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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. What creature “suns his flabby length on a rock” in Section 33?

2. What word does Whitman use in Section 43 to refer to a Mesoamerican pyramid surmounted by a temple?

3. To what does the narrator say in Section 40, “You seem to look for something at my hands”?

4. The narrator offers “biscuits to eat” and what to drink to the “dear son” in Section 46?

5. The poet describes coming again upon the earth after how many years in Section 43?

Short Essay Questions

1. What events take place in the battle described in Section 34 of the poem?

2. With what individuals does the poet relate in Section 33?

3. What setting does the narrator take the reader to in Section 34?

4. How are the Native Americans depicted in Section 39?

5. What is the central message in Section 29 of the poem?

6. With what “characters” does the poet relate in Sections 47 and 48 of the poem?

7. In what way is the concept of “rebirth” illustrated in Section 38?

8. What reaction does the poet have to his circumstances in the opening of Section 38?

9. What does the poet remark about animals in the opening of Section 32?

10. Which of the five senses is introduced in Section 27? What animal is cited in this section?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the theme of “life and death” in Song of Myself.” Why does the poet consider the act of dying to be “lucky”? How is Death equated and compared with Life? What metaphors of death and life does the poet use to illustrate his points?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the Native American experience, its culture, and its idealization in the poem. How does the poet refer to the American Indians? What viewpoints does he imbue on tribal belief systems? How are their customs depicted?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the marriage of the trapper to the “red girl” in Section 10. What is the implied cultural history of the bride and her family? How does the poet describe the customs of the Native Americans in this section of the poem?

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