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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. Where is the author at the beginning of "The Death Baby"?

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

4. What ability is given to the person who eats a magical snake in "The White Snake"?

5. What is represented as a pair of applauding hands in "Two Hands"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What inspired The Awful Rowing Toward God?

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

3. How does Sexton view her poetry in relation to her faith?

4. Other than showing Sexton's emotional and mental instability, how is The Death Notebooks different in the arc of her work? Give at least two examples.

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

6. How does Sexton deal with feminism in Transformations?

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

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

9. Explain Sexton's revision of "Rapunzel."

10. How is The Book of Folly set up?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain how Live or Die is different from Sexton's other collections.

Essay Topic 2

Explain Anne Sexton's mental health, especially as it relates to her poetry.

Essay Topic 3

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

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