English Poetry Test
The last line of the poem "My letter to the world" the author asks the reader to _________
"Judge tenderly — of me"
Which biblical reference does Elizabeth Bradfield use in, "Why They Went", when describing simpler times that the people searching for the poles long for? - Noah's Ark - Jonah eaten by the whale - Parting of Red Sea - Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden
How does High School Musical's "Gotta Go My Own Way" relate to Millay's poem "Love Is Not All?" - Throughout the course of the song, Gabrielle is choosing to trade in Troy's love for her own peace the way that Millay expressed - Although metaphoric, Troy is "making friends with death" acting as if this relationship is the end all be all the same way that Millay claims that men are "making friends with death" due to lack of love - Due to the desperation in Troy's part of the song, it is as if love is failing to fill his thickened lung with breath. - All of the above
All of the above
What was the theme of Martin Espada poem "My Father as a Guitar"? - Social advocacy - Poverty - Love - All of the above
All of the above
Where was Mark Halliday born? - Ann Arbor, Michigan - Amherst, Massachusetts - Joplin, Missouri - Portland, Maine
Ann, Arbor, Michigan
How did Millay incorporate her background and culture impact within her poem "Love Is Not All?"
As a result of her progressive attitude, actions, and opinions, Edna St. Vincent Millay was known by many throughout the course of her lifetime as a feminist and an advocate for women's rights. She believed in the idea of slashing the "double standard" of sexual freedom for all. Her feminism reigns apparent in her poem "Love Is Not All" due to the mindset of love and the reliance upon a partner not being the only thing that should get one through life. However, Millay had an open marriage where she experimented with several different partners ultimately driving home the point that no matter how often she pursues actions associated with love, it will never heal all of her problems. However, she continues to run back to the concept of it.
"Nor clean the , nor set the fractured ;" - Kitchen, wrist - Lungs, ankle - Blood, bone - Blood, ego
Blood, bone
Identify, and then compare and contrast the common theme in Elizabeth Bradfield' poem "Why They Went", and Frank Sinatra's song "The Impossible Dream".
Both Bradfield's poem, and Sinatra's song go hand-in-hand. They each described a quest. In Bradfield's case, it was the quest to find the poles in the arctic. The quest that Sinatra sings about is unclear. However, he does write about the long journey that many people go on in general terms, with little success. This ultimately leads to many people not being willing to attempt these quests. He says much determination is needed for these kinds of quests, and not everyone is made for it. In Bradfield's case, the people she describes are nothing but determined. She describes them longing to get home after a very long day in the freezing cold, yet they are to get up and do the same thing over again until they succeed. This represents the utmost form of determination, and Sinatra outlines it perfectly in his song.
What University did Mark Halliday get his Ph.D in English Literature from? - Brown University - Emroy University - Wayne State University - Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Where was Martin Espada born? - Puerto Rico - Brooklyn - Chicago - Long Island
Brooklyn
What do you think the chrysanthemums represent in the last 3 lines of the poem, "Two chrysanthemums touch in the middle of the lake and drift"?
Cathy Song, the author of "Girl Powdering Her Neck", wrote this powerful poem to reveal the hidden secrets behind a woman's everyday life inthe Japanese culture. Girls are forced to do things that are in accordance with their customs and traditions and never taught to speak for themselves. Throughout the poem, the girl is stuck between her speaking up for herself or staying quiet and following her family's traditions, which is what the two chrysanthemums represent. This constant battle between finding oneself or conforming to someone else's expectations is in the mind of the girl and at one point she did try to fight it, but she conformed to her comfort zone instead. Hiding her real beauty behind a mask of makeup does not allow her to fully accept who she is on the inside. Beauty is not just one the outside, it is also on the inside and we need to be able to fully accept ourselves and shine past our doubts and fears no matter the circumstances.
