Final Exam in American Literature ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND WELL
ELABORATED ANSWERS (MOST TESTED QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS)
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What is "the American Renaissance?" - CORRECT ANSWER The
beginning of an authentic literary tradition national movement in
America.
What are the two groups of pre-transcendentalists? - CORRECT
ANSWER New York Nickerbockers (Irwing) and Boston Fireside Poets
(Longfellow).
Which is the name of the European arts movement that these writers
are thought to be influenced by? - CORRECT ANSWER Romanticism.
Describe the critical approach we applied to Emerson's speech "The
American Scholar." - CORRECT ANSWER Emerson is considered the
author of this break. He contradicts himself.
Which of the following is the context of Emerson's speech? - CORRECT
ANSWER Harvard University fraternity meeting.
Emerson says who/what is the first and foremost teacher? - CORRECT
ANSWER Nature.
What about Emerson's praise for labor shows that it is not as
progressive as he makes it sound? - CORRECT ANSWER Agriculture
is being industrialized.
What is radical about Emerson's phrase "the theory of books"? -
CORRECT ANSWER Books are meant to be read for education but
books are only one option in learning.
There is evidence that Emerson subscribes to... - CORRECT ANSWER
The Anglo-Saxon race myth.
,What is "sublimation" on the critical theory of Thoreau? - CORRECT
ANSWER Thoreau is a transcendentalist and embraces it through the
hunter myth.
Interpret Thoreau's line, "the frontier is wherever aman fronts a fact." -
CORRECT ANSWER The frontier is a state of mind not a place.
Who are the anti-transcendentalist? - CORRECT ANSWER Hawthorne
and Melville.
The anti-transcendentalists saw themselves as bringing their writing
back to which original American mythology? - CORRECT ANSWER
Puritanism.
According to our critical thesis of the anti-transcendentalist they bring
American mythology back to... - CORRECT ANSWER The American
goddess.
What example from the text of the scarlet letter is a sign that she is
the traditional racially crossed character? - CORRECT ANSWER Her
raven hair.
What is the "dramatic climax" of The Scarlet Letter? - CORRECT
ANSWER Dimmsdale confesses that he is the father and then dies.
The standard reading of the dramatic climax of The Scarlet Letter
interprets it in a gothic way. What does that mean? - CORRECT
ANSWER The gothic way means that his confession is his feelings of
guilt.
Whitman worked in what capacity prior to his life as a poet? -
CORRECT ANSWER Journalist.
Whitmans attitude toward NYC at mid century is contrasted with what
famous American writers? And what was the attitude toward the city
of those writers? - CORRECT ANSWER Poe and Melville. They were
nostalgic for old NYC. Immigrants ruined the city.
,What does the critic mean by "urban affection"? - CORRECT ANSWER
Bonding with strangers.
The life changing experience that immediately prededed his
identification as the national poet was had... - CORRECT ANSWER In
New Orleans.
Who are the Creoles and what place do they play in WW journey? -
CORRECT ANSWER All the French immigrants that exposed ethnic
diversity to WW. Mixture is a source of something positive in the
culture.
Whitman's journal reveals the moment when Leaves of Grass was born
with what dominant idea? - CORRECT ANSWER His voice, the "I".
Identify two aspects of Whitman's picture in the 1855 edition of
Leaves that we're uniques for the times. - CORRECT ANSWER It was
a full body picture and he was in normal people clothing.
What inappropriate thing did WW do with the positive comments that
Emerson made about the 1855 Leaves? - CORRECT ANSWER
Published them.
What transcendentalist visited WW in NYC? Describe the experience. -
CORRECT ANSWER Thoreau. He was disgusted by Whitmans way of
life and how filthy it was.
What is the name of the urban-artist-immigrant community that WW
was a part of? - CORRECT ANSWER Bohemia.
WW thought the 1860 Leaves would do what with respect to the Civil
War? - CORRECT ANSWER Prevent it.
Whom did WW see as the embodiment of his average man poet? -
CORRECT ANSWER Abraham Lincoln.
In what sense was Leaves "reconceived" after the Civil War? -
CORRECT ANSWER The poem is about the civil war.
, What aspect of WW identity as the "poet of the body" is added in his
declining years? - CORRECT ANSWER He described the ways his
body was decaying and accepted death and the afterlife.
What about language does WW say american's understand intuitively? -
CORRECT ANSWER No language is pure, slang is important.
American's understand the importance of slang to language.
The thesis on the body is interpreted as WW's... - CORRECT ANSWER
Anti-Puritansim
In what sense did Whitman's mother influence his poetic style? -
CORRECT ANSWER His mothers illiteracy influenced his free-verse
style. He wasn't limited by correctness.
What is our definition of the meaning of "personality" as it works in
this novel? - CORRECT ANSWER An unbroken series of unsuccessful
guestures. Self invention and it is performance based.
Identify two metaphors that illustrate industrialism as the end of the
Argo-myth. - CORRECT ANSWER Valley of ashes, fantastic farm, and
grotesque gardens.
What about the description of the band at Gatsbys party indicates the
Modern Art Thesis? - CORRECT ANSWER Expressing a negative
attitude towards the mixture of classical and popular idea of modern
art.
Which composition/composer is thought to be the allusion in "The Jazz
History of the World"? - CORRECT ANSWER "Rhapsody in Blue" by
George Gershwin.
What is the significance of the phrase "even Gatsby could happen" in
chapter four? - CORRECT ANSWER Gatsby's self invention is allowed
because of racial self invention (for african American immigrants
moving to a city).
