midterm ENG 232

Using specific examples from the text, explain the narrator's discussion of revenge and how revenge differs between a spontaneous individual and a man of overly acute consciousness.

Revenge for a spontaneous individual means deciding right on the spot without giving much thought. The Underground Man describes it as, if a person got slapped, their reaction would be to slap right back. Revenge for an overly acute consciousness means it's decided through a lot of different thought. The underground man refers to the "fundamental laws of over-acute consciousness" and how that affects his own behavior. The Underground Man, with such a conscious, analyzes every impulse, feeling, desire, emotion, and thought that he has. It's why he is so insecure in his decision, because he's always over analyzing everything.

Percy Bysshe Shelley is usually connected to what literary movement?

Romanticism

What genre of work is Dorothy Wordsworth most famous for?

Romanticism

What literary movement did William Wordsworth help found?

Romanticism

Using specific examples from "Philosophy in the Bedroom" give an account of how the Marquis de Sade appeals to Nature in his defense of murder.

Sade believes that nature doesn't have a problem with death. Death and violence are natural by nature and it's a part of who we are. For example, he states that children are violent and cruel in that we eat/kill animals. That is nature's impulse and it's brutal.

What are the birth and death dates for Dorothy Wordsworth?

1771-1855

On what experience did Charlotte Perkins Gilman base "The Yellow Wallpaper?"

Gilman wrote it based off the experience of mental illness treatment, gender issues, and relationship issues

Who wrote "Diary of a Madman?"

Lu Xun

Percy Bysshe Shelley was married to what other major writer?

Mary Hutchinson

Using specific examples, give your best explanation of what the sublime is and compare and contrast the sublime in the poetry of Wordsworth and Shelley.

Shelley thought of the sublime as more crazy and chaotic, as he described his sublime looking down at Mont Blanc. It was grand and dizzying. Wordsworth, on the other hand, thought of the sublime as more peaceful, as he described while looking down at Tintern Abbey. Both authors catch themselves in a state of sublime when faced with the beauty of nature.

Virginia Woolf is most famous as an author in what genre(s)?

modernists; famous for her experimental short stories

Name two parables by Friedrich Nietzsche that we read for class this semester.

"On the Three Metamorphoses" and "Parable of a Madman"

Name three texts we read this semester with unreliable narrators

Diary of a Madman, Yellow Wallpaper, and Notes from Underground

Who wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper?"

Charlotte Gilman

According to Kant, one of the results of humans coming out of their "tutelage" is that they now hold new responsibilities. Using specific examples from the text, explain what new responsibilities and obligations exist for enlightened humans, according to "What Is Enlightenment."

Enlightened humans now have the responsibility to speak and think for themselves. They must say no when need be and not allow others to do all the work - no longer being lazy. They must use their logic and reason and express themselves in order for society to develop.

Immanuel Kant is connected to what artistic and philosophical movement?

Enlightenment

Using specifics from the text, explain how "Diary of a Madman" is a social commentary on China.

In his ninth journal entry, the madman states "Wanting to eat men, at the same time afraid of being eaten themselves, they all eye each other with the deepest suspicion..." This statement illustrates that traditional Chinese society can never "relax" and must do everything they can to get to the top, no matter the people they hurt or "eat" along the way. Cannibalism relates to the expression "dog eat dog world."

What is an unreliable narrator?

It is a narrator that is a bit insane, mentally unwell, or delusional.

Using specific examples from the text, explain how "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a critique of nineteenth-century America.

It's a critique of nineteenth-century America in terms of the obvious gender roles. Male dominates and controls women. Women is submissive and agrees. We see this in the way the narrator husband controls what his wife does, such as the medicine she takes and his not allowing her to work or even leave the house despite her thinking it would be best for her.

Using specific examples from the text, explain how in "Diary of a Madman" the author plays with giving his reader different viewpoints: both the narrator's skewed version of reality and also a more objective view of reality.

It's clear that our narrator is an unreliable source in that he's obsessively thinking that everyone - even a dog - is trying to get him. We know that he's delusional, and we get a glimpse that other people see that too when his brother shouts to a watching crowd "what is the point of looking at a madman?"

Explain the example of "Judith Shakespeare" in A Room of One's Own, detailing the comparison between Judith and William Shakespeare and connecting it to Virginia Woolf's larger argument.

Judith Shakespeare was the daughter of William Shakespeare. She wasn't well educated and was illiterate. Her father, being the opposite, was well educated and therefore was known as one of the greatest writers in history. this shows that men have the benefit of being treated better, allowing them to pursue what they want. women are limited in their role of society. judith could have been a well known figure too

What is Immanuel Kant's argument for free-speech and freedom of religion in "What Is Enlightenment?" Use specific examples from the text as evidence.

Kant believes that public use of reason (basically free speech) is good - speaking directly to the public is good for the public. It allows for intellectual freedom. Through logic and reason, points and ideas will become better. He also believes we should speak freely unless we have a position that restricts us to follow certain rules.

Answer the question asked by the title of Immanuel Kant's essay "What Is Enlightenment?"—What Is Enlightenment? Use specific examples from the text as evidence.

Kant states in his own words that "Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage." It means that enlightenment is when a person can think for his own without the guidance of another. It is independence. He mentions how people have gotten too lazy or too comfortable to do things when they know someone else can do it for them.

In "What Is Enlightenment," Immanuel Kant differentiates public use of reason from private use of reason. Using specific examples from the text, explain what these terms mean and what degree of freedom Kant gives to each use.

Kant states that public use of reason is "what a person makes of it as a scholar." Private reason is when one makes reason "in a civic post or office which is entrusted to him." When he says public, he refers to the space in which people are free to express their ideas. When he says public, he means the area in which people are properly restricted from expressing themselves.

Chapter One of A Room of One's Own focuses on "Oxbridge" and "Fernham." Using specific examples, describe how these two schools differ from one another and how they connect to the larger argument of the essay.

Oxbridge (the all-male school) was very grand and well-funded, with their big libraries, feasts, and after food cigarettes. Fernham (the all-women's college), on the other hand, is not as well-funded with a small but open library and shabby food (beef and prunes). The whole argument of the essay is that women do not have the resources to creatively think and write. When access to resources are not given to them, there's no fuel for their creativity. It's stifled.

William Wordsworth was given what literary honor in 1843?

Poet Laureate of England

Using specific examples from Notes from Underground, compare and contrast the story's narrator with Liza. What do these characters show us about how Dostoyevsky believes we should live our lives?

The Underground Man is insecure, domineering, and egotistical. He's always striving to impress (like his school mates) and was always insulting Liza, saying he was doing what he was doing to gain power over her. Liza was extremely empathetic and loving, naïve, but with a sense of nobility and pride. Despite being insulted, she cried for the Underground Man, knowing he was unhappy and unwell. But she walked away from him when he tried to pay her. We should be like Liza, sympathetic and kind, but knowing when to walk away from those who are like the Underground Man - a cruel, lost cause.

The narrator of Notes from Underground claims that he is representative of all modern individuals. Using specific examples from the text, explain how the narrator might be right.

The narrator always bolsters about how he is smarter or better than those around him, despite being quite insecure about himself. Humans often compare themselves to others in order to make us feel better about ourselves because we all feel insecure when it comes down to it.

identify the author and title of the poem from which the following selection is drawn. Explain the significance of the following passage, mentioning whom the speaker is addressing and explaining how it connects to the poem as a whole: For thou art with me here upon the banks Of this fair river; thou my dearest Friend, My dear, dear Friend; and in thy voice I catch The language of my former heart, and read My former pleasures in the shooting lights Of thy wild eyes.

This excerpt is from "Lines Composed a Few Miles about Tintern Abbey" by William Wordsworth. This is significant in that we learn that our narrator had his sister with him the whole time. He is teaching her the experience of nature and she begins to have the same experience he had 5 years ago.

1. Identify the author and title of the poem from which the following selection is drawn. Explain the significance of the passage, including how it connects to the poem as a whole: but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

This excerpt is from "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats. It is significant because it is a foreshadowing that something is coming, which goes with the whole theme of change coming

Immanuel Kant claims that "Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage." What is man's tutelage, how is it self-incurred, and how does Enlightenment free humans from that self-incurred tutelage?

Tutelage means guidance. Self-incurred tutelage means we have allowed ourselves to rely on others to guide without really thinking for ourselves. Enlightenment frees humans from self-incurred tutelage by allowing us to willingly use logic/reason to understand the world around us and make our own decisions without the influence of another.

Using specific examples, explain the importance of Dorothy Wordsworth's writing on the poetry of William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth has taken pieces of Dorothy's work and done more with it. In Dorothy's journals, she describes what she's observing every day. On January 30th, William calls her into the garden to observe the moon. Her words later appear, tied into one of his romantic works.

