4. What play is the source for the title All My Pretty Ones?
(a) Romeo and Juliet.
(b) Macbeth.
(c) Richard III.
(d) The Taming of the Shrew.

5. How is marriage portrayed in "Man and Wife"?
(a) A dismal trap.
(b) A career like any other.
(c) A blessed escape.
(d) Playing house eternally.

Short Answer Questions

1. What part of the speaker's body is personified in "The Touch"?

2. What is the second poem in Part 1 of All My Pretty Ones?

3. Who does the speaker's daughter cry out for when she is in an accident in "Pain for a Daughter"?

4. Who is the subject of "Your Face on the Dog's Neck"?

5. "Torn Down From Glory Daily" draws a parallel between animal hunger and ______.

Short Essay Questions

1. In All My Pretty Ones, Sexton uses more of a third person narrative approach with some of the poems. Why would this be difficult in confessional poetry?

2. Explain the poem "Suicide Note."

3. Compare and contrast "The Interrogation of the Man of Many Hearts" with "For My Lover, Returning to His Wife."

4. How does the collection Love Poems fit in with Sexton's other work?

5. How does Sexton use the book Love Poems? Give at least two examples.

6. What is the significance of the final poem of the book?

7. Explain the use of animals in the poem "Loving the Killer."

8. Why do you think Part 2 of To Bedlam and Part Way Back only contains three poems?

9. What is the significance of "For John, Who Begs Me Not To Enquire Further"?

10. What is the crossroads Sexton finds herself at in "The Fortress"?

(see the answer keys)

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