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Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Who keeps Melchior from committing suicide?
2. How many years after the initial publication was the play performed in America?
3. What is the function of the Moritat in the introduction?
4. In their first encounter, what question does Melchior pose to Wendla?
5. Despite the complexity of A Children's Tragedy what striking aspect is the most widely known about this play?
Short Essay Questions
1. According to Bentley, what are some possible identities of the masked man at the end of the play?
2. What is Wendla's attitude about her old dress and new dress in the beginning of the play?
3. What thought does Wendla have that offends her mother? Where does it come from?
4. How does Bentley describe Moritz and Melchior in relation to each other in his introduction?
5. Why does Moritz not want to listen to Melchior's explanations about sex?
6. What is significant about the number sixty in relation to Moritz?
7. What happened to "Spring Awakening" in America after publication? Why?
8. How do Mrs. Bergmann and Wendla deal with the girl's maturation in Act I, Scene 1?
9. Why is this play described as "coming-of-age?"
10. Why was this play frequently repressed after the initial publication?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Compare and contrast the characters of Wendla and Ilse. How does knowledge affect both girls? How is Ilse freer than Wendla? Conversely, how is Wendla freer than Ilse? What is the significance of Wendla being raped and Ilse sleeping freely with her artists?
Essay Topic 2
Choose one of the following topics to write about:
- Mrs. Bergmann's explanation on pregnancy.
- The contrast of the pastor's sermon at Moritz's funeral and the girls bringing his grave flowers.
- "Copulation."
Essay Topic 3
Upon publication, Spring Awakening: A Children's Tragedy was frequently suppressed, censored, or outright banned in several countries. Discuss the history of this play's production in the following format:
Part 1) Wedekind's troubles in the writing and publishing of this play.
Part 2) Critical reaction.
Part 3) The play during the World Wars.
Part 4) Censored publications.
Part 5) First American performance.
Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.
This section contains 1,003 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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