In the poem "My father as a Guitar" fill in the lines "The heart pills are ___ in my father's hand" - Dice - Dominos - Cards - Medication
Dice
Who wrote the poem "My letter to the world" - Sylvia Plath - Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Emily Dickinson - Adrienne Rich
Emily Dickinson
In Bradfields poem, "Why They Went",she writes "The air from their warm mouths became diamonds. And they longed for __________". - A warm place to stay - The destination of reaching the poles - Everything they did not have - Everything they wished they had
Everything they did not have
In the poem "my father as a guitar fill in the following statement, "Sometimes I dream my father is a - Piano - Guitar - Angel - Ghost
Guitar
What were Epadas poems mostly about? - His mom - His dad - His grandmother - Himself
His Father
In the poem, "The Value of Education" by Mark Halliday, where does Halliday refer going to as a sort of "safe space?" - Laboratory - Kitchen - Library - Bedroom
Library
In line 5 of Millay's "Love Is Not All," she states that "Love cannot fill the thickened ____ with ____" - Heart with affection - Mind with consciousness - Lung with breath - Heart with desire
Lung with breath
What type of poetry is Millay best known for? - Dramatic Poetry - Lyrical Love Poetry - Satirical Poetry - Nature Poetry
Lyrical Love Poetry
How are Millay's cultural impacts and beliefs displayed in her writing of "Love is Not All?"
Millay was a femenist, sexual freedom advocate and women's rights activist. We can clearly see touches and traces of her own beliefs and cultural impacts in her written works. Love is not all, love can't save you, can't feed you, can't fix a broken bone or mend any of your wounds, yet men are still "dying" over a lack of such a frugal thing or idealization. We know about Millay's parents and their divorce due to abuse which obviously had an impact on how Millay would view love and relationships starting off from a young age, then there are her own issues with her affair or what may have led to her affair. So as we can see, she didn't have the greatest luck with love herself, or maybe in her own eyes she actually did, either way we can see those impacts in her feministic approach through her writings.
"Or nagged by want resolution's power," - Past - Strengthened - Future - Weakened
Past
In the poem, "Love is Not All" by Edna St. Vincent Millay, what does Edna say that she might sell her love for when she is in immense pain and suffering? - A dress - wealth - Peace - Food
Peace
"I am not leaning on the ______________ In the apartment of a young female colleague..." - Oven - Refrigerator - Wall - Bookshelf
Refrigerator
What body of water did Elizabeth Bradfield and her family spend many of their days on that really influenced her future and career paths in "Why They Went"? - Euphrates River - Salish Sea - Bering Sea - Arabian Sea
Salish Sea
Which of the following is an example of a simile in the poem, "Girl Powdering Her Neck"? - Fingerprints of pollen some other hand will trace. - The eyes narrow in a moment of self-scrutiny. - She dips a corner of her sleeve like a brush into water. - Two chrysanthemums touch in the middle of the lake and drift apart.
She dips a corner of her sleeve like a brush into water.
Why does the author of the poem "My letter to the world" writes it as if it were a letter, why does she do this?
She does this because she feels that the world has moved on without her. The letter is written in such a way in which it indicates that the author is attempting to remind the world of her existence. In the last line of the poem by saying "For love of Her — Sweet — countrymen Judge tenderly — of Me" she is asking her fellow men and women to accept and integrate her into society.
In Bradfields poem, "Why They Went", what warms the bed of the 'soldiers' on their quest for the poles after a long day of searching? - Bonfire - Gas Stove - Candlelights - Stone from a hearth
Stone from a hearth
In "my father as a guitar" What does the narrator mean when he says "the heart pills are dice in my father's hand"? what do the dice symbolize? Also How does Espada use the help of a metaphor in this same line (Espada, 2000, lines 7-8).
The narrator means when he says "the heart pills are dice in my father's hand" is his father is playing his life as a gambaling game and symbolizes his medication. He is saying that he is taking medication just like dice because he doesn't know how to stop working because he needs to pay the rent. His father is gambling his life and is using medication as a tool to get better or instead of resting as the doctor wants he keeps moving. He uses the word dice as imagery so the reader can picture his father tossing around heart pills in his hand around just like dice.
