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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. What does the author refer to as "the crime of which I accuse my country" in "My Dungeon Shook"?

2. What word from "My Dungeon Shook" refers to extremely cruel and brutal behavior?

3. What caused the author's father's defeat in "My Dungeon Shook"?

4. What word from "My Dungeon Shook" refers to the condition of being lower in status or quality than others?

5. What word from "My Dungeon Shook" refers to a seemingly self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated may proved to be true?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author define the word "integration" in the conclusion of "My Dungeon Shook"?

2. What paradox does the author describe in "My Dungeon Shook"?

3. Who is Charles Dickens and why does the author cite him in "My Dungeon Shook"?

4. How does the author describe his relationship with his brother in "My Dungeon Shook"?

5. How does the author suggest his nephew perceive the "details and symbols of your life" in "My Dungeon Shook"?

6. What does the word "Negro" mean, and how is it applied in The Fire Next Time?

7. What does the author write about the words "acceptance" and "integration" in "My Dungeon Shook"?

8. What "is the danger in the minds of most white Americans," according to the author in "My Dungeon Shook"?

9. How does the author impress the importance of history on his nephew in "My Dungeon Shook"?

10. What does the author claim to be the only way you can be destroyed in "My Dungeon Shook"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the language style of The Fire Next Time. How would you describe the author's fluidity and lyricism in his language in the essays? What are examples of literary devices such as similes, metaphors, etc. employed by the author? How does the language style reflect upon the author?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the Emancipation Proclamation and the author's references to it in "My Dungeon Shook." When was the Emancipation Proclamation enacted? Who enacted it? What did it guarantee? How does the author refer to it in his essay?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the author's descriptions of his mother and other female African Americans in The Fire Next Time. How are these depictions juxtaposed against the depictions of males in African American society? What is the basis of these differences in character?

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