ELABORATED ANSWERS (MOST TESTED QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS)
LATEST Test bank
What is "the American Renaissance?" - CORRECT ANSWER The
beginning of an authentic literary tradition national movement in
America.
What are the two groups of pre-transcendentalists? - CORRECT
ANSWER New York Nickerbockers (Irwing) and Boston Fireside Poets
(Longfellow).
Which is the name of the European arts movement that these writers
are thought to be influenced by? - CORRECT ANSWER Romanticism.
Describe the critical approach we applied to Emerson's speech "The
American Scholar." - CORRECT ANSWER Emerson is considered the
author of this break. He contradicts himself.
Which of the following is the context of Emerson's speech? - CORRECT
ANSWER Harvard University fraternity meeting.
Emerson says who/what is the first and foremost teacher? - CORRECT
ANSWER Nature.
What about Emerson's praise for labor shows that it is not as
progressive as he makes it sound? - CORRECT ANSWER Agriculture
is being industrialized.
What is radical about Emerson's phrase "the theory of books"? -
CORRECT ANSWER Books are meant to be read for education but
books are only one option in learning.
There is evidence that Emerson subscribes to... - CORRECT ANSWER
The Anglo-Saxon race myth.
,What is "sublimation" on the critical theory of Thoreau? - CORRECT
ANSWER Thoreau is a transcendentalist and embraces it through the
hunter myth.
Interpret Thoreau's line, "the frontier is wherever aman fronts a fact." -
CORRECT ANSWER The frontier is a state of mind not a place.
Who are the anti-transcendentalist? - CORRECT ANSWER Hawthorne
and Melville.
The anti-transcendentalists saw themselves as bringing their writing
back to which original American mythology? - CORRECT ANSWER
Puritanism.
According to our critical thesis of the anti-transcendentalist they bring
American mythology back to... - CORRECT ANSWER The American
goddess.
What example from the text of the scarlet letter is a sign that she is
the traditional racially crossed character? - CORRECT ANSWER Her
raven hair.
What is the "dramatic climax" of The Scarlet Letter? - CORRECT
ANSWER Dimmsdale confesses that he is the father and then dies.
The standard reading of the dramatic climax of The Scarlet Letter
interprets it in a gothic way. What does that mean? - CORRECT
ANSWER The gothic way means that his confession is his feelings of
guilt.
Whitman worked in what capacity prior to his life as a poet? -
CORRECT ANSWER Journalist.
Whitmans attitude toward NYC at mid century is contrasted with what
famous American writers? And what was the attitude toward the city
of those writers? - CORRECT ANSWER Poe and Melville. They were
nostalgic for old NYC. Immigrants ruined the city.
,What does the critic mean by "urban affection"? - CORRECT ANSWER
Bonding with strangers.
The life changing experience that immediately prededed his
identification as the national poet was had... - CORRECT ANSWER In
New Orleans.
Who are the Creoles and what place do they play in WW journey? -
CORRECT ANSWER All the French immigrants that exposed ethnic
diversity to WW. Mixture is a source of something positive in the
culture.
Whitman's journal reveals the moment when Leaves of Grass was born
with what dominant idea? - CORRECT ANSWER His voice, the "I".
Identify two aspects of Whitman's picture in the 1855 edition of
Leaves that we're uniques for the times. - CORRECT ANSWER It was
a full body picture and he was in normal people clothing.
What inappropriate thing did WW do with the positive comments that
Emerson made about the 1855 Leaves? - CORRECT ANSWER
Published them.
What transcendentalist visited WW in NYC? Describe the experience. -
CORRECT ANSWER Thoreau. He was disgusted by Whitmans way of
life and how filthy it was.
What is the name of the urban-artist-immigrant community that WW
was a part of? - CORRECT ANSWER Bohemia.
WW thought the 1860 Leaves would do what with respect to the Civil
War? - CORRECT ANSWER Prevent it.
Whom did WW see as the embodiment of his average man poet? -
CORRECT ANSWER Abraham Lincoln.
In what sense was Leaves "reconceived" after the Civil War? -
CORRECT ANSWER The poem is about the civil war.
, What aspect of WW identity as the "poet of the body" is added in his
declining years? - CORRECT ANSWER He described the ways his
body was decaying and accepted death and the afterlife.
What about language does WW say american's understand intuitively? -
CORRECT ANSWER No language is pure, slang is important.
American's understand the importance of slang to language.
The thesis on the body is interpreted as WW's... - CORRECT ANSWER
Anti-Puritansim
In what sense did Whitman's mother influence his poetic style? -
CORRECT ANSWER His mothers illiteracy influenced his free-verse
style. He wasn't limited by correctness.
What is our definition of the meaning of "personality" as it works in
this novel? - CORRECT ANSWER An unbroken series of unsuccessful
guestures. Self invention and it is performance based.
Identify two metaphors that illustrate industrialism as the end of the
Argo-myth. - CORRECT ANSWER Valley of ashes, fantastic farm, and
grotesque gardens.
What about the description of the band at Gatsbys party indicates the
Modern Art Thesis? - CORRECT ANSWER Expressing a negative
attitude towards the mixture of classical and popular idea of modern
art.
Which composition/composer is thought to be the allusion in "The Jazz
History of the World"? - CORRECT ANSWER "Rhapsody in Blue" by
George Gershwin.
What is the significance of the phrase "even Gatsby could happen" in
chapter four? - CORRECT ANSWER Gatsby's self invention is allowed
because of racial self invention (for african American immigrants
moving to a city).
