陶洁《美国文学选读》(第3版)笔记和课后习题详解(第26单元 托尼

第10单元斯蒂芬•克莱恩1. What does the opening sentence imply?Key: It implies the extremely dangerous and hard situation that they are faced with. They can only focus on the sea and do not once take their eyes off the ocean. They have to fight with the ocean with all their strength and attention.2. How does the following outburst contribute to the theme(s) of the story? “If I am going to be drowned - if I am going to be drowned - if I am going to be drowned. why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees? Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese of life? It is preposterous. If this old ninny woman, Fate, cannot do better than this, she should be deprived of the management of men’s fortunes. She is an old hen who knows not her intention. If she has decided to drown me. why did she not do it in the beginning and save me all this trouble. The whole affair is absurd....But, no, she cannot mean to drown me. She dare not drown me. She cannot drown me. Not after all this work.”Key: The following outburst is a desperate one which shows the speaker’s rebellions and resentfulness to the seven gods of sea. He thinks that he would be unfairly treated if he is drowned. Through the story, the struggle between manand the natural world is the most apparent theme. In fact, the speaker knows that nature is powerful and ruthless, and it will not show sympathy nor punish anyone, so, he thinks that he must survive by his own efforts. He must save himself.3. In what way could the survivors be interpreters?Key: The survivors can be interpreters to interpret the relationships between man and nature. They went through the hard struggles with nature, so they would have a better understanding of nature and man.。

美国文学选读第1单元自传The autobiography Benjamin Franklin我儿：我一向爱好搜集有关祖上的一切珍闻轶事。

你也许还记得当你跟我同住在英国的时候我曾经为了那个缘故跋涉旅途，遍访家族中的老人。

目前我正在乡间休假，预料有整整一个星期的空闲，我想你也许同样地喜欢知道我一生的事迹(其中有许多你还没有听过)，因此我就坐了下来替你把这些事迹写出来。

除此以外，我还有一些别的动机。

我出身贫寒，幼年生长在穷苦卑贱的家庭中，后来居然生活优裕，在世界上稍有声誉，迄今为止我一生一帆风顺，遇事顺利，我的立身之道，得蒙上帝的祝福，获得巨大的成就，我的子孙或许愿意知道这些处世之道，其中一部分或许与他们的情况适合，因此他们可以仿效。

当我回顾我一生中幸运的时候，我有时候不禁这样说：如果有人提议我重新做人的话，我倒乐意把我的一生再从头重演一遍，我仅仅要求像作家那样，在再版时有改正初版某些缺陷的机会。

