陶洁版美国文学选读_第三版_课后习题答案

1、令狐采学创作美国文学选读第三版课后习题答案陶洁 （部分）令狐采学Unit 1 Benjamin FranklinQuestions1 .Why did Franklin write his Autobiography? Franklin says that because his son may wish to know about his life, he is taking his one week vacation in the English country-side to record his past. He also says that he has enjoyed his li

2、fe and would like to repeatit2 .What made Franklin decide to leave the brother to whom he had beenapprenticed?His brother was passionate, and had often beaten him. The aversion令狐采学创作令狐采学创作to arbitrary power that has stuck to him through his whole life .After a brush with the law, Franklin left his b

3、rother.3 .How did he arrive in Philadephia? First he set out in a boat for Amboy, the boat dropped him off about 5（） miles from Burlington, the next day he reached Burlington on foot, in Burlington he found a boat which was going towards Philadelphia, he arrived there about eight or nine clock, on t

4、he Sunday morning and landed at the Market Street wharf.4 .What features do you find in the style of the above selection? It is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness, and concision（言简 意赅）.The narrative is hicid（易懂的）,the structure is simple, the imagery is homely（朴素的）.Unit2EdgarAllenPoe1 .Who

5、 is the narrator? What wrong does he want to redress? Montresor.Fortunato,one of wine experts insulted him, so he wanted to murder him.2 .What is the pretext he uses to lure Fortunato to his wine cellar? He baits Fortunato by telling him he has obtained what he believes to be a cask of Amontillado a

6、 rare and valuable sherry wine.J Fortunato is anxious to determine whether or not it is truly Amontillado, so he goes to the vault with Montresor.3 .What happens to Fortunato in the end? He was walled up alive behind bricks in a wine cellar.令狐采学创作令狐采学创作4 .Describe briefly how Poe characterizes Montr

7、esor and Fortunato as contrasts?Poe uses color imagery to characterize them. Montresor face is covered in a black silk mask, In contrast, Fortunato dresses the motleycolorcd costume of the court fool, who gets literally and tragically fooled by Montresofs masked motives. The color schemes here repre

8、sent the irony of Fortunato death sentence.Through the acts, words, and thoughts of Fortunato,wc know He is greedy, he was lured into the dark and somber vaults just because a caskofAmontillado.This is also due to his bad habit of bibulcsity（酗酒）.He lost himself onhearingthewine.At the same time, he

9、was cheated by his enemy, which reflected his ignorance.When he heard the pretended compliment from Montresor, he 令狐采学创作becameveryboastfulandarrogant.He was easily confused by the superficial phenomena and failed to watch out for others. He couldn t tolerate that others were stronger thanhim.For exa

10、mple, Montresor always stimulated him with Luchrcsi who was good at connoisseur （鉴 赏） in wine. Under the impulse of vanity, he fell into Montresor s terrible trap. In fact, he was careless and foolish and didn' t find that the danger wasapproachinghim.He looked down upon Montresor and others.He

11、didn' t realize his foolishness until the death was coming.“kind”Talking from the appearance, Monstrcsor was a wcllcducatcd andbusinessman.He enjoyed the honor and respect in the city. But in fact, he was an evilandawfulperson.His inner feelings were so cruel that they even made people tremble.令

12、狐采学创作令狐采学创作Under his rich appearance was the dirty soul and despicable character. Wc couldn? t see anv dorious virtues in his mind. Instead, his heart wascoldanddark.It was the revenge that threw Montresor into the deep evil valley.unit 4 Nathaniel Hawthorne1 .Why is the prison the setting of Chapte

13、r 1?No matter how optimistic the founders of new colonics may be, they arc quick to establish a prison and a cemctety in their “Utopia," for they know that misbehavior, evil, and death arc unavoidable. This belief fits into the larger Puritan doctrine, which puts heavy emphasis on the idea of o

