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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 time of year does the poet in "The Doorway" wish she could remain forever?

2. What does the speaker in "Jacob's Ladder" think the woman's grief signifies at the end of the poem?

3. What do the daisies in "Daisies" say will happen if the person were to share her views of the natural world with others?

4. Who does the speaker say God created mistrust between in "Vespers" (#6)?

5. Who is the speaker in "Clover"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Doorway," what does the poet say the one who waits has the benefit of observing?

2. In what way is the speaker in "Matins" (#6) different from the sick rose?

3. How does God see humanity in "Midsummer"?

4. "In Doorway," how does the poet describe the late spring?

5. In "Vespers" (#3), why does the poet think she is "uniquely/ suited to praise [God]" (38)?

6. What does the poppy say about the sun in "The Red Poppy"?

7. What does the flower ask the human at the start of "Field Flowers"?

8. What does the poet say is a way of God revealing Himself in "Vespers" (#5)?

9. In "The Doorway," how does the poet liken the flowers in spring to a child's behavior?

10. Why does God say he is not pleased with His creations in "End of Summer"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choosing several of the poems written from the voice of the poet to God, write an essay analyzing the poet's changing thoughts on God's existence. Analyze the poems for tone and imagery, comparing and contrasting these aspects of the poem in a minimum of 4 poems.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing the couple portrayed in Wild Iris. Do you feel the couple in the poems which mention John is the same couple in poems like "Presque Isle" which do not mention a name? Why or why not? If not, who do you think the other couple is? Explain your answers using direct evidence from the poems.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing the theme of immortality in 3 - 5 poems from Wild Iris. Use textual evidence to support your analysis.

(see the answer keys)

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