ENG 248 Midterm

Question 1

Local Color Writing

Answer 1

It was a way to preserve regional culture in light of a post-Civil War/Reconstruction nationalistic push and drastic change. As a way to preserve and document a sense of a region’s history, local color writing sought to replicate speech patterns, dress, and the culture of a particular region at a particular time.

Question 2

Realism

Answer 2

which depicted the truth of slavery and its effects, primarily through slave narratives and later novels, moving away from Romantic idealization to show the harsh realities of the system

Question 3

Cult of true Womanhood

Answer 3

claimed that women must have four virtues: piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. an ideology of feminine behavior and an ideal of womanliness

Question 4

The slave narrative genre

Answer 4

a literary genre featuring autobiographical accounts of formerly enslaved people, used to document the horrors of slavery, assert humanity, and advocate for abolition. Key characteristics include a focus on themes of freedom, resilience, and religion, a distinct narrative style, vivid descriptions of violence and escape.

Question 5

the ritual

Answer 5

any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner. An established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite

Question 6

the boast

Answer 6

An expression of great pride or a showy claim of one’s own worth or accomplishments

Question 7

the New Negro

Answer 7

a Black individual who embodies a renewed sense of racial pride, self-respect, and intellectual independence, particularly during the early 20th century’s Harlem Renaissance. This concept was a marked departure from earlier stereotypes of passive or subservient Black people, emphasizing instead a confident and assertive stance against Jim Crow segregation and racial oppression through cultural, artistic, and political engagement.

Question 8

Wearing the mask or masking

Answer 8

It describes African Americans concealing their pain and suffering behind a facade of contentment to survive in a white-dominated society. The mask was a strategy for navigating the dangers of racism and prejudice. By outwardly appearing submissive and happy, Black people could avoid invoking the anger or suspicion of white oppressors.

Question 9

the ballad

Answer 9

a narrative poem or song, typically in four-line stanzas with an ABCB rhyme scheme

Question 10

The trickster

Answer 10

one who is seemingly, from all appearances, at a distinct disadvantage to a stronger, greater oppressor. The trickster uses guile or wit to gain an advantage over said oppressor.

Question 11

Signifying

Answer 11

vernacular strategy of indirection; highly delusional wordplay that is accessible primarily to those sharing certain cultural and/or communal values (inside joke)

Question 12

The Harlem Renaissance

Answer 12

a flourishing of African American art, music, literature, and culture in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, a period known for its celebration of Black identity and pride, originating from the Great Migration.

Question 13

Sonnet Poem

Answer 13

A fixed verse form italian origin consisting of 14 lines that are typically 5-foot iambics rhyming according to a prescribed scheme