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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 was the first poem that Morrison wrote?

2. Why did Morrison say that poetry appealed to him?

3. What poem did Morrison write in high school?

4. What did Morrison say that the man, who died in the pool, never saw?

5. In the title poem, what is the wilderness compared to?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the poem that began "An angel runs", what happened when the angel ran?

2. What happened at the beginning of the poem "Ode to LA"?

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

4. What did Morrison state happened to the angel man in the poem "Ode to LA"?

5. What was happening on the beach in the poem that began "A vast and radiant beach& a cool"?

6. What did Morrison state happened to the savages in the poem "Ode to LA"?

7. What did Morrison state that the "ancient ones" wanted? (In the poem that began "A vast and radiant beach & a cool")

8. How did Morrison state Jones' body looked when the gardener found it?

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

10. In the poem that began "Why does my mind circle around you", what did Morrison say was wrong with the dog?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Morrison used many references to natural imagery. Discuss in detail three different natural images and their usage in the poem. What did the imagery represent? What message was Morrison trying to convey? How did the imagery represent what Morrison was saying? Did the imagery work? Why/Why not?

Essay Topic 2

Morrison was very traumatized by the sight of the dead Native American Indians on the side of the road. Choose 3 poems and discuss how this trauma translated into poetry. How did Morrison use the imagery of what he saw on the highway? What impression did this sight leave on Morrison? How did the poem speak to Morrison's feelings about what happened?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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