美国文学选读第三版课后习题答案陶洁（部分）Unit 1 Benjamin FranklinQuestionsdid Franklin write his Autobiography?Franklin says that because his son may wish to know about his life, he is taking his one week vacation in the English countryside to record his past. He also says that he has enjoyed his life and would like to repeat itmade Franklin decide to leave the brother to whomhe had been apprenticed?His brother was passionate, and had often beaten him. The aversion to arbitrary power that has stuck to him through his whole life .After a brush with the law, Franklin left his brother.did he arrive in Philadephia?First he set out in a boat for Amboy, the boat dropped him off about 50 miles from Burlington, the next day he reachedBurlington on foot, in Burlington he found a boat which was going towards Philadelphia, he arrived there about eight or nine o'clock, on the Sunday morning and landed at the MarketStreet wharf.features do you find in the style of the above selection?It is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness, andconcision( 言简意赅 ). The narrative islucid( structure is simple, the imagery is homely( Unit 2 Edgar Allen Poeis the narrator? What wrong does he want to redress?Montresor.Fortunato, one of wine experts insulted him, so he wanted to murder him.is the pretext he uses to lure Fortunato to his wine cellar?He baits Fortunato by telling him he has obtained what he believes to be a cask of Amontillado a rare and valuable sherry wine.Fortunato is anxious to determine whether or not it is trulyAmontillado, so he goes to the vault with Montresor.happens to Fortunato in the end?He was walled up alive behind bricks in a wine cellar.易懂的 ), the 朴素的 ).briefly how Poe characterizes Montresor and Fortunato as contrasts?Poe uses color imagery to characterize them. Montresor face is covered in a black silk mask, In contrast, Fortunato dresses the motley-colored costume of the court fool, who gets literally and tragically fooled by Montresor's masked motives.The color schemes here represent the irony of Fortunato's death sentence.Through the acts, words, and thoughts of??Fortunato,we knowHe is greedy, he was lured into the dark and somber vaults just because a cask of Amontillado.This is also due to his bad habit of bibulosity（酗酒）. He lost himself on hearing the wine.At the same time, he was cheated by his enemy, which reflected his ignorance.When he heard the pretended compliment from Montresor, he became very boastful and arrogant.by the superficial phenomenaand failedHecouldn 't tolerate that others wereUnder the impulse of vanity, he fell into Montresor terrible trap.In fact, he was careless and foolish and didn 't find that the danger was approaching him.He looked down upon Montresor and others.He didn 't realize his foolishness until the death was coming.Talking from the appearance, Monstresor was a well-educated and“kind ” businessman.He enjoyed the honor and respect in the city. But in fact, he was an evil and awful person.His inner feelings were so cruel that they even made people tremble.Under his rich appearance was the dirty soul and despicable character. He was easily confused to watch out for others.stronger than him. For example, Montresor always stimulated him with Luchresi whowas good at connoisseur鉴赏） in wine.We couldn 't see any glorious virtues in his mind. Instead, his heart was cold and dark.It was the revenge that threw Montresor into the deep evil valley.unit 4 Nathaniel Hawthorneis the prison the setting of Chapter 1 ?No matter how optimistic the founders of new colonies may be, they are quick to establish a prison and a cemetery in theirUtopia, ” for they know that misbehavior, evil, and death areunavoidable.This belief fits into the larger Puritan doctrine, which puts heavy emphasis on the idea of original sin all people are born sinners because of the initialtransgressions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. he is therefore using the prison building to represent the crime and the punishment which are aspect of civilized lifeWhat is the implication of the description of the roses?The rosebush symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast man's activities.The narrator suggests that roses offer a reminder of Nature's kindness to the condemned; for his tale, he says, it willsweet moral blossom ” or else some reliefin the face of unrelenting sorrow and gloom.the appearance of Hester Prynne and the attitude of the peopletowards her.The second paragraph on page 30.— the notion that provide either aThe crowd in front of the jail is a mixture of men and women, all maintaining severe looks of disapproval.Several of the womenbegin to discuss Hester Prynne, and they soon vow that Hester would not have received such a light sentence for her crime if they had been the judges.Onewoman, the ugliest of the group, goes so far as to advocate deathfor Hester.has happened to Hester?As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar,Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live.While waiting for him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth toPearl.The scarlet letter is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy.Whydoes she make the embroidery of the letter A so elaborate?It seems to declare that she is proud, rather thanashamed,of hersin.In reality, however, Hester simply accepts the “■”I ■ Xsin ” anditssymbol as part of herself, just as she accepts herchild.And although she can hardly believe her present “I " I " ”realities, ”she takes them as they are rather than resisting them or trying to atone forthem.How does this tell us about hercharacter?Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as anintelligent, capable. It is the extraordinarycircumstancesshaping her that make her such an important figure.Unit5 Herman Melvilleare the stories Ismael tells about MobyDick?Ishmael compares the legend of Moby Dick to his experience ofthe whale.He notes that sperm whale attacks have increased recently andthat superstitious sailors have come to regard theseattacksas having an intelligent, even supernaturalorigin.In particular, wild rumors about Moby Dick circulateamongwhalemen, suggesting that he can be in more than one place atthe same time and that he is immortal. Ishmael remarks that even the wildest of rumors usually contains some truth.Whales, for instance, have been known to travel with remarkable speed from the Atlantic to the Pacific; thus, it is possible for a whale to be caught in the Pacific with the harpoons of a Greenland ship in it.Moby Dick, who has defied capture numerous times, exhibits an”（狠毒）in his attacks on men intelligent malignitydoes Ahab react so violently against the white whale?First, he lost one of his legs because of the white whale.Second,He considers Moby Dick the embodiment of evil in the world, and he pursues the White Whale，because he believes it his inescapable fate to destroy this evil.Ishmael suggests that Ahab is “crazy ”and call him “a raving lunatic. ” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?Ishmael describes Ahab as mad in his narration, and it does indeed seem mad to try to fight the forces of nature or God.3. What narrative features can you find in the selected chapter?In the selected charpter, Melville employed the technique of multiple view of his narrative to portray Moby Dick to achieve the effect of ambiguity and let readers judge the meaning.Unit 6 Henry David Thoreauindeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spiritual level?He lived in a cabin on Walden Pond, which belonged toEmerson's property.Thoreau ever bought a farm? Whydid he enjoy the act of buying?No, he hadn 't.He avoided purchasing a farm because it would inevitably tie him down financially and complicate his life.Thoreau didn 't see the acquisition of wealth as the goal for humanexistence, he saw the goal of life to be an exploration of the mind and of the magnificent world around us.He regarded the places as an existence free of obligations and full of leisure.it significant that Thoreau mentioned the Fourth of July as the day on which he began to stay in the woods? Why?Yes, it is.Because The Fourth of July is known as Independence Day,the birthdayot the United States.Here Thoreau uses the day to express his beginning of??regeneration at Walden.It also means a symbol of his conquest of being.could you answer the question Thoreau asked at the end of this selection?Unit 7 19th Century American Poets1.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1)I Shot an Arrow1.Why did the speaker lose sight of his arrow and song?The arrow flies too swiftly and too far away to be seen by the speaker; whereas the song is naturally invisible.2.In what circumstances did he find them again?He finds them unexpectedly years later from the trunk of a tree and the heart of a friend.3.What do arrow and song stand for in this poem?The images of arrow and song here may stand for friendship.(2)A Psalm of Life1.What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?The speaker is a manof action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to achieve as muchas possible in the short span of life.2.According to the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death?We should work harder and live happier.3.Interpret the metaphor of "Footprints on the sand of time" (line 28).The metaphor refers to human deeds in real life.2.Walt Whitman (1)One's Self I Sing1.What is the significance of singing about one's self?It is an exaltation of the individual spirit, which is typical of American people.2.What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?Physiology is a science that deals with the functions and life process of humanbeings, whereas physiognomy refers to an art of judging character from contours of face itself or the appearance of a person.3. What does Whitman mean by the term of "the Modern Man"?He meansthat a manshould be free from any prejudice and pride,totally different from the traditional one, that isfull ofbias.(3) O Captain! My Captain!1. Whyis the word "Captain" capitalized throughout the poem? In this poemthe word “Captain ” specially refers to AbrahamLincoln, president of the UnitedStates.2. What overall metaphor does the poet employ in this poem?Life is ajourney.3. Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring,whilethe speaker remains so sad?They welcome the ship returning from its hard trip,whereasthe speaker is sad because the captain fails to receivehisown honor.Dickinson(1) To Make a Prairie1. What things are needed to "make" a prairie? In what sensecan one really doit?Some grass and insects and small animals. People can make aprairie with theirimagination.2. How can "revery alone" create aprairie?The prairie stays in one'smind.