American Literature & Composition: Final Exam Spring 2015 Study Guide

Transcription

1 American Literature & Composition: Final Exam Spring 2015 Study Guide For each text, be prepared to consider the meaning and importance of central characters, conflicts, plot devices, figurative language and other literary techniques. As you review, consider how details of the text make clear important themes. Unit One Transcendentalism.. Lawrence and Lee s The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail Characters : Henry, Waldo, Bailey, John, Lydian, Ellen, Henry Williams Note each character s view of the society and role in the society, their happiness/unhappiness in the society Conflicts : Henry versus Waldo, Mother, Ellen; Henry versus self; Henry versus society Plot: recall conflicts in Henry s relationship that show his values and identity, trace the intensification of conflicts leading up to the argument between Henry and Waldo, and to Henry s arrest Symbols : huckleberrying, the jail cell, the silent bell, the irregular drumbeat Other techniques : characterization, juxtaposition, paradox Themes: Individuality in a conformist society, standing up for one s beliefs, overcoming loss and disappointments, conflicts and miscommunications in personal relationships Essential Questions: How does one maintain individuality in a conformist society? To what extent should one challenge society and remain true to one s belief, even if it compromises one s relationships? Principles of Transcendentalism understand how Emerson and Thoreau express these beliefs: Emphasis on self-reliance achieved through exercising one s own moral and spiritual strength Human senses are limited; they convey knowledge of the physical world, but deeper truths can only be grasped through intuition Observations of nature illuminate the nature of human beings God, man, and nature are united in the oversoul The individual is the center of the universe; therefore, all knowledge begins with self-knowledge. Nonconformity is key; individual should reject society in order to remain true to one s own sense of self. Unit Two American Resilience (biographies).. For your biography (either Half Broke Horses, Breaking Night, Boys in the Boat, or The Pact ), the exam will present a key passage from the book and ask you to interpret important ideas about the subject of the biography and his or her society. To help you recall major points, review the following -- Major obstacles Recall major challenges the subject faces and how he or she reacts to those challenges. Values what values or beliefs help the subject(s) to endure obstacles? What are some key lessons learned? Relationships what important relationships guide the subject s life (both healthy and unhealthy ones?) Historical context what does the biography reveal about the time period? What major historical events, social structures, societal norms and ways of life impact the subject s life? 1

2 Unit Three American Voices Research.. This part of the final will ask questions about research skills but will also ask you to apply research skills through a cold reading passage with skills-based questions. To review for this part of the final, check your understanding of these skills: Credible and effective research process Choose sources for relevance ; evaluate sources for credibility and bias Properly paraphrase and cite sources with in-text/parenthetical citations; punctuate properly Synthesize evidence from multiple sources, proving a new idea collectively more than each source proves by itself Key writing skills Presenting a complex and persuasive claim that governs and organizes the essay Support claim with compelling reasons and specific evidence Set up quotations with context and lead-ins ; vary lead-ins (somebody says, sentence, blended) Commentary -- prove ideas shown by evidence without repeating evidence; go beyond the evidence and analyze the author s technique to get at deeper meanings; look at word choice or figurative language; interpret how the evidence suggests ideas about society and human nature Use narrative writing (via action/description) to illuminate a human issue through a human story Introductions set up claim with good title, strong hook, background info and finally the claim Body Paragraphs -- start each paragraph with a strong topic sentence (the opinionated sub-claim that sets up the point you will prove in this part of the paper, linking back to the claim as a whole); introduce each piece of evidence by giving context to avoid choppiness, blend quotations into sentence; transition from one piece of evidence to the next by linking ideas; follow each piece of evidence with thoughtful commentary that avoids restating evidence Conclusions restate the claim with more persuasive language to give a sense of finality and conviction (avoid phrases like In conclusion and As I have proven What to avoid in formal writing : first and second person pronouns, contractions, excessive to be verbs, slang, informal language, writing about writing ( I will prove ); punctuate titles appropriately -- Short Works / Long Works Unit Four Alienation and Disillusionment.. Salinger s The Catcher in the Rye Characters : Holden Caulfield and his siblings (D.B., Allie, Phoebe), girls (Sally, Jane), roomies (Stradlater, Ackley), teachers (Mr. Spencer, Mr. Antolini), and various other minor characters Conflicts : Holden grapples with several internal conflicts (e.g., his feelings about love and sex, his ideas about his own level of (im)maturity, his sense of alienation from others). He also conflicts with several 2