14、riginal sin-the notion that all people are born sinners because of the initial transgressions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he is therefore using the prison building to represent the crime and the punishment which arc aspect of civilized life令狐采学创作令狐采学创作What is the implication of the descri

15、ption of the roses? The rosebush symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast man'sactivities.The narrator suggests that roses offer a reminder of Nature's kindness to the condemned; for his talc, he says, it will provide either a asweet moral blossomor else some relief in the face

16、 of unrelenting sorrow andgloom.2 .Describe the appearance of Hester Pry7nnc and the attitude of the peopletowardsher.The second paragraph on page 30. The crowd in front of the jail is a mixture of men and women, all maintaining severe looks of disapproval. Several of the women begin to discuss Hest

17、er Prynne, and they soon vow that Hester would not have received such a light sentence for her crime if they had been the judges. 令狐采学创作令狐采学创作One woman, the ugliest of the group, goes so far as to advocate death forHester.3 .WhathashappenedtoHester?As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar

18、, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live. While waiting for him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdalc, after which she gave birth to Pearl. The scarlet letter is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. Why does she make the embroidery7 of the letter A so elabo

19、rate? It seems to declare that she is proud, rather than ashamed, of her sin. In reality, however, Hester simply accepts the “sin” and its symbol as part of herself, just as she accepts her child. And although she can hardly believe her present “realities," she takes them as they arc rather tha

20、n resisting them or trying to atone for them.How docs this tell us about her character? Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable. It is the extraordinary circumstances shaping her that make her such an important figure.Unit5HermanMelville1 .What are the stories Is

21、mael tells about Moby Dick? Ishmael compares the legend of Moby Dick to his experience of the whale.He notes that sperm whale attacks have increased recently and that superstitious sailors have come to regard these attacks as having an intelligent,evensupernaturalorigin.In particular, wild rumors ab

22、out Moby Dick circulate among whalemen, suggesting that he can be in more than one place at the same time and that he is immortal. Ishmael remarks that even the wildest of rumors usually contains some truth.Whales, for instance, have been known to travel with remarkable speed from the Atlantic to th

23、e Pacific; thus, it is possible for a whale to be caught in the Pacific with the harpoons of a Greenland ship in it. Moby Dick, who has defied capture numerous times, exhibits an "intelligent malignity"（狠 毒）in his attacks on men2 .Why docs Ahab react so violently against the white whale? F

24、irst, he lost one of his legs because of the white whale. Second,He considers Moby Dick the embodiment of evil in the world, and he pursues the White Whale , because he believes it his inescapable fate to destroy this evil. Ishmael suggests that Ahab is “crazy” and call him "a raving lunatic. D

25、o you agree with him? Why or why not? Ishmael describes Ahab as mad in his narration, and it does indeed seem mad to try to fight the forces of nature or God.令狐采学创作令狐采学创作3 .What narrative features can you find in the selected chapter? In the selected charpter, Melville employed the technique of mult

26、iple view of his narrative to portray Moby Dick to achieve the effect of ambiguity and let readers judge the meaning.Unit6HenryDavidThoreauJ1 .Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spirituallevel?He lived in a cabin on Walden Pond, which bclongd to Emerson s property.2 .Ha

27、d Thoreau ever bought a farm? Why did he enjoy the act of buying?No,hehadn' t.He avoided purchasing a farm because it would inevitably tie himdown financially and complicate his life.令狐采学创作令狐采学创作Thoreau didn' t see the acquisition of wealth as the goal for human existence, he saw the goal of

28、 life to be an exploration of the mind and of the magnificent world around us. He regarded the places as an existence free of obligations and full of leisure.3 .1s it significant that Thoreau mentioned the Fourth of July as the day on which he began to stay in the woods? Why? Yes,itis.Because The Fo

29、urth of July is known as Independence Day,the birthdayottheUnitedStates.Here Thoreau uses the day to express his beginning of regeneration atWalden.It also means a symbol of his conquest of being.4 .How could you answer the question Thoreau asked at the end of this selection?Unit 7 19th Century Amer

