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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 kind of accident is the subject of "Pain for a Daughter"?

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

3. Who is the subject of "Somewhere in Africa"?

4. How many poems are in the first part of All My Pretty Ones?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. 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?

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

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

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

8. 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"?

9. Explain the poem "Suicide Note."

10. What is the significance of the title Live or Die?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain how Sexton weaves her personal and poetic lives together. Explain how they are set against each other.

Essay Topic 2

Explain Sexton's obsession with death, particularly as it relates to her poetry.

Essay Topic 3

Explain Anne Sexton's mental health, especially as it relates to her poetry.

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