如若可能，除了改正错误以外，我也同样地要把某些不幸的遭遇变得更顺利些。

但是即使无法避免这些不幸的厄运，我还是愿意接受原议，重演生平。

但是由于这种重演是不可能的，那么最接近重演的似乎就是回忆了。

为了使回忆尽可能地保持久远，似乎就需要把它记下来。

因此我将顺从一种老人中常有的癖好来谈论自己和自己过去的作为。

但是我这样做，将不使听者感到厌倦，他们或是因为敬老，觉得非听我的话不可，但是一经写下来，听与不听就可以悉听自便了。

最后(我还是自己承认了好，因为即使我否认，别人也不会相信)，写自传，或许还会大大地满足我的自负心。

说句老实话，我时常听见或在书上读到别人在刚说完了像“我可以毫不自夸地说……”这种开场白以后，接着就是一大篇自吹自擂的话。

大多数人不喜欢别人的虚夸，不管他们自己是多么自负。

但是无论在什么地方，我对这种自负心总是宽宥的。

因为我相信这种心理对自己和他四周的人都有好处。

所以，在许多情况下，一个人如果把自负心当作生命的慰藉而感谢上帝，这也不能算是怪诞悖理的。

第12单元舍伍德•安德森1. Why did t he narrator’s father treasure up the dead deformed chickens?Key: Because these dead chickens were grotesque and the father thought that the grotesques were valuable and people would like to look at strange and wonderful things. He wanted to make fortune by them.2. What is the narrator’s outlook on life?Key: When the narrator was young, he was greatly influenced by their chicken raising, which made deep impression of disaster on him. He became a gloomy man during his childhood. Although, sometimes, he was so happy that he would show it, he thought that he should not, because that he had been raised on a chicken farm where death was a daily visitor. Throughout the whole story, we can see that the narrator has an optimistic outlook on life.3. What does the egg come to symbolize by the end of the narrative?Key: At the end of the narrative, the father threw an egg to his visitor, and this egg symbolizes the crush of the father’s American Dream. Finally, “he laid the egg gently on the table” symbolizes that he realizes that his dream can never come true, so he gives up.4. How is the egg used to unify the narrative elements?Key: Throughout the story, the narrator tells us two adventures of his father. The first one is raising chickens, which is directly related with the egg. The second adventure is running a restaurant, during which the father is still related with the egg, with which he serves his guests and plays tricks for them. We can say that the father cannot break up with his past once for all. Thus, the egg unites all the narrative elements of the story.。

