Midnight: Tales of a Blackened Soul by Deidra D. S. Green

This research paper should address concerns about Blackness in America
(North, South, and Central, not just the United States), the struggles and triumphs of the people
being written about in the specific genre.
Requirements: 8-12-pages with a Works Cited page and a cover page, Times New Roman, 12-
point font, double spaced. There should be in-text citations. Secondary sources should come
from the TSU Library Databases, not Wikipedia, Schmoop, SparkNotes, or CourseHero, etc.
Everything should be MLA format; points will be taken off if it’s not. This essay counts as your
final exam for this course and will be run through plagiarism software.

1. Why did you choose this book/novel for your research?
2. Give a very brief summary of the book (No more than two paragraphs)
3. What genre is your book? Is this outside of the “norm” for what is considered African
American literature? Why?
4. What are the thematic concerns that are presented in your research book?
5. How does this author address these concerns? Why do you think the author chose to address
them with this type of genre? What could have been done differently? Why should it be?
6. How do these themes correspond within the genre of African American literature? Do they
tell about the history, the hopes, or dreams? Why?
7. Pick at least three poems, speeches, songs, or short stories from the readings this semester
that correlate with your research book. Show how they relate in the genre and with this
particular book.
8. How are the struggles, triumphs, pains, joys, strengths, and weaknesses that people in the
community discussed in the book?
9. When reading through the book, what stands out to you? Why is this important?
10. Make sure that your introduction and conclusion make sense and has a thesis statement. This
is not just a summary of what you wrote about; it is your “argument” about why it is
important.