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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What follows from "I have my dead"?

2. When the narrative character speaks to women in the streets, where do they speak from?

3. Which family member does Rilke dedicate a poem to?

4. What is the annexation of Bohemia compared to in the introduction?

5. Which poem has the following line: "You must change your life"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author change from the first stanza to the second in "I am the Anxious One"?

2. How does Rilke honor ancient Greeks?

3. What are the consequences of translating German to English?

4. What does the narrator of "Requiem for a Friend" admire about Paula?

5. How is the panther portrayed in the poem in which it is the subject?

6. What is the significance of the name Creon as it is used in "Alcestis"?

7. How does the tone change in "I am the Anxious One"?

8. How does Rilke describe the gazelle in the poem in which it is the subject?

9. What does Rilke proclaim in "I am the Anxious One"?

10. Why is the "City of Time" a complex translation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What themes and symbols seem to be significant in each of Rilke's poems? How do they set the tone for the poems?

Essay Topic 2

How does Rilke use tone to convey a message? What literary techniques does he use to contribute to tone and message?

Essay Topic 3

How does religion influence Rilke? Is it positive or negative as an influence? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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