Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
What was W.H. Auden's full name?
Answer
Wystan Hugh Auden
Question
In which country was W.H. Auden born?
Answer
England
Question
Where did W.H. Auden study English?
Answer
Christ Church, Oxford
Question
Which two countries did Auden visit specifically to write books about his journeys?
Answer
Iceland and China
Question
In what year did W.H. Auden become an American citizen?
Answer
1946
Question
In which two cities did Auden spend his winters and summers respectively toward the end of his life?
Answer
New York and Kirchstetten
Question
Which well-known poem by Auden explores the theme of love?
Answer
"Funeral Blues"
Question
Identify one of Auden's poems that focuses on political and social themes.
Answer
"September 1, 1939" (or "The Shield of Achilles")
Question
Which Auden work is noted for exploring cultural and psychological themes?
Answer
The Age of Anxiety
Question
What was the original purpose of writing the poem "Night Mail"?
Answer
As a verse commentary for the final minutes of a documentary film
Question
Which organization's film unit produced the documentary "Night Mail"?
Answer
The GPO (General Post Office)
Question
What role did W.H. Auden hold within the GPO Film Unit during the creation of "Night Mail"?
Answer
Assistant director
Question
What specific sound did Auden use a stopwatch to match when pacing the verse of "Night Mail"?
Answer
The rhythm of the train's wheels
Question
To which literary genre is "Night Mail" considered a classic example in English?
Answer
Film-soundtrack verse
Question
What is the starting station of the LMS Postal Special express described in the poem?
Answer
London Euston
Question
What is the final destination of the Night Mail train in the poem?
Answer
Aberdeen
Question
Which specific geographical landmark is described as a 'steady climb' against the train?
Answer
Beattock
Question
What items are specifically listed as being brought by the Night Mail at the start of the poem?
Answer
The cheque and the postal order
Question
How does the poem describe the train's action of releasing steam?
Answer
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder
Question
How do birds react as the Night Mail train approaches?
Answer
They turn their heads and stare from the bushes
Question
What is the reaction of sheep-dogs to the passing train?
Answer
They cannot turn her course and continue to slumber
Question
What object in a farm bedroom indicates the train is passing?
Answer
A jug
Question
Toward which city does the train descend as dawn 'freshens'?
Answer
Glasgow
Question
To what industrial objects are the furnaces on the dark plain compared?
Answer
Gigantic chessmen
Question
According to the poem, who 'longs for news' in the dark glens?
Answer
Men
Question
Name one type of financial correspondence carried by the train.
Answer
Letters from banks (or receipted bills)
Question
What purpose is mentioned for the 'holiday snaps' found in the letters?
Answer
To be enlarged
Question
Which specific overseas region is mentioned as a source of letters to Scotland?
Answer
The South of France
Question
List three specific colors of paper mentioned in the poem's description of letters.
Answer
Pink, violet, and blue (or white)
Question
What contrasting styles of letter content are described in the line ending with 'adoring'?
Answer
Chatty, catty, and boring
Question
What are the two types of dreams mentioned that the 'thousands' are having?
Answer
Terrifying monsters and friendly tea
Question
What are the names of the two tea establishments mentioned in the poem?
Answer
Cranston's or Crawford's
Question
Which adjective is used to describe Aberdeen in the final section of the poem?
Answer
Granite
Question
Which adjective is used to describe Edinburgh in the final section of the poem?
Answer
Well-set
Question
What sound will the sleepers 'long for' when they wake?
Answer
The postman's knock
Question
What physiological reaction is caused by the postman's knock?
Answer
A quickening of the heart
Question
What is the final rhetorical question asked in the poem?
Answer
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
Question
How many minutes into the documentary was Auden's verse commentary intended to be used?
Answer
The final minutes
Question
Besides boosting postal worker morale, what was the GPO's goal for the film 'Night Mail'?
Answer
To serve as the public face of a modern, trustworthy postal system
Question
Which location is associated with 'timid lovers' declarations'?
Answer
All the nations
Question
What type of letters are sent to the 'Highlands and Lowlands'?
Answer
Letters of condolence
Question
Where are the 'Notes from overseas' specifically addressed to?
Answer
Hebrides
Question
How are the letters with 'faces scrawled in the margin' described?
Answer
Letters with holiday snaps
Question
Which adjective describes the 'official' letters contrasted with the 'heart's outpouring'?
Answer
Cold
Question
What does the poem claim 'no one' does in the farm she passes?
Answer
Wakes
Question
What is the train's 'course' unable to be turned by?
Answer
Sheep-dogs
Question
What does the train 'pass' that is described as 'wind-bent'?
Answer
Silent miles of grasses
Question
Identify the industrial objects 'yelping down the glade of cranes'.
Answer
Steam tugs
Question
What term describes the 'news' associated with 'circumstantial' and 'financial'?
Answer
Letters
Question
Which family members are specifically listed as senders of letters to Scotland?
Answer
Uncles, cousins, and aunts
Question
How does the poem describe the state of the letters that are not 'typed' or 'printed'?
Answer
Spelt all wrong
Question
What is the train's 'gradient' like at Beattock?
Answer
Against her
Question
What does the train pass that is described as 'blank-faced'?
Answer
Coaches
Question
Which Scottish city is associated with the description 'working'?
Answer
Glasgow
Question
How is the 'climb' described at the start of dawn?
Answer
Done
Question
What specific flora and geological feature are passed before the 'white steam' line?
Answer
Cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Question
What time of day is it when Scotland 'waits for her'?
Answer
As the country sleeps
Question
In what year was the original poem written?
Answer
1935
Question
Which two directors are credited for the film 'Night Mail'?
Answer
Harry Watt and Basil Wright
Question
What is the Night Mail crossing at the very start of the poem?
Answer
The border