3 characters, for many reasons. In fact, he has some sort of conflict with almost every character whom he comes across. Pay attention to why he conflicts with others (consider if it s Holden s fault, or if it s because of some issue/frustration he has with others, etc.). Plot and setting : Pay attention to the places Holden goes, as well as the people he encounters there. What s more important than what happens and where it happens, though, is Holden s state of mind while trekking from place to place, and moving from person to person. Symbols : Consider the objects that represent bigger ideas for Holden. Examples include the (broken) record (for his sister, Phoebe), the ducks in the pond, the red hunting cap, and the checkerboard (involving Jane). Other techniques : Frame narrative, stream of consciousness, unreliable narrator, bildungsroman Themes: Ideas of normalcy/acceptance, social exclusion/alienation, growing up/maturity, protecting/saving others who are in need Hansberry s A Raisin in the Sun Characters : All members of the Younger family, Carl Lindner, Joseph Asagai, George Murchison Conflicts : Notable internal conflicts include Walter Lee s and Lena s decisions about the insurance money and the potential new home, Walter Lee s feelings about finding a better dream in life, Beneatha s feelings on religion and on George Murchison and Joseph Asagai, Ruth s struggles with her pregnancy and with how to understand what Walter Lee wants, and the overall family s approach toward moving to the White-dominated suburbs. Notable external conflicts include Walter Lee vs. Beneatha, Walter Lee vs. George Murchison, Walter Lee vs. Lena, Walter Lee vs. Ruth (basically, Walter Lee vs. everyone in the play!), and the Younger family vs. Carl Lindner. Plot: Refer back to the optional questions in the study guide. However, the test will not be too plot-heavy. Symbols : Eggs, Lena s plant, the $10,000 check, George Murchison s white shoes, and Joseph Asagai s African garb and style Other techniques : Allusion to Langston Hughes s Harlem (a.k.a. Dream Deferred ) poem, juxtaposition/contrast of white and black (people and cultures), rich and poor, old versus new generations, men vs. women, and using George Murchison and Joseph Asagai as foils, or opposing characters who share motivations (i.e., winning Beneatha s heart) Themes: Don t sell yourself out (e.g., morals, beliefs, dreams, (wo)manhood), strength and importance of family, conflicting needs and expectations in relationships, love and trust prevail over deceit and selfishness, hope and faith in dreams, playing it safe or taking big risks Hemingway s A Soldier s Home Characters : Harold Krebs, mother, Helen Conflicts : Krebs versus mother, Krebs versus society 3

4 Plot: consider how what is not said is just as important as what is said (what is not in the pictures), consider how the war has impacted Krebs and how it makes his misee the world around him (the girls, the town, his mother), consider what his mother (and implied father) want Krebs to do and how Krebs reacts Symbols/important elements : two pictures (first two paragraphs), maps and history books, girls, the car, prayer Other techniques : iceberg principle, characterization, ambiguity Themes: the trauma and alienation of war, the pressures to conform and return to normalcy, the challenges of a society that wants to romanticize war and soldiers (not allowing them to experience fear, anxiety, and psychological trauma), what war damages (in a person, family, town, society) Jarrell s The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner Situation: Jarrell describes the cruel and gruesome experiences and thoughts of a ball turret gunner (someone who is positioned at the bottom, or belly, of a fighter plane). Poetic devices: Imagery and extended metaphor of birth/death (one possible way to read the poem is as a metaphor to abortion (with the gunner as the aborted fetus), given the references to birth and death; however, the poem is ambiguous so this metaphor is not the only way to read it) Themes: the perils of war, children being forced to become men and women too soon, the devastation that a soldier/fighter can experience at too young of an age, the frightening control/influence of the government 4

5 Updike s A & P Characters : Sammy (narrator), Stokesie (Sammy s co-worker), Lengel (manager), the three girls Conflicts : Sammy s internal conflicts (e.g., how to handle Lengel s approach to the three girls and his own thoughts on the girls, particularly regarding Queenie s wealth), external conflict between Lengel and the three girls Plot: consider who is narrating, how he feels about the girls, how Stokesie acts and how the narrator feels about him as well, how Lengel acts toward the girls, and why the narrator walks out of the store at the end. Symbols : the narrator s descriptions of customers as pigs in a chute and moving through the aisles like sheep, the women as house slaves, Queenie s living room (and food and drinks in it) compared to the narrator s Other techniques : stream of consciousness Themes: shifting norms about beauty and appropriate behavior, frustrations of the middle class when confronted with those who are wealthier, teenage angst and impulsive behavior, standing up for what you believe in and supporting others who do the same, being a follower instead of a leader 5