Literary Terms
This 14-line style of poem, follows a strict rhyme scheme and is the style of many of Shakespeare’s works.
What is a sonnet?
Walt Whitman is most famous for this collection of poems celebrating democracy and individuality
What is Leaves of Grass
This Mark Twain short story reveals the hypocrisy and greed of a town that prides itself on being incorruptible
What is “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg"
This city was the center of the Harlem Renaissance
What is New York City (Harlem)
Since the tradition began, inaugural poems have been featured exclusively at inaugurations of presidents from this political party
What is the Democratic Party
According to this theory, only a small part of a story is shown while the deeper meaning lies beneath
What is Hemingway’s iceberg theory/theory of omission
Whitman often wrote in this poetic style that does not rhyme or have a regular meter
What is free verse
In Mark Twain’s “A True Story” Mr. C. listens to a firsthand account of slavery told by this woman, known for her strength and resilience
Who is Aunt Rachel
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that took place primarily during this decade
What is the 1920s
At age 22, Amanda Gorman became the youngest poet to perform at a U.S. presidential inauguration during this president’s 2021 ceremony
Who is Joe Biden
This post-World War II literary movement featured writers like Allen Ginsberg and is known for rejecting conventional society.
What is the Beat Generation or Beat movement
In Sherman Alexie’s poem “Defending Walt Whitman,” the speaker imagines Whitman as a player of this sport
What is basketball
This Connecticut city is home to the Mark Twain House, where the author lived from 1874 to 1891
What is Hartford
Hughes’s poem "I, Too" is a response to this earlier poet’s famous poem "I Hear America Singing"
Who is Walt Whitman
This poet became the first woman to deliver an inaugural poem when she performed “On the Pulse of Morning” at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration
Who is Maya Angelou
This figure of speech involves directly addressing an absent person, abstract idea, or an inanimate object as if it were present and capable of responding.
What is apostrophe
Whitman worked as this profession during the American Civil War
What is a nurse
This famous novel by Twain features the adventures of a boy and a runaway slave on the Mississippi River
What is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
This major social and political movement, focused on social justice and equality. Took place in the 1950s - 60s, and was directly influenced by the activism of the Harlem Renaissance.
What is the Civil Rights Movement
This poem, "The Gift Outright" written by Robert Frost was read at which U.S President's Inauguration
Who is President John F. Kennedy
This literary device repeats the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or sentences for emphasis.
What is anaphora
Whitman is associated with this American literary movement emphasizing nature and the self
What is transcendentalism
What is Mark Twain's real name?
what is Samuel Langhorne Clemens
In this poem, Hughes explores the frustration and consequences of "dreams deferred" in the African American community through vivid imagery and metaphor
What is “Harlem"
This poet read the inaugural poem "Praise Song for the Day" at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration
Who is Elizabeth Alexander