I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed by Edna St. Vincent Millay (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Quizzes
📚Quizzes
Practise the questions
10 questions from this quiz
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Practise the questions
10 questions from this quiz
What type of sonnet form does Millay use in this poem?
What type of sonnet form does Millay use in this poem?
Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet
What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?
What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?
ABBAABBA CDCDCD
At which line does the volta (turn) occur in the poem?
At which line does the volta (turn) occur in the poem?
Line 9
What does 'propinquity' mean in the poem?
What does 'propinquity' mean in the poem?
Physical closeness
What central conflict does the poem explore?
What central conflict does the poem explore?
Physical desire vs rational choice
What does the metaphor 'fume of life' represent?
What does the metaphor 'fume of life' represent?
Desire as an intoxicating vapour
What does the speaker find 'insufficient reason / For conversation when we meet again'?
What does the speaker find 'insufficient reason / For conversation when we meet again'?
The frenzy of physical attraction
What significant achievement did Millay accomplish in 1923?
What significant achievement did Millay accomplish in 1923?
First woman to win Pulitzer Prize
What meter does Millay predominantly use in the poem?
What meter does Millay predominantly use in the poem?
Iambic pentameter
What does the octave present, in contrast to the sestet?
What does the octave present, in contrast to the sestet?
Conflicted feelings; solution