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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. The child and her father are looking in the _____ at the autumn skin in "On the Beach at Night."

2. Whitman is clear that he is giving his spirit to ___________, though he does not mention him by name.

3. Where does Whitman stop in order to satisfy his curiosity about what is inside?

4. What are NOT one of the images of people who sleep well, which Whitman includes in his poems for comparison?

5. Whitman says that not a disembodied _________ can the weapons of tyrants let loose, but it stalks invisibly.

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Whitman describe Paumanok in the spring when he writes the poem "Sea-Drift"?

2. To whom does Whitman appear to give his spirit to, though this person is never mentioned by name in a poem?

3. To whom does Whitman compare the country of old Ireland, in his poem to this land?

4. Who are the phantoms to which Whitman refers in his poems about love being lost?

5. What is an endless source of inspiration for poetry, according to the poems which the poet has created?

6. Why does the young man ring the ocean bell when he is steering the boat during the treacherous weather?

7. What happens to the summer rains, according to Whitman's poem "Autumn Rivulets"?

8. What does Whitman ask the soul to do in the poems about addressing the idea of mortality?

9. Why is an old man in the poem "Prayers of Columbus" too full of woe, according to Whitman's poem?

10. How is the plowman used in reference and as a metaphor for death in Whitman's poem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Whitman seems to have a very strong sense of patriotism and allegiance to the United States.

Part 1: Did you find it surprising that Whitman was so patriotic? Why or why not?

Part 2: Do you think it's important to have a strong sense of patriotism as a creative person?

Part 3: Why do you think Whitman felt so strongly about the United States that he had to include poems about patriotism?

Essay Topic 2

Whitman also has a close relationship with nature, talking about being naked with it and being enveloped by it.

Part 1: Why do you think so many poets have such a strong connection with nature?

Part 2: Do you think the nature can be emotionally engaging? Or do you look at nature as something without emotion?

Part 3: How do you think observing nature can affect the way poems are written?

Essay Topic 3

Whitman is very focused on writing about himself in his poems. He wants to focus on the idea of his observations and the way he interprets his world.

Part 1: Do you think it's limiting to only show the world through one set of eyes?

Part 2: How do you think Whitman could have improved his poems and extended the way he described the world?

Part 3: Why do you think so many writers and poets use only their own experience to write? Is this a good or a bad thing?

(see the answer keys)

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