Category: Modern Poetry and Poetics

Langston Hughes was among the most important figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Which of the following is an accurate characterization of his experiences before he published his first book ?

Modern Poetry and Poetics 11/10/2020
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A. He was a native New Yorker who did not travel much but who was keenly aware of New York’s complexity and diversity.
B. He moved to New York from Alabama and the stark contrast between these places deeply influenced his writing.
C. He was born in Missouri and traveled extensively throughout the United States and the world before he moved to New York City.
D. He spent most of his life in Washington, DC, moving to Harlem only after he gained literary fame.

Ezra Pound’s “Canto I” opens with the following lines: “And then went down to the ship,/Set keel to breakers, forth on the godly sea, and(…).” Which of the following statements best characterizes these lines and the poem as a whole ?

Modern Poetry and Poetics 01/10/2020
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A. These lines set an impersonal tone which dominates the entire poem.
B. These lines establish a rhythmical pattern, which is followed strictly throughout the poem.
C. These lines are the only impersonal lines in the poem, the rest of which is primarily focused on the complexity of human emotions.
D. These lines establish a personal tone, focusing on a lyrical perspective similar to late-Victorian era poetry.

In Amy Lowell’s imagist poem, “This Green Bowl,” a handmade bowl is compared to a pond in the woods. Can one say that, as in Pound’s “Cantos,” this poem’s dominant tone is impersonal? Why, or why not ?

Modern Poetry and Poetics 13/09/2020
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A. Yes, Lowell’s detailed description of nature draws attention away from human realities.
B. Yes, the lyrical voice in Lowell’s poem seeks to express universal rather than individual experience.
C. No, Lowell’s poem is not impersonal; it addresses the maker of the bowl directly and speculates about his state of mind.
D. No, even though Lowell strives for impersonal expression by borrowing poetic devices from Pound, she fails to accomplish this

Wilfred Owen’s “Anthem for Doomed Youth” begins with the following lines: “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?/ Only the monstrous anger of the guns./ Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle/Can patter out their hasty orisons.” Which of the following statements best describes these lines ?

Modern Poetry and Poetics 02/09/2020
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A. These lines suggest that it was difficult to define patriotism during the Great War, but soldiers who died in battle provided the best example of patriotism.
B. These lines suggest that the Great War lasted much longer than it should have.
C. These lines equate humans with animals, and they anthropomorphize weapons to show a world where there is no place for human values.
D. These lines represent a modern funeral dirge that mimics the rhythm of ancient Greek funeral dirges.

Which of the following best describes the reasons why World War I had a profound impact on modern poetry ?

Modern Poetry and Poetics 29/08/2020
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A. The devastation wrought by World War I was so enormous that it put Europe’s cultural and political norms and values into question.
B. The mechanized killing, which took place on a massive scale during World War I, made it necessary to reflect about the effects of technological progress.
C. World War I was the first global conflict where the distinction between combatants and civilians was erased, and this had a devastating effect on the European psyche.
D. Both A and B