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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 say is "the most difficult of all our tasks"?
2. Rilke says that in certain places, the emergence of women is already taking place. Where is this?
3. In letter eight, what does Rilke say the young poet "overvalues"?
4. What two aspects of human life does Rilke claim have no explanation?
5. In letter five, what statue does Rilke mention is near his place of residence?
Short Essay Questions
1. What advice does Rilke give the young poet for doctoring his sadness?
2. Why does Rilke believe that women are responsible for a future change in humans' approach to romantic love?
3. Rilke indicates that humans have distanced themselves from the spiritual realm, from God, and from each other. How has this distancing occurred?
4. Rilke comments on the young poet's profession and compares the young poet's profession to other professions. What is Rilke's general idea about professions?
5. What does Rilke mean when he says that the names of things are often misrepresented of what things are?
6. In letter six, what does Rilke tell the young poet he should do if he is lonely?
7. 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?
8. Explain what Rilke means when in letter eight he says that sadness "are the moments when something new has entered into us".
9. Rilke implies that security and comfort are negative. Why?
10. 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?
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
Explain Rilke's ideas about the interrelationship of sex and art. How are sex and art similar? What should the role of sexuality be in the life of the artist?
Essay Topic 3
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?
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This section contains 840 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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