American Lit Midterm

The Private History of a Campaign That Failed

A satirical account of Twain's brief experience in a Confederate militia during the Civil War, showcasing the absurdity of war.

Themes: Absurdity of war, youthful naivete.

Characters: The narrator, members of the militia.

The War Prayer

A story where a congregation prays for war victory, only to be confronted with the brutal consequences by a mysterious stranger.

Themes: The irony of warfare, the morality of prayers.

Characters: The congregation, the mysterious stranger.

The Real Thing

Henry James's story about an artist who learns that aristocracy does not guarantee authenticity in his artistic work.

Themes: Authenticity vs. imitation, the nature of art.

Characters: The artist, the aristocratic couple.

The Goophered Grapevine

A tale by Charles W. Chesnutt that explores folklore and the legacy of slavery through a supernatural narrative.

Themes: Slavery, folklore, identity.

Characters: Uncle Julius, the narrator, the plantation owner.

The Yellow Wallpaper

A narrative about a woman's psychological breakdown due to oppressive gender roles and confinement.

Themes: Mental illness, the oppression of women.

Characters: The narrator, her husband John.

The Open Boat

A short story examining human struggle against nature, showcasing themes of fate and camaraderie.

Themes: Human struggle, brotherhood, nature's indifference. Characters: The correspondent, the captain, the cook, the oiler.

The Dynamo and the Virgin

Henry Adams's comparison of religious symbols and modern technology illustrating the transition from faith to science.

Themes: Religion vs. technology, progress.

Characters: The Virgin Mary, the dynamo.

Mrs. Spring Fragrance

A story about a Chinese immigrant navigating cultural identity while helping a young couple unite in love.

Themes: Cultural identity, love, immigration.

Characters: Mrs. Spring Fragrance, Mr. Spring Fragrance, the young couple.

Life Among the Piutes

A recounting of the struggles of the Northern Paiute people by Sarah Winnemucca, addressing themes of displacement and survival.

Themes: Displacement, survival, cultural awareness.

Characters: Sarah Winnemucca, the Piute people.

Impressions of an Indian Childhood

Zitkala-Ša's narrative about the loss of Native identity due to colonial influences experienced during childhood.

Themes: Loss of identity, colonization.

Characters: Zitkala-Ša, her family.

School Days of an Indian Girl

A portrayal of painful experiences related to forced assimilation of Native children in boarding schools.

Themes: Assimilation, loss of culture.

Characters: Zitkala-Ša, other Native children.

The Atlanta Exposition Address

Booker T. Washington's speech emphasizing economic self-improvement for Black Americans.

Themes: Economic self-improvement, racial equality.

Characters: Booker T. Washington.

Trifles

A play that highlights gender roles and female solidarity while investigating a murder.

Themes: Gender roles, female solidarity.

Characters: The sheriff, Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters.

The Chrysanthemums

John Steinbeck's story about a neglected farm wife exploring themes of gender roles and unfulfilled potential.

Themes: Gender roles, loneliness, unfulfilled potential.

Characters: Elisa Allen, the traveling man.

Sweat

Zora Neale Hurston's tale of a Black woman confronting domestic abuse and reclaiming her power.

Themes: Domestic abuse, empowerment, survival.

Characters: Delia, Sykes.

Battle Royal

Ralph Ellison's depiction of a young Black man's humiliating struggle with racism and societal expectations.

Themes: Racism, identity, humiliation.

Characters: The narrator, the white audience.

A Good Man is Hard to Find

Flannery O’Connor's story about a family's encounter with evil during a road trip.

Themes: Good vs. evil, family dynamics.

Characters: The grandmother, the family, The Misfit.

Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller's tragic play about Willy Loman's quest for identity and the American Dream.

Themes: The American Dream, identity, failure.

Characters: Willy Loman, Linda Loman, Biff Loman.

Babylon Revisited

F. Scott Fitzgerald's narrative about a man's struggle for redemption and confronting his past.

Themes: Redemption, loss, the pursuit of happiness.

Characters: Charlie Wales, Honoria.

Barn Burning

William Faulkner's story of a boy grappling with loyalty to his arsonist father and moral choices.

Themes: Loyalty, morality, class conflict.

Characters: Sartoris Snopes, Abner Snopes.

Howl

Allen Ginsberg's poem critiquing American society while celebrating counterculture and mental health.

Themes: Counterculture, mental health, societal critique.

Characters: The 'best minds' of the generation.

On the Road

Jack Kerouac's novel about the quest for meaning and self-discovery within the Beat Generation.

Themes: Journey, self-discovery, freedom.

Characters: Sal Paradise, Dean Moriarty.

Going to Meet the Man

James Baldwin's exploration of a racist sheriff's traumatic childhood experience linked to lynching.

Themes: Racism, trauma, identity.

Characters: The sheriff, the lynched man.

The Man Who Was Almost a Man

Richard Wright's story of a boy's misguided belief that owning a gun will validate his masculinity.

Themes: Masculinity, youth, societal expectations.

Characters: Dave, his mother.

Claude McKay

A key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, poetry explores themes of racial identity, resistance, and African American experience

Notable poems:

“If We Must Die” - sonnet about fighting oppression with dignity

Style: traditional sonnets, strong imagery, mix of anger, pride, hope

Amy Lowell

leading figure of Imagism, poetry focuses on vivid imagery, sensuality, and everyday life.

Notable Poems:

Style: Free verse, rich imagery, sensory details, personal reflection

Carl Sandburg

Known for realist and free-verse poetry, captured working-class struggles, the beauty of everyday life, and American identity

notable Poems:

Chicago: “hog butcher for the world”

Fog: short famous metaphor for silent and mysterious nature of fog

“Grass”: war and passage of time

style: simple, direct language, free verse, focus on ordinary people

T.S. Eliot

Modernist poet, complex, allusive, often explores despair, time, and fragmentation

notable poems and themes:

Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock: isolation, insecurity, existential crisis

“The Waste Land”: Post WWI despair, cultural decay, spiritual emptiness

“The Hollow Men”: hopelessness, paralysis, breakdown of faith

style: dense allusions, fragmented structure, symbolism, free verse with shifting verses

Langston Hughes

major Harlem Renaissance poet, celebrated Black culture, jazz, social justice.

Notable poems

“The Negro Speaks of Rivers”: Ancestry, heritage, and the deep history of Black people

“I, Too”: hope and racial equality

style: simple yet powerful language, jazz and blues influences, themes of resilience and racial pride