Midterm Stories Summary Flashcards
Summary of “The spirit Chief Names the animal people” by mourning dove
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.
Summary of On the equality of sexes 1790
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.
Summary of “La Llorona, Crying Lady of the Creekbeds, 483 Years Old, and Aging”
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.
Summary of Legend of La Llorona
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
Summary of: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
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)
Summary of: “Tell-Tale Heart”
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.
Summary of: “On Being Brought from Africa to America”
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.
Summary of: “Letter to Reverend Samson Occum (1774)”
In her “Letter to Reverend Samson Occom” (1774), Phillis Wheatley expresses her support for Occom’s criticism of the enslavement of African Americans, despite the nation’s emphasis on freedom and liberty. She highlights the contradiction between the colonists’ fight for their own freedom and their continued practice of slavery, calling for equality and justice for all people.
Summary of: “O Captain! My Captain!”
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)
Summary of: The Wife of His Youth
In Charles Chesnutt’s short story “The Wife of His Youth”, Mr. Ryder, a prominent member of the Blue Veins Society, is preparing to propose to a refined woman of high social standing. However, his plans change when an elderly Black woman appears, searching for her long-lost husband from years of slavery.
The ending is amigious because he does not say she is my wife. Instead he says shes the wife of my youth.
Youth-> young, naive, kinda like sidechick
Summary of: “How Mr. Rabbit was too Smart for Mr. Fox”
In Joel Chandler Harris’s story “How Mr. Rabbit Was Too Smart for Mr. Fox,” Mr. Fox tries to outwit Mr. Rabbit by capturing him and tying him up. However, Mr. Rabbit cleverly manipulates the situation by pretending to fear being thrown into a briar patch, which leads Mr. Fox to do exactly that. Once in the briar patch, Mr. Rabbit escapes unharmed, revealing that it was his plan all along, thus outsmarting Mr. Fox.
Mr. Rabbit, who uses his cleverness and wit to escape difficult situations, represents the enslaved person, highlighting the use of intelligence and cunning as a means of survival. Mr. Fox, who seeks to trap and control Mr. Rabbit, represents the slave owner or oppressor, symbolizing the power and control exercised over the enslaved.
Summary of: Narrative and the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is Douglass’s autobiographical account of his experiences under slavery and his journey to freedom. He details the brutal realities of life as an enslaved person, including the physical and emotional abuse he endured, and the way education became his path to empowerment. The narrative serves as both a powerful condemnation of slavery and a testimony to Douglass’s resilience and fight for liberty.
Summary of: “A Pact”
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)
Summary of: “In a Station of the Metro”
Ezra Pound’s poem “In a Station of the Metro” is a vivid, two-line Imagist work that captures a fleeting moment in a Paris subway station. Pound compares the passing faces of commuters to petals on a wet, black bough, evoking the transitory beauty of human life amid an urban setting. The poem reflects Pound’s emphasis on economy of language and the precision of imagery.
Summary of: “The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock”
T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a modernist dramatic monologue in which the narrator, Prufrock, reflects on his feelings of inadequacy, alienation, and indecision. He contemplates his mundane life and his inability to take bold actions, particularly in love, fearing judgment and rejection. The poem captures Prufrock’s inner turmoil and his existential angst, highlighting the fragmented, uncertain nature of modern life.
