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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 creature “suns his flabby length on a rock” in Section 33?

2. What does the narrator call those on guard when he tells them to “Look to your arms!” in Section 37?

3. What animal is “searching for roots or honey” in Section 33?

4. To whom does the narrator say the sentries have left him helpless in Section 28?

5. The narrator states in Section 46, “My signs are a rain-proof coat, good shoes, and” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Which of the five senses is introduced in Section 27? What animal is cited in this section?

2. What war is described in Sections 35 and 36? How does the poet describe the aftermath of the battle?

3. What sense and expression is discussed in the opening of Section 25?

4. How are time and eternity defined in Section 44 of the poem?

5. With what “characters” does the poet relate in Sections 47 and 48 of the poem?

6. How does Whitman address the vastness of the world in Section 33?

7. With what individuals does the poet relate in Section 33?

8. How are the Native Americans depicted in Section 39?

9. To what are flames compared in Section 28? Why?

10. How does Whitman address the faults of mankind in Section 32?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Whitman’s exploration of the sense of touch in “Song of Myself.” How does the poet describe the touch of others? What symbols and motifs examine touch? What sexual descriptions does Whitman use regarding the sense of touch?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the poet’s references to the Texas War of Independence. What were Whitman’s political views regarding the war? How many soldiers died in the battles? How does Whitman describe the Battle of the Alamo in this section of the poem? What central battle is his focus?

Essay Topic 3

Describe, analyze, and discuss the sense of “self” and the omniscient “I” presented in “Song of Myself.” How did Whitman’s perception of self in this poem relate to common public perception of the self at this time historically and culturally? How does Whitman’s “self” compare with the Holy Trinity, for example?

(see the answer keys)

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