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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. What did Morrison say an interview was similar to?

2. How did Morrison describe the man who died in the pool-in regard to him being a muse?

3. What did Morrison say the "bleached sun" was needed for?

4. From the poem "The Fear", what did rabbits possess?

5. Where was Morrison when he described the night as a "moonshine night"? (From the poem that began with "Moonshine night")

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Morrison call an interview an "existential moment"?

2. In the poem beginning "A man rakes leaves into", what happened as the smell of burning leaves filled the air?

3. What did Morrison state happened to the savages in the poem "Ode to LA"?

4. What did Morrison ask of the bird of prey? (In the poem that began "Bird of prey, Bird of prey")

5. In the poem "Power", what did Morrison claim that he could do? (Name three things).

6. What did Morrison state was the aim of his poetry?

7. What happened at the beginning of the poem "Ode to LA"?

8. How did Morrison use the imagery of the gardener in both "When radio dark night existed" (from "Far Arden") and "Ode to LA"?

9. Why did Morrison claim that an interview was a "crucial mental exercise"?

10. In the poem that began "Why does my mind circle around you", what did Morrison say was wrong with the dog?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rarely did Morrison title his poetry. Discuss how this lack of standard titling either helped or hindered your understanding of the book. Did this lack of apparent labeling confuse you as a reader or solidify what was known about Morrison as a writer? How did the lack of titling affect your understanding?

Essay Topic 2

Choose a section from "Wilderness" and discuss how the section comes together as a whole. What are the common themes that Morrison spoke about? How did Morrison use imagery to tie individual poems together? How did this help to bring the section together? Did the cohesion of the ideas/themes help to create a deeper understanding of what Morrison was trying to say? Why/Why not?

Essay Topic 3

Morrison claimed that "real poetry doesn't say anything". Do you agree with his statement after reading his book? Why/Why not? Is Morrison's poetry "real"?

(see the answer keys)

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