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| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What would Beckett have the congregation do?
2. Why was the Tempter successful?
3. What might be the purpose of the Interlude?
4. Fill in the blanks: "For who on the world will both _______ and ________ at once and for the same reason?"
5. Which is NOT an adjective you might use to define Beckett's sermon?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Becket once enjoyed the perks of exercising power in a major political office. One of Becket's major vices is his pride. By his entrance into the world of Murder in the Cathedral, Becket forgoes secular power to the power of the Church's law, the law of the Pope and the law of God. A major theme throughout Murder in the Cathedral is the Battle between the church and the state.
1) Using examples from the text, how did King Henry II and Thomas Becket conjoin politics and religion? How effective were their actions?
2) Historically, what are some examples of the politics of government interfering in the affairs of the church (and vice versa)? Compare these examples to the themes of the play.
Essay Topic 2
The Chorus serves as a sort of guide and narrator throughout the play.
Part 1) Why does Eliot make the Chorus a group of women? How does this create a different dramatic effect from a male chorus?
Part 2) Describe which social group the Chorus represents and why that is important to its purpose in the plot.
Part 3) What is the Chorus' relationship to Becket and why is that important to their relationship to the audience (the reader)? Is the Chorus a surrogate for us?
Essay Topic 3
From the beginning of Murder in the Cathedral, we are told of the monotonous and rather unfulfilled lives that are led by the women of Canterbury. In one instance we are told that they believe they are "living and party living."
1) How is the return of Thomas Becket to Canterbury a good thing for its people? What can he offer them that they have been missing in their lives?
2) How does Becket's return affect them negatively?
3) Using examples from the text, how can monotony be a good thing? How is it bad?
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This section contains 435 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
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