Choose One

1.    Discuss Dickinson’s views of death and/or the soul.

2.    Discuss Dickinson’s views of Nature, God, and heaven.

3.    Dickinson wrote: My business is circumference. How does this statement reflect the notion of conformity and irreverence found in her poems? (note: this question may be combined

with either #1 or #2 above).

4.    How does Dickinson’s poetic diction create ambiguity in her poetry?

5.    Discuss the themes of racial pride and personal dignity in the poetry of Langston Hughes.

6.    Discuss the influence of jazz/blues music in the poetry of Hughes.

7.    Some have leveled charges that Hughes was too much of an optimist, that his lack of a sense of evil was a flaw. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?