Print
Word
PDF
|
| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. The corpse of the speaker's beloved is worthy of the embrace of whom in Sister Maude?
2. In the second stanza of The First Spring Day, the speaker says she wonders if this spring-tide will literally bring another what?
3. What are the names of the two girls the speaker of No Thank You, John says would take pity on John?
4. What does the speaker command to sing in the first stanza of The First Spring Day?
5. What adjective is used to describe the chase in the final stanza of A Pause of Thought?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
A constant theme in Rossetti's poetry is the struggle of a speaker against despair. Compose an analytical essay which examines this theme overall. How is it portrayed in individual poems? How is it portrayed overall? What shapes does the struggle take? What prompts the feelings of despair? In what ways, if any, is the despair overcome? With what does the speaker struggle against despair; in other words, how does she try to conquer it? Give specific examples.
Essay Topic 2
As the second longest poem in the collection, The Convent Threshold provides an interesting and extended commentary on sin and redemption. Compose an analytical essay which examines the poem's portrayal of these two themes. How does the poem portray sin? How does the poem portray redemption? How does the poem's speaker perceive the world? How does this perception contrast with the perspective of her beloved? What is the significance of the speaker's dreams? What sort of love does the speaker choose, and what sort of love does she reject? What is the significance of the title to the overall meaning of the poem?
Essay Topic 3
Many of the poems in this collection are in the traditional Italian sonnet form. This includes A Triad, Remember, After Death, The One Certainty, and The World. Using either a few, or all, of these sonnets, compose an analytical essay which demonstrates how the Italian sonnet form conveys its significance through exposition in the octave and explication or resolution in the sestet. How do the two parts interact with one another? What does the commentary or resolution in the sestet achieve? What opportunities of conveying significance does the form of the sonnet allow? What is the significance of some of the sonnets in the collection?
|
This section contains 418 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
