Midterm

Question 1

“The goat-footed ballonMan whistles far and wee”

Answer 1

“in just”
E.E. Cummings

Question 2

“Truth to say, he was a conscientious man, and ever bore in mind the golden maxim, ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’”

Answer 2

The legend of sleepy hollow
Washington Irvin

Question 3

‘“Lastly, let us turn our eyes to man in the aggregate. He is manifested as the figure of strength, but that we may not regard him as anything more than a figure, his soul is formed in no sort superiour, but every way equal to the mind of her, who is the emblem of weakness, and whom he hails the gentle companion of his better days.”

Answer 3

On the equality of the sexes 1790
Judith Sargent Murray

Question 4

“We’ll leave our clubs, dew’d with their country show’rs, And, if they dare to bring them back to our’s, Their painted scalps shall be a step to fame, And grace our own and glorious country’s name.”

Answer 4

Cherokee war song
Translated by Henry Timberlake

Question 5

“He was in her mind so much, she hardly knew when she was thinking about him directly. His image was simply always present in more or less degree, he was sometimes nearer the surface of her thoughts, the pleasantest, the only really pleasant thought she had.”

Answer 5

Pale Horse, Pale Rider
Katherine Anne Porter

Question 6

‘Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too:”

Answer 6

On being brought from Africa to America
Phillips Wheatley

Question 7

“Now this is the point. You might fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.”

Answer 7

Tell-Tale Heart
Edgar Allan Poe

Question 8

‘““No, indeed, suh,” she replied, “Sam ain’ dat kin’ er man. He wuz good ter me, Sawuz, but he wuzn’ much good ter nobody e’se, fer he wuz one er de triflin’es’ han’s on de plantation. I ‘spec’s ter haf ter suppo’t ‘im w’en I fin’ ‘im, fer he nebber would work ‘less’n he had ter. But den he wuz free, an’ he didn’ git no pay fer his work, an’ I don’ blame ‘im much”

Answer 8

The wife of his youth
Charles Chesnutt

Question 9

“Twit twit twit
Jug jug jug jug jug jug
So rudely forc’d.
Tereu”

Answer 9

The waste land
T.S. Elliot

Question 10

“The name Grizzly Bear was taken at dawn,” the Spirit Chief answered.

Answer 10

The spirit chief names the animal people
Mourning dove

Question 11

“Who ax you fer ter come en strike up a ‘quintance wid dish yer Tar-Baby? En who stuck you up dar whar you iz? Nobody in de roun’ worril. You des tuck en jam yo’se’f on dat Tar-Baby wid-out waitin’ fer enny invite”

Answer 11

How Mr.Rabbit was too smart for Mr. Fox
Joel Chandler Harris

Question 12

“What happens to a dream deferred?”

Answer 12

Harlem
Langston Hughes

Question 13

“I’m nearly used to it,” said Adam, who was from Texas. “We’ve been told time and again how all the he-manly regular army men wear them. It’s the horrors of war,” he said; “are we downhearted? I’ll say we are.”

Answer 13

Pale horse, Pale Rider
Katherine Anne Porter

Question 14

“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — tear up the planks! — here, here! — it is the beating of his hideous heart!”

Answer 14

Tell-Tale Heart
Edgar Allan Poe

Question 15

They took away her children
The welfare office came and stole away her children
Because she had no right, they said,
To be a single parent, non-model American family

Answer 15

La Llorona, crying lady of the creek beds, 483 years old and aging
Carmen Tafolla

Question 16

“How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily — how calmly I can tell you the whole story.”

Answer 16

Tell- Tale Heart
Edgar Allan Poe

Question 17

And no rock
If there were rock
And also water
And water
A spring
A pool among the rock
If there were the sound of water only
Not the cicada
And dry grass singing
But sound of water over a rock
Where the hermit-thrush sings in the pine trees
Drip drop drip drop drop drop drop
But there is no water

Answer 17

The waste land
T.S. Eliot

Question 18

“The apparition of these faces in the crowd:
Petals on a wet, black bough.”

