The black experience, one might automatically assume, is known to every Black author. Henry James was pondering a similar assumption when he said: “You were to suffer your fate. That was not necessary to know it.” This disparity between an experience and knowledge of that experience is the longest bridge an artist must cross. Don L. Lee, in his picture of the Black poet, “studying his own poetry and the poetry of other Black poets,” touches on the crucial point. In order to transform his own sufferings-or joys-as a Black person into usable knowledge for his readers, the author must first order his experiences in his mind. Only then can he create feelingly and coherently the combination of fact and meaning that Black audiences require for the re-exploration of their lives. A cultural community of Black authors studying one another’s best works systematically would represent a dynamic interchange of the spirit-corrective and instructive and increasingly beautiful in its recorded expression.
It can be inferred from the passage that the author considers poetry to be which of the following?
AA means of diversion in which suffering is transformed into joy
BAn art form that sometimes stifles creative energy
CA bridge between the mundane and the unreal
DA medium for conveying important information
EAn area where beauty must be sacrificed for accuracy
It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be LEAST likely to Approve of which of the following?
ACourses that promote cultural awareness through the study of contemporary art
BThe development of creative writing courses that encourage mutual, criticism of student work
CGrowing interest in extemporaneous writing that records experiences as they occur
DA shift in interest from abstract philosophical poetry to concrete autobiographical poetry
EWorkshops and newsletters designed to promote dialogues between poets
The author refers to Henry James primarily in order to
Asupport his own perception of the “longest bridge”.. (lines 4-5)
Billustrate a coherent “combination of fact and meaning” (lines 9-10)
Cprovide an example of “dynamic interchange of the spirit” (line 12-13)
Destablish the pervasiveness of lack of self-knowledge
Econtrast James's ideas about poetry with those of Don L. Lee