ENG 252 Final Exam 3 Solved 100% Correct
Describe the characteristics of a tragedy. - Answers-A hero is brought down by his/her
flaws, usually by ordinary flaws like greed, over-ambition, or excess or love. Meant to
captivate the audience's sympathy.
Describe the following characters from Death of a Salesman and provide an analysis of
each: Willy Loman, Biff Loman, Hap Loman, Linda Loma - Answers-Willy - An insecure,
self-deluded traveling salesman. Willy believes wholeheartedly in the American Dream
of easy success and wealth, but he never achieves it.
Biff Loman - Biff led a charmed life in high school as a football star. He cannot ignore
his instincts which tell him to abandon Willy's paralyzing dreams and work with his
hands. Leads to him not reconciling his life.
Hap Loman- Happy has lived in Biff's shadow all of his life, but he compensates by
nurturing his relentless sex drive and professional ambition.
Linda Loman- Suffers through WIlly's dreams and self-delusions. She is sometimes
taken in by these hopes but is more realistic than Willy.
Describe the key characteristics of Postmodernism in American Literature. Choose one
of the works we have read during this unit and explain in detail how it portrays the
characteristics of postmodern literature. - Answers-"Death of a Salesman" - deals with
identity
Focused on the present and past, asserts that truth is not mirrored in human
understanding of it, but is rather constructed as the mind tries to understand its own
personal reality, rejects western beliefs as only a small part of human experience.
Describe the key characteristics of the Grotesque in American Literature. Give a specific
example of these characteristics from one of our assigned works. - Answers-- "A good
man is hard to find" - story is very distorted and unusual, hard to understand
- Combination of comedy and tragedy, unsympathetic characters, and exaggeration and
distortion.
- Very strange or ugly in a way that is not normal or natural
Describe the key characteristics the Southern Gothic in American Literature. Give a
specific example of these characteristics from one of our assigned works. - Answers--
"A good man is hard to find" - a story about a family of six that live in Florida
- Freak and grotesque characters, dark humor, transgressive desires, and mostly
centered around the South
Describe the key theme(s) in "Recitatif." - Answers-Racial Prejudice- Morrison leaves
the characters races unknown into order to to demonstrate how people assume different
characteristics of that person based on their race.
Family dilemmas - both Roberta and Twyla have relationships with their mothers that do
not fit societal standards.
, Does O'Connor's story offer a discernible point of view on what constitutes "goodness"?
What kind of "good" can you find in the ending of the story, if any? - Answers-The story
does not offer a discernible point of view that constitutes "goodness" until the end where
we see the grandmother show compassion to the misfit unlike how she treats other
characters.
How does Death of a Salesman portray life, in general? - Answers-Death of a Salesman
portrays life in a negative way. This whole family is seen killing themselves in order to
be a successful working family. This story portrays real world problems seen by families
and illustrates how cruel life can be.
Identify and describe the key symbols in "Sonny's Blues." - Answers-The cup of
trembling - serves as a symbol for his suffering coming to an end just like the cup of
trembling in the Bible
Housing projects- symbol for Harlem's decline and fall. "rocks in the middle of the
boiling sea.
Identify and describe the key themes in "Sonny's Blues." - Answers-Brotherly love - the
narrator is seen constantly helping out his brother and this is highlighted when his
mother tells him to look after his little brother.
Music as a form of expression - music plays an instrumental role in this story. Including
Sonny's aspiration of being a performer to him playing at the end of the story.
Identify the key themes and ideas in Death of a Salesman. - Answers-The American
Dream- Willy believes in the promise of the American Dream that all it takes it to be
"well-liked" and "personally attractive" and you will achieve the American Dream. This
idea leads him to a steep decline. His idea on how to achieve the American Dream
contradicts the more gritty, more rewarding way of achieving it (Bernard, hard work)
Abandonment-Over the course of the story people abandon WIlly, like his father, his
brother for Alaska, leaving him with a ambition of a perfect family that conforms to the
American Dream. This leads to his own son abandoning him and his plan for his son,
along with his son catching WIlly with another woman.
Is Twyla a reliable narrator? Why or why not? - Answers-Twyla is a unreliable character
due to her lack of memory on certain events, and prejudice against those of a different
color and the disabled. She is also at young age when most events happen.
Name and explain two significant symbols in O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find."
- Answers-- The grandmothers hat - her misguided moral code. She is more concerned
with her physical appearance that being selfless. But the hat falls apart like her moral
convictions. She dresses up prepared to have a car accident so people could see how
nice she looked as a dead body.
- The misfit's car - a symbol for death. It is described as a big black hearse-like
automobile.
