ENGL 2260 Midterm

Discuss the relationship between Abher and Sarty Shopes using examples from the text. To what extent do you think Sarty may be like his father given that they share genes and circumstances? In what ways are they different and why so?

Abher and Sarty Shopes are physically similar. Both are small and wiry, but they differ psychologically. The boy was basically raised in the court house so he knows the difference between right and wrong, which his father lacks. His father also lacks emotion since he is very cold and calculated, while Sarty is young and has questions about the world. Overall, the father and son are not actually very similar even thought hey share genes and circumstances.

As a critique of capitalism and of the law, what does Anzuldua's poem have to say? Who is entitled to the pursuit of happiness? When? Under what circumstances?

Everyone is entitled to the pursuit of happiness, but these workers physically cannot do anything to pursue it because they are so contained by the law. Everyone has the right to pursue it whenever they want to and no matter what circumstances they are under. Unfortunately, our circumstances can prohibit us from being able to pursue it.

What does Anzaldua's poem say about the situation of migrant farm labor along the U.S.-Mexican border? What are the metaphorical implications of living in a "borderland?"

Farmers worked in terrible conditions along the U.S-Mexican border. They were all illegal immigrants so the tenant threatened to call the police a lot. They were forced to work from sun-up to sun-down and overall had really terrible conditions. The metaphorical implications of living in a borderland are that they lived in a kind of "lawless" area, yet the law was always being enforced on them.

Revisit T.S. Elliot's idea of the objective correlative. With that in mind, what may Ginsberg be communicating to his readers through his long howl? List the possibilities and be prepared to illustrate your speculations with passages from the poem

Ginsberg sees this generation as self-destructive as he says, "his generation was destroyed by madness." The story was written during the nuclear age, the generation of "duck and cover" and bomb shells in the backyard. People saw the nuclear age as the end so there are a lot of biblical references used throughout the story that go along with that. The whole poem was very choppy which helped add to the chaos of the whole thing.

Discuss the character of Linda with special regard for her speech when she speaks of the attention owed to Willy

Linda is a very loyal wife to Willy. She believes that he has provided their family with so much even though he doesn't treat Linda very well. She stands up for him no matter what he does and she will take his side over her children's. She truly believes that her sons should owe him for everything that he has done for their family, and she expresses this in her speech. However, since Willy has lost his job, he really hasn't done much to help his family in any way.

Describe the main features of Realism

There are several common features of Realism. For example, characters should speak in ways that are appropriate to their background. Their speech, beliefs, and mannerisms should be accurate to their place in the social order, their race, and their gender. Also, characters should resemble people that the reader could encounter in their actual life and their motives should be realistic. There should be no improbable plot twists in the story, and no mention of art without regard to some purpose beyond creating art. Basically, the story must be REAL

characteristics of postmodernism

There are several common features of postmodernism. For example, there should be an influence of existentialism and a belief in free will. There should be an incorporation of different styles and genres and greater diversity in race, religion, and class. There should also be a use of popular culture where no art form is inherently superior to another. Finally, there should be an influence of deconstruction and resistance to textual oppression

dramatic monologue

poetry revealing the persona's character in a monologue addressed to the reader or a presumed listener

free verse

poetry without regular rhyme or regular meter

teleology

purposeful development to some designed end

objective correlative

set of objects or events that evoke specific sensual and emotional responses

imagism

style of poetry using free verse, common speech, and concrete images

patriarchy

system of rule or governance administered principally or exclusively by men

hybridity

the characteristic of a culture produced by the interaction of at least 2 separate cultures

Diaspora

the dispersion of any people (usu. by force) away from their original homeland

verisimilitude

the likeness of a text to reality

simile

figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared using the word like or as

sonnet

fourteen-line verse form with set rhyme scheme

grotesque

in literature, ludicrous or incongruous distortion to comical or satiric effect that shows contradiction and inconsistencies of life

didactic

intended to instruct

satire

literature that attacks vices through irony or ridicule

How is "The Yellow Wallpaper" a horror story? How could it be described as realist literature? If we read this story as a political allegory, what might it be saying? Are there any potentially significant symbols in the story?

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is considered a horror story because of the extreme mental disability of the lady. The fact that the author is writing about something that actually happened to her also makes this story creepy. This also makes this story a piece of realist literature because the author has actually experienced some of the things she is writing about. If we read this as a political allegory, I think the women that are trapped in the wallpaper could represent the way that women were treated during this time period. Women had no rights so they were basically trapped just like these women are and were unable to voice their own opinions. The significant symbols in the story are the window, because it is her only view into the outside world, and the yellow wallpaper, because yellow is typically a happy color but in this case yellow was suffocating.

