American Literature 2nd Semester Final Study

What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

Delivered on July 5, 1852, this speech critiques the hypocrisy of a nation celebrating freedom while keeping millions enslaved.

Frederick Douglass

Wrote: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

-- A formerly enslaved person, leading abolitionist, and renowned orator who traveled widely to speak against slavery.

The Yellow Wallpaper

A story about a woman suffering from 'nervous depression' who becomes obsessed with the room's yellow wallpaper, eventually descending into madness.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Wrote: The Yellow Wallpaper.

--A leading feminist and social reformer who underwent the rest cure, which inspired 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'

The Open Boat

A narrative based on Crane's real-life shipwreck where four men are stranded in a dinghy after their ship sinks.

Stephen Crane

Wrote: The Open Boat.

-- Known for his realistic and naturalistic writing, he died young at 28.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

A story about Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate sympathizer who experiences a hallucination of escape before his execution.

Ambrose Bierce

Wrote:An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

-- A journalist, satirist, and Civil War veteran.

To Build a Fire

A tale of an unnamed man who travels through the Yukon wilderness and ultimately freezes to death after failing to build a fire.

Jack London

Wrote: To Build a Fire

The Story of an Hour

A narrative where Louise Mallard experiences a brief sense of freedom upon learning of her husband's death, only to die when he returns alive.

Kate Chopin

Wrote: The Story of an Hour

-- A pioneering feminist writer who died suddenly from a heart ailment.

Daisy Miller

A story about a young American woman traveling in Europe who is judged for her flirtatious behavior and dies of 'Roman fever' after a late-night outing.

Henry James

Wrote: Daisy Miller

-- Considered the first psychological novelist.

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

A humorous tale about Jim Smiley and his trained frog, which loses a jumping contest due to a trick.

Jim Smiley

The character in 'The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County' known for his trained frog.

Realism

Portrays life accurately, focuses on ordinary people, rejects romanticism.

Naturalism

Humans subject to forces beyond their control.

Regionalism/Local Color

Records distinctive ways of life by region.

Modernism

Experimental, reaction to WWI destruction, 1914-1945.

Postmodernism

Diverse voices, after 1945.

Satire

Use of humor, irony, exaggeration to criticize.

Bildungsroman

Coming-of-age story.

Malaprop

Misuse of a word for humorous effect.

Irony/Dramatic Irony

Contrast between appearance and reality; audience knows more than characters.

Allusion

Reference to another work or event.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds.

Socratic Irony

Pretending ignorance to expose another's ignorance.

Marxist/Feminist Literary Theory

Focus on class/gender in literature.

Foot, Iamb, Meter, Rhyme

Basic elements of poetry structure.

Southern Gothic

Grotesque themes, Southern settings.

Points of View

First, second, third person narration.

The Great Gatsby

Nick Carraway narrates the story of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire obsessed with rekindling his love for Daisy Buchanan.

The Old Man and the Sea

Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman, struggles to catch a giant marlin.

Whitman's Style

Free verse, cataloging, celebration of the self.

Dickinson's Style

Short lines, slant rhyme, unconventional punctuation and capitalization.

MLA 9th Edition Basics

Double-spacing, 12-pt font, 1-inch margins.

In-text citation

(Author page).

Works Cited

Alphabetical by author's last name.

A Rose for Emily

Southern Gothic tale of isolation and decay.

Good Country People

Irony and deception in rural Georgia.

Everyday Use

Contrasts heritage and identity within a Black family.

The Crucible

Allegory of McCarthyism, set during Salem witch trials.

"What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim."

From: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

"I suppose I shall have to get back behind the pattern when it comes night, and that is hard!"

From: The Yellow Wallpaper

"Cook," remarked the captain, "there don't seem to be any signs of life about your house of refuge."

From: The Open Boat

"The man who was engaged in being hanged was apparently about thirty five years of age. He was a civilian, if one might judge from his dress, which was that of a planter."

From: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

"He pulled the mitten on hurriedly and stood up. He was a bit frightened."

From: Build a Fire

"Free! Body and soul free!"

From: The Story of an Hour

"All the more reason that you shouldn't help her to make a scandal."

From: Daisy Miller

"Smiley would bet on anything."

From: The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Mark Twain

Wrote: The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

-- Twain is a foundational figure in American literature, known for satire and regionalism.

Fitzgerald wrote…

The Great Gatsby

What do cars mean?

recklessness

What does red mean?

Violence, elegance, false hope, death

What does blue mean?

illusion, wealth, fantasy, lonliness

What is the meaning of the green light?

Gatsby's hopes and dreams of the future

What does white mean?

Purity, innocence, wealth

Who killed Myrtle?

Daisy

Nick knew Tom from….?

yale

Dan Cody gave Gatsby which job?

personal assistant

Who told Wilson the owner of the car?

Tom

Why does Catherine believe that Tom won't marry Myrtle?

because daisy is cathoic and does not believe in divorce

What prize did Hemingway receive in 1954 for his body of work?

Nobel prize in literature

Besides writing fiction, what other kind of writing did Hemingway do as a young man?

worked as a journalist at the Kansas City Star

What job did Hemingway have during WWI?

worked as an ambulance driver

Hemingway wrote using what principle?

iceberg theory

T or False - Hemingway was only famous after his death.

False

What contest did Santiago win as a young man, and he was called El Champion?

arm-wrestling

How many days has it been since Santiago caught a fish?

84

What kind of fish is Santiago hoping to catch?

marlin (?)

Why can't the boy fish with Santiago at the start of the story?

because his parents forbid him.

The mast is a symbol of…?

a cross

Why does he admire Di Maggio?

because he represents skill, perseverance, resilience, all qualities Santiago deeply respects

The sharks symbolize…?

destructive forces and hardships

What does the marlin symbolize?

the ideal opponent

What do lions symbolize?

youth and strength

At the end of the book, what is partially restored for Santiago?

reputation and dignity

What flashback scene demonstrates Santiago's perseverance?

The memory of hand wrestling

What does Santiago know when he sees the man of war bird circling?

knows the bird likely has spotted fish in the water

Santiago says that he has gained __ without the loss of true pride.

humility

What shows Santiago's skill as a fisherman?

His precise techniques: the way he sets his fishing line, waits patiently, knows how to manage the lines tensions, and uses experience to predict the marlins behavior.

Santiago feels he can sail home by the lights of what large city?

Havana

Santiago thinks, "But I think the great ___would be proud of me today".

DiMaggio

What is the name of the boy?

manolin

Santiago says that pain does not matter to a .

man

In which island nation does the story take place?

Cuba

When does Yellow Wallpaper take place?

in the late 19th century (1890s)

How did Mr. Mallard die?

railroad accident

What kills Daisy Miller?

Roman fever

What side is Farquahr on?

The confederacy during the Civil War

What ship sank, stranding four men in a dinghy?

SS Commodore