1 Who or what is Cerberus? Son of the witch Sycorax in Shakespeare’s The Tempest The multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld The brightest star in the night sky The first son of Adam and Eve 2 What is an “aguey tendon”? Anguished tendency Blood-red muscle Broken sinew Feverish muscle 3 What does it mean that the smelled of a snuffed candle is “indelible”? It is recognizable and long-lasting It is delightful and appetizing It is indistinct and hard to recognize It is distasteful and unappetizing 4 What does the “smoke” which rolls from the speaker “like Isadora’s scarves” signify? An embrace Death Rebirth Fear 5 In regards to the “Hothouse baby” in the seventh stanza, what is one way of interpreting the word “hothouse” here? Incubated Raised in a brothel Resuscitated Red-cheeked 6 How might we interpret the “you” in the line “Your body / Hurts me as the world hurts God”? As signifying the devil, who is putting her through hellish suffering As signifying Cerberus, who is incapable of cleansing her of sin As signifying her husband, whose sexual infidelity betrayed their marriage As signifying her own body, whose illness betrayed her 7 Why is it significant that she can be “a huge camellia” “all by [herself]”? Because camellias signify the union or commitment between two people Because camellias are difficult to grow and require much nourishment Because camellias always grow in pairs on the same stem Because “huge” camellias are usually the “male” flowers 8 What is acetylene, as in the line “I / Am a pure acetylene / Virgin”? A salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base A drug used to treat mild to moderate pain and aches A psychedelic that causes hallucinations C2H2, a colorless and flammable gas unstable in its pure form 9 What are cherubim? Supernatural creatures in early Islamic mythology Small red stone fruits Winged angels which attend on God, often depicted as chubby winged children Demons featured in the 1940 film Fantasia 10 How many of the poems included in Plath’s posthumously published book Ariel were written, like this one, in the month of October 1962? 12 7 26 41 11 What is one way that Plath defies the usual definition of a “confessional” poet? The frequent engagement with historic and political metaphor in her poetry The fact that she was a young woman The frequent reference to an ambiguous “you” The vivid fictive imagination of many of her poems 12 Which of the following images in the poem subtly imply the physical fragility of the feverish speaker? All of the answers “I am a lantern— / My head a moon / Of Japanese paper” “Water, water make me retch” "I / Am a pure acetylene / Virgin / Attended by roses” 13 Which meaning(s) of “flush” is or are operative in the line “Glowing and coming and going, flush on flush”? Sudden and abundant growth A transitory sensation of extreme heat All of the answers Tinged red; blushing 14 Which of the following lines portray a volatile, unstable constitution of the self? "(My selves dissolving, old whore petticoats)" "All by myself I am a huge camellia / Glowing and coming and going" "I / Am a pure acetylene / Virgin" All of the answers 15 Which of the following pairs of lines marks the biggest transition in the poem? All of the answers “flush on flush. / I think I am going up,” “The sin. The sin. / Darling, all night” “Water, water make me retch. / I am too pure for you or anyone.” 16 Which of the following seem to be prerequisites for “rising” in this poem? All of the answers Purity Suffering Emptiness 17 Which of the following is NOT a tone this poem takes? Frightened Resigned Amazed Condemnatory 18 Which spiritual tradition was Sylvia Plath immersed in reading about, though not an adherent of, in her later years of life? Hinduism Daoism Catholicism Protestantism 19 In which context of Sylvia Plath’s life was this poem written? Healthy, living alone in an attic room in London Sick, on her honeymoon in Ireland Sick, recently separated and returned to live with friends in Boston Sick, recently separated, a single parent to two children in London 20 When and where was this poem first published? In a reprint of Ariel in the 1990s when a number of lost poems were discovered In 1962 in the magazine Poetry, weeks before her death In 1965 in Ariel, years after her death In 1963 in the magazine Poetry, months after her death 21 Which feeling is most frequently associated with sexuality in this poem? Nostalgia Betrayal Desire Hatred 22 Which pink flower doesn't appear in this poem? Tulips Roses Camellias Orchids 23 Which color isn’t overtly named in the poem, but remains the most prominent in its visual landscape? Red White Yellow Pink 24 Which mythological tradition isn’t referenced in this poem? Greek mythology Hindu mythology None of the answers Christian mythology 25 Which of the following is the best example of alliteration? Love, love, the low smokes roll I have been flickering, off, on, off, on My head a moon / Of Japanese paper Attended by roses, / By kisses, by cherubim