John Donne Study Questions – Flashcards
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To remind his listeners that death is the shared fate of all humanity
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In "Meditation 17," why does John Donne say that the bell tolling a death "tolls for thee"?
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We are surrounded by people unlike an island which is surrounded by nothing
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In "Meditation 17," what does the contrast to an island suggest about humanity?
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the tearing of a chapter out of a book
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Which of the following does NOT represent death in this essay?
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All human destinies are tied together.
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Which of the following best states the theme?
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his illness
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On what occasion did John Donne write this essay?
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an author
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In this essay, God is compared to..
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It is not destruction, but rebirth.
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What conclusion can you draw about death from this piece?
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Humans are necessarily involved with each other.
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According to Donne, how can one be affected by another's death?
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When we die, we do not cease to exist but achieve eternal life
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What is meant by "when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of a book, but translated into a better language"
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"Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind. . ."
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Which of the following best expresses the major theme of the essay?
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Heaven
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The "library" referred to is. . .
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a sermon reminding the congregation of the importance of everyone
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In content and purpose, "Meditation 17" most resembles. . .
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Death can never triumph because faith grants eternal life
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What is the message of Holy Sonnet 10?
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After Death, a Christian wakes to eternal life.
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Why is the seemingly contradictory phase "Death, thou shalt die" actually true?
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defiant
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Which of the following best describes the tone of Holy Sonnet 10?
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We must derive even more pleasure from death
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The speaker says that we derive pleasure from rest and sleep, "which but thy pictures be." Therefore, he says..
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it keeps bad company, such as poison and war
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One of the reasons that death should not be proud is that..
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paradox
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"Death, thou shalt die" is an example of
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the deaths of virtuous men who mildly away
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The speaker of "A Valediction : Forbidding Mourning" says he wants the behavior at parting to be like..
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absence removes those things (eyes, hands, lips" that are the basis of their love
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"Dull sublunary lovers" cannot bear to be parted because..
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farewell
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A valediction is a...
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they expand to cover distance but do not break or separate
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In what way are the two lovers' souls, "which are one," like "gold to airy thinness beat"?
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departure
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The poem deals with the speakers imminent..
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it is more spiritual than physical in nature
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What meaning can you construct about the speaker's view of his love?
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the speaker and his lover are bound, though they may be apart
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What can you infer from the final lines of the poem?
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however far the speaker travels, he and his beloved are never truly parted
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In "A Valediction" what does the image of a compass suggest?
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a siege, capture, and human birth
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The metaphorical content of "Holy Sonnet 14 involves all of the following..
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an unflawed character
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In "Holy Sonnet 14" the speaker asks for..
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violent
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In "Holy Sonnet 14" God is depicted as..
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paradox
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The poem is mostly characterized by examples of..
