Assignment:
The pattern of Examination Two will be the same as that of Examination One, with three questions calling for paragraph responses of a minimum of 300 words.
It is essential that you understand that you must respond to questions in your own words and demonstrate that you have a strong knowledge of the material. Simply cutting and pasting from another source, including lectures, will constitute plagiarism and will result in a "0" on the exam.
You should not leave the room at any point during the examination, so be sure to take care of any pressing business before beginning the exam. You are not allowed to answer the telephone or talk to anyone during the examination, and no person should enter the room in which you are testing. You may not access any information, electronic or otherwise. Any attempt to access outside information will result in a zero on the exam.
You should be able to define "literary naturalism" and tell how this philosophy is demonstrated in Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat." You also need to be able to discuss how the characters' perspective impacts their perception of events and how the men in the boat move from a faulty perception of nature to a clear perception and then return to a faulty perception. How do these shifts lead to the theme of the story, which you should be able to state?
You should be able to discuss Crane's treatment of the closing of the frontier and what he has to say about the passing of the Old West in "The Blue Hotel."
You must be able to clearly define the wasteland philosophy and to discuss the solutions offered to the wasteland by Robinson (optimistic desperation), Frost (return to nature), Stevens (imposition of the imagination of the quotidian), and Eliot (return to tradition).
You should be able to define and illustrate the term "ironic balance" in the works of E.A. Robinson.
You should be able to discuss Stevens' hedonistic philosophy in "A High-Toned Old Christian Woman", "The Emperor of Ice-Cream", and "Sunday Morning."
Be aware of the contrast between the type of poetry promoted by Williams and that promoted by Eliot.
Be able to discuss how Cummings achieves the same effects as traditional poets in unconventional ways and also be able to discuss Cummings' attitude toward war, death, and sex.