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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 starts Styron's downward spiral into depression?
2. What symptoms did Jarrell suffer from that caused Styron to believe in Jarrell's suicide?
3. How long does Stryon say it will be before he returns to Paris?
4. What two substances contribute to Styron's depression?
5. What happens to Styron during his museum visit in Paris?
Short Essay Questions
1. What did the suicides of several of his friends, who had distinguished careers and were obviously intelligent and known for their strong character, cause Styron to do? How was his beliefs opposed to the general public view?
2. Discuss why Styron was so appreciative of receiving the del Duca award?
3. What did the diary represent to Styron? What did he do with it?
4. What was the paradox Styron described about the hospital as opposed to his own home?
5. For the most part, the people Styron list as suffering from depression are artistic types or philosophers. Discuss why this may be so?
6. Why was the suicide of Albert Camus and Romain Gary so devastating to Styron?
7. What role does Styron say friends and family play for the person with depression?
8. What is the relationship between artistic temperaments and suicide and what was Styron's appeal in relationship to it?
9. How did Dr. Gold's approach compare to the way the parish priest approached Emma in "Madame Bovary"?
10. What did Styron discover about himself in Paris, during one of his more lucid moments?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Discuss how Styron's depression and the influence of the writings of his friends impacted his writing. Discuss the influences can we see of not only his own depression, but the writings of Camus on Styron's work.
Essay Topic 2
The title of Styron's book, "Darkness Visible," comes from a quote from Milton's "Paradise Lost," describing Hell. Discuss why Styron might have chosen such a work to quote from. What about his condition might have led him to be attracted to such a work? What is the significance of choosing a quote describing hell to open his memoir on depression?
Essay Topic 3
One of the characteristics of a good memoir is for the author to take one position in relevance to the topic. Does Styron effectively take one position in relation to depression? Give proof of your position from the book. What references from the book support his taking a certain stance, or did he fail to do that? What is his position (s) in reference to depression?
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This section contains 1,007 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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