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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. Which animal is described as being a restless captive?

2. When was Book 1, Chapter 1 written?

3. Which of the following is included in the final poem of Book 1, Chapter 3?

4. Which word best describes Rilke in the second stanza of "I am the Anxious One'?

5. What do the poems about animals serve to do most?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the narrator of "Requiem for a Friend" admire about Paula?

2. What does Rilke seem to think about the abnormal women he dedicates a poem to in Book 1, Chapter 3?

3. What is the significance of the diction in "Buddha in Glory"?

4. Describe Rainer Marie Rilke's background.

5. What is the tone of the poem, "Archaic Torso of Apollo"?

6. Why is it important to know background information about Rainer Marie Rilke before reading the poems?

7. What is the message found in "I find you, Lord, in all Things and in all"?

8. How does the tone change in "I am the Anxious One"?

9. How does the author show genuine emotion in poetry, especially in Book 1, Chapter 5?

10. How does Rilke honor ancient Greeks?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the consequences of translating Rilke's poems from German to English? What is lost in translation? Is anything gained? Why or why not? Give one specific example.

Essay Topic 2

What emotive language does Rilke use? What are other examples of emotive language that you might find in daily life? What is Rilke's most emotive poem? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think Orpheus is so important to Rilke? How do you know that Orpheus is so important to Rilke? What literary devices are used in Rilke's references to Orpheus? What does the importance of Orpheus to Rilke say about poet?

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