25 pages 50 minutes read

Margaret Walker

Love Song for Alex, 1979

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1989

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Literary Device Questions

1. Of these descriptors, which best describes the general tone of the poem?

A) solemn

B) jolly

C) affectionate

D) ironic

2. Of these, which phrase contains a strong example of alliteration?

A) “the honeyed kiss, the lips of wine and fire”

B) “out past the starposts of a distant planet”

C) “They carry us under the waters of the world”

D) “they tangle us with ropes and yarns of memories”

3. Of these, which contains a strong example of assonance?

A) “they tangle us with ropes”

B) “creeping through the seaweed”

C) “my youth and age”

D) “My monkey-wrench man”

4. Which two lines in the poem have the purest iambic pentameter? (short answer)