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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 5 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What is the most common type of metrical foot in "O Captain! My Captain!"?
2. In context, the literal meaning of the word "rack" in line two is which of the following?
3. Who is the speaker of the poem?
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. Which technique is evident in line 10, "Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills"?
Short Essay Questions
1. Describe the form of "O Captain! My Captain!"
2. What ironic contrast do the poem's images highlight?
3. What evidence is there that the speaker is struggling to understand and process the captain's death?
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
Go online and read Whitman's poem "When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d." This poem was also written to memorialize President Lincoln. Write an essay that compares and contrasts the themes of this poem and that of "O Captain! My Captain!" Support your assertions about each poem's theme with evidence from the text of both poems.
Essay Topic 2
How does Whitman's use of musical devices support the poem's theme? Write an essay that identifies where Whitman uses assonance, consonance, and alliteration and explains the effect these devices create. Then, tie Whitman's use of these devices to the poem's larger thematic concerns.
Essay Topic 3
How do the metrical and rhyme schemes of "O Captain! My Captain!" support the poem's larger thematic concerns? Write an essay that describes the rhyme and meter used in the poem. Then, tie these choices to Whitman's larger thematic concerns in this poem.
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This section contains 668 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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