美国文学选读第三版课后习题答案陶洁(部分)Unit 1 Benjamin FranklinQuestions1.Why did 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 it2.What made Franklin decide to leave the brother to whom he 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.3.How 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 reached Burlington 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 Market Street wharf.4.What features do you find in the style of the above selection?It is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness, and concision(言简意赅). The narrative is lucid(易懂的), the structure is simple, the imagery is homely(朴素的).Unit 2 Edgar Allen Poe 1.Who is the narrator? What wrong does he want to redress?Montresor.Fortunato,one of wine experts insulted him, so he wanted to murder him.2.What 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 truly Amontillado, so he goes to the vault with Montresor.3.What happens to Fortunato in the end? He was walled up alive behind bricks in a wine cellar.4.Describe 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 motleycolored 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 know He 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. He was easily confused by the superficial phenomena and failed to watch out for others. He couldn’t tolerate that others were stronger than him. For example, Montresor always stimulated him with Luchresi who was good at connoisseur（鉴赏） in wine. Under the impulse of vanity, he fell into Montresor’s 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 th e death was coming.Talking from the appearance, Monstresor was a welleducated 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. 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 Hawthorne1.Why is 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 their “Utopia,” for they know that misbehavior, evil, and death are unavoidable. This belief fits into the larger Puritan doctrine, which puts heavy emphasis on the idea of original sin—the notionthat all people are born sinners because of the initial transgressions 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 will provide either a “sweet moral blossom” or else some relief in the face of unrelenting sorrow and gloom.2.Describe the appearance of Hester Prynne and the attitude of the people towards her. The second paragraph on page 30. The crowd in front of the jail is a mixture of men and women, all maintaining severe looks of disapproval. Several of the women begin 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.One woman, the ugliest of the group, goes so far as to advocate death for Hester.3.What 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 to Pearl.The scarlet letter is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy.Why does she make the embroidery of the letter A so elaborate?It seems to declare that she is proud, rather than ashamed, of her sin. In reality, however, Hester simply accepts the “sin” and its symbol as part of herself, just as she accepts her child. And although she can hardly believe her present “realities,” she takes them as they are rather than resisting them or trying to atone for them. How does this tell us about her character?Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable. It is the extraordinary circumstances shaping her that make her such an important figure.Unit5 Herman Melville 1.What are the stories Ismael tells about Moby Dick? Ishmael compares the legend of Moby Dick to his experience of the whale. He notes that sperm whale attacks have increased recently and that superstitious sailors have come to regard these attacks as having an intelligent, even supernatural origin. In particular, wild rumors about Moby Dick circulate among whalemen, suggesting that he can be in more than one place at the 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 “intelligent malignity”（狠毒） in his attacks on men2.Why does 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 th at 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 toachieve the effect of ambiguity and let readers judge the meaning.Unit 6 Henry David Thoreau 1.Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spiritual level? He lived in a cabin on Walden Pond, which belonged to Emerson’s property.2.Had Thoreau ever bought a farm? Why did 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 human existence, 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.3.Is 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 birthday ot 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.4.How 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 Arrow…1. 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 ofa 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 man of action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to achieve as much as 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 human beings, 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 means that a man should be free from any prejudice and pride, totally different from the traditional one, that is full of bias.(3) O Captain! My Captain!1. Why is the word "Captain" capitalized throughout the poem?In this poem the word “Captain” specially refers to Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States.2. What overall metaphor does the poet employ in this poem?Life is a journey.3. Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring, while the speaker remains so sad?They welcome the ship returning from its hard trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.3.Emily Dickinson(1) To Make a Prairie …1. What things are needed to "make" a prairie? In what sense can one really do it?Some grass and insects and small animals. People can make a prairie with their imagination.2. How can "revery alone" create a prairie?The prairie stays in one's mind.(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 socalled successful people in the world.3. Who is "he" in the last stanza?Anyone who is pursuing his success.(3) I'm Nobody!1. Who are 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 Twain1: Why do you think Mr.Wheeler is so eager to tell these stories?From Mr.Wheeler’s behaviors and contents of his narration we can know he is so eager to tell these stories.First, when "I" asked him to tell "me" somethingabout W.Smiley, 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, Mr.Wheeler 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 Mr.Wheeler’ 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 to understand it. So after the long time of Mr.Wheeler’ 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 humor.During the intercourse,the narrator went vigorously on his monotonous narrative "wihout a little smiling" talking about the animals and the things like ,while the listener felt rather puzzled or bothered by his stories.It seemed to be kind of coarse things. So the two different scenes go on separately without a intersection.And their interaction was a complete failure according toour common sense about communication.But 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.Do you think Gatsby deserves to be called “the great”? Why?（1）I think it is too complicated to simply say Gatsby deserves to be ―great‖ or not.For 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 get Daisy back: he did shady business to earn money and social position; he threw luxurious parties just to draw Daisy’s attention; he could take the blame for a death that he did not cause.（2）I n this respect, he is much ―greater‖ than his contemporaries. For another thing, Gatsby never realized that Daisy 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 o f him. He wasn’t sober enough to be great.2.Does “the green light” Gatsby believed in exist in reality? Why or why not ?（1）I think ―the green light‖ does not exist in reality. Because the green light which situated at the end of Daisy’s East Eg g dock and barely visible from West Egglawn represents Gatsby’s unattainable dream. Although the color itself can be seen as hope and bright future, Gatsby’s quest for Daisy back is doomed to be impossible. Daisy lived in ―a material world without being r eal, where poor ghosts, breathing dream like air‖.（2）After five years when Gatsby met Daisy again, the miracle Daisy had lost her original glory. Therefore, there is no delaying that Gatsby’s dream would not come true. In the novel, the green light not only represents that innocent Gatsby looked forward to the future, but also means his longing for the history –his happy past with Daisy. The distinction between ideal and reality was huge. As if American dream between golden past and golden future always suffered from the realistic betrayal and crush.3.What 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 and ambition. It reveals that he is hard on himself in pursuit of his goal—to be an upperclass man.（2）On one 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 upperclass man so that he can get access to his beloved girl.Money is important，but there are other barriers difficult to penetrate. The girl he loves is as vulgar and superficial as others in her circle, s he is unable to meets Gatsby’s romantic fantasy. So his dream is destined to shatter, which indicates the disillusion of American Dream.4.When you read the line “He (the man with owleyed glasses) took off 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, owleyes 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 owlwise observer and sees more clearly than anyone else in the novel. OwlEyes, except Nick, is the only friend to appear at the rainsoaked burial of Gatsby, when others are unwilling to come. He feel s sympathy for Gatsby’s tragedy.（2）After reading this line, I cannot help thinking of the Dr.Eckleburg billboard with its huge yellow spectacles in this novel. In many rainy days, Dr. Eckleburg’s eyes are also dimmed and seem blind. But in fact this is a pair of "allseeing" eyes. The OwlEyed Man is 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. Owleyes 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 WellLighted Place‖ refers to the café in the text. The café was very clean and well lighted. From the literary meaning, we may feel this place was very warm and comfortable, was a place where people need warmth wanted to go. So the old man, who was rich but deaf and lonely came here to find warmth and avoided nada. It was the only place he could go and could find some comfort.（2）However, the younger waiter was very selfish. As his wife was waiting him on the bed, he wanted to go home early. Therefore, he refused to offer the old man another cup of wine by the excuse that the business was finished. In fact, there was still an hour from closing time. The younger thought an hour was more important to him than to the old man. The old man needed to leave the only place where he could get far away from nada/ nothing. This café should be warm but the youngerwaiter forced the lonely and deaf to leave without any sympathy. This is the irony of the title.2. Do you think youth and confidence can help one withstand the metaphorical dark？Why or why not? （1）I don’t think so.In our 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 made full use of them. As we can see, he didn’t understand the old man’s suicide and excessive drinking, and failed to see his tomorrow through the 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 youth and confidence never contributed to withstanding his metaphorical dark.（3）I think that, nowadays, youth and confidence do can help to withstand the metaphorical dark, for one can bravely face the reality and overcome the nada with youthand confidence. But they only serve as two main factors. In fact, we need some other factors such as courage, dignity and so on if we want to withstand the metaphorical dark successfully.3.The older waiter said to the younger waiter:“We are of two different kinds.” In what way do you think they are different?（1）I think they are different from each other in the following four aspects：In the beginning, they are in different ages.The older waiter was in his middle age; while the other was much younger.（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 welllighted 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 oldman to leave. He showed hatred rather than sympathy to the old man.（3）Next, they have different attitudes towards life. The older waiter had a deep sense of life. He was brave and wanted to fight again nada. Besides, he cared about others. The younger one was totally different; 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. The older waiter had realized that it is impossible to avoid nada in one’s whole life. The only thing he can do is to keep a kind of clearness in his own mind. So he was willing to work late for the lonely old man and was pleased to help those who 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 Jar1. 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 onsurroundings 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? What words 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 words used to describe the place. (See Anecdote of the Jar )4.Robert Frost(1)Fire and Ice1. 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, andice 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 openminded 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 made the 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. Why did 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 home to get somefood and sleep, because the next morning he would have a lot of work to do.4. What is the effect of repetition in the last two lines? The refrainlike 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 Taken1. 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 two roads. Which one does the speaker take? Two roads are similar except one of them is more “grassy,” which implies that it is 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 theother 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 in the part of spirit and society. As we all know, Walt Whitman’s poetry was a revolution in American literature can be seen in the first publication of Leaves of Grass in 1855. His poetry is “free verse” in that the lack of meter and rhyme is known as his major technical innovation. Allen Ginsberg had a highly praise on him. As the movement of Beat Generation, AllenGinsberg used poetry as weapon to express his own understanding of Beatbeatific and beat down.In this poem, the author wrote the sentence “shopping for images”. What he wanted to buy is the things which were 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 Walt Whitman’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 among Walt Whitman’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. Theworld is the world which has its features of timing and events. This means that the link of combining the world is not the same as the goods on the shelf but the things which contain the world and individual spirits.There is a difference between Walt Whitman’s poetry and the successor’s poetry.The former poetry focused on the point of the combing of the poetry and the real world. It extended the full of fruit of the history through he understood the meaning of lives living on earth.The latter’s poetry sho wed that the nature of material has been deprived from the former world. Our moral and spirit has become the goods in the supermarket or the desire in every family in the capitalism nations. Allen Ginsberg recalled the dream of poetry and moral in Walt Whi tman’s age.In this poem, Allen Ginsberg imaged Walt Whitman passing through the death to come to the age which was so called the Golden Age of America. What he can see?。

