Rita Dove: Poems Essay Questions

Essay Questions

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  1. 1

    What allusion does “Teach us to Number Our Days” entail?

    “Teach us to Number Our Days” is a religious allusion mirrored in Psalms 90:12. The Psalm accentuates the veracity concerning the circumscribed lifespan. The capability to quantify one’s day illustrates astuteness regarding the ephemerality of life.

  2. 2

    Explain the religious allusion in “Testimonial”.

    Rita Dove alludes to the Genesis accounts concerning the instigation of existence: “Back when the earth was new/ and heaven was just a whisper,/back when the names of things/ hadn’t had time to stick.” Referencing Genesis clarifications imparts an ample backdrop for Rita to pronounce the foundation of her life. The inaugurations (of the world and Rita Dove) are parallel in the sense that they depict novelty.

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