Mark Halliday finishes his poem, "The Value of Education", with this question, "Maybe so, but would you be able to say that if you hadn't been to the library?". What is the purpose of ending the poem on this question and what is he referring to in this question?
The purpose of ending his poem off with a question is to have the audience reflect on what their safe place or "library" is in their life. He is also referring to the library being his safe place and a place he can go to relax and escape from the struggles and burdens of his life.
What is the purpose of Mark Halliday going to the library as he refers to in the poem?
The reason Halliday goes to the library is because it is a way for him to escape reality and enter into "another world." The library signifies a safeplace for him where he is able to think clearly and where there is little to no noise. Based on his words in the poem, he may be in a down place of his life, so he uses the library to help him cope with his feelings.
After listening to the song "Reflections" by Mulan, how would you compare the meaning of the song to the lines, "Her face appears in the mirror, a reflection in a winter pond, rising to meet itself."?
The song Reflections and the lines in the poem have a plethora of similarities, but the main theme would be the realization that sometimes when we look in the mirror, we may not recognize who is looking back at us. We get so caught up in the rules of society that we forget we have our own points of view, personalities, and thoughts towards the world around us. Although, in some cultures, these thoughts are shut down because of various reasons which in turn makes us question who we really are as people. That's why I love the movie Mulan because she surpasses her fear and fights for her father in the war, going against society's dictation. Although her culture does not permit women to fight in war except be a stay at home wife and mom, she does the opposite and fights for what she believes is right. Even though the poem and Mulan have different endings, they both have that moment of confusion which lead them to questioning their identities. They both portray an important part in a woman's life, especially because the culture and traditions are so similar.
How can we connect the poem "Love is Not All" to the lyrics of "Gotta Go My Own Way" from the movie High School Musical?
There are many ways we can connect the two, firstly, we can see that Gabriella is trying to breakup with Troy so that she may "go her own way" which in other words is her attempting to be rid of the love so she may better herself, she is "selling" her love for "peace." Then we can see how Troy is absolutely heartbroken by this, acting as though this relationship was his end all be all of his only source of happiness which can be compared to lines 7-8 in the poem where Edna says "Yet many a man is making friends with death even as I speak, for lack of love alone" where she is basically saying that men are facing a metaphorical death because all they yearn for is love and they haven't found it, Troy acts as though that if Gabriella ends the relationship that he won't recover at all. This portrays the connection between the two works in the sense that while women are able to recognize that love is not as important as it is made to sound, men are metaphorically "dying" because they view love as the oxygen to their lungs.
How did some of Elizabeth Bradfield's early life influence her poem "Why They Went"?
There were several early events in Bradfield's life that influenced her career choices and direction of her writing. First of all, from an early age, her family and her were very water-oriented, meaning that they were constantly traveling on boats and exploring different places. This likely not only gave Bradfield a love for nature, but made her more inclined to travel and explore places, which she has a tendency to do. Additionally, she completed her Masters in Fine Arts Degree in Alaska. This likely increased her likelihood of being attracted to cold places, specifically the arctic, which is what most of her writing is about.
In the third stanza the speaker references himself for the first and only time. He states "sometimes i dream my father is a guitar, with a hole in his chest" what does the speaker mean by this?
This echoes the previous stanza that his father had been dreaming of his own mother when she died. Also this helps portray the social struggle that damaged his fathers heart and left a hole in it.
In her poem "Love Is Not All," Millay states that love "is not meat nor drink." Given the context of the remainder of the poem, what does this sentence imply? - Love is not as good as a good meal - We cannot simply consume love whenever we want it - Love is not simply meeting another person for a date (dinner or drinks) - We do not need love in order to survive
We do not need love in order to survive
In stanza 6 lines 47-49 in "Girl Powdering Her Neck", Song states that "But the berry-stained lips, stenciled into the mask of beauty, ________" - do not speak - do not open - forbidden to speak - will not open
do not speak