Dejection: An Ode MCQs & Summary

Summary:

Dejection: An Ode by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a deeply personal and emotional poem reflecting the poet’s struggles with depression and creative decline. Written as a response to his failing marriage and declining inspiration, the poem explores themes of sorrow, lost joy, and the relationship between nature and human emotions.

Coleridge contrasts his current state of despair with his past ability to find joy in nature. He argues that external beauty cannot bring happiness unless one already possesses inner joy. The poem also expresses a sense of longing and regret, as Coleridge laments his inability to experience the same imaginative power he once had. Despite its melancholy tone, the poem ends with a wish for peace and happiness for his beloved.

MCQs:

1. Who wrote Dejection: An Ode?
   A) John Keats
   B) William Wordsworth
   C) Samuel Taylor Coleridge
   D) Lord Byron
   Answer: C) Samuel Taylor Coleridge
2. What is the central theme of the poem?
   A) The beauty of nature
   B) The loss of joy and creative decline
   C) The power of love
   D) The excitement of adventure
   Answer: B) The loss of joy and creative decline
3. What was the original purpose of the poem?
   A) A love poem for his wife
   B) A political statement
   C) A letter to Sara Hutchinson
   D) A celebration of nature
   Answer: C) A letter to Sara Hutchinson
4. Which literary movement does Dejection: An Ode belong to?
   A) Realism
   B) Romanticism
   C) Modernism
   D) Classicism
   Answer: B) Romanticism

   

5. What does Coleridge believe is necessary to appreciate nature’s beauty?
   A) A strong imagination
   B) Wealth and luxury
   C) A joyful heart
   D) A deep knowledge of poetry
   Answer: C) A joyful heart
6. Which of the following best describes the poem’s tone?
   A) Joyful and hopeful
   B) Dark and melancholic
   C) Angry and bitter
   D) Romantic and passionate
   Answer: B) Dark and melancholic
7. How does Coleridge describe the night sky at the beginning of the poem?
   A) As a stormy and restless sky
   B) As clear and bright
   C) As a symbol of love
   D) As dull and lifeless
   Answer: A) As a stormy and restless sky
8. What does Coleridge suggest about his poetic inspiration?
   A) It has completely vanished
   B) It is stronger than ever
   C) It will return after a long journey
   D) He never needed inspiration to write
   Answer: A) It has completely vanished
9. What wish does Coleridge express at the end of the poem?
   A) For his own happiness
   B) For peace and joy for his beloved
   C) For a return to childhood
   D) For a world without suffering
   Answer: B) For peace and joy for his beloved
10. What poetic form is Dejection: An Ode written in?
    A) Sonnet
    B) Blank verse
    C) Irregular ode
    D) Haiku
    Answer: C) Irregular ode