full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Christina Greer: Notes of a native son the world according to James Baldwin

Unscramble the Blue Letters


After high school, he bgaen writing novels and easyss while taking a series of odd jobs. But the issues that had dirven him away from the Church were still islcanaepbe in his daily life. Constantly confronted with riacsm and homophobia, he was angry and dilsiloeinusd, and yearned for a less restricted life. So in 1948, at the age of 24, he moved to Paris on a writing fellowship.

From France, he published his first novel, "Go Tell it on the Mountain," in 1953. Set in Harlem, the book explores the Church as a source of both rpeiseosrn and hope. It was popular with both black and white readers. As he earned acclaim for his ftcioin, Baldwin geehartd his thoughts on race, class, culture and exile in his 1955 extended essay, "Notes of a Native Son."

Open Cloze


After high school, he _____ writing novels and ______ while taking a series of odd jobs. But the issues that had ______ him away from the Church were still ___________ in his daily life. Constantly confronted with ______ and homophobia, he was angry and _____________, and yearned for a less restricted life. So in 1948, at the age of 24, he moved to Paris on a writing fellowship.

From France, he published his first novel, "Go Tell it on the Mountain," in 1953. Set in Harlem, the book explores the Church as a source of both __________ and hope. It was popular with both black and white readers. As he earned acclaim for his _______, Baldwin ________ his thoughts on race, class, culture and exile in his 1955 extended essay, "Notes of a Native Son."

Solution


  1. began
  2. gathered
  3. disillusioned
  4. repression
  5. inescapable
  6. essays
  7. fiction
  8. racism
  9. driven

Original Text


After high school, he began writing novels and essays while taking a series of odd jobs. But the issues that had driven him away from the Church were still inescapable in his daily life. Constantly confronted with racism and homophobia, he was angry and disillusioned, and yearned for a less restricted life. So in 1948, at the age of 24, he moved to Paris on a writing fellowship.

From France, he published his first novel, "Go Tell it on the Mountain," in 1953. Set in Harlem, the book explores the Church as a source of both repression and hope. It was popular with both black and white readers. As he earned acclaim for his fiction, Baldwin gathered his thoughts on race, class, culture and exile in his 1955 extended essay, "Notes of a Native Son."

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
civil rights 4
james baldwin 2
rights movement 2
black americans 2

ngrams of length 3

collocation frequency
civil rights movement 2

Important Words


  1. acclaim
  2. age
  3. angry
  4. baldwin
  5. began
  6. black
  7. book
  8. church
  9. class
  10. confronted
  11. constantly
  12. culture
  13. daily
  14. disillusioned
  15. driven
  16. earned
  17. essay
  18. essays
  19. exile
  20. explores
  21. extended
  22. fellowship
  23. fiction
  24. france
  25. gathered
  26. harlem
  27. high
  28. homophobia
  29. hope
  30. inescapable
  31. issues
  32. jobs
  33. life
  34. mountain
  35. moved
  36. native
  37. novels
  38. odd
  39. paris
  40. popular
  41. published
  42. race
  43. racism
  44. readers
  45. repression
  46. restricted
  47. school
  48. series
  49. set
  50. son
  51. source
  52. thoughts
  53. white
  54. writing
  55. yearned