Choose two of the following essay prompts. Respond to each in a paragraph. Write your answer in complete sentences. (16 pts )
Prompt I. In both "Marriage Is a Private Affair" and "A Meeting in the Dark," young men fret that their fathers will disapprove of their potential wives. Compare these two stories by looking at how the personalities of the young men and their fathers help to shape the eventual outcomes.
Prompt II. Examine how white people and black people regard each other in "No Witchcraft for Sale," "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off," and "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses." How do they help to both teach and support each other, and how do they fail? Think about what each group is trying to protect and when it withholds something from the other.
Prompt III. A theme that runs through the poems in this unit is that a sense of pride is important to a sense of self-worth.
What do you think is the connection between this theme and Africa's history of colonial rule? Support your view with details from at least two of the selections you have read.
Prompt II. In "No Witchcraft for Sale," "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off," and "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses," the relationships between white people and black people are complex and filled with both support and failure. In "No Witchcraft for Sale," white people regard black people as naive and superstitious, and they withhold the secret of the healing plant from them. However, they also try to teach and protect the black people by preserving the plant's power and preventing it from being exploited. In "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off," white people regard black people as inferior and treat them with condescension. The white protagonist fails to see the value in his son's relationship with a black servant and ultimately shoots him accidentally. In "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses," white people regard black people as potential threats and criminals. However, the prison teacher recognizes the intelligence and potential in the black prisoner and supports him in his education. The black prisoner, however, fails to see the teacher's genuine concern and accuses him of trying to undermine the black prisoners' unity. In these stories, both white and black people have moments of support and failure, as they navigate their complicated relationships and attempt to protect what they perceive as valuable or important.
Prompt III. The theme of pride being important to a sense of self-worth is strongly linked to Africa's history of colonial rule. In "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," the poem celebrates the deep roots of African culture and the enduring pride of black people throughout history. The poem asserts that the African identity is eternal, even in the face of oppression and colonization. Similarly, in "A Far Cry from Africa," the poet explores the conflicting emotions of being tied to both Africa and the colonizer's culture. The poem grapples with the question of whether the poet can still feel pride in Africa while acknowledging the violence and trauma caused by colonialism. Both poems highlight the connection between pride in African heritage and the struggle against colonial rule. The poems suggest that maintaining a sense of pride in one's roots is essential for reclaiming agency and self-worth in the face of colonization.