美国文学试题Questions for Testing

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

2、ynne: the main character of The Scarlet Letter. She is a married women but 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 A on her chest. But she faces the future optimistically, and helps others. Finally ,s

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 Hesters husband was away for a long time, she committed adultery by sleeping with Dimmesdale, the towns 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 watch h

5、er.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 whol

6、e.4. “the Modern man” in “Ones Self I Sing” (P60)Author: Walt Whitman -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 he has is

7、 his right to live.5. The overall metaphor in “O Captain! My Captain!”? (P62)The ship the United States of America, its fearful trip the troubles of the American Civil War.The Captain Lincoln The prize is the preservation of the union6. Success Is Counted SweetestDickinson sends the message that onl

8、y 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 “Im Nobody!”Frog here is a symbol of somebod

9、y . 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 “tell ones name,” that is, their own name, over and over, in an attempt to make themselves seem important. The poem says that frogs, though they can croak and

10、make themselves heard and be noticed, are noticed only by an 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.8. Narrator of Simon WheelerSimon Wheeler is a narrator deliberately arranged

11、 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 9-line stanza, which greatly narrows in t

12、he last two lines. The poems meter is an irregular mix of iambic tetrameter and dimeter, and the rhyme scheme (abaabcbcb) also follows no regular pattern.Symbolism and ImageryThe first symbol and image of fire; The second symbol and image of ice;“the world” as a symbol for a relationship.The poem en

13、ds with the line “And would suffice” 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 (p197) Author :Robert FrostThe poem is loaded with rhythm, metaphors and greatness.The poem is a

14、lyric poem with four stanzas of five lines each. The rhyme scheme is abaab. The rhymes are strict and masculine. There are four stressed syllables per line, varying on an iambic tetrameter baseThe poem revolves around the metaphor comparing the decisions we make on the journey of life to a fork in t

15、he road.The 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 he is telling us that we should try out

16、 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, one must accept the consequences of

17、ones 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. What are the motifs causing Montresor to s

18、eek revenge on his friend Fortunato?Fortunato had insulted his family, which Montresor could not tolerate. Montresor claims that the insult was so horrible that the only justification and response to these words is death. 2. How did Montresor tempt Fortunato into the palazzo?Montresor exploits Fortunatos 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 un