Read "An Antebellum Sermon." What is the sermon ostensibly about? What might it also be saying? What does "We Wear the Mask" seem to suggest? What may it suggest about what W.E.B DuBois called double consciousness?

"An Antebellum Sermon" is ostensibly about a man praying to God to keep his children safe. I think that it is referring to slaves and the narrator is also a slave, so the prayer was a sense of comfort for them during their hardships. "We Wear the Mask" suggests that humans wear a so called mask on our face to hide our true feelings. I think this poem is also referring to slaves and how they would sing and act happy during the day, but underneath their "mask" they were actually miserable and just trying to get by. Double Consciousness refers to always seeing yourself as others see you, so this poem suggests that the slaves saw themselves as slaves.

What does "The Real Thing" say about art? About its appeal? About its relation to commerce? How is it an American text since there are no Americans in it and it is set in England

"The Real Thing" says that art can be anything you want it to be. In the beginning of the story, the artist thought that the English couple was exactly what he was looking for. He painted them multiple times and kept trying new things with them to try to make them what he wanted them to be, but it wasn't working out for him. Then he realized that the Italian immigrant had the look that he was going for, and he started to use him instead. Art can appeal to everyone in different ways, and it is up to the artist to decide what to do with it. This is an American text because it has the overall theme of the American Dream. The story doesn't take place in America, but the artist still wants to be successful and create a living for himself just like every American does.

Why do you think Adams so closely associates European art and history with the Virgin and American art and history with the dynamo?

Adams closely associates European art and history with the Virgin to point out that Europeans tend to value intangible ideas. These ideas, such as the purity that was associated with the Virgin, show how the Europeans were remaining in the past. American art and history, however, was associated with the dynamo because this was a tangible force that could be measured. The Americans were focused more on technological advances and expanding to a world power. This allowed them to improve the future and move forward, instead of staying in the past like the Europeans.

How might we react to the idea that the impoverished Italian immigrant can represent an English gentleman? Does this affect our views of cultural categories?

An English gentleman does not have to be an actual English man. In this story, the Italian immigrant does a better job of acting like a true gentleman than the English man does. The immigrant goes from being nothing to modeling for the artist and the English man comes in thinking he deserves to be the best since he's English. This can affect our view of cultural categories because it shows us that where you come from doesn't always get you what you want. We can't judge people for their culture or background because they could surprise you and end up being exactly what you were looking for if you only give them a chance.

What is an artifact? Why is the cat in the story a precious artifact?

An artifact is any object that is culturally significant or highly valuable because of its significance in time. The cat was something that Milt brought back to Mars as a symbol from Earth that was not man-made. It was a living and breathing creature just like himself (or so he thought) and it gave him hope to keep going. The hope that the cat brought him is what to his decision not to kill himself.

In "Babylon Revisited," Paris is identified with Babylon. Why? Contrast Charlie Wales on his first stay in Paris, with the Charlie on his return there. How convinced are you by the changes in the protagonist?

Babylon is a biblical reference for a sinful place. In "Babylon Revisited," Paris is Charlie's sinful place. His lifestyle allows him to do things that could come across as sinful, such as staying out all night and drinking instead of taking care of his child. The changes in the protagonist are not very convincing. The entire story is told through Charlie's eyes so his point of view is the only one that we get. He claims to only be having one drink a day compared to drinking all of the time like he used to, but it is impossible to tell if this is actually accurate. Marion's judgment throughout the story makes us wonder if other things are going on that Charlie is hiding

In light of the naturalistic, deterministic, tone of the story, what may we make of Billie the Oiler's death? Is it a sacrifice? Does it signify anything?

Billie the Oiler's death could very well be a sacrifice for the other members on the boat to survive. Billie is the only person in the story to have a name, which could mean he is a symbol of a Christ-like figure. He took the oars of the boat and rowed them as far as he could before they all had to jump out. Billie did everything that he could to get the rest of the men to shore safely and by doing this, he risked his own life. His death could also not be a sacrifice though. The story mentioned that Billie had a heart condition, so his death could have just been an unfortunate effect of his illness.

Compare Elisa Allen and Delia Jones to other women we've encountered in our readings. What do their stories tell us about the American dream/intersectionality?

