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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 must be found in "Kind Sir: These Woods"?

2. What does the speaker cast off in the poem "Self in 1958"?

3. "Kind Sir: These Woods" is a meditation on becoming what?

4. "Torn Down From Glory Daily" describes an encounter with a group of what?

5. Where does the title for the first poem in Live or Die come from?

Short Essay Questions

1. What makes To Bedlam and Part Way Back autobiographical?

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 does Sexton's poetry put the reader in the middle of her life?

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

5. How does Sexton use her poetry as a form of therapy in Live or Die?

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

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

8. How does Sexton treat her illness in her poetry?

9. What are the two major themes dealt with in Live or Die, and how are they dealt with?

10. What is the significance of ending Part 1 of To Bedlam and Part Way Back with the poem "A Story For Rose On the Midnight Flight To Boston"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

Explain Sexton's experience with love, particularly as it relates to her poetry.

Essay Topic 3

What role does feminism and the traditional roles of women play in Sexton's poetry?

(see the answer keys)

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