美国文学选读课后习题答案

1、Unit 1 Benjamin FranklinI.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 countryside to record his past. He also says that he has enjoyed his life and would like to repeat it2.What made Fr

2、anklin decide to leave the brother to whom he had been apprenticed?His brother was passionate, and had often beaten him. The aversion to arbitrary power that has stuck to him through his whole life .After a brush with the law, Franklin left his brother.3.How did he arrive in Philadephia?First he set

3、 out in a boat for Amboy, the boat dropped him off about 50 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 o' clock,n the Sunday morning and landed at the Market Street wh

4、arf.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 lucid易懂的,the structure is simple, the imagery is homely 朴素的.Unit 2 Edgar Allen Poe1 .Who is the narrator? What wrong does he want to redress?Mon

5、tresor.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 rare and valuable sherry wine. Fortunato is anxious to det

6、ermine 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.Unit 4 Nathaniel Hawthorne:1.Why is the prison the setting of Chapter 1 ?No matter how optimistic the founders of new col

7、onies may be, they are quick to establish a prison and a cemetery in their “ Utopia, for they know that misbehavior, evil, and death are unavoidable.This belief fits into the larger Puritan doctrine, which puts heavy emphasis on the idea of original sinthe notion that all people are born sinners bec

8、ause 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 are aspect of civilized life. What is the implication of the description of the roses?The rosebush symbolizes the ability of nature to e

9、ndure and outlast man's activities. The narrator suggests that roses offer a reminder of Nature's kindness to the condemned; for his tale, he says, it will provide either a “sweelmoral blossom “or else some relief in the face of unrelenting sorrow and gloom.2 .Describe the appearance of Hest

10、er Prynne and the attitude of the people towards her.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 Hester Prynne, and they soon vow that Hester would not have received s

11、uch a light sentence for her crime if they had been the judges. One woman, the ugliest of the group, goes so far as to advocate deathfor Hester.3 .What has happened to Hester? As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live. While waiting for

12、 him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth to Pearl. The scarlet letter is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. Why does she make the embroidery of the letter A so elaborate?It seems to declare that she is proud, rather than ashamed, of her si

13、n. In reality, however, Hester simply accepts the “sinand 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 are rather thanresisting them or trying to atone for them. How does this tell us about her char

14、acter? 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.Unit 6 Henry David Thoreau1. Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spiritual level? He lived in a c

15、abin on Walden Pond, which belonged t o Emerson ' s property.2.Had Thoreau eveought a farm? Why did he enjoy the act of buying? No, he hadn' H e avoided purchasing a farm because it would inevitably tie him down financially and complicate his life. Thoreau didn ' stee the acquisition of

16、wealth as the goal for human existence, he saw the goal of 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. Is it significant that Thoreau mentioned the Fourth of July as the day on which h

17、e began to stay in the woods? Why?Yes, it is. Because The Fourth of July is known as Independence Day, the birthday of the United States. Here Thoreau uses the day to express his beginning of regeneration at Walden. It also means a symbol of his conquest of being.Unit 7 19th Century American Poets1.

18、 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I Shot an Arrow1. 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 unexpectedly years later fr

19、om 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. A Psalm of Life1. What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?The speaker is a man of action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to ac

20、hieve as much as possible in the short span of life.2. Accordingto the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death?We should work harder and live happier.3. Interpret the metaphor of "Footprints on the sand of time" (line 28).The metaphor

21、refers to human deeds in real life.2. Walt Whitman(1) One ' Self I Sing1. What is the significance of singing about one's self? It is an exaltation of the individual spirit, which is typical of American people.2. What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?Physiology is a scien

22、ce 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 does Whitman mean by the term of "the Modern Man"?He means that a man should be free from any prej

23、udice and pride, totally different from the traditional one that is full of bias.(3) O 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 overall metaph

24、or does 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.3. Emily Dickinson(1) To Mak

25、e a Prairie1. What things are needed to "make" a prairie? In what sense can one really do it?Some grass and insects and small animals. People can make a prairie with their imagination.2. How can "revery alone" create a prairie?The prairie stays in one's mind.(2) Success Is Co

26、unted Sweetest1. Why is success "counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed"?Those who have tasted the bitterness of failure would have a keener desire for success.2. Who are "the purple host"?The so-called successful people in the world.3. Who is "he" in the last

27、stanza? Anyone who is pursuing his success.(3)I'm nobody!1. Who are 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 "a

28、n admiring 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"?

29、 Explain your reasons. Different persons would have different answers to his question. Personally, I prefer to be nobody.Unitmark twainQuestionsl: Why do you think Mr. Wheeler is so eager to tell these stories?From Mr. Wheeler ' bsehaviors and contents of his narration. First, when "I"

30、 asked him to tell "me" something about W. Smiley, he “ backedne into a corner and blockaded me with his chair, and then sat down and reeled off the narrative . And during the ptrdce§snof stories, henever paid any attention to others' response to his story and just went on telling

31、 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.Question2: Does his audience share his enthusiasm in telling the stories?No. the audience does not show any interest in Mr. Wheeler 

32、9; stories. 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 couldn't understand the way of laborers for joy, and he would never bother himself

33、to understand it. So after the longtime of Mr. Wheeler ' solo narration and when the audience got achance, he fled away. Question3: 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 noti

34、ced or suspected the presence of humor. During the intercourse, the narrator went vigorously on his monotonous narrative "without a little smiling" talking about the animals and the things like, while the listener felt rather puzzled or bothered by his stories. It seemed to be kind of coar

35、se things. So the two different scenes go on separately without an intersection. And their interaction was a complete failure according tour 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 by Mark Twain