Both of these characters are in the middle of expressing their thoughts and feelings. In other stories, such as "Mrs. Spring Fragrance," Mrs. Spring Fragrance is more expressive, and "The Yellow Wallpaper" the woman is not very expressive at all. Eliza Allen and Delia Jones both fall in the middle of this spectrum. They both want to succeed in life and they will do what they can in order to get that success. In "Sweat," Delia lets her husband die in front of her so that she can get away from him and finally have the life that she has always wanted. In "The Chrysanthemums," Elisa is willing to leave her husband in order to gain a new life. These stories tell us that it is not only men who can achieve the American dream, but also women.

What does Wright's story suggest about how masculinity is viewed by many in the culture of his time and place? To what extent have our perceptions of masculinity changed, if at all?

Dave is very naive throughout the story and has an extreme lust for power. During this time, power is represented by the power of life or death over someone else. Dave thinks that if he has a material object, such as a gun, he will be able to have more power. Men needed to be more masculine than women at this time. Now, we don't need to show our power through material objects to show your masculinity. The way that we present ourselves is what shows how masculine someone is.

In "The Chrysanthemums," what do Eliza Allen's interactions with her husband and the tinker suggest about her life and her situation?

Eliza Allen's interactions with her husband and the tinker suggest that she is unhappy with her life and her situation. Eliza has been stuck in her house playing the wife role and all she wants is to go out and be an adventurer. The tinker told her that his life was no life for a woman because it involved hard work and sleeping under the stars, but this made her excited. You can tell throughout the story that Eliza is not herself when she talks to her husband and when she interacts with the tinker it makes her realize what she really wants. The story makes her realize that she wants to be doing more with her life other than just being a ranch wife.

Why do you think Eliza asks her husband Henry about the prize fights near the end of the story? What might she be crying about at the end of the story?

Eliza wanted to prove to her husband and herself that she could do more than just being a ranch wife. She asks him about the prize fighting because she wants to live a more adventurous life. At the end of the story, she starts to cry because she sees that the tinker threw her flowers on the side of the road. Her chrysanthemums are the only things that she really cares about so to see that he threw them out means that the tinker was only using her for the sale. She was so desperate for a new life and something to do and this action was a rejection to her and a rejection to her interests

What did you think about the way the play ends? What comment might the nature of the play's resolution be making? Explain why

I was honestly confused at the ending of the play. I didn't know where Levene decided to commit the break in since it was originally Moss's idea. Overall, I think the play is an "every man for himself" kind of deal so no one can trust each other. This is why their work environment is so toxic and it causes them to have to compete against each other to make the most money.

What items in our culture might be used as precious artifacts and how would we know when we're being manipulated by them?

In our generation, technology is something that is very important to most people. We put our entire lives on the internet so any type of technology such as social media, video clips, or phones could be used as an artifact. Anyone in the future who sees things like that would potentially be able to learn a lot about the person it belonged to. I honestly don't know how we would be able to tell when we were being manipulated because if something was replicated to seem like the real item, we probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two just like in this story.

What is the role of language in this memoir? In what way is language acquisition the proverbial double-edged sword?

In this memoir, language plays a huge role. There is immediately a language barrier between Zitkala-Sa and her new school. She is forced to learn a new language in order to fit in with this new culture, and it causes her to leave behind her own culture. Language acquisition is the proverbial double-edged sword because Zitkala-Sa has both good and bad outcomes form learning this new language. It is good for her because she is able to expand her knowledge and fit in with the people surrounding her, but it is bad because by doing this, she is leaving behind her own culture.

Describe Kerouac's style of writing in your own words and discuss how you respond to his style as readers

Jack Kerouac has a style of writing that is very easy for the reader to comprehend. He is very informal and uses words that anyone can understand. It is almost like he is spilling his thoughts onto the paper and not putting too much effort into making them sound professional. His story from "On the Road" was very easy to understand and the whole plot was simple. I think that any reader would agree that his writing is overall a nice change compared to some of the other pieces we have read throughout the semester.

How should we feel about Jesse, the Deputy Sheriff, in this story? Be prepared to entertain possible conflicting opinions about the character. Why do you react to the character as you do? How might Baldwin have wanted us to see him?

Jesse abuses his power throughout the story. He uses his authoritative position to make the black women give him favors and he is doing this behind his wife's back. He seems very insecure and takes pleasure in fact that he cheats black people out of money. His father brainwashed him by showing him intense cruelty so then in the future he thinks its a normalized thing. He doesn't have the experience to know any differently

How self-aware would you say Leota and Mrs. Fletcher are? What qualities of character do they demonstrate through their dialogue? Can you point out examples?

