Study Guide for Final Exam

Be sure to bring a bluebook for the exam, which will be in W315, May 3^rd, 8-10 A.M.

I. There will be multiple choice questions that demonstrate that you have read all of the assigned material.

II. Be prepared to respond to the following essay questions, although some may only require short answers:

What was the heroic appeal of John Henry?

Identify some of the black American folk heroes we discussed in class. Make distinctions between the trickster and the bad man, giving examples of each.

Why did the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 generate a toast that became popular among several million African Americans, even though there were no black passengers or black crew members aboard the doomed vessel? How does the character Shine deal with stereotypical images about blacks characteristic in white folklore?

What are considered to be the most important psychological functions of "the dozens"? Describe the rules for this ritual insult among black adolescents. Provide at least five examples of the dozens.

Drawing from your reading, trace the development of the shotgun house as a distinct African-American expressive form..

In his chapter, “Arrival and Survival,” John Vlach refers to mistaken ideas about the slave experience and its effects on Africa-American folklore and culture, ideas which Melville Herskovitz debunked in his Myth of the Negro Past. What were some of those ideas and how might research on African-American material culture challenge these ideas?

Identify some characteristics of African-American quilts in terms of aesthetic choices.

III. Be prepared to write extensively (a paragraph) on each of the following terms:

John Henry signifying

types of African-American folk heroes Mister Franklin

Shine John de Conquer

signifying Stagolee

the dozens toasts

Joe Louis Jack Johnson

William Edmondson WPA ex-slave narratives

Nathaniel Barrow Caddy Buffers

shotgun house Phillip Simmons