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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. Where is the speaker headed in "Rowing"?

2. "Words" is a poem about the ______ of language.

3. Where does the speaker find the gods in the poem "Gods"?

4. What is the title of the poem "Rats Live On No Evil Star" based on?

5. Who is the miller's wife having an affair with in "The Little Peasant"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does The Awful Rowing Toward God begin with the poem "Rowing"?

2. What does "Mary's Song" say about Sexton?

3. What is the source material for "The Jesus Papers?" How does Sexton use this source material?

4. What is the main theme of The Book of Folly? Is the theme of The Book of Folly treated the same as in her other work?

5. Why does Sexton end The Awful Rowing Toward God with the poem "The Rowing Endeth"?

6. Why might Sexton's poem "Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose)" have special significance for her?

7. How does Sexton deal with feminism in Transformations?

8. Why do so many of the poems in The Death Notebooks deal with spirituality and Christianity?

9. How is The Book of Folly set up?

10. Compare and contrast "The Death of Fathers" with "Angels of the Love Affair."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do the poems in Posthumously Published Work fit into the larger scope of Sexton's poems? How do they stand out?

Essay Topic 2

Explain Sexton's choice of fairy tales as source material in Transformations as they relate to common themes in her poetry.

Essay Topic 3

Explain Sexton's experience with love, particularly as it relates to her poetry.

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