Sestina, by Elizabeth Bishop - Ms. Burke's Site of Fun ...



Directions: Good morning. Please write all answers on a separate piece of paper including your name, class, and date. For multiple-choice questions, please write down the letters of the answer choices you prefer; that is, if you like answer “C” for question #52, for example, put down the letter “C.” For short-answer questions, please write in complete and well-developed sentences, including examples, explanations, or any other information you believe will help convince me you understand the answer to these questions. Thank you, and please feel free to ask me for any clarification during the exam if needed.Basic HistoryName the major conflict that most scholars tend to agree marks the beginning of the modern era in literature and art.World War Ic. The Thirty Years’ WarWorld War IId. The Vietnam WarWhy was this conflict so crucial in developing an outlook we call “modern”?The war was a brilliant success and led to a sense of optimistic confidence.The war cost tens of thousands of lives and left most of the world with a sense that war was ugly and brutal.The war ended all social injustice and led to an era of peace and tranquility.The war left Europe and America in a relatively powerless position on the world scale.What attitudes or ideas are usually associated with the modern era? A sense of pessimism: the world is a dark place with an uncertain future.A sense of optimism: the world is a bright place with a future full of promise and hope.A sense of alienation: old traditions and places in society are no longer as solid or guaranteed as they once were.A and CA and BTimeline Questions: Write down the year or years in which each of the following events occurred. Credit will be given for answers accurate within five years before or after the target date. For example, if Ms. Burke was born during the Norman invasion of England, which occurred in 1066, credit will be given for any years between and including 1061 to 1071.The American Civil War takes placeThe first human being walks on the moonWorld War I begins in EuropeThe Russian revolution beginsThe first sustained airplane flight by Orville and Wilbur Wright occursThe United States drops atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and NagasakiWorld War II begins in EuropeThe Commodore PET, the first complete personal computer using a microprocessor, becomes commercially availableThomas Edison develops the first practical, commercial incandescent light bulbWomen in the United States gain the right to voteWoodstock, a “festival of music and love,” takes place in New York stateU.S. war in Vietnam beginsGreat Depression beginsJapanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii occursAmerican president John F. Kennedy is assassinatedThe ship Titanic strikes an iceberg and sinksBerlin Wall is torn downLiterary Terms – Match the definition to the term or the term to the definition.What is a thing or object that represents a larger, abstract idea?Metaphorc. SymbolSimiled. PersonificationWhat is a comparison between two unlike objects using like or as?Metaphorc. SymbolSimiled. PersonificationThe main point of a novel, drama, or other piece of fictionThe motifc. The topicThe themed. The subjectWhat is a moment in a fictional work that hints at or suggests upcoming action?The themec. ForeshadowingThe pointd. SymbolismIn which point of view is the following sentence written? SENTENCE: “Gregor Samsa awoke from disturbing dreams to find himself transformed overnight into the body of a gigantic insect…”First personc. Third person limitedSecond persond. Third person omniscientWhat is the term that describes a significant discrepancy between what the audience knows and what a character knows?Dramatic ironyc. Sarcasm Greek tragedyd. SymbolismA play on words deriving humor from the similarity of the words’ soundsIronyc. First personMetaphord. PunWhat is “iambic pentameter”?Please explain your answer in 2-3 complete sentences. Including examples would be an outstanding idea.“I am so hungry I could eat a horse” is an example of what figure of speech?Litotesc. HypoboleSynecdoched. HyperboleA poem written in 14 iambic pentameter lines is most likely going to be …An odec. An epicA sonnetd. A didactic workThe central figure of a particular kind of drama, he is powerful and important, but he possesses a crucial personality flaw which leads directly to his downfall. His death or destruction causes a powerful feeling of catharsis in the audience.The kingc. HamletA tragic herod. An epic heroThe line “It blesses him that gives and him that takes” contains opposing ideas, also known as________________________.Antithesisc. AlliterationApostrophed. AllusionThe line, “I saw this morning morning’s minion, kingdom of daylight’s dauphin” contains two examples of what device of sound?Alliterationc. ApostropheAntithesisd. AssonancePlease briefly define “free verse.” Please make sure to discuss meter and rhyme scheme in your definition. Including examples would be an outstanding idea.Matching – Please match the name of the literary movement or poetic style to the descriptions below. LITERARY MOVEMENTS OR POETIC STYLESAnglo-SaxonMedievalRenaissanceMetaphysical poetryEnlightenment/Augustan/Age of ReasonRomantic Victorian Modern DESCRIPTIONSThis era is characterized by concern with the emotions, with feeling over reason, and with an appreciation of wild nature and scenery over cultivation or civilization.This era is characterized by an epic poetic style, heavy use of alliteration instead of end rhyme, strong stresses in poetic lines, and love of wordplay and riddles.This movement marks a deliberate shift away from traditional forms and approaches, rejection of traditional rhyme scheme and meter in poetry, and the avoidance of a straightforward linear plot in fiction. The outlook tends to be cynical rather than hopeful, tending toward pessimism and fear that existence is meaningless or absurd.This type of poetry is characterized by richly elaborate metaphors