第16单元厄内斯特•海明威1. How do you interpret the irony of the title after reading the story?Key: The title “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” refers to the café in the story, which is very clean and well-lighted. According to the literal meaning, we can find that the café is very warm and comfortable. People li ke going there. And the old man, in the story, also likes to have drink there. However, the younger waiter in it ruins such kind of quality of the café. He is selfish and impatient. Thinking of his wife waiting for him in bed, he refuses to serve the old man and drives him away. He thought that one hour is more important for him than for the old man. The younger waiter shows no sympathy for the old man at all, and he is very cold-blooded. The clean and well-lighted café and the selfish and cold-hearted waiter form the sharp contrast. Thus, it shows the irony of the title.2. Do you think youth and confidence can help one withstand the metaphorical dark? Why or why not?Key: I don’t think youth and confidence can help one withstand the metaphorical dark. Bec ause the metaphorical dark is rooted in one’s heart that no one can free from it, even cannot remove or ease it. Although, sometimes, youth and confidence bring great hope for young people, and with which they foresee their bright future, they cannot take good advantage of it, because thatthey do not understand life and human beings. As in the story, the young waiter has both youth and confidence, but he cannot understand why the old man wants to suicide, and he also cannot anticipate his own future by the old man’s situation. He has no idea that youth is not permanent, and all people will be faced with the universal nada. So, he shows no sympathy for the old man and is impatient to him. His youth and confidence do not contribute to withstanding his metaphorical dark.3. The older waiter said to the younger waiter: “We are of two different kinds.” In what way do you think they are different?Key: They are different in many ways. Firstly, they are at different ages: one is younger and the other is in his middle age. Secondly, they have different life experiences and different understandings of life and people. The middle-aged waiter has went through much more than the younger waiter, and he has a better understanding of life and people, so he can understand more about the old man and his situation. Thus, thirdly, they have different personalities and have different attitudes towards the old man. The elder waiter is kind-hearted and sympathetic. He shows great sympathy for the old man, while the younger waiter is very selfish and he is very impatient to the old man and drives him away from the café. Last, they have different attitudes towards nada. The elder waiter has realized that it is impossible to avoid nada in one’s whole life, and the only thing that he can do is to keep cleanness in his mind and heart. So, he is willing to worklate for the lonely old man and help those who suffer from nada. On the contrary, the younger waiter has not realized nada in his heart, thus he uselessly cherishes his blind confidence.。