Answer 18

In a Station of the Metro
Ezra Pound

Question 19

“And every morning I went to his room, and with a warm, friendly voice I asked him how he had slept. He could not guess that every night, just at twelve, I looked in at him as he slept.”

Answer 19

Tell - Tale Heart
Edgar Allan Poe

Question 20

Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
Like a syrupy sweet?

Answer 20

Harlem
Langston Hughes

Question 21

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,

Answer 21

O captain! My Captain!
Walt Whitman

Question 22

“Cherokee War Song”

Answer 22

Translated by Henry Timberlake

Question 23

“The Spirit Chief Names the Animal People”

Answer 23

Mourning Dove

Question 24

On the Equality of the Sexes 1790

Answer 24

Judith Sargent Murray

Question 25

Legend of La Llorona

Answer 25

Unknown

Question 26

“La Llorona, Crying Lady of the Creekbeds, 483 Years Old, and Aging”

Answer 26

Carmen Tafolla

Question 27

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Answer 27

Washington Irvin

Question 28

“Tell-Tale Heart”

Answer 28

Edgar Allan Poe

Question 29

“On Being Brought from Africa to America”

Answer 29

Phillis Wheatley

Question 30

“Letter to Reverend Samson Occum (1774)”

Answer 30

Phillis Wheatley

Question 31

“O Captain! My Captain!”

Answer 31

Walt Whitman

Question 32

The Wife of His Youth

Answer 32

Charles Chesnutt

Question 33

“How Mr. Rabbit was too Smart for Mr. Fox”

Answer 33

Joel Chandler Harris

Question 34

Narrative and the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave

Answer 34

Fredrick Douglass

Question 35

“A Pact”

Answer 35

Ezra Pound

Question 36

“In a Station of the Metro”

Answer 36

Ezra Pound

Question 37

“The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock”

Answer 37

T.S. Eliot

Question 38

“The Waste Land”

Answer 38

T.S. Eliot

Question 39

Pale Horse, Pale Rider

Answer 39

Katherine Anne Porter

Question 40

“in just”

Answer 40

E.E. Cummings

Question 41

Summary of “Cherokee war song” translated by Henry Timberlake

Answer 41

The Cherokee War Song, as translated by Henry Timberlake, reflects the pride, bravery, and readiness of the Cherokee warriors as they prepare for battle. It expresses their determination to protect their people and land, emphasizing their fearlessness in the face of danger and the honor they associate with fighting for their community. The song highlights their unity and warrior spirit.

Question 42

“Harlem”

Answer 42

Langston Hughes

Question 43

Summary of “The spirit Chief Names the animal people” by mourning dove

Answer 43

The myth recounts how the Great Spirit gave different animals their unique traits and roles.
Coyote-> a clever but trickster figure desired special powers
The Great Spirit initially overlooked Coyote but Coyote kept asking for abilities.
Eventually Coyote obtained the power to be a transformer and shape-shifter.
Despite being mischievous, Coyote’s powers enable him to help the Animal People, showing both his cunning nature and his importance in their world. The story reflects Coyote’s dual role as both a trickster and a helper in Okanogan mythology.

Question 44

Summary of On the equality of sexes 1790

Answer 44

In “On the Equality of the Sexes” (1790), Judith Sargent Murray argues that women are intellectually equal to men and that their perceived inferiority is due to lack of access to education. She advocates for equal educational opportunities for women, asserting that they would demonstrate the same capabilities as men if given the chance. This essay is an early call for gender equality and women’s rights.

Question 45

Summary of Legend of La Llorona

Answer 45

The Legend of La Llorona is a popular Mexican folktale about the ghost of a woman who haunts rivers and lakes, crying for her lost children. According to the story, La Llorona, or “the Weeping Woman,” drowned her children in a fit of grief and anger after being betrayed by her lover. Overcome with guilt and sorrow, she now wanders the earth searching for them, forever mourning her tragic mistake. The legend serves as a cautionary tale, often used to warn children to stay away from dangerous waters.