Leota and Mrs. Fletcher are both very self-aware in some aspects. They both represent qualities of being mean such as spanking the boy in front of everyone and yelling at the child. They also represent drama in the way that they discuss the pregnancy and the way that Leota talked about the money Mrs. Pike won was very self-pitying.

What does the conversation between Leota and Mrs. Fletcher reveal about the likely values of their community regarding marriage, men, and children?

Leota and Mrs. Fletcher enjoy gossiping because it is a place where they can talk about their dissatisfactions such as marriage, men and children. Neither Leota nor Mrs. Fletcher have ever gone through a divorce but they talk about past relationships like their current marriages don't exist. They are not very respectful towards their husbands and are kind of belittling towards them. They are not very nice to their children at all. Mrs. Fletcher is pregnant but doesn't want to talk about it or face the reality of it

Describe the main features of Modernism

Modernism was marked by a strong break with tradition. For example, Modernism drew ideas from the new science of psychology. It brought our attention to the ideas of the unconscious mind and a collective unconscious. It also tends to view both life and story as one complex, plot-driven narrative. Lastly, Modernism takes a non-teleological view of life, meaning it is not directed towards any particular, larger purpose.

What complicity do the other characters have in the story's events? Dave's parents? Jim Hawkins? Mr. Joe?

Mr. Joe and Dave's mom were complicit in what happened. Mr. Joe didn't care enough to realize that he probably shouldn't have given Dave the gun. Dave's mom was pressured into giving him money and didn't do enough to try to take the gun away form him. Jim Hawkins and Dave's dad were the people that made Dave feel belittled. They made him feel like he needed the gun in order to gain power because they made him feel like he wasn't a man. The way that they treated him was normal for the time period, even though it was not a nice way to treat someone.

In Sui Sin Far's story, how does Mrs. Spring Fragrance manage to negotiate between the expectations of Chinese and American traditionalists? In what ways specifically does her story critique both cultures?

Mrs. Spring Fragrance does a good job of negotiating between the expectations of Chinese and American traditionalists. She acts like the traditional Chinese wife when she is with her husband, but chooses to act more American when she is with her friends. In the story, she specifically critiques the Chinese version of love. Mrs. Spring Fragrance tells her friend that she should be able to love whoever she chooses to love and not the man that her parents have picked out for her. This is the American idea of love, and Mrs. Spring Fragrance gravitates more to this side of it rather than the Chinese side. On the other hand, she also critiques the American culture. She complains about how her haircuts are more expensive in America and how her brother in law is being detained. In the end, Mrs. Spring Fragrance manages to see the best of both cultures in this new world of hers.

Caught between two traditionally patriarchal cultures, how does Mrs. Spring Fragrance exercise any power or influence?

Mrs. Spring Fragrance is able to exercise power and influence by using her knowledge of both cultures to her advantage. She knows that her husband relates more to the Chinese culture than to the American, so she manipulates him while she is away. While in San Francisco, Mrs. Spring Fragrance writes to her husband asking for his permission to stay longer. This is a Chinese thing to do, but since she is not with him and she can make her own decisions, Mrs. Spring Fragrance does not wait for his response before deciding to stay. She also tells her friend about the American version of love and how much better it is than the Chinese version. Mrs. Spring Fragrance tells her friend that she should love who she chooses to love and not who her parents want to set her up with. This shows her power of knowledge about the culture.

The Great Depression and WWII were over. What parts of the sudden prosperity that followed in the 1950s may have disturbed the Beats like Ginsberg and Kerouac?

Once the Great Depression and WWII were over, people began to reject materialism. The people who were coming back from fighting in the war especially started to reject it. After the war, people were very patriotic. The Beats rejected patriotism because when you are very patriotic you start to miss the flaws in your culture and you are much less likely to see them.

Why do you suppose Sarty tries to warn de Spain of his father's actions? Do you see this as a family betrayal? Is it a moral act?

Sarty tries to warn de Spain of his father's actions because he knows what his father is capable of. Sarty has grown up with his father and has been able to witness all of the terrible things that he has done throughout his life. He knows that if de Spain is not warned, the barn will be burned. I think that this is family betrayal, but he had good reason to do it. Sarty is a good person compared to his father so it was a good moral act for him to help de Spain out instead of letting his father burn the barn and doing nothing to try to stop it.

