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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. How many poems are in the first part of The Book of Folly?

2. What building is in "Riding the Elevator Into the Sky"?

3. What is the purpose of the first poem in Transformations?

4. "The Hex" describes the connection between the speaker's inability to appreciate happiness and her relationship to who?

5. Whose quote inspired The Awful Rowing Toward God?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sexton deal with Christianity in "The Jesus Papers"?

2. 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?

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

4. What is the purpose of the poem "The Gold Key"?

5. Explain "The Death Baby." What does this poem say about Sexton's view of death?

6. Explain the premise of Transformations, and explain the title.

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

8. When was The Death Notebooks published? How does this affect the poems in the collection?

9. How does Sexton inject herself into the final poem of "The Jesus Papers?" Why does she do this?

10. How does Sexton deal with feminism in Transformations?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does religion/spirituality, particularly Christianity, play in Sexton's poetry?

Essay Topic 2

Explain how Sexton uses her poetry as a form of therapy. Use specific examples to illustrate your explanation.

Essay Topic 3

Explain Sexton's obsession with death, particularly as it relates to her poetry.

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