(2) Success Is Counted Sweetest1. Why is success "counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed"?Those who have tasted the bitterness of failure would have a keener desire for success.2. Who are "the purple host"?The so-called successful people in the world.3.Who is "he" in the last stanza?Anyone who is pursuing his success.(3)I'm Nobody!1. Whoare the "pair of us" and "they" in this poem? The "pair of us" refers to the speaker in the poem and the reader, and "they" refers to the public, especially those in power.2. What does "an admiring bog" really mean?" (line 28).It Implies the vain and empty common people, who are always admiring and pursuing the celebrities.3.What is the theme of this poem?The real admirable life is a secluded and common one.4. Do you want to be "nobody" or "somebody"? Explain your reasons.Different persons would have different answers to this question. Personally, I prefer to be nobody.Unit 8 Mark Twain 1: Why do you think is so eager to tell these stories?From 's behaviors and contents of his narration we can know he is so eager to tell these , when "I" asked him to tell "me" something about , he “ backed me into a corner and blockaded me with his chair, and then sat down and reeled off the narrative ”. And during the process of telling his stories, he never paid any attention to others'response to his story and just went on telling what amused him. At last when the listener felt boring and wanted to leave, even didn't notice it and still asked him to sit there listening to him.2: Does his audience share his enthusiasm in telling the stories? No. the audience does not show any interest in stories. In fact, the narrator was very feverish about his stories, but ,in the eyes of the listener,the stories were very boring and had nothing to do with his preoccupation. As an educated man, the listener couldn't understand the way of laborers for joy, and he would never bother himself tounderstand it. So after the lon g time of ' solo narration and when the audience got a chance, he fled away.3: Do you think the narrator and his listener ever suspect the presence of humor? Why? How do you interpret their interactions?The narrator and his listener never noticed or suspected the presence of the intercourse,the narrator went vigorously on his monotonous narrative "wihout a little smiling" talkingabout the animals and the things like ,while the listener rather puzzled or bothered by his seemed to be kind of things.So the two different scenes go on separately without aintersection.And their interaction was a complete failure according toour common sense about it in this sense produced the effect of humor which can be tasted by our readers due to the skills adopted by Mark Twain Unit 14 F • Scott Fitzgerald1 )I think it is too complicated to simply say Gatsbyor one thing, Gatsby was ambitious,hardworking, generous and passionate. He was so extremely loyal to his love and Daisy that he could do anything to getDaisy back: he did shady business to earn money and social position; he threw luxurious parties just to draw Daisy attention; he could take the blame for a death that he did not cause.felt coarse you think Gatsby deserves to be calledthe great ”? Why? deserves to be — great2) In this respect, he is much —greater than hiscontemporaries. For another thing, Gatsby never realized thatDaisy wasn 't the girl he loved anymore. Gatsby was so innocent that he staked everything on his dreams, not realizing that his dreams are unworthy of him. He wasn 't sober enough to be great.the green light ” Gatsby believed in exist in reality? Why or why not ?1) I think —the greenlightBecause the green light which situated at the end of Daisy s East Egg dock and barely visible from West Egg lawn represents Gatsby 's unattainable dream. Although the color itself can be seen as hope and bright future, Gatsby 'material world without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dream like airDaisy had lost her original glory. Therefore, there is no delaying that Gatsby 's dream would not cometrue.the green light not only represents that innocent Gatsby looked forward to the future, but also means his longing for the history — his happy p ast with Daisy. The dist in cti ondoes not exist in reality.s questfor Daisy back is doomed to be impossible. Daisylived in —a2)After five years when Gatsby met Daisy again,the miracleIn the novel,between ideal and reality was huge. As if American dream between golden past and golden future always suffered from the realistic betrayal and crush.does Gatsby 's Schedule reveal about him and how does it relate to the American Dream?1)The schedule is a reflection of Gatsby ' s determination andambition. It reveals that he is hard on himself in pursuit of his goal—to be an upper-class man.2) Onone hand, we can know that he is persistent in pursuing his American Dream-- to attain wealth and happiness through his struggle. On the other hand, he is too idealistic and naive. 