Discuss the role of Major de Spain and the system of sharecropping. In what way might Major de Spain be complicit in the events of this story?

Sharecropping is a form of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on their portion of the land. Major de Spain owns the land that the Shopes's are working on. He is somewhat complicit in the events of this story because he angers the father to the point of making him want to burn down the barn. He has an issue with the way the father got his rug dirty and then makes him clean it, but it ends up not being clean enough. Then he forces him to clean it again but also requests a certain amount of his share of crops. This angers the father so much that he decides to burn de Spain's barn down, and this wouldn't have happened if de Spain had been nicer about the rug.

Does studying "once-radical texts" like those by the Beat writers, tame them? Are they still radical? If so, why and if not, why not?

Studying the works makes you more familiar with them so you become desensitized to them. I think they are radical because I'm not used to works like this and I didn't study them in high school

Compare Dave's level of self-awareness with other characters that we have read about in class this semester. What can we fairly speculate about the influence of circumstances on self-awareness?

Sykes in "Sweat" and the grandmother in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" both relate to Dave's level of self-awareness. They all lack self-awareness and they feel like their actions wont have consequences.

Specifically, what is toxic about Sykes' view of his own masculinity?

Sykes thinks that that his masculinity makes him entitled to do whatever he wants. He beats Delia and cheats on her and he thinks that he can get away with it because he is a man. He also thinks that the house and the property are his when in reality, Delia is the one who pays for everything. He is living in his own little world because of his thoughts about his masculinity and anything that Delia does to try to stand up to him shocks him. When she threatens to hit him with the iron skillet he doesn't know how to respond to the fact that she is standing up to him. Sykes believes that the husbands should always be in the right and it ends up being ironic that the thing he wanted to use to scare Delia is what ends up killing him

How do the Proxmen hope to manipulate Biskle through the use of his precious artifact?

The Proxmen have designed a battery-operated cat that looks just like a real cat, but Milt doesn't know this. They created these for the engineers who are coming back to Earth in order to make them believe that parts of the Earth that they remember are still surviving. It is used to give them hope so they will keep working and will do whatever is expected of them.

Discuss the photo-taking scene. What may be on the mind of the photographer and her subjects? What do the scenes imply about the people involved in them?

The photo itself is an actual historical artifact that makes the subjects feel valued when they are asked to be in it. Dee sees the photograph of her family as just an object of display where the mom sees more meaning behind it

What does the character's use of "spicy" language tell us about them and their culture?

The character's use of "spicy" language tells us that they all want to be the alpha male in the business setting. They want control and you can tell this by the way that they communicate with each other. The use of very aggressive language is usually used under pressure and the characters in this story are obviously under an immense amount of pressure. Their language is a way for them to release some of the pressure they're feeling without having to do anything physical.

What does the setting of the story and the occupation of the characters have to suggest about any of this? What does it mean when realtors in Chicago are selling land in Florida called "Mountain View?"

The characters in the story are all salesman and they are selling real estate properties to their customers. It is obvious throughout the story that they are scamming people in order to make the most money because it is impossible to sell land called "Mountain View" in Florida since there are no mountains

How does the combination of drawing and text affect your response to reading Maus? Does this hybrid narrative form affect you differently than reading text alone?

The combination of drawing and text makes it easier but also harder to read the story. It is somewhat difficult to read because I have never really read comics before so it can be hard to follow where you're supposed to read next. It makes it easier to understand the overall story though because the pictures help to show us what the author was thinking. In this case, the author and the illustrator are the same person, so we really get to see what was inside his head when he was writing. It helps with identifying the characters and their actions and things don't get lost in translation.

Baldwin's characters, particularly Jesse, and to an extent, his parents in the flashback, have a seemingly erotic response they take part in. What seems to be the message about violence in that case?

The culture at the time romanticized violence against blacks. They saw it as violence towards "animals" instead of real people. This desensitized the children. Jesse derives pleasure from other people's pain and he acts this way to make himself seem superior

What might the encounter between Julius McAdoo and the northern couple reveal about the position of emancipated African Americans after the war? Does Julius succeed or fail in trying to manipulate the northern visitors? What is the relationship between freedom and power?

