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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. Why does the red poppy say it is speaking at the end of "The Red Poppy"?

2. Who is the speaker in "Jacob's Ladder"?

3. How is the sun described as it shines off the mountains in "Matins" (#7)?

4. Who or what is the speaker in "Heaven and Earth"?

5. What flower does the poet in "The Doorway" describe as it just starts to open?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the poet in "Vespers" (#1) plant a fig tree in Vermont?

2. What does the poppy say about the sun in "The Red Poppy"?

3. What does the poet in "Heaven and Earth" question in regards to her husband at the end of the poem?

4. What does the poet in "Vespers" (#2) tell God she failed to do at the start of the poem?

5. What is different about John's peace in comparison to the poet's in "Vespers" (#4)?

6. In "Vespers" (#3), why does the poet think she is "uniquely/ suited to praise [God]" (38)?

7. How does God see humanity in "Midsummer"?

8. In "Vespers" (#4), where does the poet say she knows God is?

9. In what way is the speaker in "Matins" (#6) different from the sick rose?

10. What does the jacob's ladder plant think may be the reason for the woman's grief in "Jacob's Ladder"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing the sun as a symbol in Wild Iris. Choose a minimum of 3 poems from varying viewpoints and discuss what the sun means to that person or thing and what other words or phrases are used to convey meaning.

Essay Topic 2

Choose a minimum of 3 poems an analyze the poet's use of imagery in the poems. What emotions do the images evoke? Is the poet successful in evoking the desired emotion? Use textual evidence to support your analysis.

Essay Topic 3

Choosing several of the poems written from the voice of God to the poet/ gardener/humanity write an essay analyzing God's changing tone toward the poet or humanity. Analyze the poems for tone and imagery, comparing and contrasting these aspects of the poem in a minimum of 4 poems.

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