1 What collection was "The Thing Is" published in? Indigo The Human Line Like a Beggar Mules of Love 2 What year did the collection in which "The Thing Is" was first published come out? 2002 1977 2010 2018 3 Which best describes what "The Thing Is" is about? The speaker instructs readers to love life even amidst the difficult heaviness of grief. The speaker describes God like a disappointed and grieving parent. The speaker tells her lover to bring over her pain. The speaker holds her despair the way she held her babies when they were young. 4 What award did Mules of Love receive? Lambda Literary Award Rattle Poetry Prize Pulitzer Prize Nobel Peace Prize 5 Which is not a theme in "The Thing Is"? Grief and the Body Avoiding Grief Loving Life Resilience and Agency 6 How does the concept of resilience appear in the poem? The word "resilience" appears twice in quick succession. The speaker argues that readers should succumb to their grief. Resilience does not appear as a concept in the poem. The speaker argues that one must choose to love life even in difficult circumstances. 7 How does Bass write about the body in "The Thing Is?" The body is extremely fragile and cannot handle the weight of grief. Not only does experiencing grief affect various parts of the human body, but grief is given its own bodily presence in the poem. Grief wrecks the human body and should be avoided at all cost. The human body does not appear in the poem. 8 How is life personified in the poem? As tropical heat. As an enemy. As having a "plain face" with "no charming smile" or "violet eyes." As a figure that sits with you. 9 Define "violet." Another word for violence A shade of red A bluish-purple color A flower 10 Which is not a symbol in the poem? Burnt Paper Stomach Tropical Heat Lambs 11 Which best characterizes the voices in Bass's poems? Shrewd, Ironic Bitter, Pensive Joyful, Celebratory Conversational, Accessible 12 Which points of view appear in "The Thing Is"? First Person Third Person Second Person All of the perspectives 13 What is the poem's meter? Iambic Pentameter Free verse Iambic Tetrameter Blank Verse 14 Which quote contains an example of alliteration? "Then you hold life like a face" "crumbles like burnt paper in your hands" "to love life, to love it even" "and everything you’ve held dear" 15 Which quote contains an example of assonance? "only more of it, an obesity of grief," "when you have no stomach for it" "When grief sits with you, its tropical heat" "your throat filled with the silt of it" 16 What is an example of irony in this poem? When everything dear crumbles like burnt paper. Bass does not use irony in this poem. When grief is portrayed as tropical heat. When the air of grief is more fit for gills than lungs. 17 Which best describes the tone of the poem? Hopeful, Optimistic, Submissive Pensive, Resentful, Prideful Bitter, Resentful, Rageful Optimistic, Resilient, Loving 18 Finish this quote: "when grief weights you down___" as if you are pummeled like your life like a weight like your own flesh 19 What is the poem's thesis? One should have a charming smile to make good impressions. One should choose to love life in any circumstances, including grief. One should hold grief like the face of a lover. One should avoid grief at all cost. 20 Which is one way that grief is not characterized? A presence that sits with you. An overabundance of flesh. A baby to be held. Tropical heat. 21 Which is an anaphora in the poem? I will Then you Thickening The thing is 22 What is personified in the poem? Grief and Life Grief Love Life 23 What does the phrase "the thing is" mean? It is part of the Pledge of Allegiance. It is used to introduce an explanation or issue. It is used in formal settings. It is used in the court of law to introduce a case. 24 What is something that Bass has expressed is important to her in terms of her poetic craft? Denial Transformation Nature Despair 25 Bass calls herself a(n) ___ poet. Instagram praise fake historical