Whitman and Dickinson Poetry Quiz

“After Great Pain a Formal Feeling Comes” is…

• An explanation of how a person feels when faced with suffering

• A celebration of death

• An apology for pain and suffering

• An analogy to an insect

‘Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs’ is an example of…

• simile and metaphor

• metaphor and personification

• personification and simile

• allusion and analogy

What tone does the author have toward the subject she’s writing about in Dickinson’s “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died”?

• extreme grief

• awkward

• matter-of-fact

• playful

In the same poem, what does the phrase, “the windows failed” mean?

• It was cloudy outside

• The windows were too dirty to see through

• Her friends and relatives could no longer see her

• The speaker can no longer see because she is dead

What would you say is the tone of “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died,” especially with the image of a fly being inserted into a deathbed scene?

• Calm, peaceful, like one at rest

• Lazy or careless

• Awkward, unexpected, and out of the ordinary

• Suspenseful and exciting

“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is structured mostly through…

• Random flashbacks

• Chronological events

• Causes and effects

• Perfectly rhymed stanzas

In “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” the phrase “gazing grain” in stanza 3 is an example of…

• Symbolism

• Alliteration

• Simile

• Hyperbole

In Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” what is ironic about Death kindly stopping for her?

• We normally wouldn't think of Death as taking us to the grave as a favor

• Death always seems evil to us

• Normally, Death doesn't stop for us at all

• No irony exists in the poem

In the same poem, Dickinson’s speaker says, “We paused before a house that seemed a swelling of the ground,” meaning her grave. What poetic device is being used here?

• simile

• metaphor

• hyperbole

• allusion

The tone toward death in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is best described as…

• Joyful then angry

• Respectful yet cynical

• Calm and accepting

• Reverent then irreverent