Campbell Modernism Flashcards
What is Dexter Green’s hometown, and why is it significant?
Dexter is from Black Bear, Minnesota. His small-town upbringing and modest background contrast sharply with the elite world he aspires to join, which fuels his ambition and insecurity.
What is Dexter’s father’s profession, and how does it reflect their socioeconomic status?
A: Dexter’s father owns “the second-best grocery store in Black Bear,” indicating that while Dexter’s family is well-off by local standards, they are not part of the elite class Dexter desires to join.
Q: What is Dexter’s mother’s background, and how does it shape his life?
A: Dexter’s mother, Krimslich, was a Bohemian immigrant from the peasant class who spoke broken English. Her humble origins highlight the cultural and social gap Dexter must bridge to fit into the elite world he yearns for.
Q: Why does Dexter choose to attend an Ivy League school, and what challenges does he face there?
A: Dexter attends an Ivy League school, likely Princeton, instead of the University of Minnesota. Despite financial hardship, he believes the prestigious education will help him achieve his dreams. However, he feels out of place among wealthier classmates, highlighting his status as a “parvenu.”
Q: What does the term “parvenu” mean, and how does it apply to Dexter?
A: A “parvenu” is someone who has recently acquired wealth or status but lacks the accompanying social grace. Dexter, who rises above his modest beginnings, constantly struggles to mask his background and fit into elite society.
Q: How does Dexter’s quest for “glittering things” shape his decisions?
A: Dexter is driven not by a desire for meaningful relationships but by his obsession with wealth, status, and symbols of success. This fixation influences his choices, including his romantic pursuit of Judy Jones.
Q: What does Judy Jones symbolize in Dexter’s life?
A: Judy Jones represents the wealth and elite lifestyle Dexter longs for. His attraction to her stems from her symbolic value rather than genuine love, making her akin to a “glittering thing” he desires to possess.
Q: How does Dexter’s view of Judy and his ambitions change by the end of the story?
A: At the end, Dexter learns Judy married a terrible man, and her beauty has faded. This realization leaves him disillusioned, understanding that his lifelong pursuit of wealth and status, symbolized by Judy, was ultimately hollow and meaningless.
Q: How is the theme of the American Dream critiqued in “Winter Dreams”?
A: The story critiques the American Dream by showing how Dexter’s pursuit of wealth and status leads to emptiness rather than fulfillment. His desire for “glittering things” underscores the futility of materialistic ambitions.
Q: Where is Hills like white Elephats, and why is it significant?
A: The story takes place in a train station in the Ebro Valley, Spain. The barren, dry landscape reflects the emotional and moral tension between the characters. It’s the perfect backdrop for the unspoken conflict over abortion, a controversial topic in a rigid, patriarchal 1920s-30s society.
Q: What is the relationship dynamic between the American man and the woman (Jig)?
A: The man is manipulative and dismissive, reducing the abortion to a “simple operation” to pressure Jig. Jig, in contrast, is hesitant, emotionally vulnerable, and avoids direct confrontation because she fears abandonment.
Q: What does the phrase “hills like white elephants” symbolize?
A: The “white elephants” symbolize the pregnancy, which is seen as a burdensome gift that neither character openly welcomes. The hills serve as a metaphor for Jig’s internal struggle and their uneven power dynamic.
Q: How does the dialogue illustrate a breakdown in communication?
A: The man dominates the conversation, dismissing Jig’s emotions. Jig evades direct answers, signaling her reluctance. Their fragmented communication mirrors the fractured nature of their relationship and the unspoken societal pressures they face.
Q: What are the interpretations of the story’s ending?
A: Most readers interpret that the man successfully pressures Jig into the abortion, against her wishes. An alternative view is that Jig subtly decides not to comply, choosing her own path. The ambiguity forces readers to reflect on the larger implications of gender, power, and autonomy.
Q: What is the symbolic meaning of the gilded coin?
A: The gilded coin appears valuable but is fake, symbolizing Slemmons’ deceit and the illusion of wealth. It also serves as a metaphor for Missie May’s mistake, highlighting superficiality versus authenticity.
Q: How is Joe depicted as an authentic character?
A: Joe’s consistent love and forgiveness toward Missie May, even after her betrayal, depict him as a genuinely kind and devoted husband. His resilience restores their relationship, contrasting with Slemmons’ false charm.
Q: How does the story represent marriage?
A: The story portrays marriage as something that can endure mistakes and betrayals through love, forgiveness, and time. Joe’s love for Missie May overcomes her moment of weakness, creating a uniquely optimistic depiction of reconciliation.
Q: How does the community in Eatonville reflect the themes of the story?
A: Eatonville represents a safe, authentic environment. The story’s negative forces, like Slemmons, come from outside the community, emphasizing a cultural critique of materialism and valuing inner strength over external appearances.
Q: What does Harry’s gangrene symbolize?
