Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. There is a lot of dialogue in the play about the audience and appreciation for Black music. Ma has her following, Bessie has her following, and Levee wants to reach a new audience and build his own following with his dance music.

• To address the theme of Cultural and Social Change, what cultural and social changes were taking place during 1927 that made way for the flowering of Black art? (topic sentence)
• Explain the relationship of each change to the development of the Black music and recording industries.
• In your closing sentences, explain the issue of white and Black audiences for Black art.

2. Among the Black characters, there is much discussion of hierarchy. Levee says he is better than the other band members because of his new shoes and the attention his original music is getting from Sturdyvant. Ma is better than the other characters because of her voice and her audience.

• To address the theme of Race and Hierarchy, what are the conditions of status within the Black hierarchy that are established in the play? (topic sentence)
• Focus on 2-3 Black characters and their positions in the Black hierarchy. Explain how the hierarchy affects his or her choices and the outcomes of those choices.
• In your closing sentences, discuss how this hierarchy is damaging to the Black community.

3. Levee and Cutler have a physical altercation over their perceptions of God.

• To address the theme of Religion, what role does religion play in the lives of Levee and Cutler? (topic sentence)
• Discuss each character’s experiences with religion and how they have contributed to their current views.
• In your closing sentences, address the issue of answered or unanswered prayers in the characters’ lives.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Levee and his bandmates discuss the influence of white culture on Black culture. Levee accuses Toledo of being an “imitation white man.” In what ways has white culture affected how these men view themselves, their circumstances, and their futures? Cite text evidence to support your claim.

2. When Levee shows interest in Dussie Mae, Cutler warns, “Don’t you know that’s Ma’s gal?” Discuss the ways in which this suggestion of homosexuality affects the development of Ma’s character and the ways that others perceive her. Cite text evidence to support your claim.

3. After Toledo steps on Levee’s shoes, Levee stabs and kills him. What is the real source of Levee’s anger toward Toledo? What effect does this cause of anger have on the overall condition of Black men such as Levee? Cite text evidence to support your claim.