American Literature Semester 2009 Exam Study Guide
American Literature Spring Semester 2009 Final Exam Study Guide 1. Review “The Sun Also Rises” a. Why does Cohn learns to box at Princeton? b. Brett’s short hair is unusual for its time and is meant to imply that she is what? c. Brett’s relationship with Jake is ironic because? d. Which of the following incidents from the story best illustrates the concept that Jake is a realist who tries to face facts and find practical solutions to life’s problems? e. How is Hemingway’s writing style is characterized? f. The stuffed dogs Bill Gordon jokes about are considered a metaphor because… g. Hemingway criticizes the way American tourists because… h. Jake believes that the Catholic church i. The fishing trip Jake and Bill take serves as j. Jake is considered an aficionado because k. The steers which are used to quiet the bulls is a metaphor for Jake’s life with his friends because l. What does the following passage from the novel represent?“Eat? Why didn’t you say eat? I thought you just wanted me to get up for fun. Eat? Fine. m. Now you’re reasonable. You go out and dig some more worms and I’ll be right down.” (Pg.118) n. Romero is a great bullfighter because o. Cohn leaves Spain because p. Brett breaks up with Romero because q. Which of the following statements best explains the significance of the title of the novel? r. Bill is a good friend for Jake because s. Jake becomes annoyed with Cohn mostly because t. When traveling in France, Jake u. Cohn is more of an idealist than a realist because 2. Figurative Language Devices a. Anecdote - a brief story that is usually illustrative or humorous, similar to a vignette. b. Idealism - behavior or thought based on a vision of things as they ought to be, rather than as they really are. c. Irony - a perception of inconsistency, sometimes humorous, in which the significance and understanding of a statement or event is changed by its context. Example: The firehouse burned down. i. Dramatic Irony - the audience or reader knows more about a character’s situation than the character does and knows that the character’s understanding is incorrect. Example: In Medea, Creon asks, “What atrocities could she commit in one day?” The reader, however, knows Medea will destroy her family and Creon’s by day’s end. ii. Structural Irony – the use of a naïve hero, whose incorrect perceptions differ from the reader’s correct ones. Example: Huck Finn. iii. Verbal Irony - a discrepancy between what is said and what is really meant; sarcasm. Example: A large man whose nickname is “Tiny.” d. Metaphor - a comparison of two things that are basically dissimilar in which one is described in terms of the other. Example: The moon, a haunting lantern, shone through the clouds. e. Narrator - the one who tells the story. The narrator must not be confused with “author,” the one who writes the story. If the narrator is a character in the book, the proper term is “first person narration.” Example: Moby Dick is narrated by Ishmael, a crewmember. If the narrator is not a character in the book, the correct term is “third-person narration.” Example: Sense and Sensibility. f. Objective View - third-person narration in which the author is recording action from a neutral point of view. Example: Most nonfiction. g. Realism - a literary movement that has at its core the depiction of life as it really is, with no attempt to hide or gloss over the problems, hardships, or ugliness of life. Example: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. h. Sarcasm - the use of harsh words to deride and criticize. Sometimes, sarcasm is apparent only by the way something is said rather than the actual words that are used; other times the sarcasm is obvious. Example: In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden says about a taxi driver he dislikes that, “he certainly was good company. Terrific personality.” i. Satire - using humor to expose something or someone to ridicule. Examples: Animal Farm; Gulliver’s Travels. j. Style - the way an author chooses and uses words, phrases, and sentences to tell the story. For example, in an action/adventure story, the author may use simple words and short, choppy sentences, because this style moves the story along quickly. In a story about a college professor, the same author may choose to use polysyllabic, unfamiliar words, and long, convoluted sentences. k. Theme - the central or dominant idea behind the story; the most important aspect that emerges from how the book treats its subject. Sometimes theme is easy to see, but, at other times, it may be more difficult. Theme is usually expressed indirectly, as an element the reader must figure out. It is a universal statement about humanity, rather than a simple statement dealing with plot or characters in the story. Themes are generally hinted at through different methods: a phrase or quotation that introduces the novel, a recurring element in the book, or an observation made that is reinforced through plot, dialogue, or characters. It must be emphasized that not all works of literature have themes in them. Example: In a story about a man who is diagnosed with cancer and, through medicine and will-power, returns to his former occupation, the theme might be: “Real courage is demonstrated through internal bravery and perseverance.” In a poem about a flower that grows, blooms, and dies, the theme might be: “Youth fades, and death comes to all.” 3. Rhetorical Devices 1. appeal to pathos (pity)- A common fallacy in arguments, the ad misericordiam approach is a special case of the appeal to emotion in which the altruism and mercy of the audience are the special emotions to which the speaker appeals. 2. attack ad hominem- An attack “against the man”; a fallacious attack in which the thrust is directed, not at the conclusion one wishes to deny, but at the person who asserts or defends it. 3. Bandwagon- A popular party, faction, or cause that attracts growing support; a current or fashionable trend. 4. false causality- Any reasoning that relies upon treating as the cause of a thing that which is not really its cause (e.g., the error of concluding that an event is caused by another simply because it follows that other). 5. Persuasion- One of the four traditional forms of composition in speech and writing, it is meant to move the reader by argument or entreaty to a belief or position. 6. red herring- A distracter that draws attention away from the real issue. 7. rhetorical strategies- The traditional forms of composition in speech and writing: exposition, narration, persuasion, and description (each is defined in this glossary). 8. appeal to reason -A call upon the reader’s faculty to think in a rational way to persuade his or her thoughts. 9. appeal to authority- A call upon an individual or other source as an expert to strengthen an argument made by the author of a work. 10. appeal to emotion (ethos)- The ad populum approach is a common fallacy in arguments. Instead of presenting evidence in an argument, it relies on expressive language and other devices calculated to incite enthusiasm, excitement, anger, or hatred. Know the following –Semester Exam Material 1. Ethos (Credibility), or ethical appeal, means convincing by the character of the author. We tend to believe people whom we respect. One of the central problems of argumentation is to project an impression to the reader that you are someone worth listening to, in other words making yourself as author into an authority on the subject of the paper, as well as someone who is likable and worthy of respect. 2. Pathos (Emotional) means persuading by appealing to the reader’s emotions. We can look at texts ranging from classic essays to contemporary advertisements to see how pathos, emotional appeals, are used to persuade. Language choice affects the audience’s emotional response, and emotional appeal can effectively be used to enhance an argument. 3. Logos (Logical) means persuading by the use of reasoning. This will be the most important technique we will study, and Aristotle’s favorite. We’ll look at deductive and inductive reasoning, and discuss what makes an effective, persuasive reason to back up your claims. Giving reasons is the heart of argumentation, and cannot be emphasized enough. We’ll study the types of support you can use to substantiate your thesis, and look at some of the common logical fallacies, in order to avoid them in your writing. 4.Burro Genius 1. Explain how Victor’s idea of being Mexican was affected when he was began kindergarten. 2. How did his teacher treat him? 3. Who is Ramon? Why did Victor consider him a hero? 4. When Victor’s parents left to Los Vegas, what major incident happened to Victor? 5. What did Victor say about animals and our souls? 6. What happened to Victor after his Brother Joseph’s death? 7. How did his father react to the death of Joseph? 8. How did his mother react to the passing of Joseph? 9. What was Victor’s story of creation? How does this differ from the catholic view of creation? 10. After finding out that Victor was going to flunk for the second time, what was the bribe Victor’s parents made with his teacher? From Burro Genius, read all of Book 1,2, and 3.
