Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman – Flashcards
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In "I Heard a Fly Buzz--When I died," why is there a stillness in the room?
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the people in the room are waiting for the speaker's final moment
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In this stanza from "I Heard a Fly Buzz--When I died," which words create slant rhyme? - air and storm -room and storm -died and room -died and air
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room and storm
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Which of the following images is the central image in "Because I could not stop for Death--"?
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a carriage ride
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In "Because I could not stop for Death--," death is personified as
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a polite gentleman
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"The Brain--is wider than the sky--" compares the physical size of the brain to that of the sky and the sea. What point is Dickinson making when she uses these images?
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The brain is infinitely large in understanding
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In "I heard a Fly buzz--when I died--" the words "stumbling buzz" are an example of
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onomatopoeia
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Structurally speaking, what makes "Song of Myself" a typical Whitman poem?
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its use of the natural cadences of human speech
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In "Song of Myself" when the speaker says "I, now thirty[seven years old in perfect health begin,/ Hoping to cease not till death," what do you think he is beginning?
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writing poetry
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The phrase "barbaric yawp" in "Song of Myself" is an example of Whitman's
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informality
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Which of the following elements prevents "Song of Myself" from becoming an exercise in ego and selfishness?
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the poem's linking of the individual self to a universal self
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Based on the details in "Song of Myself" and "I Hear America Singing," what can you infer about Whitman's attitude toward other people?
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he feels affectionate toward other people
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"The singing" the speaker hears in "I Hear America Singing" is
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the individuality of Americans in different walks of life
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Which of the following was NOT a prime reason why Whitman chose to write in free verse?
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to imitate earlier poets he admired
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What was unconventional about Dickinson's writing style?
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seemingly random capitalization and punctuation
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What is a statement that seems contradictory but actually states a truth?
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paradox
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Whitman's philosophy grew out of what other literary and philosophical movement?
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Transendentalism
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What type of poetry tells a long story about a hero whose adventures embody the values of a nation?
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Epic poetry
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What is Whitman's Epic Theme?
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all people of all times are connected by their shared experience of life
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What is the repetition of phrases or sentences with similar structures or meanings?
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anaphora
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The use of catalogs and long line length are typical of what writing style?
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Epic poetry