According to a Room of One's Own, what challenges face any writer, regardless of gender? What does any writer need to create art? How do you think these needs especially affected potential female authors through the early twentieth century? Use specific examples from the essay to ground your answer.

Writer needs resources in order to fuel their creativity. This means access to material for inspiration or research, a place to write, time to write, and even simple food. This affects women in the early twentieth century because it's much harder for women to get the resources they need without their gender being an obstacle. For example, our narrator couldn't see the book she wanted to see at the Oxbridge Library because she wasn't a student nor was she accompanied by a man. She was fed poor food and has no time to write.

Using specific examples from the essay, explain what it means to have a room of one's own in the essay A Room of One's Own. What is the significance of having a room of one's own?

a. It means having control, a platform for creativity, and practical needs such as food, time, and resources. We see that our narrator was frustrated when she was turned away from the library because she knew she wouldn't be able to see the resource she wanted to see. Writers need resources to fuel their imagination and creativity. Without it, it's much harder to come up with ideas and execute them well.

The narrator of A Room of One's Own says that her aunt died and left her money at roughly the same time that women gained the right to vote. Between the money and the vote, the narrator claims, "the money... seemed infinitely the more important." Explain why, in the context of the argument of A Room of One's Own, the narrator might value money over the right to vote. Be sure to use specific examples

a. Money, to the narrator, is much more important because it would allow her to have more freedom in a way, such as she wouldn't have to depend on a man to give her all the freedoms that it usually does. The right to vote doesn't guarantee quick results or quick freedom. With money, however, she wouldn't have to get married in order to get the resources she needs to have a creative platform, such as a space of her own, time to be creative, and simple food on the table.

Using specific examples from the texts, compare and contrast how Yeats and Nietzsche view the future in "The Second Coming" and "On the Three Metamorphoses."

a. On the Three Metamorphoses is overall a more positive text talking about the future through reborn and new beginnings (like through the child). "The Second Coming" is more negative and dark, talking about revelation and how major change is coming.

Using specific examples from the text, give an account of the camel, the lion, the dragon, and the child in "On the Three Metamorphoses." What are these creatures like, and what is Nietzsche using them to claim?

a. The camel is weak, submissive, and takes on the burdens of others. The lion is rebellious, independent, dominant, and prideful. The child is innocent, open-minded, and represents new beginnings. The dragon represents institution and law. All of it is a metaphor for human evolution and self-efficiency.

Using specific examples from the text, contrast the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" with the woman (or women) she sees inside the wallpaper. In your account, explain how these different characters are used to comment on gender

a. The narrator is very subdued and submissive, allowing her husband to control her and keep her confined. The woman (or women) the narrator sees in the wallpaper is also quiet when the light is on her. However, in the shade, the women are very violently trying to get out. She describes it as them "taking hold of the bars and shaking them hard." I believe that this represents male hold over women and women who feel trapped in a male relationship

1. Identify the author and title of the poem from which the following selection is drawn. Explain the significance of the passage, including how it connects to the poem as a whole: Poet of Nature, thou hast wept to know That things depart which never may return: Childhood and youth, friendship, and love's first glow, Have fled like sweet dreams, leaving thee to mourn. These common woes I feel. One loss is mine Which thou too feel'st, yet I alone deplore.

a. This was written by Percy Bysshe Shelley in his work "To Wordsworth." He recaps the different themes found in Wordsworth's work such as childhood, youth, friendship, and love. He admired all of Wordsworth's works and is sad that Wordsworth has changed, becoming more conservative and less radical. The whole poem is about how he looked up to Wordsworth and how he's sad that he's "lost" him.

identify the author and title of the poem from which the following selection is drawn. Explain the significance of the passage, including how it connects to the poems as whole: Dizzy Ravine! and when I gaze on thee I seem as in a trance sublime and strange To muse on my own separate fantasy, My own, my human mind, which passively Now renders and receives fast influencings, Holding an unremitting interchange With the clear universe of things around...

this is an excerpt from Mont Blanc: Lines Written in the Vale of Chamouni by P.B. Shelley. This passage is significant because he is having a sublime experience. He's taken over by the beauty and overall power the beauty has. This connects to the whole passage in that the power of nature is so large and sublime that it's hard to comprehend.

Using specific examples from our texts, explain how the ideas of "On the Three Metamorphoses" connects to either the Enlightenment or Romanticism.

this text connects to the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment connects to things such as logic/reason, individualism, rebellion, and weakening of the institutions. We see these themes within our creatures, such as the lion and its rebellion, the want to defeat the dragon (aka the institution/law), and new beginnings through the child.