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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. How many sentences does the poem contain?
2. Which of the following describes the rhythm of the poem?
3. How are the lines of the poem arranged?
4. According to the poem, what "depends" on the red wheelbarrow?
5. What similarity is shared by every second line of the poem?
Short Essay Questions
1. What is the most reasonable interpretation of this poem's setting, and why?
2. What are the images presented in this poem?
3. What is the surface meaning of this poem?
4. Describe the poem's form.
5. Describe the diction of this poem.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
William Carlos Williams is quoted in Sergio Rizzo's journal article "Remembering Race: Extra-poetical Contexts and the Racial Other in 'The Red Wheelbarrow'" as having explained that "The Red Wheelbarrow":
sprang from affection for an old Negro named Marshall. He had been a fisherman, caught porgies off Gloucester. He used to tell me how he had to work in the cold in freezing weather, standing ankle deep in cracked ice packing down the fish. He said he didn’t feel cold. He never felt cold in his life until just recently. I liked that man, and his son Milton almost as much. In his back yard I saw the red wheelbarrow surrounded by the white chickens. I suppose my affection for the old man somehow got into the writing.
What do you make of this quote? What does Williams seem to admire about Marshall? Why do you think Williams mentioned the man's race? Why does Williams choose these specific objects to represent Marshall in some way? Do you see evidence of affection in "The Red Wheelbarrow"? Write an essay that analyzes what light this quote sheds on Williams's poem. Support your argument with evidence drawn from the poem, and be sure to cite any quoted or outside evidence in MLA format.
Essay Topic 2
When Williams wrote this poem, he did not title it. It was merely given a number ("XXII") that indicated its position in the anthology. Some critics argue that giving it the title "The Red Wheelbarrow" undermines Williams's intentions. Write an essay that takes a position regarding how this title does or does not change the emphasis that Williams intended to create through the poem's rhythm, syntax, and linebreak. Support your arguments with evidence drawn from throughout the poem, and be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.
Essay Topic 3
Can you change the placement of anything in "The Red Wheelbarrow" and still convey the same feelings and ideas? Can you substitute language or details? Write an essay in which you explicate the necessity of the specific construction that Williams has chosen. Show how each word, each detail, each space, and each linebreak adds something to the poem's tone or theme. Be sure to cite quoted evidence in MLA format.
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This section contains 684 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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