often linking images from science, mathematics, physics, engineering, or chemistry to describe love, the state of the human soul, or other unlikely pairings.This era is characterized by very specific, regular rhyme scheme and meter in poetry and the frequent use of heroic couplets. Satire, mock-epics, and the novel are prominent features of this era’s literature. Logic, order, and scientific thinking are preferred over intuition, emotion, or feeling.This era’s novels move toward a direct concern with pressing social problems (poverty, gender inequality, social injustice) and feature a decided concern for realism. The outlook in novels tends to be somewhat pessimistic, but not as pessimistic as in the modern era. Poetry in this era is distinguished by a return to more obvious rhyme and a focus on the dramatic monologue in poetry. Test continues on next page.Literary Analysis – Please carefully read the poem below, noting all figures of speech or literary devices used by the author. Then answer the questions pertaining to it.Sestina, by Elizabeth BishopSeptember rain falls on the house.In the failing light, the old grandmothersits in the kitchen with the childbeside the Little Marvel Stove,** Brand name of a coal- or wood-burning stove.(5 ) reading the jokes from the almanac,laughing and talking to hide her tears.She thinks that her equinoctial tearsand the rain that beats on the roof of the housewere both foretold by the almanac,(10)but only known to a grandmother.The iron kettle sings on the stove.She cuts some bread and says to the child,It's time for tea now; but the childis watching the teakettle's small hard tears(15)dance like mad on the hot black stove,the way the rain must dance on the house.Tidying up, the old grandmother hangs up the clever almanacon its string. Birdlike, the almanac (20)hovers half open above the child,hovers above the old grandmotherand her teacup full of dark brown tears.She shivers and says she thinks the house feels chilly, and puts more wood in the stove.(25)It was to be, says the Marvel Stove.I know what I know, says the almanac.With crayons the child draws a rigid houseand a winding pathway. Then the childputs in a man with buttons like tears(30)and shows it proudly to the grandmother.But secretly, while the grandmotherbusies herself about the stove,the little moons fall down like tearsfrom between the pages of the almanac(35)into the flower bed the childhas carefully placed in the front of the house.Time to plant tears, says the almanac.The grandmother sings to the marvelous stoveand the child draws another inscrutable house.41. The mood of the poem is best described asa. satiricb. suspensefulc. reproachfuld. sorrowfule. puzzled42. In line 10, “known to” is best interpreted asa. imagined byb. intended forc. predicted byd. typified ine. experienced by43. In line 19, the word “Birdlike” describes thea. markings on the pages of the almanacb. amusing character of the almanac’s sayingsc. shape and movement of the almanacd. child’s movements toward the almanace. grandmother’s movements toward the almanac44. Between lines 24 and 25 and between lines 32 and 33, there is a shift froma. understatement to overstatementb. realism to fantasyc. cheery optimism to depressing pessimismd. present events to events remembered from the paste. formal language to informal language45. The child’s attitude is best described as one ofa. anxious dismayb. pretended sympathyc. absorbed fascinationd. silent guilt and bad feelinge. irritated boredom46. All of the following appear to shed tears or be filled with tears EXCEPTa. the childb. the teacupc. the almanacd. the teakettlee. the grandmother47. The grandmother and the child in the poem are portrayed primarily through descriptions of theira. actionsb. thoughtsc. conversationd. facial expressionse. physical characteristics48. Which of the following literary devices most significantly contributes to the unity of the poem?a. the use of internal rhymeb. the use of witty, punchy expressionsc. the use of repeated beginning sounds (alliteration)d. the repetition of key wordse. The repetition of sentence structures49. The poet’s attitude toward the characters in the poem is best described as a combination ofa. detachment and understandingb. disdain and curiosityc. envy and suspiciond. approval and amusemente. respect and resentmentWritingOn a different piece of paper, please write a well-constructed and articulate response of at least one full page in length to the overview and statement given below.Your composition must discuss the meaning of the statement, whether you agree with it or not, and an explanation of why you believe as you do. Please supply examples to support your argument. Examples should come from literature, history, politics, current events, high-quality film or television, or relevant personal experience. You should discuss at length why or in what way your examples support your argument.Overview: The “self-esteem movement” had a profound effect on American education when some educators realized that a strong link existed between positive self-esteem and academic achievement: students with good grades tended to feel good about themselves. In order to help students achieve their academic goals, therefore, educators were encouraged to tell their students that they were successful achievers with high potential. On the other hand, critics of this approach argued that this effort, though well-intentioned, “put the cart before the horse”; that is, it confused cause with effect. Those educators argued that a student’s healthy self-esteem did not cause academic achievement; academic achievement caused healthy self-esteem. Using specific examples chosen from literature, history, politics, current events, high-quality film or television, or relevant personal experience, argue whether you agree or disagree with the statement given below?Statement: Self-esteem is a poor substitute for confidence earned from achievement. ................
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