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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 city did Morrison ask the location of in "Ode to LA"?

2. What is the prisoner, in "Moment of Freedom", compared to in the poem?

3. Where did Morrison and his friends come from in "he enters stage"?

4. What did Morrison describe the movement of his hands to in "Can you dig it"?

5. Who did Morrison call back in "Ode to LA"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the poem that began "Moonshine night", what were the "young folk" doing?

2. Why did Morrison call an interview an "existential moment"?

3. What were the musical references that Morrison made in "Ode to LA"?

4. How did Morrison, in "Ode to LA", state that Jones "went out"?

5. Why did Morrison claim that an interview was a "crucial mental exercise"?

6. Who is Ophelia in the poem "Ode to LA"?

7. Why did Morrison state that poetry meant so much to him?

8. In the poem that began "Well I'll tell you a story of whiskey", what did Morrison say about how the "whole thing began"?

9. What were the different ways that Morrison referred to Jones in "Ode to LA"?

10. Why were the notebooks that Morrison kept in high school important?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Given that the poetry shows Morrison's direct concerns and feelings regarding life, which poem do you believe shows the most truthful representation of Morrison? How did the poem illustrate Morrison as a man, a writer, and a legend? How did he feel about who he was?

Essay Topic 2

Morrison claimed in the Self-Interview that he always wanted to write, but he was afraid of not being good at it. Do you think that Morrison succeeded at writing poetry, or that he (as he thought) failed? Why do you believe this? What helped him to succeed? Where did he fail? Support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

"THE PONY EXPRESS" 21st May 1954

The pony express carried the mail

Over hill, over dale.

Over rough rugged trails

And the brave men that carried it

Didn't complain,

For they knew they were helping their good country's name

They rode and rode through

Strong winds and rain just

To carry the mail and build

Up our name

Over Indian country and great sandy plains,

They carried the mail and shared our fame.

"The Pony Express" was Morrison's first poem. Discuss the similarities between his writing as an adult to those of his first poem. What imagery did Morrison still use? How is the theme similar to poetry from his adulthood? What distinct image do you find that Morrison carried with him?

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