美国文学复习资料-隋.doc

1.I heard the merry grasshopper then sing，The blackclad cricket bear a second part：They kept one tune and played on the same stringSeeming to glory in their little artSmall creatures abject thus their voices raise，And in their kind resound their Makers praise，Whilst I，as mute，can warble forth no higher lays?Questions：1）This is the ninth of the “Contemplations written by an early American woman writerWhat is her name?2）Which literary period does the poet belong to?3) Make a brief comment on this short poem1) Anne Bradstreet. 2) Colonial Period.3) These stanzas, written by Anne Bradstreet, taken from her best known and most attractive poem, Contemplations, was written late in her life, at her home in Andover. The poem is properly described as “a genuine expression of poetic feeling in the presence of nature.” This short poem offers the reader an insight into the mentality of the early Puritan pioneering in a new world. When she, the poet, heard the grasshopper and the cricket sing, she thought of this as their praising their creator and searched her own soul accordingly. It is evident that she saw something metaphysical inhering in the physical, a mode of perception which was singularly Puritan. the rhyming scheme, the tone, the theme 2.When in the course of human events，it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another，and to assume among the powers of the earth，the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them，a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separationWe hold these truths to be selfevident，that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights，that among these are Life，Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness? That to secure these rights，Governments are instituted among Men，deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed；That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends，it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it1）Which work is this passage taken from?2）What truths are self-evident? What is the purpose of governmentand when should a government be replaced?3. To a Waterfowlby William Cullen Bryant Whither, midst falling dew, While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue Thy solitary way? Vainly the fowlers eye Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, As, darkly painted on the crimson sky, Thy figure floats along. Seekst thou the plashy brinkOf weedy lake, or marge of river wide, Or where the rocking billows rise and sink On the chafed ocean side? There is a Power whose careTeaches thy way along that pathless coast,- The desert and illimitable air,- Lone wandering, but not lost. All day thy wings have fannd At that far height, the cold thin atmosphere: Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land, Though the dark night is near. And soon that toil shall end, Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest, And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend Soon oer thy sheltered nest. Thourt gone, the abyss of heaven Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given, And shall not soon depart. He, who, from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long way that I must tread alone, Will lead my steps aright. 1) Can we interpret the poem in any other way? For example, can the “Power of care” and the “He” in the poem mean anything else?2) What can we learn from the waterfowls flight? l Bryants poem begins with a waterfowl in flight and a hunter below. The birds instinct allows it to fly to safety. In spite of the danger, hardships and temptations on the way, the bird continues its flight to its destination. As the speaker watches the bird, he ponders the mysteries of migration. Bryant parallels the birds instinct to a Power. Even though humans have no real instinct to guide them to safety, there is a Power or God that will guide them to safety.l In the last paragraph of the poem Bryant seems to be comparing our life with God to that of a Waterfowl. He says: He who from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long way that I must tread alone, Will lead my steps aright.l He is saying that throughout our life wherever we go God is going to be with us guiding us down the right path. And in times when we think we must go alone, he too will be with us then. He never leaves us long enough for us to fall, just long enough for us to learn from what we do.4. Lost GenerationThis term has been used again and again to describe the people of the postwar years. It describes the Americans who remained in Paris as a colony of “expatriates” or exiles, the writers like Hemingway who lived in semi-poverty and also the Americans who returned to their native land with an intense awareness of living in an unfamiliar changing world.After World War , the young disappointed American writers, such as Hemingway, Pound, Cummings, Fitzgerald, were welcomed by an American woman writer named Gertrude Stein, who had lived in Paris since 1903. She called them “the Lost Generation”, because they had cut themselves off from their past in America in order to create a completely new type of writing. They wandered pointlessly and restlessly, enjoying things like fishing, swimming, bullfight and beauties of nature, but they were aware all the while that the world is crazy and meaningless and futile. Their whole life is undercut and defeated.5. When in the course of human events，it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another，and to assume among the powers of the earth，the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them，a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separationWe hold these truths to be self-evident，that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights，that among these are Life，Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness? That to secure these rights，Governments are instituted among Men，deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed；That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends，it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it1）Which work is this passage taken from?2）What truths are self-evident? What is the purpose of governmentand when should a government be replaced?1) The Declaration of Independence2) The truths are self-evident that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights，that among these are Life，Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.The purpose of the government is to secure these rights. whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends，it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it6.I went to the woods because 1 wished to live deliberately，to front only the essential facts of life，and see if I could not learn what it had to teach，and not，when I came to die，discover that I had not livedI did not wish to live what was not life，living is SO dear；nor did 1 wish to practise resignation，unless it was quite necessary1 wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life，to live SO sturdily and Spartanlike as to put to rout all that was not life，to cut a broad swath and shave close，to drive life into a comer，and reduce it to its lowest terms，and，if it proved to be mean，why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it，and publish its meanness to the world；or if it were sublime，to know it by experience，and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursionFor most men，it appears to me，are in a strange uncertainty about it，whether it is of the devil or of Good. Questions：1）This passage is taken from a famous work entitled 2）The author of the work is 3）List by yourself at least five reasons that the author gives for going to live in the woods7. Hester Prynnes term of confinement was now at an endHer prisondoor was thrown open，and she came forth into the sunshine which，falling on all alike，seemed，to her sick and morbid heart，as if meant for no other purpose than to reveal the scarlet letter on her breastPerhaps there was a more real torture in her first unattended footsteps from the threshold of the prison，than even in the procession and spectacle that have been described，where she was made the common infamy，at which all mankind was summoned to point its fingerThen，she was supported by an unnatural tension of the nerves，and by all the combative energy of her character，which enabled her to convert the scene into a kind of lurid triumph Questions：1）Which novel is this selection taken from?2）What is the name of the novelist?3）What are the symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter on Hesters breast?Interpretation of the Letter “A”v After Hesters competence and usefulness to the community become evident, some think the letter stands for able. v When an A appears in the sky at Governor John Winthrops death, they think it stands for angel. v Since historical Puritans convicted of adultery were made to wear the letters AD on their sleeves, critics have noted that these are Dimmesdales initials and concluded that the A also represents Arthur. v Readers may well conclude that the A can mean almost anything, even America, where we still struggle to reinscribe the labels that others put on us.8“I celebrate myself，and sing myself And what I assume you shall assume， For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” Comprehension： Who wrote these lines? What is the poet celebrating? In this poem Whitman sets forth two principal beliefs: the theory of universality, which is illustrated by lengthy catalogues of people and things, and the belief in the singularity and equality of all things in value. The longest and most personal poem of Whitman, it serves an inspiring introduction to the main ideas and style that he developed in the subsequent editions of Leaves of Grass. The excerpt is the first section of the poem. “自我”是全诗的中心形象。围绕这一主题，诗中的小巧意象、小故事、城乡写生画、格言警句、坦率的自白以及富有诗意的遐想等多种成分便被揉成一个有机整体。诗中歌颂的自我(myself)既是诗人又大于诗人，具有美国民族特征和民主理想，包括新大陆的开拓者- 铁匠、木匠、屠夫、伙计、纤夫、筑路工和诗人等土生土长的“新人”的群像，乐观向上，心胸开阔。9.In a Station of the Metrov The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough. v 这首短仅两行的小诗作于20世纪初，是最早的意象派诗歌之一。v 诗的上下两行，分别呈现了两组互相对应的意象。v 一是地铁车站的人群中，幽灵般显现的面孔；v 二是湿漉漉的枝条上的许多花瓣。v 这两行诗句之间，不是一般意义上的比喻关系，而是两组意象之间的相互叠加的关系。这里v 人群中这些面孔是现实意象，人群是面孔的背景；v 黑色枝条上的许多花瓣是想象意象，枝条成为花瓣的背景。v 前一个意象是现实的，后一个意象是虚无的，创造的。前后两句是比喻关系，后一句前可以加像犹如一类的词语。第二句是来诠释第一句的，即把人群暗喻为湿漉漉的枝条，把这些面孔喻为花瓣。v 在地铁车站的密密麻麻的人群中，诗人站立其间，过往的行人迎面而来，匆匆忙忙从身边走过，整个气氛阴森潮湿，令人窒息。几张女人和孩子苍白美丽的面孔时隐时现，打破了这种冷清沉闷，给人一种愉快的感觉，从而感受到一些活力。两个并置的意象映入大脑，构成俗陋与优美，潮闷与清新对比强烈的画幅。v 既表现了都市人繁忙庸碌的生活，给人以一种挤压感，描绘出现代人内心的焦虑不安、紧张动荡、繁忙而又单调的生活现实，同时又展示了心灵对自然美的依恋与向往。 Imagism was a movement in early 20th-century Anglo-American poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language. The Imagists rejected the sentiment and discursiveness typical of much Romantic and Victorian poetry. Pounds method of juxtaposing concrete instances to express an abstraction is very successful. In this short poem, the petals and the bough are imaginary concrete images. They are used to illustrate real and abstract images of the faces and crowds in the metro station. By this vivid comparison, the pressure and dullness of the real life are brought to the readers eyes and it also indicates the poets desire to seek relief from the natural world.10.v Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, 林中两路分And sorry I could not travel both. 可惜难兼行And be one traveler, long I stood 游子久伫立And looked down one as far as I could 极目望一径To where it bent in the undergrowth;蜿蜒复曲折 隐于丛林中v Then took the other, as just as fair, 我选另一途And having perhaps the better claim, 合理亦公正Because it was grassy and wanted wear; 草密人迹罕Though as for that, the passing there 正待人通行Had worn them really about the same足迹踏过处两路皆相同v And both that morning equally lay 两路林中伸In leaves no step had trodden black. 落叶无人踪Oh! I kept the first for another day! 我选一路走Yet knowing how way leads on to way, 深知路无穷I doubted if I should ever come back. 我疑从今后 能否转回程v I shall be telling this with a sigh 数十年之后Somewhere ages and ages hence; 谈起常叹息Tow roads diverged in a wood, and I 林中两路分I took the one less traveled by, 一路人迹稀And that has made all the difference. 我独选此路 境遇乃相异v Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,黄色的树林里分出两条路，And sorry I could not travel both可惜我不能同时去涉足，And be one traveler, long I stood我在那路口久久伫立，And looked down one as far as I could我向着一条路极目望去，To where it bent in the undergrowth;直到它消失在丛林深处。v Then took the other, as just as fair,但我却选了另外一条路，And having perhaps the better claim它荒草萋萋，十分幽寂，Because it was grassy and wanted wear;显得更诱人、更美丽，Though as for that, the passing there虽然在这两条小路上，Had worn them really about the same,都很少留下旅人的足迹，v And both that morning equally lay虽然那天清晨落叶满地，In leaves no step had trodden black.两条路都未经脚印污染。Oh, I marked the first for another day!呵，留下一条路等改日再见！Yet knowing how way leads on to way但我知道路径延绵无尽头，I doubted if I should ever come back.恐怕我难以再回返。v I shall be telling this with a sigh也许多少年后在某个地方，Somewhere ages and ages hence:我将轻声叹息把往事回顾，Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,一片树林里分出两条路，I took the one less traveled by, 而我选了人迹更少的一条，And that has made all the difference.从此决定了我一生的道路。According to the lines selected from Robert Frosts poem The Road Not Taken, what are the two choices the poet is faced with and what is his choice? Why? There are two roads before the poet: one is frequently taken by travelers, the other is seldom traveled and grassy. The roads may also symbolize the choices the poet has to make in life: do what others are doing or what is generally acceptable or do what one thinks is right himself without caring about how others think about it. The poet chooses the latter road. That means he will do something he believes in even if the future is unpredictable. The poet is brave to take the adventures. 11. Hills Like White ElephantsErnest HemingwayIn the story, a white elephant may symbolize the baby, too costly to keep in that it demands not only material provision but also responsible nurture. As can be inferred from the story, the girl is pregnant but the American does not want the baby. To the American, the baby is a burden if it is born. Either he does not want to shoulder the responsibility of a father or he does not even want to be responsible for the girl. Thats why white elephant hurts his ears as well as his heart. For the girl, the baby is precious. But it also makes her unsure about her future with the man. It is too costly in this sense to keep the baby.Iceberg theory12. The Cop and the Anthem （OHenry）And also in a moment his heart responded thrillingly to this novel mood. An instantaneous and strong impulse moved him to battle with his desperate fate. He would pull himself out of the mire; he would make a man of himself again; he would conquer the evil that had taken possession of him. There was time; he was comparatively young yet; he would resurrect his old eager ambitions and pursue them without faltering. Those solemn but sweet organ notes had set up a revolution in him. To-morrow he would go into the roaring downtown district and find work. A fur importer had once offered him a place as driver. He would find him to-morrow and ask for the position. He would be somebody in the world. He would-Soapy felt a hand laid on his arm. He looked quickly around into the broad face of a policeman.What are you doin here? asked the officer.Nothin, said Soapy.Then come along, said the policeman.Three months on the Island, said the Magistrate in the Police Court the next morning.Questions: how do you think of the ending of the story?13. RUNNING FOR GOVERNORBy Mark TwainI gave up. I hauled down my colors and surrendered. I was not equal to the requirements of a Gubernatorial campaign in the State of New York, and so I sent in my withdrawal from the candidacy, and in bitterness of spirit signed it, Truly yours, Once a decent man, but now MARK TWAIN, I. P., M. T., B. S., D. T., F. C., and L. E.Questions: Why did the author say that he was not equal to the requirements of a Gubernatorial campaign in the State of New York? What is the theme of the essay?14. American dream and The Great GatsbyThe so-called American Dream, is a belief that as long as the people in the United States after a hard struggle will be able to achieve the ideal of a better life, that is, people have to work through their own hard work, co