3)He tries his best to make money and learns everything required to be an upper-class man so that he can get accessdifficult to penetrate. The girl he loves is as vulgar and superficial as others in her circle, she is unable to meetsGatsby 's romantic fantasy. So his dream is destined to shatter, which indicates the disillusion of American Dream.He (the man with owl -eyed glasses) tookoff his glasses and wiped them again, outside and in ,” what images does it create in your mind, given the novel ' s numerous references to the strikingly strange scene of the spectacled eyes?1)From this line , superficially, owl-eyes is a person with thick and blurry glasses who can not see clearly all the things in the world. However, we know he is actually an owl-wise observer and sees more clearly than anyone else in the novel.Owl-Eyes, except Nick, is the only friend to appear at the rain-soakedto his beloved is important，but there are other barriersyou read the lineburial of Gatsby, when others are unwilling tocome. He feels sympathy for Gatsby ' s tragedy.2) After reading this line, I cannot help thinking of the billboard with its huge yellow spectacles in this novel. In manyrainy days, Dr. Eckleburg ' s eyes are also dimmedand seem blind. But in fact this is a pair of "all-seeing" eyes. TheOwl-Eyed Manis similar to Dr. Eckleburg, sadly looking at the people 's life and idealism of this time. Both of them symbolize an uninvolved spectator god. They watch all the activities of the humans. Owl-eyes is the avatar of the sightless Dr. Eckleburg.Unit 16 Ernest Hemingway1.How do you interpret the irony of the title after reading the story?(1) The title — A Clean Well-Lighted Placecaf e in the text. Thecaf refers to thee was very clean and well - lighted.From the literary meaning, wemayfeel this place was very warmand comfortable, was a place where people need warmth wantedto go. So the old man, who was rich but deaf and lonely camehere to find warmth and avoided nada. It was the onlyplacehe could go and could find some comfort. 2)However, theyounger waiter was very selfish. As his wife was waitinghimon the bed, he wanted to go homeearly. Therefore, he refusedto offer the old man another cup of wine by the excusethatthe business was finished. In fact, there was still anhourfrom closing time. The younger thought an hour was moreimportant to him than to the old man. The old man needed toleave the only place where he could get far away from nada/nothing . This cafeshould be warmbut the younger waiter forcedthe lonely and deaf to leave without any sympathy. This is theirony of thetitle.2. Do you think youth and confidence can help one withstandthe metaphorical dark ？Why or why not? (1)I don 't thinkour opinion, the metaphorical dark means nada ，nothing in one's inner heart. In the article, the younger waiter had both youth and confidence; however, he never madefull use of them.As we can see, he didn 't understand the old man ssuicideand excessive drinking, and failed to see his tomorrow throughthe old man ' s present situation.2) What's more, he had no idea that youth is not permanent, which cannot guarantee love and work. From above, there is no denying that he didn 't realize his nada. Therefore, his youthand confidence never contributed to withstanding hismetaphorical dark.3) I think that, nowadays, youth and confidence do can helpto withstand the metaphorical dark, for one can bravelyfacethe reality and overcome the nada with youth and confidence.But they only serve as two main factors. In fact, we need someother factors such as courage, dignity and so on if wewantto withstand the metaphorical darksuccessfully.We are of two older waiter said to the youngerwaiter:different kinds. ” In what way do you think they aredifferent?1)I think they are different from each other in the following four aspects ：In the beginning, they are in different older waiter was in his middle age; while the other was muchyounger.2) Then, they have different attitudes towards the old man. From the article, we know the older waiter had suffered a lot.He had maintained a clean and well-lighted place in his heart, and he could understand the old man and show sympathy to him.However, the young man was very selfish. He wanted to go home early so that he finished the business one hour earlier and forced the old man to leave. He showed hatred rather than sympathy to the old man.3) Next, they have different attitudes towards life. The olderwaiter had a deep sense of life. He was brave and wanted to fight again nada. Besides, he cared about others. The younger one was totallydifferent; he has a shadow understanding of life. He satisfied with his present love and work, he only care about himself and was reluctant to take others into consideration. He even never thought of his future.4) Finally, they have different attitudes towards nada. Theolder waiter had realized that it is impossible to avoid in one 's whole life. The only thing he can do is to keep kind ofclearness in his own mind. So he was willing to worklate for the lonely old man and was pleased to help those are suffering nada. But out of youth and confidence, he failed to overcome nada. On the contrary, the younger waiter had the two most important factors for withstanding nada; however, he didn 't realize the nada in his heart at all. Then his youth and confidence became useless.Unit 17 20th -Century American Poets1. Ezra Pound In A Station of the Metro1. Why does the poet call the faces of pedestrians "apparition"?These pedestrians are all walking in a hurry