Literary Elements
the part of the plot where background information, setting, and main characters are introduced
Exposition
The main point the author wants the reader to understand
Main Idea
In a brief exchange where Clay replies “I’m fine” but avoids Lula’s eyes and stares out the window, infer Clay’s likely emotional state
discomfort, disconnected, withdrawn, defensive
The generalization that Lula's uses this prop as part of her manipulative performance to control Clay, treating flirtation and temptation as a weapon.
Lula uses an apple to tempt and control Clay.
Likely effect if Clay would have discovered a major secret early in the play
Clay would attempt to control his demeanor, accelerating his internal unraveling and provoking Lula’s escalation
Protagonist and Antagonist in The Dutchman
Protagonist- Clay
Antagonist- Lula
The difference between a topic and a main idea
The topic is the subject, while the main idea is what the author says about that subject.
After Lula repeatedly provokes Clay and he nervously straightens his tie and glances at other riders, infer Clay’s larger concern behind these actions
He's worried how society will view him, his assimilated persona, and doing his best to avoid a public racial confrontation.
Generalize how Clay’s clothing and manners function in the play
Represents his desperate attempt to navigate white American society
Lula stirs public humiliation and then Clay is stabbed. What if people in the city were aware of a subway murderer? What would happen to the man with the book that boards the train at the end?
the young man who boards later may choose to avoid engaging with flirtatious white strangers.
The main message in a literary work
Theme
Facts, examples, reasons, statistics, anecdotes or quotations that explain or prove the main idea
What is a supporting detail?
When small contradictions appear in Lula’s stories about whom she knows and where she lives, infer what this suggests about her reliability.
She's unreliable, performative, manipulative, a liar, and self-repressive.
The generalization that can be made about the bystanders reaction to Clay's murder.
This shows that society is actively complicit towards racial violence.
Read this scenario: A community enacts a mandatory youth curfew with heavy penalties after a violent nighttime crime. How might this law lead to unintended consequences that reshape people’s motivations? Provide two examples.
Youths shift social activity online and to private, unsupervised homes. Teens now feels pressured to keep secrets and lie to parents to maintain social ties; they become more defensive and less trusting of authority.
The author's attitude towards the subject
tone
When multiple sentences in a paragraph seem equally important, what method helps pinpoint the main idea?
The method is to look for repeated words/ideas, the topic sentence, and the sentence that generalizes specific details.
Infer how Baraka uses the confined subway setting to heighten tensions between Lula and Clay.
Baraka uses the setting to create claustrophobic confinement, an inescapable cycle, a complicit audience, instability from the roar of the train and flashing lights, etc.
The generalization about how Lula uses language to control Clay in Scene II.
She uses language as a weapon to psychologically force Clay into a stereotypical role.
How would a public policy change (e.g., a new subway policing policy announced publicly) could indirectly alter relationships between Lula, Clay, and the Conductor.
The policy would improve authority and surveillance, shifting power dynamics and social dependence among the three characters.
when a passage sounds different than its subject (joking language about a serious event)
irony
Definition of an objective summary
A concise restatement of the main idea and key details without personal opinion or interpretation
Clay sometimes professes polite, intellectual goals, while later erupting aggressively; infer a deeper motive that reconciles these contradictory actions.
He was being polite and trying to defuse the situation.
The generalization that can be made from ending the play with the same scene that began the play.
This cycle of destruction is repetitive throughout history where white society continually seeks to dismantle Black masculinity.
A generalization that blames Clay's behavior solely on his personal weakness, overlooking the play’s commentary on systemic racism, identity, and social performance
He tried to assimilate into white culture.