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Storgy

Quiz — Storgy

Thanatopsis.

by William Cullen Bryant.

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

Q01of 10

What does the title 'Thanatopsis' literally mean, and how does this meaning relate to the poem's central purpose?

Q02of 10

In the poem's opening lines, how does Nature relate to the speaker who 'in the love of Nature holds / Communion with her visible forms'?

Q03of 10

The phrase 'the narrow house' is used to describe which of the following?

Q04of 10

Which poetic technique is illustrated by describing hills as 'Rock-ribb'd and ancient as the sun'?

Q05of 10

Bryant instructs the fearful reader to 'Go forth under the open sky.' What is the primary purpose of this direct address?

Q06of 10

What is the dominant tone of the poem's concluding lines, which compare the ideal death to one 'who wraps the drapery of his couch / About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams'?

Q07of 10

What is the significance of the image of 'the innumerable caravan, that moves / To the pale realms of shade'?

Q08of 10

Bryant alludes to 'the Barcan desert' and 'the Oregan' river to make which point?

Q09of 10

The poem argues that the hills, valleys, woods, rivers, and ocean 'Are but the solemn decorations all / Of the great tomb of man.' Which literary device is central to this passage?

Q10of 10

According to the poem's explicit moral instruction, how should a person ideally face death?

0 / 10 answered

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