AMERICAN LIT 2
EXAM #1
*You should spend 1-2 hours on this exam. You may use your books only; you may NOT receive assistance from the internet, friends, teachers, classmates, etc. However you can email me with any questions!
Short Answer/Short Essay Responses—Responses should be at least 1-3 full paragraphs. Answers should be thorough!
Answer ANY SEVEN (7) of the following 9 questions and LABEL answers clearly.
1. Does Whitman present himself as both narcissistic and visionary in Song of Myself? Be sure to look up and consider the definition of a “visionary” poet.
2. Answer ONE of the following: A. Discuss Dickinson’s use of personification in “Because I could not stop for Death –.” OR B. What does “Much Madness in divinest Sense” say about individualism? OR C. Explain three specific features of Emily Dickinson’s poetry that identify her as a unique voice. Please consider how her poetry appears on the page (big hint!) and how it is different than other poetry you have seen/read.
3. Identify and discuss a prominent theme in “Desiree’s Baby.”
4. There are many colorful, precise, and vibrant figures of speech in “The Open Boat.” List at least three figures of speech (i.e. metaphor, etc) and explain what each conveys.
5. How is Frost both a traditional and modern poet? Explain with references to at least two poems.
6. Explain the last three lines of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”
7. In “Disillusionment at Ten O’Clock,” what contrast does Stevens draw between the people who live in the house and the old sailor?
8. In Williams’s “The Young Housewife,” why does the speaker compare the housewife to “a fallen leaf”?
9. In “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” what does the speaker mean when he says, “I have known rivers”?