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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 has brought Rilke to the place from where he writes the second letter?
2. In the fourth letter, what does Rilke instruct the young poet to do regarding the poet's unanswered questions?
3. What does Rilke suggest that all humans share in, both women and men?
4. In the fourth letter, what does Rilke say he wishes human beings are more reverent toward?
5. What does Rilke say about Professor Horacek in his first letter?
Short Essay Questions
1. What can we infer from the fact that in the first letter, Rilke's closing salutation is with "with sympathy?"
2. At the end of letter four, Rilke mentions the young poet's new profession. What is this profession?
3. What type of writing does Rilke advocate for?
4. Rilke tells the young poet in the first letter that the only way for the poet to improve his writing is to "go into yourself". What does this mean?
5. Rilke places emphasis on the importance of solitude. Why is solitude so important?
6. What does Rilke mean when he says in letter three that sex "is not sufficiently human, [but] is only male"?
7. Rilke places considerable emphasis on the necessary nature of art. What does he mean when he says that a poet is only a poet if he would die if he didn't write?
8. What does Rilke imply about the nature of good art when he tells the young poet that if poetry is inspired by the young poet's soul-searching, he does not need to ask anyone else if the poetry is good?
9. What does Rilke mean when, in letter four, he says that physical pleasure is not bad, but that physical pleasure is often "misuse[d] and squander[ed]"?
10. What can be inferred about Rilke's health from letters two and three?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
What are Rilke's views on gender roles? How does Rilke view gender and its construction?
Essay Topic 2
In the first letter, Rilke suggests that the critical assessment of literary works is not a valuable practice. Do you agree with Rilke's statement? Why or why not? Do you think literary works should not be critically assessed?
Essay Topic 3
Explain to what extent the young poet seems to have followed Rilke's advice and how it seems he develops over the course of his correspondence with Rilke.
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This section contains 854 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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