Describe the characteristics of a tragedy. - Answers-A hero is brought down by his/her
flaws, usually by ordinary flaws like greed, over-ambition, or excess or love. Meant to
captivate the audience's sympathy.
Describe the following characters from Death of a Salesman and provide an analysis of
each: Willy Loman, Biff Loman, Hap Loman, Linda Loma - Answers-Willy - An insecure,
self-deluded traveling salesman. Willy believes wholeheartedly in the American Dream
of easy success and wealth, but he never achieves it.
Biff Loman - Biff led a charmed life in high school as a football star. He cannot ignore
his instincts which tell him to abandon Willy's paralyzing dreams and work with his
hands. Leads to him not reconciling his life.
Hap Loman- Happy has lived in Biff's shadow all of his life, but he compensates by
nurturing his relentless sex drive and professional ambition.
Linda Loman- Suffers through WIlly's dreams and self-delusions. She is sometimes
taken in by these hopes but is more realistic than Willy.
Describe the key characteristics of Postmodernism in American Literature. Choose one
of the works we have read during this unit and explain in detail how it portrays the
characteristics of postmodern literature. - Answers-"Death of a Salesman" - deals with
identity
Focused on the present and past, asserts that truth is not mirrored in human
understanding of it, but is rather constructed as the mind tries to understand its own
personal reality, rejects western beliefs as only a small part of human experience.
Describe the key characteristics of the Grotesque in American Literature. Give a specific
example of these characteristics from one of our assigned works. - Answers-- "A good
man is hard to find" - story is very distorted and unusual, hard to understand
- Combination of comedy and tragedy, unsympathetic characters, and exaggeration and
distortion.
- Very strange or ugly in a way that is not normal or natural
Describe the key characteristics the Southern Gothic in American Literature. Give a
specific example of these characteristics from one of our assigned works. - Answers--
"A good man is hard to find" - a story about a family of six that live in Florida
- Freak and grotesque characters, dark humor, transgressive desires, and mostly
centered around the South
Describe the key theme(s) in "Recitatif." - Answers-Racial Prejudice- Morrison leaves
the characters races unknown into order to to demonstrate how people assume different
characteristics of that person based on their race.
Family dilemmas - both Roberta and Twyla have relationships with their mothers that do
not fit societal standards.
, Does O'Connor's story offer a discernible point of view on what constitutes "goodness"?
What kind of "good" can you find in the ending of the story, if any? - Answers-The story
does not offer a discernible point of view that constitutes "goodness" until the end where
we see the grandmother show compassion to the misfit unlike how she treats other
characters.
How does Death of a Salesman portray life, in general? - Answers-Death of a Salesman
portrays life in a negative way. This whole family is seen killing themselves in order to
be a successful working family. This story portrays real world problems seen by families
and illustrates how cruel life can be.
Identify and describe the key symbols in "Sonny's Blues." - Answers-The cup of
trembling - serves as a symbol for his suffering coming to an end just like the cup of
trembling in the Bible
Housing projects- symbol for Harlem's decline and fall. "rocks in the middle of the
boiling sea.
Identify and describe the key themes in "Sonny's Blues." - Answers-Brotherly love - the
narrator is seen constantly helping out his brother and this is highlighted when his
mother tells him to look after his little brother.
Music as a form of expression - music plays an instrumental role in this story. Including
Sonny's aspiration of being a performer to him playing at the end of the story.
Identify the key themes and ideas in Death of a Salesman. - Answers-The American
Dream- Willy believes in the promise of the American Dream that all it takes it to be
"well-liked" and "personally attractive" and you will achieve the American Dream. This
idea leads him to a steep decline. His idea on how to achieve the American Dream
contradicts the more gritty, more rewarding way of achieving it (Bernard, hard work)
Abandonment-Over the course of the story people abandon WIlly, like his father, his
brother for Alaska, leaving him with a ambition of a perfect family that conforms to the
American Dream. This leads to his own son abandoning him and his plan for his son,
along with his son catching WIlly with another woman.
Is Twyla a reliable narrator? Why or why not? - Answers-Twyla is a unreliable character
due to her lack of memory on certain events, and prejudice against those of a different
color and the disabled. She is also at young age when most events happen.
Name and explain two significant symbols in O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find."
- Answers-- The grandmothers hat - her misguided moral code. She is more concerned
with her physical appearance that being selfless. But the hat falls apart like her moral
convictions. She dresses up prepared to have a car accident so people could see how
nice she looked as a dead body.
- The misfit's car - a symbol for death. It is described as a big black hearse-like
automobile.
