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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. At the close of the sixth letter, what does Rilke advise the young poet to do in regards to the coming holiday?
2. In letter seven, what does Rilke say that love should be?
3. What type of sadness does Rilke call "dangerous"?
4. Rilke says that eventually women no longer are the opposite of men, but something else. What are they?
5. In letter eight, what does Rilke say the young poet "overvalues"?
Short Essay Questions
1. Rilke says that young people can't understand love. What reason does he give?
2. What does Rilke mean when, in letter seven, he says that in the future, femininity will not be "merely an opposite of the masculine, but. something in itself"?
3. How does Rilke respond to the young poet's expression of fear that the young poet has lost God?
4. In letter seven, Rilke compares an ideal romantic relationship to "two solitudes [that] protect and border and salute each other." What does he mean by this?
5. What does Rilke mean when he says that humans have no choice in deciding to be solitary?
6. What can be inferred about the mental and emotional state of the young poet from Rilke's reply in letter six?
7. What does Rilke mean when he says that the names of things are often misrepresented of what things are?
8. What does Rilke say about fear?
9. In letter six, Rilke encourages the young poet to maintain what he calls "a child's wise incomprehension" rather than joining in the "defensiveness and disdain" that are shared by the masses. What does he mean by this?
10. What can be inferred about the young poet's feelings toward his own solitude from Rilke's seventh letter?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In what ways can Rilke's tenth letter be viewed as a sendoff of sorts to the young poet?
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 the first letter, Rilke tells the young poet that "a work of art is good if it has sprung from necessity." From this statement, discuss what Rilke's philosophy of art is, and comment on that philosophy.
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This section contains 935 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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