English 105 Midterm exam #2

Dr. Kate Drowne

Wednesday, April 17, 2002

 

You will not need blue books for this exam; paper will be provided.

 

The first part of your exam will consist of passages taken from the texts we’ve read since the last exam.  You’ll be asked to identify the author’s name and title of the work, and then to give a brief explanation of the SIGNIFICANCE of that particular passage.  (You will answer 8 out of 12 questions for a total of 40 points.)

 

The second part of your exam will consist of two open-ended questions based on the student presentations delivered since the last exam.  You can review the highlights of these presentations by clicking on the relevant links, which are available on our course’s website. (You will answer 2 out of 4 questions for a total of 10 points.)

 

The third part of your exam will be an essay.  I will include THREE of the following five questions on the midterm.  You will be asked to answer ONE of them.  Remember that I am looking for a strong thesis statement supported by plenty of evidence and details from the texts you choose.  (1 essay for 50 points)

 

 

  1. We’ve read several literary portraits of women engaged in some form of heroic struggle, including Phillis Wheatley, Sojourner Truth, and Margaret Fuller.  Choose two of these women and write an essay that explains in what ways they might be seen as heroic.  What are they struggling against, why are they struggling, and how successful are they?

 

  1. The issue of justice has arisen in a number of texts, including Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence,” Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience,” Douglass’ Narrative, Truth’s Narrative, and Fuller’s Woman in the Nineteenth Century.  Choose three writers and explain (1) how they define justice; and (2) what hope they see for America to live up to this ideal.

 

  1. How do Hawthorne’s short stories epitomize the tradition of American Romanticism?  Define your terms, then choose three stories to discuss.

 

  1. What are the major features or characteristics of American transcendentalism?  How do the writings of Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller epitomize American transcendentalist thought?

 

  1. A century and a half after his death, Edgar Allan Poe is still consistently ranked with the most well-loved and widely read American authors.  How can you account for Poe’s continued popularity?  Choose three stories to discuss as you answer this question.