第21章自白派•垮掉的一代21.1复习笔记I.The Confessional School（自白派）The term is usually used to certain poets of the United States from the late1950s to the late 1960s.In a broad way,the poetry of this group of poets share common features such as a ruthless, excruciating self-analysis of one’s own background and heritage,one’s own most private desires and fantasies etc.,and the urgent“I’ll-tell-it-all-to-you”impulse.In a sense,it is Lowell who gave the Confessional poetry a new life and a new level of popularity with his ruthless self-dissection. Representatives of the Confessional are School Robert Lowell,Anne Sexton,Sylvia Plath.这一术语用来指20世界50年代末到60年代末的一些美国诗人。

广义上讲，这些诗人的诗歌具有以下共同特点，如对自己的背景和传统，自己的隐私、欲望和幻想等进行无情的、令人痛苦的自我分析，以及一种急切的“我将告诉你一切”的冲动。

从某种程度上讲，洛威尔用他无情的自我剖析使自白诗获得新生也使其成为新时尚。

自白派代表人物是罗伯特·洛威尔、安妮·塞克斯顿、西尔维娅·普拉斯。

第21单元拉尔夫•华尔多•埃利森21.1复习笔记I.Introduction to author（作者简介）1.Life（生平）Ralph Waldo Ellison(1914-1994)was born in Oklahoma City.From his birth, Ellison’s parents knew he was bound for prosperity.His father even named him for the great writer Ralph Waldo Emerson in an effort to ensure such success.Mrs. Ellison,a maid,would bring home books,magazines,and record albums that had been discarded in the homes she cleaned.Ellison revered and admired the musicians of his area.At Douglas High School,Ellison followed his inclination toward music.From there,he went to Tuskegee Institute on a scholarship and dreamed of writing a symphony.After there was a mix-up with his scholarship, Ellison chose to go north in order to save money for tuition.Arriving in New York, Ellison found it difficult to find work and even harder to find work as a musician. The result was a succession of odd jobs at Harlem’s YMCA with a psychiatrist.There Ellison acted as a file clerk and a receptionist,and held various other jobs around town.During this time,Ellison met the writer Richard Wright, who encouraged him to be a writer rather than a musician.From this point on, Ellison followed a life of writing in which he earned many awards.拉尔夫·华尔多·埃利森(1914—1994)出生在俄克拉荷马市。

