English test

– The main theme of Victorian literature was the search for truthfulness in reflecting the practical problems and issues of daily life. To this end writers and poets of this age considered themselves moral teachers who presented love, truth, justice, and brotherhood as the great ends of life.

Choose 2 of the following 5 literary selections and state what you believe the “truth” or moral insight is that is being presented. You must briefly support your statement with the events or specific lines from the text. The poems are:

• “To an Athlete Dying Young” by A.E. Houseman
• “Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• “Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold
• “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy

– Essay
In one paragraph, explain what the truth or moral insight is presented in “The Nightingale and the Rose”by Oscar Wilde.