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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 does Rilke suggest that all humans share in, both women and men?
2. Whose ideas about sex does Rilke advise the young poet to avoid subscribing to?
3. In the first letter, Rilke says he cannot offer critical commentary on the young poet's work. Why?
4. What does Rilke advise the young poet to take comfort in if he feels uneasy in his new profession?
5. What does Rilke enclose with his third letter to the young poet?
Short Essay Questions
1. 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]"?
2. Rilke places emphasis on the importance of solitude. Why is solitude so important?
3. In letter four, Rilke says that "even the best err in words when they are meant to mean most delicate and almost inexpressible things." What does this mean?
4. What does Rilke mean when he says in letter three that sex "is not sufficiently human, [but] is only male"?
5. What do letters two and three suggest about the young poet's interest in Rilke's advice?
6. What reason does Rilke give for advising the young poet against writing love poems?
7. What does Rilke mean when he tells the young poet in the first letter that the poet's work has "no individual style"?
8. What does Rilke mean when in letter three he says his books "no longer belong to me"?
9. Rilke advises the young poet to be cautious about the way sex can change behavior. In what way does he suggest that sex changes people?
10. What type of writing does Rilke advocate for?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In what ways does Rilke present artistic and personal development as inextricable? Why are they inextricable? Are there any contradictions in this interconnectedness?
Essay Topic 2
Throughout the letters, and especially in letter eight, Rilke suggests that people are not truly living their lives--that their experiences are dulled from familiarity and security. What type of living is Rilke advocating? What is this type of living like?
Essay Topic 3
In what ways can Rilke's tenth letter be viewed as a sendoff of sorts to the young poet?
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This section contains 807 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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