She also goes after men

Question 46

Summary of “La Llorona, Crying Lady of the Creekbeds, 483 Years Old, and Aging”

Answer 46

In “La Llorona, Crying Lady of the Creek Beds, 483 Years Old, and Aging” by Carmen Tafolla, the poet reimagines the figure of La Llorona as an aging and weary woman who reflects on her centuries of grief and suffering. Unlike the traditional tale, this version humanizes La Llorona, showing her as a symbol of enduring pain, colonialism, and the burdens faced by women across generations. The poem portrays her as a tragic figure whose weeping is connected not only to personal loss but also to the historical and cultural traumas of her people, giving new depth to the myth.

Question 47

Summary of: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Answer 47

Ichabod Crane is a young school teacher in sleepy hallow (part of a farming community of Tarry Town). Ichabod is an outsider to Sleepy Hallow because he is from Connecticut. Ichabod stays at students homes and performs small tasks to earn stay.

Ichabod wants to court “Katrina Van Tassel”
Katrina is already being courted by “Brom Bones”-> Abraham Van Brunt.

Ichabod gets invited to the Van Tassel home for a party
Ichabod thinks he won over Katrina but is rejected

Ichabod runs into headless horseman when he is heading home which leads to a chase and Ichabods dissapearance.

Dedrick Knickerbocker is the narrator and gives 3 lessons

Sleepy Hallow- described as peaceful and haunted “headless horseman” of sleep hallow->lost his head in battle and returns to churchyard where he was buried before morning)

Question 48

Summary of: “Tell-Tale Heart”

Answer 48

In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the narrator insists on their sanity while describing the obsessive fixation on an old man’s vulture-like eye, which drives them to commit murder. After carefully planning the crime, they dismember the body and hide it beneath the floorboards. However, the narrator is eventually consumed by guilt and paranoia, believing they can hear the old man’s heart still beating, leading to their confession of the crime.

Question 49

Summary of: “On Being Brought from Africa to America”

Answer 49

In “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” Phillis Wheatley reflects on her experience of being enslaved and transported from Africa to America. She expresses gratitude for her introduction to Christianity, which she views as a source of salvation, and emphasizes that African individuals are capable of virtue and deserving of grace. The poem highlights the complexity of her identity, acknowledging the pain of her enslavement while also recognizing the transformative power of faith.

Question 50

Summary of: “Letter to Reverend Samson Occum (1774)”

Question 51

Summary of: “O Captain! My Captain!”

Answer 51

Written in the time of the Civil War. O Captain! My Captain! Is a grief poem.

The narrator is grieving the loss of his captain (while at sea approaching land).
- At the same time the people on the shore are celebrating a won war whereas the people on the boat (including the narrator) are grieving the captain.

-> This is tying into Ab Lincoln because he was shot and killed during the Civil War but his side still won (the union)

Question 52

Summary of: The Wife of His Youth

Question 53

Summary of: “How Mr. Rabbit was too Smart for Mr. Fox”

Question 54

Summary of: Narrative and the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave

Question 55

Summary of: “A Pact”

Answer 55

In “A Pact,” Ezra Pound reflects on his relationship with Walt Whitman, expressing admiration and frustration. He acknowledges Whitman’s significant influence on American poetry while criticizing his lack of technical skill and discipline.

Through this poem, Pound asserts a commitment to elevate the standards of poetry, positioning himself as a modernist voice who seeks to build upon and refine the foundations laid by Whitman.

This poem was Ezra Pounds way of paying homage to Whitman for his work in Freeverse (type of writing style)

Question 56

Summary of: “In a Station of the Metro”

Question 57

Summary of: “The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock”

Question 58

Summary of: “The Waste Land”

Question 59

Summary of: Pale Horse, Pale Rider

Question 60

Summary of: “in just”

Question 61

Summary of: Harlem

Answer 61

In “Harlem,” Langston Hughes contemplates the effects of deferred dreams on the African American community, posing rhetorical questions about what happens when aspirations are postponed. He suggests that such dreams may wither, fester, or ultimately explode, emphasizing the emotional and societal consequences of unfulfilled hopes. Through this exploration, Hughes highlights the urgency of addressing the desires and aspirations of marginalized individuals.