Unit 3: The Late Nineteenth Century: Realism and Naturalism

Match each word or phrase to the appropriate meaning based on its context in this excerpt from Mark Twain's "The £1,000,000 Bank-Note": -Then he was restored to his normal condition, and made a thousand apologies for not being able to break the bill, and I couldn't get him to touch it. He wanted to look at it, and keep on looking at it; he couldn't seem to get enough of it to quench the thirst of his eye, but he shrank from touching it as if it had been something too sacred for poor common clay to handle. I said: -"I am sorry if it is an inconvenience, but I must insist. Please change it; I haven't anything else." -But he said that wasn't any matter; he was quite willing to let the trifle stand over till another time. I said I might not be in his neighborhood again for a good while; but he said it was of no consequence, he could wait, and, moreover, I could have anything I wanted, any time I chose, and let the account run as long as I pleased. He said he hoped he wasn't afraid to trust as rich a gentleman as I was, merely because I was of a merry disposition, and chose to play larks on the public in the matter of dress.

breaking the bill -> giving change common clay -> ordinary man trifle -> small amount larks -> tricks

What aspect of fiction did realist writers use to advance the plot of their story?

complexity of character

What did realist authors strive to do?

depict life as it really was

Which types of themes distinguish literature written in the realist era from earlier literature?

everyday life and common subjects

Read this excerpt from "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane: -It is fair to say here that there was not a lifesaving station within twenty miles in either direction, but the men did not know this fact and in consequence they made dark and opprobrious remarks concerning the eyesight of the nation's lifesavers. Four scowling men sat in the dinghy and surpassed records in the invention of epithets. What is the meaning of the word opprobrious within the context of the excerpt?

expressing criticism or contempt

Based on structural elements, what type of expository text does this excerpt from a 1917 Congressional address by President Woodrow Wilson exemplify? -I am not now thinking of the loss of property involved, immense and serious as that is, but only of the wanton and wholesale destruction of the lives of non-combatants, men, women, and children, engaged in pursuits which have always, even in the darkest periods of modern history, been deemed innocent and legitimate. Property can be paid for; the lives of peaceful and innocent people cannot be.

persuasive essay

To which literary movement did Ambrose Bierce belong?

realism

What type of rhyme is used in this excerpt from William Butler Yeats's poem "The Municipal Gallery Revisited"? - My mediaeval knees lack health until they bend,But in that woman, in that household where. Honour had lived so long, all lacking found.Childless I thought, 'My children may find here Deep-rooted things,' but never foresaw its end,And now that end has come I have not wept;No fox can foul the lair the badger swept --

slant rhyme

What important theme of realism is reflected in these lines from "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman? - And as to you Corpse I think you are good manure, but that does not offend me, I smell thewhite roses sweet-scented and growing,I reach to the leafy lips, I reach to the polish'd breasts of melons.

the beautiful and harsh realities of life

What aspect of romantic writing did realist writers disapprove of?

the fanciful treatment of material

Why might Mark Twain have written about lower-class citizens in his satires?

to reflect the realities of life in his writings

Which three parts of this excerpt from "Editha" by William Dean Howells denote the meaninglessness of war? -"No, girls don't; women don't, when they give their men up to their country. They think they'll come marching back, somehow, just as gay as they went, or if it's an empty sleeve, or even an empty pantaloon, it's all the more glory, and they're so much the prouder of them, poor things!" The tears began to run down Editha's face; she had not wept till then; but it was now such a relief to be understood that the tears came "No, you didn't expect him to get killed," Mrs. Gearson repeated, in a voice which was startlingly like George's again. "You just expected him to kill someone else, some of those foreigners, that weren't there because they had any say about it, but because they had to be there, poor wretches-conscripts, or whatever they call 'em. You thought it would be all right for my George, your George, to kill the sons of those miserable mothers and the husbands of those girls that you would never see the faces of." The woman lifted her powerful voice in a psalm-like note. "I thank my God he didn't live to do it! I thank my God they killed him first, and that he ain't livin' with their blood on his hands!" She dropped her eyes which she had raised with her voice, and glared at Editha.

-"They think they'll come marching back, somehow, just as gay as they went", - "some of those foreigners, that weren't there because they had any say about it, but because they had to be there, poor wretches", - "You thought it would be all right for my George, your George, to kill the sons of those miserable mothers and the husbands of those girls that you would never see the faces of."

Kim was an extremely bright student. She had a _________ memory and would always ace her quizzes. This ability stemmed from her _________ reading habit. -First Blank 1)prodigious 2)conjecture 3)apposite 4)incessant -SecondBlank 1)predestined2)fortunate3)voracious4)fortuitous

1) Prodigious 2) Voracious

Read these lines from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and complete the sentences that follow.I felt very good; I judged I had done it pretty neat . . . I reckoned Tom Sawyer couldn't a done it no neater himself. Of course he woulda thrown more style into it, but I can't do that very handy, not being brung up to it. -The use of 1.____ in the excerpt above helps accomplish the Twain's objective to capture the essence of people from different regions. He uses this technique to make the story more 2.___ , which is one of the main characteristics of 3.____ literature. 1. dialects and formal language 2. credible,serious and funny 3. romantic,nineteenth century,realist

1-dialects 2-credible 3-realist

The wallpaper in the "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman symbolizes (The narrator's social status, The narrator's mental state,The narrator's relationship with her husband or The narrator's physical health)in the story.The narrator projects her own (feeling of inadequacy and deep boredom, feeling of being trapped and her desire to escape, feeling of longing and anxiety for her baby or feeling of sadness and loneliness from lack of company)onto the woman creeping behind the wallpaper.

