Ezra Pound’s “Cantos” may be called a modernist epic, though its form ultimately defies classification. Pound’s poem alludes to which of the following epic poems ?

Related Mcqs:

1. 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 ?

   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

2. Ezra Pound’s poem “In a Station of the Metro” reads: “The apparition of these faces in the crowd;/ Petals on a wet, black bough.” Which of the following statements best characterizes this poem ?

   A. It seeks to diminish the distance between society and nature.
   B. It seeks to amplify the distance between society and nature.
   C. It plays with the relationship between the social, natural, and supernatural worlds.
   D. It evokes the beauty of a pastoral scene.

3. 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 ?

   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.

4. Which of the following statements best characterizes Ezra Pound’s poem “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” ?

   A. It is primarily a narrative poem.
   B. It uses iambic pentameter to achieve tonal fluidity.
   C. It undermines the idea of a single lyrical voice by using diverse cultural symbols and numerous phrases in various languages.
   D. Its intensity derives from the combination of modern subject matter and alexandrine couplets.

5. Professor Hammer argues that which of the following statements is true of Ezra Pound’s strong emphasis on poetic technique ?

   A. It serves to effectively depersonalize Pound’s poems.
   B. It serves the greater aim of conveying both intensity and immediacy in Pound’s poetry.
   C. It is a paradoxical mixture of personal and impersonal elements.
   D. It is a means of creating a dialogue between modernity and tradition.

6. Ezra Pound’s “Canto XIV” opens with the line “Io venni in luogo d’ogni luce muto” [I came to a place devoid of light]. This creates a connection between the Canto and which of the following works ?

   A. Milton’s “Paradise Lost”
   B. Dante’s “Divine Comedy”
   C. Goethe’s “Faust”
   D. Thomas Mann’s “Doctor Faustus”

7. Complete the following sentence. Professor Hammer argues that Ezra Pound’s interest in fascism and his anti-Semitic views were likely an outcome of his______________?

   A. endorsement of Marxism.
   B. interest in ancient Rome.
   C. anti-capitalism.
   D. interest in Fourier’s utopian socialist thought.

8. In Matthew Arnold’s poem “Dover Beach,” the speaker refers to the “melancholy, long, withdrawing roar” of “The Sea of Faith.” This reference alludes to which of the following ?

   A. The Protestant Reformation
   B. Religious interpretations of changes to the oceans
   C. The decline of religion’s importance in the modern West
   D. His lover’s betrayal

9. Which of the following is true of Ezra Pound’s “Canto XIV” ?

   A. It contains almost hellish imagery, such as: “Melting like dirty wax,/decayed candles, the bums sinking lower,/faces submerged under hams.”
   B. It explores the theme of the perversion of language.
   C. It deeply identifies with Dante’s “Inferno” in terms of tone and thick description.
   D. All of the above

10. What is the most notable characteristic of Ezra Pound’s “In a Station at the Metro” ?

    A. The form of a villanelle
    B. The use of synesthesia
    C. The use of simile
    D. The use of metaphor