30、ican Poets1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1) I Shot an Arrow 1. Why did the speaker lose sight of his arrow and song?The arrow flies too swiftly and too far away to be seen by the speaker; whereas the song is naturally invisible.2. In what circumstances did he find them again?He finds them unexpectedl

31、y years later from the trunk of a tree and the heart of a friend.3. What do arrow and song stand for in this poem?The images of arrow and song here may stand for friendship.(2) A Psalm of Life1. What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?The speaker is a man of action, always optimistic and che

32、erful, trying to achieve as much as possible in the short span of life.2. According to the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death?Wc should work harder and live happier.3. Interpret the metaphor of "Footprints on the sand of time” (line 28

33、).The metaphor refers to human deeds in real life.2. Walt WhitmanOne's Self! Sing1. What is the significance of singing about ones self?It is an exaltation of the individual spirit, which is typical of American people.2. What is the difference between physiology- and physiognomy?令狐采学创作令狐采学创作Phys

34、iology- is a science that deals with the functions and life process of human beings, whereas physiognomy refers to an art of judging character from contours of face itself or the appearance of a person.3. What docs Whitman mean by the term of "the Modern Man”？He means that a man should be free

35、from any prejudice and pride, totally different from the traditional one, that is full of bias.(3) () Captain! My Captain!1. Why is the word "Captain“ capitalized throughout the poem?In this poem the word “Captain” specially refers to Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States.2. What over

36、all metaphor docs the poet employ in this poem?Life is a journey.3. Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring, while the speaker remains so sad?They welcome the ship returning from its hard trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.令狐采学创作3.Emily Dicki

37、nson(1) To Make a Prairie1. What things arc needed to "make" a prairie? In what sense can one really do it?JSome grass and insects and small animals. People can make a prairie with their imagination.2. How can nrevcry alone" create a prairie?The prairie stays in oncfs mind.(2) Success

38、 Is Counted Sweetest1. Why is success "counted sweetest by those who ncr succeed”?Those who have tasted the bitterness of failure would have a keener desire for success.2. Who arc "the purple host11?The socallcd successful people in the world.3. Who is "he" in the last stanza?Any

39、one who is pursuing his success.令狐采学创作令狐采学创作(3) I'm Nobody!1. Who arc the "pair of us" and "they" in this poem? The "pair of us” refers to the speaker in the poem and the reader, and "they" refers to the public, especially those in power.2. What does "an a

40、dmiring bog" really mean?” (line 28).It Implies the vain and empty common people, who are always admiring and pursuing the celebrities.3. What is the theme of this poem?The real admirable life is a secluded and common one.4. Do you want to be "nobody" or "somebody"? Explain

41、your reasons. Different persons would have different answers to this question. Personally, I prefer to be nobody.Unit 8 Mark Twain1: Why do you think Mr.Whcelcr is so eager to tell these stories?From Mr.Wheeler s behaviors and contents of his narration we can know he is so eager to tell these storie

42、s.First, when nIn asked him to tell nmcn something about W.Smiley, he “ backed me into a corner and blockaded me with his chair, and then sat down and reeled off the narrative . And during the process of telling his stories, he never paid any attention to othersesponse to his story and just went on

43、telling what amused him. At last when the listener felt boring and wanted to leave, Mr.Wheeler even didn't notice it and still asked him to sit there listening to him.2: Does his audience share his enthusiasm in telling the stories? No. the audience docs not show any interest in Mr.Wheeler； stor

44、ies. In fact, the narrator was very feverish about his stories, but ,in the eyes of the listener,the stories were very boring and had nothing to do with his preoccupation. As an educated man, the listener couldiYt understand the way of laborers for joy, and he would never botherhimself to understand

45、 it. So after the long time of Mr.Wheelersolonarration and when the audience got a chance, he fled away.3: Do you think the narrator and his listener ever suspect the presence of humor? Why? How do you interpret their interactions?The narrator and his listener never noticed or suspected the presence