陶洁《美国⽂学选读》笔记和课后习题（含考研真题）详解（斯蒂芬克莱恩）【圣才出品】第10单元斯蒂芬?克莱恩10.1 复习笔记I. Introduction to author（作者简介）1. Life（⽣平）Stephen Crane was an American novelist, short story writer, poet and journalist. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Impressionism. He is recognized by modern critics as one of the most innovative writers of his generation.斯蒂芬·克莱恩是美国⼩说家、短篇⼩说家、诗⼈、记者。

他在短暂的⼀⽣中著作颇丰，在现实主义传统下写了许多著名作品，也成为美国⾃然主义和印象主义的早期范例。

他被当代批评家认为是同时代最具有创意的作家。

2. Major Works（主要作品）Maggie: A Girl of the Street (1893) 《街头⼥郎麦姬》The Red Badge of Courage (1895) 《红⾊英勇勋章》“The Open Boat” (1897) 《海上扁⾈》The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky (1898)《新娘来到黄天镇》The Blue Hotel (1898) 《蓝⾊旅店》Ⅱ. Selected works（选读作品）◆The Open Boat《海上扁⾈》This story is based on Crane’s personal experiences. While traveling to Cuba to work as a newspaper correspondent during the Cuban insurrection against Spain, Crane was stranded at sea after his ship the Commodore sank off the coast of Florida. Stephen Crane and three others endured the rage of the sea for thirty hours. Billy Higgins a friend of Cranes drowned while swimming to shore. This realistic story of their life-threatening ordeal captures the emotions of four men in a fight against nature.Th e most significant aspect of this struggle lies in the men’s attempts to help one another survive when they are confronted with danger and disaster.故事取材于克莱恩真实的个⼈经历。

第8单元马克•吐温8.1复习笔记I.Introduction to author（作者简介）1.Life（生平）Mark Twain(1835-1910)is the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens.He was an American novelist and humorist.Twain grew up in Missouri,which would later provide the setting for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.He apprenticed with a printer.He also worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to his older brother Orion’s newspaper.After toiling as a printer in various cities,he became a master riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River before heading west to join Orion.He was a failure at gold mining, so he next turned to journalism.While a reporter,he wrote a humorous story,"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,"which became very popular and brought nationwide attention.His travelogues were also well received.He achieved great success as a writer and public speaker.His wit and satire earned praise from critics and peers,and he was a friend to presidents,artists, industrialists,and European royalty.马克·吐温(1835—1910)是萨缪尔·朗赫恩·克莱门斯的笔名。

第1单元本杰明•富兰克林1.1 复习笔记I. Introduction to author（作者简介）Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a rare genius in human history. He became everything: a printer, postmaster, almanac maker, essayist, scientist, inventor, orator, statesman, philosopher, political economist, ambassador,—“Jack of all trades.”富兰克林是人类历史上少有的天才。

他是出版家、邮政总长、历书作者、散文家、科学家、发明家、演说家、政治家、哲学家、政治经济学家、大使、业务员等等。

1. Life（生平）He was born into a poor family. He was a voracious reader. At 16 he published essays under the pseudonym Silence Do good. At 17 he ran away to Philadelphia to make his own fortune. He became a printer. He helped found the Pennsylvania Hospital, an academy which led to the University of Pennsylvania, and the American Philosophical Society. He was a preeminent scientist of his day. He signed the Declaration of Independence. He was one of the makers of the new nation.富兰克林出生于一个贫穷的家庭。