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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. The poem "You, Doctor Martin" puts the reader where?

2. Who does "The Starry Night" borrow a quote from?

3. When does "You All Know the Story of the Other Woman" take place?

4. "With Mercy For the Greedy" is a rebuttal to a friend's suggestion that the speaker should seek what?

5. Who is the speaker traveling to see in the poem "Flight"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sexton use the book Love Poems? Give at least two examples.

2. What is the significance of the final poem of the book?

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

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

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

6. Why do you think Part 2 of To Bedlam and Part Way Back only contains three poems?

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

8. How was Live or Die received after its publication?

9. Explain the poem "Suicide Note."

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain how Live or Die is different from Sexton's other collections.

Essay Topic 2

Explain how Sexton uses source material, such as fairy tales and Biblical stories, in her poems. What does her treatment of these stories say about her?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Sexton's relationships with Sylvia Plath and John Holmes.

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