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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 is the subject of "The Operation"?

2. What is the second poem in Part 1 of All My Pretty Ones?

3. What is the tone of "Sylvia's Death"?

4. "The Interrogation of the Man of Many Hearts" is a poetic dialogue between the speaker and who?

5. What myth does the author rethink in "To a Friend Whose Work Has Come To Triumph"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the meaning of the title "The Fortress"?

2. In All My Pretty Ones, Sexton uses more of a third person narrative approach with some of the poems. Why would this be difficult in confessional poetry?

3. How do the poems in Live or Die reflect Sexton's mental and emotional health?

4. One theme in All the Pretty Ones is the idea that poetry is catharsis. Why might poetry be catharsis for Sexton?

5. What is the crossroads Sexton finds herself at in "The Fortress"?

6. Explain how Sexton uses religion in All the Pretty Ones.

7. Explain how Sexton expresses love in All the Pretty Ones.

8. What is the focus of Part 2 of To Bedlam and Part Way Back?

9. How does the collection Love Poems fit in with Sexton's other work?

10. Give at least one example of Sexton's use of humor in Love Poems.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is conceit? How does Sexton use conceit in her poetry? Use specific examples to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

What role does religion/spirituality, particularly Christianity, play in Sexton's poetry?

Essay Topic 3

Explain how the arrangement of the poems in Sexton's collections contributes to the reader's experience.

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