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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 5 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Which of the following describes the rhythm of the poem?
2. According to the poem, what "depends" on the red wheelbarrow?
3. In line 5, which word is used to describe the rainwater on the wheelbarrow?
4. How many sentences does the poem contain?
5. According to line 7, where are the chickens located relative to the wheelbarrow?
Short Essay Questions
1. Describe the diction of this poem.
2. What is the surface meaning of this poem?
3. What are the images presented in this poem?
4. Describe the poem's form.
5. What is the most reasonable interpretation of this poem's setting, and why?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
What is the significance of water in "The Red Wheelbarrow"? Do some research into the traditional meanings of water in literature and consider whether there is evidence in the poem that this is how Williams is using the rainwater. Consider the importance of the word "glazed" and the element of time that the water introduces into the poem. Write an essay that takes and defends a position on the meaning of the rainwater in "The Red Wheelbarrow." Support your argument with evidence drawn from the poem, and be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.
Essay Topic 2
William Carlos Williams once said that a poem is a "machine made of words." Do some research into what he meant by this and then explain how this philosophy is clear in his construction of "The Red Wheelbarrow." Explain Williams' meaning and then use the structure of this poem and the effect this structure has on the reader as evidence for the poem as a "machine made of words." Be sure that you cite any evidence drawn from outside sources in MLA format.
Essay Topic 3
The assonance and rhythm that contribute to the central framing of the image of the wet wheelbarrow in the poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" fight against the structure of the sentence that comprises the poem and the ambiguity of the poem's opening line, because these elements direct the reader's attention to the idea that "so much depends" (line 1). What is the reason for directing the reader's attention simultaneously to two different spots in the poem? How does this tension both literally and figuratively highlight the idea of one thing depending on another? Write an essay in which you explore this tension. Be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.
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This section contains 590 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
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