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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. How does Gilroy characterize the mood of the black Atlantic?

2. What do Jews and blacks fear from a discussion of the Holocaust and slavery?

3. What horrified Richard Wright in Gilroy's account?

4. What does Gilroy say the Afrocentrism movement relies on?

5. How does Gilroy say DuBois arrived at his identity?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did DuBois argue was the only way to deal with the brutality of modern civilized life in the South?

2. How does Gilroy characterize the ontological state of slavery?

3. Describe the role of the concept of tradition in the black Atlantic.

4. What view of the black Atlantic does Paul Gilroy leave us with at the end of the book?

5. What was James Weldon Johnson's contribution to Gilroy's book?

6. What does Gilroy have to say about violence in American culture?

7. Why, in Gilroy's opinion, is tradition useful in modern black culture?

8. Why do Jews and blacks both resist the comparison of slavery and the Holocaust, as Gilroy describes it?

9. How does Gilroy say DuBois described black music?

10. How does blackness function in DuBois' writing, as Gilroy describes it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the end of The Black Atlantic Paul Gilroy describes the challenges facing Western culture in the future. How is race related to these challenges, and do you think that this broadening of scope is a fitting gesture to close on? Does it cement Gilroy's narrative, or does it step aside from it?

Essay Topic 2

Write a character sketch of the author based on the style and content of his writing. What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

Essay Topic 3

Evaluate your own reading of The Black Atlantic--did you resist it or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

(see the answer keys)

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