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Storgy

Quiz — Storgy

A FAMILIAR EPISTLE TO A FRIEND.

by James Russell Lowell.

Ten questions on craft, meaning, and form. Untimed. Answer every question to submit.

Q01of 10

What verse form does Lowell primarily employ throughout this poem?

Q02of 10

In lines 1–12, Lowell uses an extended image drawn from winemaking to describe his ideal letter. What does 'the ripe grape gets its sweetness' represent in this analogy?

Q03of 10

Which of the following best describes the poem's overall structure?

Q04of 10

In lines 23–30, the central image used to convey the psychological shift of middle age is:

Q05of 10

When the speaker cries 'I side with Moses 'gainst the masses, / Take you the drudge, give me the glasses!' (lines 71–72), what does he mean?

Q06of 10

Which classical and mythological figures does Lowell invoke in lines 93–115 to illustrate what youth alone can perceive?

Q07of 10

What is the dominant tone of the poem's opening and middle sections (roughly lines 1–78), before the speaker's final concession?

Q08of 10

In the extended whale-hunt metaphor (lines 157–191), what does the 'dead plunder' that becomes 'so much blubber, nothing more' represent?

Q09of 10

In lines 125–139, the speaker uses the image of blind nestlings to convey which idea?

Q10of 10

According to lines 181–191, what is Lowell's stated method for finding poetic subjects?

0 / 10 answered

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