Unit I: Literature

Mark Twain

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

William Dean Howells

Editha

Henry James

The Real Thing and The Pupil

Ambrose Bierce

An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge and Chikamauga

Jack London

To Build a Fire

Kate Chopin

Desiree’s Baby, The Story of an Hour, At the ‘Cadian Ball and The Storm

Mary Wilkins Freeman

A New England Nun and The Revolt of ‘Mother’

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Yellow Wallpaper

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County theme

trickery → trickster doesn’t win (Jim Smiley), East vs. West clash

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County theme

narrator goes to Simon Wheeler asking for Reverend Leonidas W. Smiley

Simon Wheeler tells story about Jim Smiley

Jim Smiley likes to bet; bets on horse, then dog, then frog

Stranger beats Jim Smiley’s frog

Narrator leaves Simon Wheeler’s house

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Irony

things don’t happen the way they’re expected to happen

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County dog name

Andrew Jackson: Trail of Tears, Democrat (States Rights), proslavery

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County frog name

Daniel Webster: Whig Party, direct opponent of A.J.

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County horse name

15 minute nag

Setting of Notorious Jumping Frog

Angels Camp (Goldrush town), Old West

Narrative type of Notorious Jumping Frog

frame narrative

William Dean Howells commentary in Editha

criticism of rashness of youth

Editha setting

Spanish-American war

Editha main plotpoints

Editha wants George to go to war

They argue but George goes to war

George dies

Editha depressed

Editha to Mrs. Gearson’s house, gets dunked on by her

Editha depressed again but when she is getting her picture painted the painter calls Mrs. Gearson vulgar, so Editha feels justified and is free

Editha theme

ideal vs. reality

The Real Thing theme

Money, Identity, and Class

The Real Thing main plot points

Mr. and Mrs. Monarch come to main characters studio

Model for him for a while

Mrs. Churm is mad about Mr. and Mrs. Monarch

Italian Oronte becomes main model

Jack Hawley is like these guys are trash

Mr. and Mrs. Monarch are laid off

The Pupil theme

need vs. greed

The Pupil main plot points

Pemberton hired to tutor Morgan

Morgan and Pemberton become friends

Pemberton isn’t getting paid

Pemberton leaves to tutor another guy who’s going to give him money

Mrs. Moreen writes to Pemberton that Morgan is sick

Pemberton goes and stays with them while they have financial troubles

Mrs. Moreen says Morgan can go with Pemberton

Morgan dies

What condition does Morgan have in The Pupil?

heart condition

Why can’t Morgan go to school/need a tutor?

his heart condition makes him too fragile to go to school

Why is Pemberton nervous to tutor Morgan?

he hasn’t been a tutor yet

How does An Occurrence at Owl Creek begin

in media res

An Occurrence at Owl Creek theme

life vs. death, trickery, fluidity of time

An Occurrence at Owl Creek main plot points

Story opens with Farquhar being hung

Flashback to him being tricked by a Union solider pretending to be a Confederate to blow up Confederate bridge

Back to him being hung, escapes noose, goes down river, gets shot at, gets home

Dies

Which side of the army was Farquhar on (Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge)

Confederate

Sounds corresponding to emotions

watch=about to die, gun=panic

Chikamauga theme

war is not to be idealized, death comes from war

Chikamauga setting

plantation, woods, Civil War

Why doesn’t the little boy notice the gunshots and fire? Chikamauga

He’s deaf

Fire irony Chikamauga

light represents beacon to little boy but it actually is destructive

Sword symbol Chikamauga

warrior heritage, gives sense of strength, wood=weak (little boy is vulnerable)

Main plot points of Chikamauga

little boy wandering in forest

falls asleep

sees dead/injured guys and plays with them

sees light so he goes toward it

his house is on fire

goes to his mom who is dead

throws sword in fire

To Build a Fire theme

Nature Is Indifferent, survival

To Build a Fire main plot points

man goes into the woods alone with dog

fell into frozen lake

builds fire but gets really cold while doing it

fire melts snow off branch and falls on fire, puts fire out

tries to make another fire but hands are numb

tries to kill dog to live in it’s corpse but can’t

dies

Desiree’s Baby: What does creole mean

people born in Louisiana

Desiree’s Baby: Creole class

wealthy

Desiree’s Baby: Cajun meaning

‘Cadians/French Canadians

Desiree’s Baby: Cajun class

poorer/farmers

Desiree’s Baby: Louisiana before vs. after Louisiana purchase

Class mattered more than race then “one drop rule” developed and race mattered more over class

Setting of Desiree’s Baby

plantation areas of Louisiana

Desiree’s Baby: Why is Armand cruel to the enslaved people on his plantation

internalized hatred (knows he’s mixed)

Desiree’s Baby main plot points

Desiree adopted

Desiree and Armand are growing apart because of the race of their baby

Armand confronts her and kicks her out

Desiree goes to swamp with baby

Armand burning Desiree’s things but looks at letter that lets readers know he is mixed

At The Cadian Ball theme

women’s sexual desires and individuality

Desiree’s Baby theme

racism/colorism

At The Cadian Ball main plot points

Alcee (Creole) goes to Cadian ball for Calixta

Bobinox and Calixta talk

Alcee and Calixta talk

Clarissa confronts Alcee about Calixta

Bobinox ends up with Calixta and Alcee ends up wth Clarissa

The Storm main plot points

Bobinot and his son Bibi stuck at store during storm

Alcee asks Calixta to stay in her house while storm passes

They have sex

Alcee leaves and Bobinot and Bibi come home

Calixta is nicer

The Storm theme

female sexuality

The Story of an Hour theme

female self-exploration/identity, unhappy marriage

The Story of an Hour main plot points

Mrs. Mallard learns her husband dies

Feels free as she looks out the window

Goes downstairs with her sister

Husband comes home

Mrs. Mallard dies of a heart attack

A New England Nun themes

duty vs. happiness

A New England nun main plot points

Joe comes home from Australia

Louisa and him are about to get married

Louisa goes on a walk at night and sits down

Joe and Lily talk about how they love eachother but won’t get married

Louisa breaks off the engagement with Joe

A New England Nun bird symbol

Louisa’s hermit way of life

A New England Nun Caesar symbol

Louisa’s hermit way of life

A New England Nun bird’s alarm when seeing Joe symbol

Louisa’s own emotions toward Joe

The Revolt of ‘Mother’ theme

defiance of traditional gender roles

The Revolt of ‘Mother’ main plot points

Sarah Penn finds out new barn is being built and confronts Adoniram

Adoniram brushes her off

Sarah brings her and her children’s things into the new barn

Adoniram comes home and is shocked

Adoniram submits to Sarah

Irony in The Revolt of ‘Mother’

animals are getting better living conditions than humans

Barn symbol in The Revolt of ‘Mother’

To Adoniram: his success and agricultural growth

To Sarah: broken promise

The Yellow Wallpaper main plot points

Narrator is on rest cure in room with yellow wallpaper

Sees things in the wallpaper

Eventually sees a woman in the wallpaper

Tries to get her out

Ends up being the woman she was trying to get out and is rubbing against the wallpaper

Why does the narrator go mad in the Yellow Wallpaper

Rubbing against wallpaper: arsenic

Not allowed to talk to people

What is the commentary in The Yellow Wallpaper

how unfairly mentally ill women were treated

Theme in The Yellow Wallpaper

mental illness, gender roles, “hysteria”