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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. How many poems are in Part 2 of the author's first book of poetry?

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

3. "The Bells" ponders about the search for love and acceptance from whom?

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

5. How many parts is "The Double Image" divided into?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What does the quote in the preface of All My Pretty Ones suggest about the purpose of art? How does this apply to Sexton's poetry?

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

7. Explain the poem "Eighteen Days Without You."

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the style of Anne Sexton's poetry using specific examples to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

How do the poems in Posthumously Published Work fit into the larger scope of Sexton's poems? How do they stand out?

Essay Topic 3

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

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