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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 does the speaker in "Vespers" (#5) say she lives mostly in at the start of the poem?

2. What is the "sign of blessedness" (30) referred to in "Clover"?

3. What does the speaker in "Vespers" (#3) wonder if God loves more than her?

4. Who is the speaker in "End of Summer"?

5. Who is the speaker in "Early Darkness"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Daisies," what do the daisies tell the poet will happen is she tries to share her "impressions of the natural world" (39) with others?

2. What does the poet express regret for thinking in "Matins" (#7)?

3. What does the clover question in regards to people's view of the four leaf clover in "Clover"?

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

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

6. What does the jacob's ladder plant think may be the reason for the woman's grief in "Jacob's Ladder"?

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

8. What does the poet in "Vespers" (#2) tell God she failed to do at the start of the poem?

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

10. What is different about John's peace in comparison to the poet's in "Vespers" (#4)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

God's absence, silence, or potential non-existence is discussed in several of the poems. Choose a minimum of 3 poems and analyze the words, images, and metaphors the poet uses to discuss these themes.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing the collection as a whole. What themes are evident and what techniques does the poet use to convey these themes? Use textual evidence to support your analysis.

Essay Topic 3

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

(see the answer keys)

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