1. Give examples of word choice in "O Moon, when I gaze on thy beautiful face" by Anonymous, that make it impossible to take this poem seriously. Explain.
2. ?Do you think the comparison of life to "a jagged tooth" in Grace Treasone's "Life" is a good one? Justify your evaluation by considering how this comparison is worked out in the rest of the poem.
3. Compare "Thoughts on Capital Punishment" by Rod McKuen, and "Traveling Through the Dark" by Wiliam Stafford. Which would you consider guilty of sentimentality and why? Why is the other poem not guilty of sentimentality? What is the significance of Stafford's title?
4. In "The Whipping" by Robert Hayden:
A: who is the speaker of the poem? What is the speaker's relation to the people he observes in the opening stanza?
B: How does the scene being depicted change in the fourth stanza? Who are the people depicted here?
C: What reason does the speaker give for the old woman's violence? Does the speaker feel her reason is adequate to excuse her behavior?
D: How would you summarize the theme of this poem?
5. What is the extended metaphor used in "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman? Considering the occasion of the poem, explain several elements of the comparison. How would you judge this poem? Why?
6. Write a brief evaluation of "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe. Include a specific discussion of several poetic elements.