception of people as having a monetary value impact Sarny’s view of the world around her? What negative impacts might this outlook cause in a person’s self worth?
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This section contains 959 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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