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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. According to line 7, where are the chickens located relative to the wheelbarrow?
2. In line 5, which word is used to describe the rainwater on the wheelbarrow?
3. Which of the following describes the rhythm of the poem?
4. How many sentences does the poem contain?
5. According to the poem, what "depends" on the red wheelbarrow?
Short Essay Questions
1. Describe the diction of this poem.
2. What are the images presented in this poem?
3. What is the most reasonable interpretation of this poem's setting, and why?
4. What is the surface meaning of this poem?
5. Describe the poem's form.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
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 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
Is there any real significance to the colors used in "The Red Wheelbarrow"? Consider the Objectivist nature of the poem. How does this philosophical stance make it unlikely that Williams consciously intended the colors to be symbolic? Can text have symbolic content even when an author does not intend it to? Write an essay that takes and defends a position on how Objectivism sheds light on both Williams's intended use of the colors red and white and their effect on the reader. Support your argument with evidence drawn from the poem, and be sure to cite any quoted evidence and outside sources in MLA format.
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This section contains 577 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
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