The encounter between Julius McAdoo and the northern couple reveals that emancipated African Americans wanted to maintain their freedom. Julius was not born into freedom, so when talking to the northern couple, he is trying to manipulate them into not buying the land. The vineyard is his home and he wants to protect it, so it is his human nature is to try to do whatever he can to keep it. Julius is very insistent with the couple and this comes from a point of defiance to try to get his compensation for being a slave. Unfortunately, Julius does not succeed in manipulating them and the couple ends up buying the vineyard. By being a free slave, Julius has gained power and that is what he is trying to protect.

In spite of the difference in their ages and social positions, both the Invisible Man and the grandmother seem to lack self-awareness, at least initially. They both have a limited view of reality. Discuss why this could be a problem

The grandmother lacks self-awareness throughout the entire story. She seems to think that because she is a lady, she should be treated differently from everyone else, especially in the end when she is trying not to die. In the beginning of the story, she is so concerned with making sure her appearance makes her look like a lady in case something happens and she is found dead on the side of the road. The Invisible Man also lacks self-awareness because he thinks he can get away with pretty much anything and not have to face the consequences.

Discuss how Willy's own faults and the voice of his culture combine to bring Willy to his tragic end

The idea of the American dream pushes Willy to his tragic end. Willy always wanted to be successful and give his family riches and wealth, but he was unable to do this. Since he was surrounded by people who were successful, like his own brother, Willy believed that this success was something that anyone could achieve. He tried, but failed, to provide this success for his family, and Willy shows the readers that not everyone is capable of achieving the American Dream. Unfortunately, it is mostly his own fault that he hasn't succeeded. He starts to suffer from a form of psychosis, and this ultimately leads to his tragic end.

Read "Sympathy." What does this poem suggest about human nature? What does it suggest about appearances?

The poem "Sympathy" suggests that it is human nature for us to want freedom. the bird is a reference to slavery and how the slaves are not free but want to be. The author of the story is African American, so its safe to say that the bird is a representation of himself, or at least the author relates to it. The poem also suggests that our actions and appearances can be misinterpreted. The bird is singing so he appears to be happy, but in reality, he is crying out in pain. The bird's oppression is a symbol for the oppression that slaves felt, which gives the reader a sense of what it was like to live without freedom.

Analyze the rhetorical situation of Winnemucca's narrative. Who seems to be her primary intended audience and what things specifically does she choose to share with this audience? What effect would she seem to want her choices to have on her readers?

The primary intended audience of this story is white Americans. Specifically, white American males. In the beginning of the story, Winnemucca talks about how the white man was feared by all of the Piutes. She wants the audience to know her grandfather's expectations of the white male and how her tribe was treated by them. The Piutes feared that they would be killed and eaten by the white males and this ultimately led to the tribe losing power. Winnemucca is wanting all of this to have a powerful effect on her readers so they can understand what happened and how her people lived.

On page 520 of "Sweat," Joe Clark says "'taint no law on Earth dat kin make a man be decent if it aint in 'im." Keeping in mind Delia's marriage to Sykes, what does this story say to us about the relationship between law and morality?

The relationship between law and morality is hard to define. In this case, Delia is constantly being beaten by her husband and he also cheats on her regularly. She and everyone in the town knows it, yet no one does anything about it. It is wrong according to the law and wrong morally, so the fact that no one in the entire community cares enough to step up and say something is shocking. The community is following a conformity and they don't want to break it, so no one says anything. This shows that if you don't think breaking the laws are immoral then you wont follow them

What is the thesis of Mark Twain's "The War Prayer?" How do you respond to it? Is it particular to Twain's time and place?

The thesis to Mark Twain's "The War Prayer" is that

Discuss the effects of Chestnutt's use of dialect in this story. That is, how does it affect your reading of the characters or of the author's intentions? How might it have been received in the late 19th century as compared with today?

The use of Chestnutt's dialect in this story made reading it very difficult. It was very hard to comprehend what was being said and I had to focus a lot more on the words rather than my thoughts on the story. The dialect was almost like a different language that I was not familiar with, and one that most people today aren't familiar with either. I think the author's intentions were to provide the reader with a unique experience of what the dialect was like in that time period. Since the author is an African American, he may have wanted to preserve a piece of his own culture. In the late 19th century, this story probably would have been better received because people were more used to this kind of dialect than they are now.

Keeping in mind her personality and the events of the story, what are the possible interpretations and implications of the grandmother's last words to the Misfit?