amidst the drizzling rain.2. What do "petals" and "bough" stand for? Petals refer to the faces while the bough stands for the floating crowd.2. Wallace Stevens Anecdote of the Jarnada who1.What does the jar in poem symbolize? Why does the speaker place it on top of a hill? The jar here symbolizes a certain perspective on looking at this world. If the perspective of the viewing is creative and unique, it will change the conventional order of the old world. When a new perspective comes out, it will certainly hold attention from the rest.2.The jar is "round" and "of a port in air," meaning that it has a stately importance. What effect does it have on surroundings when placed on the ground? Maybe the round jar assumes the air of a domineering figure, which helps to form a certain order out of the disordered surrounding.3.How did the wilderness of Tennessee characterized? Whatwords or phrases does the poet use to describe it? Tennessee seems to a place full of life and energy.Slovenly, ”sprawl ” and “wild ” are some of the wordsused to describethe place. (See Anecdote of the Jar )Frost(1)Fire and Ice 1. What are the symbolic meanings of fire in this poem? Fire symbolizes natural disaster, human passion, as well as war.2.Why does the speaker say that ice is also great for destruction? Explain what ice stands for here. Ice, oppose to fire, is also a dreadful natural disaster in this world, and ice is always related to indifference, coldness, hatred, and the other negative sentiments of human beings.3.What is your opinion about fire and ice? Which one is more destructive? Both fire and ice can destroy this beautiful world if they are beyond control of human beings. Therefore we should be open-minded and reduce our prejudice and pride so as to keep this world in peace.(2)Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening1. In your opinion, what was the reason that madethe speaker stop by the woods on a snowy evening? The poet was deeply attracted by the natural beauty of the scene at that very moment.2. Whydid the horse give the harness bell a shake? The horse grew impatient by stopping in the middle of the dark, cold woods at midnight. It was eager to go home.3.Why couldn't the speaker stay longer by the woods to appreciate its mysterious beauty? He realized that it was late at night and he would have to hurry hometo get some food and sleep, because the next morninghe would have a lot of work to do.4.What is the effect of repetition in the last two lines?The refrain-like repetition in the last two lines reminds the reader a simple fact of life: whatever happens, one must go forward in the journey of his or her life.(3)The Road Not Taken 1. What is the speaker's initial response to the divergence of the two roads? The speaker is at a loss which road he should choose, and he feels sorry that he cannot explore both roads at the same time.2. Describe the similarities and differences of these tworoads. Which one does the speaker take? Two roads are similarexcept one of them is more grassy, ” which implies that itis less traveled by people. The speaker prefers the less traveled one, because he likes adventure.3.What might the two roads stand for in the speaker's mind?One road stands for the traditional one and the other is unconventional one and full of challenges and difficulties.To follow other people's footsteps or to open a new road for himself is really not an easy decision for us to make in our lives.Unit22 Allen GinsbergAll through the poem, the speaker is addressing to Walt Whitman.Is this poem about Walt Whitman or about modern America?from Allen Ginsberg A Supermarket in CaliforniaThe author in this poem wanted to emphasis his theme about showing his respect to the passed age and showing his worry about the corrupt inthe part of spirit and society. As we all know, Walt Whitman 's poetry was a revolution in Americanliterature can be seen in the first publication of Leaves of of meter and rhyme is known as his major technical innovation.Grass in 1855. His poetry is free verse ” in that the lack Allen Ginsberg had a highly praise on him. As the movement ofBeat Generation, Allen Ginsberg used poetry as weapon to express his own understanding of Beat---beatific and beat down.In this poem, the author wrote the sentenceshopping for images”. What he wanted to buy is the things whichwere listed by Walt Whitman many years ago. What is in the supermarket? The fresh fruits on the shelf fit the needs of customers and the families. We across a strange statement: shopping for images. How can we shop for images? What he refers to us is still the pure image--- “dreaming of your enumerations ”. The things on the shelf are the images of languages in WaltWhitman's poetry. The language in Walt Whitman's poetry and the spirit in his poetry are the things which Allen Ginsberg dreamed of. A young America which is full of energy is worth being praised. Allen Ginsberg found the song of himself, the song full of courage and the echo of the real world amongWaltWhitman's work. The meaning of age in this poem is that the nation or the race opens the age which belongs to them and creates the history of them own. To a certain extend, the age singer equals the national singer. The world is the world which has its features of timing and events. This meansthat the link。