CLEP Humanities : Analyzing the Content of Twentieth-Century Poetry
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Analyzing The Content Of Twentieth Century Poetry
Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
(1922)
The narrator of this poem is best described as __________.
satirical
being an interested party
hateful
detached
having an omniscient perspective
being an interested party
The poem features a narrator who is attempting to gather everyone for the event. So even though the narrator has a slightly detached view of the event ("Let be be the finale of seem"), the narrator is also deeply involved. There is also a sense of wonder throughout the poem, largely thanks to the narrator's own involvement in the strange circumstances.
(Passage adapted from "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" by Wallace Stevens)
Example Question #1 : Analyzing The Content Of Twentieth Century Poetry
Which of the following poems was written by Allen Ginsberg?
Hugh Selwyn Mauberley
The Waste Land
"Funeral Blues"
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Howl"
"Howl"
Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" is considered the preeminent Beat-era poem, with its stark descriptions of drugs and sexual acts, as well as its use of a blank verse form inspired by jazz. Ginsberg gained instant notoriety when "Howl" was published in 1957, and was brought forward in an obscenity trial in Ginsberg's native California in 1959.
Example Question #2 : Analyzing The Content Of Twentieth Century Poetry
Adapted from "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" by Wallace Stevens (1922)
Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
What kind of event does the poem describe?
A christening
A patriotic celebration
A funeral or wake
An outdoor barbecue
A birthday party
A funeral or wake
The poem describes a woman's body as "cold" and "dumb," and that it needs to be covered by a sheet, indicating that she is dead. The rest of the poem described gathering people for some kind of event where she is central. Thus, the poem is about a funeral or wake.
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