The African American writer and social critic James Baldwin grew up as

The African American writer and social critic James Baldwin grew up as an outsider both to the language and culture of power, and yet achieved a balance between self-expression and the language of power. In the 1930’s, Hollywood movies portrayed an optimistic, capitalist, white America that dealt with white issues and employed white actors. As a child, Baldwin felt acutely separated from the culture of power. In “Congo Square,” Baldwin opens his essay with an important idea: “A child is far too self-centered to relate to any dilemma which does not, somehow, relate to him.” Watching the films of the dominant culture, Baldwin attempted to relate the information to his own life, connecting with it however he could. Rather than blindly accept the storylines in the movies, when Baldwin saw a staircase in A Tale of Two Cities, he thought, “I knew about staircases.”

At the same time, Baldwin distrusted the culture of power: “The civilized … do not intend to change the status quo … these people are not to be taken seriously when they speak of the ‘sanctity’ of human life, or the ‘conscience’ of the civilized world.”

1. It can be inferred from the passage that Baldwin would agree with which of the following about a 1930’s film that dealt only with African American issues and employed only African American actors?

I. It would be significantly better than most Hollywood movies from the 1930’s.
II. It would suffer from the same kind of problems as the more typical 1930’s Hollywood movies.
III. It would be less likely than most other 1930’s Hollywood movies to reinforce the predominant culture.

A. I only
B. II only
C. III only
D. I and II only
E. I and III only


2. Baldwin’s quotation from “Congo Square” is used primarily in order to illuminate what aspect of 1930’s America?

(A) the culture of power that Baldwin mistrusted
(B) the fact that Hollywood movies were primarily optimistic and centered on white culture
(C) the idea that America was hungry for a writer such as Baldwin, because its films focused only on white America
(D) the alienating effect of films of the era on black children
(E) the concept that children are incapable of deriving any educational value from films they can’t relate to