Print
Word
PDF
|
| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 5 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Which technique is evident in line 10, "Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills"?
2. Which technique is evident in the phrase "for you the flag is flung" (line 10)?
3. Which details in the second stanza evoke a patriotic occasion?
4. Which term describes the poem's repeated use of the phrases "O Captain! My Captain!" (lines 1 and 9) and "fallen cold and dead" (lines 8, 16, and 24)?
5. Who is the speaker of the poem?
Short Essay Questions
1. What evidence is there that the speaker is struggling to understand and process the captain's death?
2. Describe the form of "O Captain! My Captain!"
3. What ironic contrast do the poem's images highlight?
4. Explain the allegorical nature of the poem's central conceit.
5. What elements of the poem's diction establish a warm and personal relationship between the speaker and the captain?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Write an essay that analyzes Whitman's use of synecdoche and metonymy in "O Captain! My Captain!" Identify where these techniques are used in the poem and explain the meaning of each instance. Then, explore the relationship these techniques assert between individuals and groups and tie this to the poem's overall meaning.
Essay Topic 2
Write an essay that considers the following: what message does the poem's central conceit send about the necessity of any one individual--even a president--to a collective effort like the preservation of the Union? Offer evidence from the poem to support your claims, and if you use outside sources for information related to the poem's historical background, be sure to cite these in MLA format.
Essay Topic 3
Go online and do some research about Whitman's beliefs about the relationship of music and poetry. Write an essay in which you first explain what these beliefs were and then apply them to your reading of "O Captain! My Captain!" Use both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem to support your observations. Be sure to cite all sources in MLA format.
|
This section contains 691 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
