41 pages • 1 hour read
George SchuylerBlack No More: Being an Account of the Strange and Wonderful Workings of Science in the Land of the Free
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1931A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Schuyler’s characters are relatively flat, meaning they rarely deviate from their defining characteristics and motivations. How does his use of flat characterization enhance the satirical qualities of the novel?
What is the single most meaningful result of the Black-No-More treatment? Support your response with evidence from the text.
Schuyler models many of his characters on people who existed in real life. For example, Dr. Beard is widely understood to be a parody of W. E. B. DuBois, while Marcus Garvey is represented by the character of Santop Licorice. What does Schuyler communicate about these individuals and their organizations through the parodied versions of their accomplishments and goals?
Throughout the novel, song titles and song lyrics accompany various important events and plot developments. Select one of these songs and analyze its meaning, then explain its significance to the novel.
Matthew’s longing for his old life as a black man challenges the notions of white supremacy; what elements of the white experience are revealed to be less than ideal?
Schuyler’s overarching argument concerns the needs of white people; without black people, white society fails. Select one incident from the novel that proves this argument, and analyze it from Matthew’s point of view.
Examine the dedication of the novel both as an ironic gesture and as a sincere one. How does the dedication reveal Schuyler’s belief that race is a more a social construct and less a biological point of difference?
What role does religion play in racialized thinking, according to Schuyler?
According to John Henrik Clarke, a historian and acquaintance of the author, Schuyler was a contrarian: “I used to tell people that George got up in the morning, waited to see which way the world was turning, then struck out in the opposite direction.” Does this description of Schuyler strengthen or weaken Schuyler’s satirical message in Black No More?
Schuyler himself was married to a white woman whose origins were Texan and wealthy. Does this fact impact your impressions of Schuyler as a writer and an authority on race relations in America during the 1920s and 1930s?