46、 of humor.During the intercourse,the narrator went vigorously on his monotonous narrative Hwihout a little smiling1 talking about the animals and the things like ,while the listener felt rather puzzled or bothered by his stories.lt seemed to be kind of coarse things. So the two different scenes go o

47、n separately without a intersection.And their interaction was a complete failure according toour common sense about communication.But it in this sense produced the effect of humor which can be tasted by our readers due to the skills adopted byMark Twain .Unit 14 F - Scott Fitzgeraldl.Do you think Ga

48、tsby deserves to be called “the great" ? VThy?(1) I think it is too complicated to simply say Gatsby deserves to be 一great | or not.For one thing, Gatsby was ambitious, hardworking, generous and passionate. He was so extremely loyal to his love and Daisy that he could do anything to get Daisy b

49、ack: he did shady business to earn money and social position; he threw luxurious parties just to draw Daisy' s attention; he could take the blame for a death that he did not cause.(2) In this respect, he is much greater than his contemporaries. For another thing, Gatsby never realized that Daisy

50、 wasn t the girl he loved anymore. Gatsby was so innocent that he staked everything on his dreams, not realizing that his dreams are unworthy of him. He wasn' t sober enough to be great.令狐采学创作令狐采学创作2.Docs “the green light” Gatsby believed in exist in reality? Why or why not ?(1) I think the gree

51、n light | does not exist in reality-. Because the green light which situated at the end of Daisy s East Egg dock and barely visible from West Egg lawn represents Gatsby' s unattainable dream. Although the color itself can be seen as hope and bright future, Gatsby' s quest for Daisy back is d

52、oomed to be impossible. Daisy lived in a material world without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dream like air | .(2) After five years when Gatsby met Daisy again, the miracle Daisy had lost her original glory Therefore, there is no delaying that Gatsby' s dream would not come true. In

53、the novel, the green light not only represents that innocent Gatsby looked forward to the future, but also means his longing for the history - his happy past with Daisy. The distinction between ideal and reality was huge. As if 令狐采学创作American dream between golden past and golden future always suffer

54、ed from the realistic betrayal and crush.JS.AXTiat docs Gatsby' s Schedule reveal about him and how docs it relate to the American Dream?(1) The schedule is a reflection of Gatsby' s determination and ambition. It reveals that he is hard on himself in pursuit of his goal一 to be an uppcrclass

55、 man.(2) On one hand, we can know that he is persistent in pursuing his American Dream to attain wealth and happiness through his struggle. On the other hand, he is too idealistic and naive.(3) He tries his best to make money and learns everything required to be an upperclass man so that he can get

56、access to his beloved girl.Money is important, but there arc other barriers difficult to penetrate. The girl he loves is as vulgar and superficial as others in 令狐采学创作令狐采学创作her circle, she is unable to meets Gatsby' s romantic fantasy. So his drcam is destined to shatter, which indicates the disi

57、llusion of American Dream.(4) hcn you read the line “He (the man with owleyed glasses) took off his glasses and wiped them again, outside and inwhat images docs it create in your mind, given the novel' s numerous references to the strikingly strange scene of the spectacled eyes?(1) From this lin

58、e , superficially, owleyes is a person with thick and blurry glasses who can not sec clearly all the things in the world. However, we know he is actually an owlwisc observer and secs more clearly than anyone else in the novel. Owl Eyes, except Nick, is the only friend to appear at the rainsoaked bur

59、ial of Gatsby, when others arc unwilling to come. He feels sympathy for Gatsby' s tragedy.(2 ) After reading this line, I cannot help thinking of the Dr.Ecklcburg billboard with its huge yellow spectacles in this novel. In many rainy days, Dr. Ecklcburg s eyes are also dimmed and seem blind. But in fact this is a pair of HallsccingH eyes. The Owl Eyed Man is similar to Dr. Ecklcburg, sadly lo