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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 happens to Tamina?
2. What does litost mean?
3. Where does Tamina work?
4. How is the student recognized?
5. What happens to Kundera's father about the same time as what happens to Hubl?
Short Essay Questions
1. How is Kundera's father's attempt to understand Beethoven undertaken by Kundera?
2. Briefly describe a few of the most salient points about Tamina.
3. What does Kundera do at the opening to Part VI: The Angels?
4. Where does the student go the day before Kristyna arrives and how does this affect the interaction between Kristyna and the student?
5. To what do Kristyna and the student agree and what is the outcome? What does the student's evaluation of Kristyna tell the reader?
6. Explain who Tamina is and the significance of how Kundera describes her.
7. Who does Kristyna meet and what attracts her to this person?
8. What is the meaning of the word litost?
9. What happens to permanently silence Tamina?
10. What is ironic about the student deceiving Kristyna and attending the Writer's Club meeting?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In part 5, "Litost," a student at the Writer's Club states that only a poet can understand the value of what he writes and others may never get it at all. Discuss the following:
1. What is the purpose of poetry if not to communicate to others?
2. Do you think the above statement only applies to poetry? Why or why not?
3. If no one can understand the value of something one writes, is it worth writing it? Why or why not?
Essay Topic 2
In Part 3, "The Angels," it says that in 1948, Kundera was involved in the political parties of his time and "danced in a ring." Then he is asked to leave the ring for saying the wrong thing. Kundera watches the dancing with envy and in his recollection, Eluard stands in a ring with other students eventually dancing their way into the sky as they float away, happily, above Kundera's head. Discuss the following:
1. What do you think is the connection between being involved in political parties and dancing in a ring?
2. Is the ring a metaphor for belonging? Explain.
3. What do you think Kundera means when he says the students eventually dance their way into the sky as they float away, happily, above Kundera's head?
Essay Topic 3
In Part 1, the concept of lost letters and their connection to a person's past is an important theme to the novel, as well as a strong foreshadowing of what is to transpire between Tamina and other characters in the novel. Choose one of the following to discuss:
1. Discuss the way the letters represent a power struggle between Mirek and Zdena and what one of them loses who lose the power struggle.
2. Discuss how the letters Mirek seeks from Zdena are unimportant compared to the letters the police find at his house. What are the implications about Mirek and the choices he makes concerning the letters? Is Mirek irresponsible?
3. Discuss how the trip for Mirek to recover his letters from Zdena is a reflection of the larger pursuit that the main character Tamina will undertake in future chapters.
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This section contains 1,394 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
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