There are several different interpretations and implications of the grandmother's last words to the Misfit. Her last words are, "Why you're one of my babies! You're one of my own children!" Throughout the end of the story, the grandmother continuously mentions Jesus and how He will save the Misfit. These words could just be a way that the grandmother is trying to save her own life by comparing herself to Jesus and trying to reach the Misfit. The Misfit is also wearing Bailey's shirt at this point in the story, so her delirious state could also have her confused as to who is standing in front of her. She may actually think her own son is in front of her, so her last words were trying to convince him not to kill her.

Does any one person bear responsibility for the narrator's ultimate madness? If so, who? If not, who else or what other factors or combination of factors causes this?

There is not one person that bears the responsibility for the narrator's madness. A combination of the people surrounding her and the environment that she was in resulted in her getting worse and worse. Her husband is the one who brought her to the house and kept her in the room with the yellow wallpaper all day long. Her sister in law didn't stand up for her when she could tell something was wrong, but this is probably because she didn't have the knowledge to say anything about her disorder. The combination of these things and the fact that no one is there to support or help her get through this is what ultimately leads to the narrators madness. She feels trapped inside of her own mind just like she is trapped inside on the room with the yellow wallpaper.

According to Dick's story, both the Terrans and the Proxmen were fighting for resources. What does this story suggest about how we use them, about sustainability?

This story suggests that they were using their resources in a way that was not sustainable. It got to the point where they needed more than one planet to live on which suggests that they really didn't know how to use their resources appropriately. It also suggests that the materials they are using were not very good materials since they weren't lasting very long.

If we think of Victor and Thomas as allegorical figures in the story, then what might they represent and what does the nature of their ongoing relationship say about the future of tribal peoples in the United States?

Victor represents the American government and Thomas represent Native Americans. When Victor beats Thomas up it shows how the Native Americans were treated and how they didn't stand up for themselves. As a whole, Thomas was more in touch with his Native American roots and Victor was more detached, but Thomas helps him anyways. Victor is a Native American on the path to assimilation while Tomas is a Native American staying with the old ways.

on page 660, Paul the bartender tells Charlie that he heard about his losses on the crash, and Charlie responds, "but I lost everything I wanted in the boom." What things do you think he means, and how did the financial boom of the 1920s cause him to lose them?

When Charlie tells the bartender that he lost everything he ever wanted in the boom, I assumed he was talking about his family. Charlie went wild in his earlier years with his wife and he spent massive amounts of money. All of the money was gone just as quickly as it had appeared and shortly after that his wife ends up dying. Charlie is an alcoholic at this point so he loses custody of his daughter and is left completely alone. The boom caused his whole life to be ripped away from him and he lost everything he ever cared about.

In Walker's story, why is Dee making a distinction between the everyday use of things and the way she sees them? Describe the cultural divide between Dee and her family. Where may it have come from and what does it say about the way culture shifts?

When Dee was young, she didn't appreciate her culture or the things that she had. Once she left and came back, she started to romanticize everything and suddenly appreciated her culture and her ancestors. This story was written after the Civil Rights Movement so its very possible that Dee left and saw the activists who were saying "get back to your roots" and this could have shifted her view of her culture. This tells us that culture can shift. Younger generations bring back old cultural trends and appreciate them in different ways.

In the top half of page 914, Mr. Spring Fragrance and his neighbor discuss America and the expectations of Chinese immigrants. What is the tone of the speakers and what may we learn from their exchange?

When Mr. Spring Fragrance ask his neighbor are discussing America and the expectations of Chinese immigrants, they both have different views on the subject. Mr. Spring Fragrance has a very negative tone when talking about America. He mentions how is brother is detained and he has a very negative tone when talking about what his wife is doing in San Francisco. His neighbor on the other hand has a very positive tone when talking about America. He compares Americans to princes and princesses and says how much he loves it in America. Overall, this shows us that people born in America are biased towards their own country and any outsiders will probably have a different opinion on the subject.

How does Vladek escape from the children on the street who shout "A Jew!" when they see him? What effect does it have on a person when an intrinsic part of their identity puts them in danger?

When Vladek hears the children shouting "a Jew!" he is not fazed by it. He walks right up to them and tells them that he is not a Jew and it somehow manages to work out for him. Vladek doesn't get caught and he is able to walk away. When someone has an intrinsic part of their identity that puts them in danger, it becomes difficult not to internalize everything that is said about them. In this case, Vladek is hearing the verbal abuse and he knows that it has gone on through multiple generations so he takes it harshly just like anyone probably would.

What does Washington mean when he uses the metaphor of separate fingers at the top of page 718?