1.) B-The narrator's mental state 2.) B-feeling of being trapped and her desire to escape

Which sentence in this excerpt from "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane uses personification? -As the correspondent paddled, he saw the captain let himself down to bottom and leave the boat. Then the correspondent performed his one little marvel of the voyage. A large wave caught him and flung him with ease and supreme speed completely over the boat and far beyond it. It struck him even then as an event in gymnastics, and a true miracle of the sea. An overturned boat in the surf is not a plaything to a swimming man. The correspondent arrived in water that reached only to his waist, but his condition did not enable him to stand for more than a moment.

A large wave caught him and flung him with ease and supreme speed completely over the boat and far beyond it

Read the paragraph below from Jack London's short story "The Call of the Wild." Use the rules of hyphenation to decide where hyphens are needed.

And Buck was truly a red-eyed devil, as he drew himself together for the spring, hair bristling, mouth foaming, a mad glitter in his blood-shot eyes. Straight at the man he launched his one hundred and forty pounds of fury, surcharged with the pent passion of two days and nights.

Which sentence in this excerpt from Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" refers to the reality of Farquhar's situation in the dream sequence he envisions? -They tore it away and thrust it fiercely aside, its undulations resembling those of a water snake. "Put it back, put it back!" He thought he shouted these words to his hands, for the undoing of the noose had been succeeded by the direst pang that he had yet experienced. His neck ached horribly; his brain was on fire, his heart, which had been fluttering faintly, gave a great leap, trying to force itself out at his mouth. His whole body was racked and wrenched with an insupportable anguish! But his disobedient hands gave no heed to the command. They beat the water vigorously with quick, downward strokes, forcing him to the surface. He felt his head emerge; his eyes were blinded by the sunlight; his chest expanded convulsively, and with a supreme and crowning agony his lungs engulfed a great draught of air, which instantly he expelled in a shriek!

His neck ached horribly; his brain was on fire, his heart, which had been fluttering faintly, gave a great leap, trying to force itself out at his mouth

Which two lines in this excerpt from "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman reflect a realist view of death? -I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love, If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles. You will hardly know who I am or what I mean, But I shall be good health to you nevertheless, And filter and fibre your blood.

I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love and If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles.

Which of the following excerpts from the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe best demonstrates the unreliability of the narrator?

I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

Which sentence in this excerpt from "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman suggests that, despite her growing insanity, the narrator still retains some awareness of what society expects of her? -I tried to lift and push it until I was lame, and then I got so angry I bit off a little piece at one corner—but it hurt my teeth. Then I peeled off all the paper I could reach standing on the floor. It sticks horribly and the pattern just enjoys it! All those strangled heads and bulbous eyes and waddling fungus growths just shriek with derision! I am getting angry enough to do something desperate. To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong even to try. Besides I wouldn't do it. Of course not. I know well enough that a step like that is improper and might be misconstrued. I don't like to look out of the windows even—there are so many of those creeping women, and they creep so fast.

I know well enough that a step like that is improper and might be misconstrued.

Why is pacing important in a text?

It helps develop ideas and mood at the appropriate speed.

Which of these sentences from the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses verbal irony?

It is so hard to talk to John about my case, because he is so wise, and because he loves me so.

Which sentence best rewrites the following line so that it includes hyperbole? -Jackson lived for a long period of time in a small, ramshackle house.

Jackson lived for an eternity in a two-room, ramshackle house.

What does the writer imply in this line from the excerpt? -The house, dooryard, barng woodshed was now all full, and when ANOTHER crowd come I told 'em not to go away for want of room as the hog-pen was still empty.

Politicians have no sense of shame.

Which sentence is correctly hyphenated? -She decided to take the long-winding road. -A tall-dark man approached the entrance with determination. -The twentieth-century had the most tornadoes on record. -The hikers spotted a red-tailed pheasant

The hikers spotted a red-tailed pheasant.

It is the same woman, I know, for she is always creeping, and most women do not creep by daylight. - I see her in that long shaded lane, creeping up and down. I see her in those dark grape arbors, creeping all around the garden. - I see her on that long road under the trees, creeping along, and when a carriage comes she hides under the blackberry vines. - I don't blame her a bit. It must be very humiliating to be caught creeping by daylight! - I always lock the door when I creep by daylight. I can't do it at night, for I know John would suspect something at once. What information does the author provide about the narrator in this excerpt?

The narrator sees a reflection of herself in the woman from the wallpaper and empathizes with her

What is the significance of the omniscient narration in "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane?

The omniscient narrator's overview of all the characters provides a foreshadowing of the ending.

Which sentence correctly uses the word abysmal?

While breaking one pencil during the SATs is bad luck, breaking six pencils is downright abysmal.