36、.Unit14 The Great GatsbyDo you think Gatsby deserv es to be called“the great " ?Why?(1)I think it is too complicated to simply say Gatsbydeserves to be great II or not.For one thing, Gatsby was ambitious, hardworking, generous and passionate. He was so extremely loyal to his love and Daisy that

37、 he could do anything to get Daisy back. In this respect, he is much greater II than his contemporaries. For another thing, Gatsby never realized that Daisy wasn' t the girl he lovedanymore. Gatsby was so innocent that he staked everything on his dreams, not realizing that his dreams are unworth

38、y of him. He wasn ' t sober enough to be great. 2.Does“the greenlight " Gatsby believed in exist in reality? Why or why not ?(1)I think the green light II does not exist in reality.Because the green light which situated at th e end of Daisy' sEast Egg dock and barely visible from West E

39、gg lawn represents Gatsby ' s unattainable dream. Although the coloritself can be seen as hope and bright future, Gatsby' s questfor Daisy back is doomed to be impossible. Daisy lived in a materi al world without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dream like airII . The distinction bet

40、ween ideal andreality was huge. As if American dream between golden past and golden future always suffered from the realistic betrayal and crush.3.What does Gats by ' s Schedule reveal about him and how does it relate to the American Dream?The schedule is a reflection of Gatsby' s determinat

41、ionand ambition. It reveals that he is hard on himself in pursuit of his goalto be an upper-class 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. The girl he

42、loves is as vulgar and superficial as others in her circle, she is unable to meets Gatsby s romantic fantasy. So his dream is destined to shatter, which indicates the disillusion of American Dream. 4.When you read the line " He (the man weyedwglasses) took off his glasses and wiped them again,

43、outside and in , " what images does it create in your mind, given the novel ' s numerous references to the strikingly strange scene of the spectacled eyes?From this line , superficially, owl-eyes is a person with thick and blurry glasses who can not see clearly all the things in the world.

44、However, we know he is actually an owl-wise observer and sees more clearly than anyone else in the novel. Owl-Eyes, except Nick, is the only friend to appear at the rain-soaked burial of Gatsby, when others are unwilling to come. He feels sympathy for Gat sby s tragedy.Unit 16 Ernest Hemingway1 .How

45、 do you interpret the irony of the title after reading the story?(1)The title A CleanLWeied Place II refers to the caf e in the text. The caf e was very clean and well- lighted. From the literary meaning, we may feel this place was very warm and comfortable, was a place where people need warmth want

46、ed to go. So the old man, who was rich but deaf and lonely came here to find warmth and avoided nada. It was the only place he could go and could find some comfort.(2)However, the younger waiter was very selfish. Therefore, he refused to offer the old man another cup ofwine by the excuse that the bu

47、siness was finished. This cafeshould be warm but the younger waiter forced the lonely anddeaf to leave without any sympathy. This is the irony of the title.2 .Do you think youth and confidence can help one withstand the metaphorical dark?Why or why not? I don ' t think so.In our opinion, theetap

48、horical dark means nada,nothing in one s inner heart. In the article, the younger waiter had both youth and confidence; however, he never made full use of them. As we can see, he didn' t understand theold man s suicide and excessive drinking, and failed to see his tomorrow through the old man pr

49、esent situation.3 .The older wait er said to the younger waiter:" We are of two different kinds." In what wayou think they are different?I think they are different from each other in the following four aspects:In the beginning, they are in different ages.The older waiter was in his middle

50、age; while the other was much younger.(2)Then, they have different attitudes towards the old man. From the article, the older waiter could understand the old man and show sympathy to him. However, the young man was very selfish. He showed hatred rather than sympathy to the old man.(3)Next, they have

51、 different attitudes towards life. The older waiter had a deep sense of life. He was brave and wanted to fight again nada. Besides, he cared about others. he has a shadow understanding of life. He satisfied with his present love and work, he only care about himself. He even never thought of his futu

52、re.(4)Finally, they have different attitudes towards nada. The older waiter had realized that it is impossible to avoid nada in one' whole life. The only thing h e can do is to keep a kind of clearness in his own mind. But out of youth and confidence, he failed to overcome nada. On the contrary,

53、 the younger waiter had the two most important factors for withstanding nada; however, he didn t realize the nada in his heart at all. Then his youthnad confidence became useless.Unit 17 20th -Century American Poets1 .Ezra Pound In A Station of the Metro2 .Why does the poet call the faces of pedestr

54、ians "apparition"?These pedestrians are all walking in a hurry amidst the drizzling rain. What do "petals" and "bough" stand for? Petals refer to the faces while the bough stands for the floating crowd.3 .Wallace Stevens Anecdote of the Jar1. What does the jar in poem s

55、ymbolize? Why does the speaker place it on top of a hill?The jar here symbolizes a certain perspective on looking at this world. If the perspective of the viewing iscreative and unique, it will change the conventional order of the old world. When a new perspective comes out, it will certainly hold a

56、ttention from the rest.2. The jar is "round" and "of a port in air," meaning that it has a stately importance. What effect does it have on surroundings when placed on the ground? Maybe the round jar assumes the air of a domineering figure, which helps to form a certain order out

57、of the disordered surrounding.3. How did the wilderness of Tennessee characterized? What words or phrases does the poet useto describe it?Tennessee seems to a place full of life and energy."Slovenly, “"sprawlare some of the words used to describe the place. (See Anecdote of the Jar ) 3.Rob

58、ert Frost(1)Fire and Ice 1. What are the symbolic meanings of fire in this poem? Fire symbolizes natural disaster, human passion, as well as war. 2. Why does the speaker say that ice is also great for destruction? Explain what ice stands for here. Ice, oppose to fire, is also a dreadful natural disaster in this world, and ice is always related to indifference, coldness, hatred, and the other negative sentiments of human beings. 3. What i