When Washington uses the metaphor of separate fingers at the top of page 718, he is referring to the African Americans and the whites coming together. Each finger on your hand does something different, and this is referring to the African Americans being one finger and the whites being another. When the fingers come together and form your hand, they all work together to get things done. In the case of this story, the African Americans and the whites work together and are able to help each other. By working with each other, both sides are able to advance economically and work together in the job site.

How do you respond to the humor in the story? Is it effective? And if so, to what end?

When people laugh at Dave at the end of the story, it shows that they are also complicit in his actions and it definitely doesn't help his situation. The humor wasn't very obvious to me at first but once we started to discuss the story it came back to me.

To what degree do you trust the report of this (or any) first person narrator? What does her narration tell us about her? What does it tell us about others? About her society?

When reading a first person narration, it is hard to trust what the narrator is saying. In a first person narrative, the person telling the story has the ability to pick and choose what is said. They can leave things out or change things that actually happened to make the story more dramatic. In this story, the narration makes the reader believe that she is actually completely insane and it becomes hard to trust if what she is saying is actually what happened. It tells us that the people around her didn't care enough to make sure she was actually okay. It tells us that her society did not properly treat people who had mental disorders and it makes the reader ultimately feel bad for the narrator.

What is the allegorical significance of Ben's story about going into the jungle at 17 and coming out with diamonds and riches at 21?

Willy hears the story of Ben going into the jungle at 17 and coming out with diamonds and riches at 21 and he wants to be successful just like him. He knows that his own family doesn't have the wealth that Ben does, but he wants to provide that for them. When this flashback happens, Willy has already lost his job and he knows that his family doesn't have the same tangible wealth that he wishes they did. This also happens once Biff has returned home so I think that Willy could be thinking of this because of Biff. He wants Biff to have the opportunity to become wealthy just like Ben did so he can one day have a fancy and provide for them like Willy wasn't able to do

Miller weaves Willy's hallucinations into the course of the play. How do they affect the play's actions and how might they represent the mythic past interfering with the reality of current events?

Willy's hallucinations occur when he gets angry or upset about something. They are used as a scapegoat for him to flashback to a time that was more appealing or pleasing for him. They affect the plays actions because the play jumps from present day to the past and back to present day. Since these flashbacks represent happier times for Willy, they are used to show the reader that the past that he remembers is brighter than his present day life. This interferes with the reality of current events because Willy is mistaking myth with reality, and therefore causing negative repercussions for himself and his family.

List the cultural changes that Zitkala-Sa describes being forced to make at the missionary school. Why do you suppose her school wanted these changes to be made?

Zitkala-Sa describes having to make many cultural changes at the missionary school. She is forced to change her hair, her clothing, and even learn a new language. The entire building is even a cultural change for her because she describes not knowing what a staircase is and how she's not used to the loud noises around her. The school wanted her to make these changes so that she would fit in with the other students. She is surrounded by white Americans, so her school wanted to take away her Native American culture and provide her with American things instead. I don't think they intended for it to be harsh or mean, but it came across that way.

Compare Zitkala-Sa's and Washington's ideas about education, being careful not to neglect either their points of agreement or of disagreement

Zitkala-Sa started out with a negative attitude towards education. She was taken from her home to go to this new school where they forced her to completely change her culture and the way she lived. After giving this a chance, Zitkala-Sa was able to learn to love education, and she actually decided to continue to gain knowledge by going to college. Washington knew the importance of education from the beginning. He wanted more than anything to be able to read and go to school with the other kids, and he did everything he possibly could to make this happen. Washington was able to make something of himself by going to school and he later became the headmaster of the Tuskegee Institute.

What causes difficulties between Zitkala-Sa and her mother? Why should these difficulties occur? Is there any irony in these circumstances?

Zitkala-Sa starts to have difficulties with her mother when she leaves for the new school. She goes to this new and strange place and is forced to adapt to a new culture, so she comes back more American than Native American. Zitkala-Sa ends up liking the school and decides that she wants to go back. This causes tension between her and her mother because her mother has never been to a school like this, or possibly any school at all. Her mom cannot relate to the experiences that Zitkala-Sa is going through, so they start to have difficulties with each other. These difficulties become even worse once Zitkala-Sa decides that she wants to go to college.

metaphor

figure of speech in which a word or phrase implicitly compares two things

persona

the speaking voice(s) of a poem

allegory

the use of characters or events to represent ideas or principles in art

infantilize

to treat or condescend to, as if to a child