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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. How many children were in Guan Soon's family?

2. Which of the following is NOT a phrase the narrator in "Urania: Astronomy" uses to describe failed attempts at speech?

3. How many years has Mother spent in exile?

4. What does Mother do with her wages?

5. Upon receiving citizenship in the U.S., what document does Mother receive?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Urania: Astronomy," what does the tongue image symbolize?

2. In "Urania: Astronomy," how do pages and punctuation relate to the focus on breath?

3. What is Melpomene's purpose at the end of "Melpomene: Tragedy"?

4. Where does Mother teach?

5. What is the significance of the italicized passages in the "Opening"?

6. Discuss the significance of the title which first appears in the "Opening." What does "dictee" mean? How does it fit the work?

7. Why does Cha include the letter from the Koreans living in Hawaii to the President of the United States?

8. How do Demeter and Sibyl appear as figures in "Melpomene: Tragedy"?

9. Describe the way Cha treats soldiers in "Melpomene: Tragedy."

10. Describe the circumstances of the narrator's brother's death.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the significance of the work's nine-part structure. How does Cha's invocation of a Muse in each chapter structure and order the work? What new layer of meaning does it lend the text? Is this choice effective in adding to the overall message of the work? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Cha's stylistic choices throughout the work, focusing particularly on the author's use of language. How does she integrate simile, metaphor, and other literary devices into her prose and poetry? How do these techniques relate to the message of the work as a whole? Support your argument with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Select and analyze one of the dominant image strands in the work. How does the recurring image function within the context of the work? What associations does it form for the reader? How does it add meaning to the text? In selecting your image, think for instance of the light and dark imagery that runs throughout or the body imagery that appears in many sections of the work.

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This section contains 774 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample