美国文学试题QuestionsforTesting

1、Part II Explanation of literary termsL Characterization of Hester Prynne (P27)Author-Nathaniel HawthorneThe Scarlet Letter.The main characters : Hester Ptynne, her husband ChillingwoHh , and the young pastor DimmesdaleThe Scarlet Letter-Adultery which finally replaced by Angle and AbleHester Prynne:

2、 the main character of The Scarlet Letter. She is a married women hut have an adultery with a pastor and give birth to a baby. Because of that Hester suffers the public humiliation of having to wear the letter F" on her chest. But she faces the future optimistically, and helps others Finally 9s

3、he is able to construct her life, and wins a moral success She can be described by attractive, appealing, intelligent, capable , Passionate, strong, contemplative, and maternal. Because , she endures years of shame and scorn, and still cares for the poor and brings them food and clothing.2. Hesters

4、sin and punishmentWhen Hestefs husband was away for a long time, she committed adultery by sleeping with Dimmesdale, the town's minister. Her punishment is to wear a scarlet letter A on her bosom for the rest of her life She also must stand on a scaffold for 3 hours where the whole town can watc

5、h her.3. a free verseFree verse - also known as vers libre - is a term describing various styles of poetry that are written without using a strict rhyme scheme, but still recognizable as poetry by virtue of complex patterns of one sort or another that readers will perceive to be part of a coherent w

6、hole.4 “the Modern man” in “One's Self I Sing” (P60)Author: Walt Whitman -一Leaves of Grass-起初 12 首Theme: individuality, personality, independence, self-identity, integrity, totality, democracy, equality.Though modern man fights for all his freedoms and for his individuality, the greatest freedom

7、 he has is his right to live5. The overall metaphor in “O Captain! My Captain!"? (P62)The "ship”the United States of America,its Hfearful trip"the troubles of the American Civil War.The "Captain”LincolnThe prize is the preservation of the union6. Success Is Counted SweetestDickin

8、son sends the message that only failures fully understand the meaning of success The person best qualified to evaluate the impact of success is the vanquished rather than the victor. She uses dramatic irony to imply that cherish what we have now.7. The symbol of a frog in Emilys poem “I'm Nobody

9、!"Frog here is a symbol of somebody Because frogs make a lot of noise.Just like these public figures who do not even attempt to say anything of importance all they do is atell one9 s name. ” that is? their own name, over and over, in an attempt to make themselves seem important. The poem says t

10、hat frogs, though they can croak and make themselves heard and be noticed, are noticed only by Han admiring bog.” just same as these somebodies who may have many admirers, but they might not be able to make those personal connections that real friendship offers.& Nairator of Simon WheelerSimon W

11、heeler is a narrator deliberately arranged by Mark Twain to tell these stories. Though he is bald and lazy, and seems simple, he may be cleverer than he looks He is certainly very aggressive in getting the narrator to listen to him.9. Fire and Ice (P194)Author: Robert FrostIt is written in a single

12、9-line stanza which greatly narrows in the last two lines. The poem's meter is an irregular mix of iambic tetrameter and dimeter, and the rhyme scheme (abaabebeb) also follows no regular patternSymbolism and ImageryThe first symbol and image of fire;The second symbol and image of ice;“ the world

13、 " as a symbol for a relationshipThe poem ends with the line “And would sufficeM which oversimplifies the meaning that has been created By using this line, the poet emphasizes the harm of desire and hate in a relationship.10. The Road Not Taken (pl97)Author: Robert FrostThe poem is loaded with

14、rhythm, metaphors and greatnessThe poem is a lyric poem with four stanzas of five lines each.The rhyme scheme is abaab. The rhymes are strict and masculineThere are four stressed syllables per line, varying on an iambic tetrameter baseThe poem revolves around the metaphor comparing the decisions we

15、make on the journey of life to a fork in the roadThe poem is dealing with the division of the human mind As a traveler on the road of life, Robert Frost wants to join two different roads, but he can only choose one of them. He chooses the one less traveled, and that makes all the difference By this

16、he is telling us that we should try out for new roads and new paths in life.This is a meditative poem symbolically written .It concerns the important decisions which one must take in the course of life, when one must give up one desirable thing in order to possess another. Then, whatever the outcome

17、, one must accept the consequences of one's choice for it is not possible to go back and have another chance to choose differently.In the poem, he followed the one which was not frequently travelled by. Symbolically, he chose to follow an unusual, solitary life;Part III Short questions (25 % )1.

18、 What are the motifs causing Montresor to seek revenge on his friend Fortunato?Fortunato had insulted his family, which Montresor could not tolerateMontresor claims that the insult was so horrible that the only justification and response to these words is death2. How did Montresor tempt Fortunato in

19、to the palazzo?Montresor exploits Fortunato interest in wine.so when they meet in the street during carnival, he tempts Fortunato by claiming he has purchased a cask of Amontillado, which is a dry sherry, but he is unsure if its authentic Instead of asking Fortunato directly to examine the Amontilla

20、do, Montresor says he will ask another because Fortunato is busy.Fortunato agrees to accompany Montresor home, in the family catacombs, nitre makes Fortunato to cough. Montresor says they will go back, and keep saying there is Luchresi, but Fortunato wants to see the Amontillado, claiming, "I s

21、hall not die of a cough/ to which Montresor replies, 'True true.0 he still wants to see the Amontillado, and they continue deeper into the tombs.3. What happens to Fortunato in the end?The first few days, Fortunato was walled up alive behind bricks in the wine cellar. He attempted to shout for h

22、elp, but no one could hear that At last, because of his inability to get out of the catacomb, the deceived Fortunato died slowly, in the darkness alone4. What punishments would the Puritan women have given Hester Prynne if it were left to them?They would most like have had her placed in the stocks t

23、hen branded as they mention in the book. The Scartlet Letter. Or they even could of had her executed5. What do clover and bee symbolize respectively in the poem “To Make a Praire? (p64)Author:Emily DickinsonThe bee is the male The clover is the female mcansll just takes a seed or something small, a

24、beginning and something to get it going6. What sensation of humor can you get from Mark Twain's short story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County?A sense of humor .exaggeration and satire He used the artistic style of hyperbole on the basis of the western traditional humor and made his

25、 writing full of allegories that lay behind the hum or. His humour is of witty remarks mocking at small things and making people laugh. Also it is a kind of artistic style used to criticize the social injustice.(The tale is a about a genteel, educated narrator recounts a story he has heard from an u

26、nsophisticated teller, and gives a secondhand account of a career gambler who gets taken by a stranger passing through town. It also reflects the existing cultural differences between the western and eastern regions of the United States7. What is the language style in Mark Twain's selected short

27、 story?He was the world's most famous humorist. And he is famous for his humor and satire He used the artistic style of hyperbole on the basis of the western traditional humor and made his writing full of allegories that lay behind the hum or.Local color represented social life through portraits

28、 of local places which he knewbest.anddrew from his own rich fund of knowledge of people and placesColloquial Style or VernacularHe used a lot of colloquial idioms and colloquial syntax& What's the irony of aA clean, Well-lighted Place”？Author:Ernest Hemingway“ Clean” symbolizes “ order, ” “

29、 well-lighted " symbolizes “ light and hope. ” Therefore, this clean, well-lighted place is an insulation surrounded by darkness, filth and disorder, a haven of peace, a refuge for the old man and the older waiter and all the people who arc lonely.isolated, void, lost and despairedHowever, what

30、 is sarcastic is that, in this dark, confusing and void world even a temporary refuge cannot exist for long The younger waiter does not understand the old man. He even laughs at him. He thinks that the old man is “lonely” and anastyM、and tries to drive the old man away.9. What differences can you in

31、terpret from the lifestyles of the old man and the two waiters in Hemingway selected short story? (pl81)1 )The young waiter tends to be selfish He is fully confident of his marriage and work, but he does not know that all these are based on his youth, which is not reliable since it is temporary He l

32、ives in nada, of which he is not aware at all. He lives in a state of ignorance, muddling along. We can say that he is physically alive but spiritually dead2) The old waiter tends to be sympathetic and less confident. He wants to help other lonely people who have lost their beliefs, although the onl

33、y thing he can offer them is a decent place as a refuge from the disorderly, dark, and meaningless world. He is fully aware of the nihilistic life of modern men. therefore, he faces such a meaningless life with courage, endurance, and dignity by seeking order, code. and meaning of life in his heart.

34、3) The old man is racked with despair - at his loneliness, the darkness of his life, his segregation from the world, and the Nothingness that permeates his existence10. Why does the speaker stop by the woods on a snowy evening in Robert Frosfs second selected poem?The poet was deeply attracted by th

35、e natural beauty of the scene at that very moment Tlie poem presents one person's momentaiy encounter with natiue Perhaps he wishes to lose himself in their silent mystery, away from the routine and regimen of everyday life-一at least for a while Maybe the woods remind him of his childhood Or per

36、haps they represent risk, opportunity一-something dangerous and uncharted to be explored It could be, too, that they signify the mysteries of life and the afterlife or that they represent sexual temptation: They are, after alt lovely, dark, and deepIL What are the characteristics of the style of Fros

37、fs poetry? (pl93)1) Frost was a pioneer in the interplay of rhythm and meter and in the poetic use of the vocabulary and inflections of everyday speech. His poetry is thus both traditional and experimental, regional and universal.2) Robert Frost is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rur

38、al life and his command of American colloquial speech. His works frequently employ settings from mral life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes.12. How does Pounds use of metaphor unify man and nature in the poem?In the poem, pe

39、ople and nature literally become one as the faces in the subway become flowers on a tree The analogy between faces and flowers is not just a simile, which would say that one thing is "like" another. Rather, it is metaphor: the poem implies that the faces are petals on a treePart IV Literar

40、y interpretation of selected readings (20%)Page 11, the first three lines7he Cask of AmontilladoPoe writes this story from the perspective of Montresor who vows revenge against Fortunato in an effort to support his time-honored family motto: HNo one assails me with impunity/1 Poe does not intend for

41、 the reader to sympathize with Montresor because he has been wronged by Fortunato, but rather to judge him Telling the story from Montrcsofs point of view intensifies the effect of moral shock and horror. Once again, the reader is invited to drop into the inner workings of a sinister mind Poe's

42、shows the conflict directly at the beginning of the story. The reader becomes quickly aware of the fact that Montresor is not a reliable narrator, and that he has a tendency to hold grudges and exaggerate terribly, as he refers to the "thousand injuries1* that he has suffered at the hands of Fo

43、rtunato. Mbut when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge/Page 33, the last paragraphIts comes &om Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, this paragraph describes Hesters happiness and excitement when she know that all of the sins has vanished from her baby and her. Her advice is sought by the com

44、munity and the letter A has changed into Able. Pearl is transformed into a normal child, no longer an elf. Since she confessed her guilty, faced the future optimistically and helps others, then be able to construct her life, wins a moral success to gain moral growth and wined people's understand

45、ing and trust, be a real angle. It's also reflect Hawthorne's point of view that evil educate people and sometimes can make us better. Hester no longer bears the scarlet letter alonc.Page 62, the last four lines in stanza 1Page 65, the third stanzaThis stanza comes &oin Dickinsois succes

46、s is counted sweetest. The poem uses third-person narration in which the speaker observes a battle and concludes that only the defeated warrior, hearing the enemy's noisy victory celebration, completely understands success And tell us only failures fully understand the meaning of success. The pe

47、rson best qualified to evaluate the impact of success is the vanquished rather than the victor. If you are fight for sth meaningful, don't grue up. no matter what the result is. The easy success is not so sweet.Page 66, the second stanzaThis stanza comes from Dickinson，s I'm NobodyPage 69, t

48、he former four lines in the second paragraphIt's comes from mark twainTlie Celebrated Junmg Frog of Calaveras County. Tlie former four line critics frequently used like' monotonous narratne' 'never smiled, never &ovmed、 gentle-flowing key' shows Twain's use of humor and e

49、xaggeration. He uses tactics that sound like military maneuvers, such as "blockading” the narrator with a chair so tliat he can t leave. Tliougli Simon Wlieehr is bald and lazy, and seems simple, he may be cleverer tlian he looks. Hes certainly very aggressive in getting the narrator to listen

50、to him He throws the narrator completely off guard He also talks real funny and ungrammatical-like to show that the tale's satirical focus on storytelling and existing cultural differences between the western and eastern regions of the United States.Page 184, from last 20th to 14th lineTliis lin

51、es come from Hemingway's A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.the old waiters repetitive use of the term nada'5 suggests his niliilistic tendencies because he faces loneliness and advancing death like the old man. He is fully aware of the nihilistic life of modern men .Although he was somewhat depres

52、sed about this, however, he still decides to face such a meaningless life with courage endurance, and dignity by seeking order, code, and meaning of life in his heart. And try to tellus even when life gets you down, you should accept it and try to keep it real and face it bravely.Page 196, the last

53、stanzaComes from Robert frost's Stoppmg by Wbods on a Snowy Evening. The traveler would like to stay a while and perhaps even enter the woods to absorb their ambience and ponder the mystery of life and nature However, he has obligations and responsibilities Therefore, he decides to move on. The

54、repetition in the last two lines denotes a literal recognition that the speaker must move on and there is much to be done before life ends The winter bleakness of the setting establishes a lonely tone and the symbolic weight of this brief moment when the speaker is drawn to what the woods representd

55、eath, perhaps a temporar>r release from lifers duties and obligations Part V General questions (30%)L How can you understand Poe，s characterization of Montresor and Fortunato?Firstly Form the name of Montresor and Fortunato. The former one means monstrous horror and evil while the later means for

56、tune rich and good luck Make them a obviously contrast form the name.And then Poc uses color imagery to characterize them. Montresor face is covered in a black silk mask, In contrast, Fortunato dresses the motley-colored costume of the court fool, The color schemes here represent the irony of Fortun

57、ato death sentence Through the acts, words, and thoughts of Fortunato. we know He is greedy, he was lured into the dark valley just because a cask of Amontillado. This is also due to his bad habit of excessive dirking. He lost himself on hearing the wine. At the same time, he was cheated by his enem

58、y, which reflected his ignorance. When he heard the pretended compliment from Montresor, he became very arrogant. He was easily confiised by the superficial phenomena. He couldn't tolerate tliat others were stronger than him. For example, Montresor always stimulated him with Luchresi who was goo

59、d at tasting ill wine. Under tlie impulse of vanity, he fell into Montresor's terrible trap. In fact, he was careless and foolish and didnt find that the danger was approachmg him. He looked down upon Montresor and others. He didn't realize his fbolislmess until the death was coming.Last, from the appearance, Monstresor was a well-educated and fckind?，businessman. He enjoyed the honor and respect in the city. But in fact, he was an evil and awful person. His inner feelings were so cruel