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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. In Book IV, Stanza 2, why does Maldoror want to live among humans?

2. In Book V, Stanza 2, what are the balls the beetle is rolling made of?

3. Who gives the child's funeral service in Book V, Stanza 6?

4. What does Mervyn do when he reaches home in Book IV, Stanza 3?

5. In Book IV, Stanza 7, why does the man have webbed hands and feet?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Book V, Stanza 2, what does the narrator realize about the vulture and the owl?

2. What happens when Maldoror sees the man hanging from the gallows?

3. How does Maldoror's letter to Mervyn impact Mervyn?

4. In Book V, Stanza 7, how does Maldoror react to the spider's nightly visits?

5. In Book V, Stanza 2, what does the beetle do?

6. How are the beetle and the man-pelican related?

7. In Book VI, Stanza 4, what does Maldoror learn from listening in at Mervyn's door?

8. What happens when Maldoror first sees Mervyn?

9. In Book IV, Stanza 2, what is the narrator's message about laughter?

10. How does Maldoror compare himself to the man with stolen eyes in Book IV, Stanza 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does this poem describe the conflict between humans and nature? Why is this conflict so important in the poem and in life? Give specific examples of Lautreamont's poem, as well as current events to show the conflict.

Essay Topic 2

What is this poem's commentary on the role of religion in the lives of people? Give examples from the poem to support your position. How could the background of the poet effect how religion is portrayed?

Essay Topic 3

Explore the theme of morality in this poem. What is Lautréamont's message? Give examples from the poem to support your statements about morality.

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