A: The gangrene symbolizes Harry’s moral and creative decay. It reflects his existential despair, regret over wasted time, and the loss of his artistic potential.
Q: How is Harry’s marriage to Helen characterized?
A: Their marriage is transactional rather than emotional. Harry married Helen for her wealth, and Helen admired the idea of him. Their shallow connection underscores themes of modernist disillusionment and inauthenticity.
Q: What is the significance of Harry’s flashbacks?
A: The flashbacks reveal Harry’s traumatic past, including experiences in WWI and regrets over wasted opportunities. They depict his existential struggle and how his creative potential was sacrificed for material comforts.
Q: What does the epigraph about the leopard symbolize?
A: The leopard found frozen on Kilimanjaro’s slopes symbolizes enigmatic human endeavors and the quest for meaning. Like the leopard, Harry’s life reflects ambition and struggle, culminating in an ambiguous and solitary end.
Q: Who is Laura, and what is her role in the socialist movement?
A: Laura is a disillusioned socialist teacher who smuggles drugs and messages for prisoners. However, she feels disconnected from her work, her students, and the revolutionary cause.
Q: How does Braggioni embody the failure of the revolutionary movement?
A: Braggioni is selfish, materialistic, and narcissistic. Despite being a leader, he prioritizes his comfort and power over revolutionary ideals. His character reflects the movement’s hypocrisy and lack of authenticity.
Q: Why is Laura compared to Judas?
A: Laura feels like a betrayer of humanity, as her work fails to uplift the masses. Additionally, she indirectly facilitates Eugenio’s suicide by delivering the pills, mirroring Judas Iscariot’s betrayal and symbolizing her own spiritual emptiness.
Q: How does Emily Grierson represent tradition in the story?
A: Emily embodies Southern tradition, clinging to the past and resisting societal change. She refuses to pay taxes, denies modern advancements, and literally preserves the past by keeping her father’s and Homer Barron’s corpses.
Q: What is the significance of Homer Barron’s character?
A: Homer represents modernity and change, as he is a Northerner and an outsider to Jefferson. Emily’s murder of Homer signifies her obsessive attempt to stop time and control change.
Q: What does the story say about spirituality and ideals?
A: The story portrays a deep emptiness and moral failure. Laura’s disconnection from her ideals, her faith, and humanity reflects a critique of revolutionary hypocrisy and the futility of human endeavors.
Q: How does the story critique Southern culture?
A: Faulkner critiques the decay of Southern aristocracy and the destructive obsession with tradition. Emily’s tragic life demonstrates the consequences of a society unable to adapt to modern realities.
Q: What is the role of the townspeople in Emily’s story?
A: The townspeople serve as observers and commentators, often passing judgment on Emily’s eccentric behavior. Their gossip highlights societal pressures and collective complicity in her isolation.
Q: What motivates Abner Snopes’ defiance and anger?
A: Abner Snopes is bitter about his low social status as a poor, racist sharecropper. His actions, like burning barns and defying authority, reflect his resentment toward the elite class and his struggles against a rigged system.
Q: Why does Sartoris Snopes warn Major de Spain about the barn burning?
A: Sartoris chooses morality over loyalty to his father, warning Major de Spain about Abner’s actions. This decision shows his inner conflict between familial loyalty and justice.
Q: What does the ruined rug symbolize in the story
A: The rug that Abner damages with manure symbolizes his disdain for the elite class and his struggle against societal hierarchy. His deliberate destruction reflects his bitterness and self-sabotaging tendencies.
Q: How does the story explore themes of isolation and morality?
A: Sartoris is left alone after his father’s death, representing profound existential loneliness. The story critiques Abner’s destructive path and Sartoris’ moral awakening in a rigid, unjust social order.
How many personel mobalized in WW1
70 million
How many rounds fired in WW1
over 700 million on teh western front alone
French WW1 casualty stats
1/2 of all men 20-32 at the start of teh war
german WW1 stats
35% of men between 19 and 22
What percentage of english killed in WW1
12%
what percentage of peerage killed in WW1
19%
what percet of Oxfrod’s class of 1913 killed in WW1
31%
total dead for brittan and france WW1
2 million
total dead for germany WW1
2 million
total wounded WW1
21 million
Famous quote WW1
This is not war it is teh end of the world - brittish indian soldier on his way home
english name of modernism generation
teh lost generation
french name for modernism generation
the generation in flames
Faulkner stream of consciousness work
The sound and teh Fury
Ezra Pound Works
The Cantos
Faulkner works
Teh sound and Teh Fury; Absolm! Absolm!; Light in August
Hemmingway Works
A Farewell to Arms; For Whom the Bell Tolls; In Our Time; The Sun Also Rises
Jean Toomer Works
CAne
Zora Neale Hurston Works
Their Eyes were watching God
FScott Fitzgerald works
Teh Great Gatsby
