..WordWord文檔QuestionsForAmericanLiteratureWeek1.BenjaminFranklin(1706-1790)IsFranklinamanofreligiousprinciples?Whydoeshestopattendingpublicservice?Explain13virtuesFranklinchoosesforhismoralimprovement.WhatisFranklisattitudetowards moralperfection?Whataresignificanceofmoralisticself-discipline,accordingtoFranklin?WhatvirtuesdoesFranklinthinkhehasneverachieved?CommentontheCriticismthatsomeauthorsmadeonFranklin,asHawthorn,Lawrence.(Historyp.53-54)Week2:RalphWaldoEmerson(1803-1882)Whatdoes“whim”meanin“Self-reliance”?andwhydoesEmerson call consistency“foolish”?WhatisanacrosticorAlexandrianstanzacharacterlike,accordingtheSelf-relaince?Explain“totalkofrelianceisapoorexternalwayofspeaking.Speakratherofthatwhichrelies,becauseitworksandis.”andthecontextthatgivesrisetothisstatementintheSelf-reliance.WhatareEmerson’scommentsonJesusChristin“TheDivinitySchoolAddress”?PleasecompareitwithThomasPaine’sinTheAgeofReason.WeekThree：HenryDavid Thoreau(1817--1862)Whatistheanalogybetweenthatstripedsnakelyingontheofthepondandthemaninthe..earlyspring?HowisastraygooselikethespiritoftheWhatisThoreau’sunderstandingofthebeautyofanarchitecture?whatdoeshethinkofthearchitecturalornaments?Inwhatcaseswilla“carpenter”bea“coffin-maker”?WhydoesThoreausay“Thosethingsforwhichthemostmoneydemandedareneverthethingswhichthestudentmostwants”?WhatisyourcommentonThoreau’sideaofhighereducation?IsThoreauaquietistorahermitinWord文檔..WordWord文檔thewoodsofWalden?Whyorwhynot?Weekfour:NathanielHawthorne(1804-1864):Whatdidtheboy,atnightfall,whenhewasplayingwiththescatteredfragmentsofmarble?Andhowdidherespond?Whatdoesauthorcomparethewith?WhatquestionstruckEthanBrandsmindonthatportentousnight18yearsago?Didhefindanswertoitafter18-year-wanderingintheworld?WhatisWhatkindofpersonisEthanBrandinhisyouthhood?Whatcausestransformation?Whatistheendofhislife?Howdoestheolddog’spursuitofhistailparallelEthanBrand’ssearchfortheUnpardonableSin?WhatisyourunderstandingofthelittleboyJoe?Whatvirtueshestandfor?WeekFive: HermanMelville.(1819-1891)HowdidAhabrespondwhenMoby-DickappearbeforehiminthelastdayofthechasingMoby-Dick?howdidherespondinthelasttwodaysbefore?DoyouthinkAhab’sattitudestowardsMoby-Dickundergoanychanges?Why?WhataretheFedallah’sprophecyaboutAhab’sdeath?Doesitcometrue?Andhow?IWhoistheonlysurvivorofPequod?Andhow?WhatarethesymbolicmeaningsMoby-DickandCaptainAhab?Word文檔.Andalsothesymbolicofthedeathofthebirdofheavenattheendofthenovel?Howdoyouunderstandtheendingsentence:“andthegreatofthesearolledonasitrolledfivethousandyearsago.”?Week6WaltWhitman（1819-1892）WhatdoesWhitman’s“self”referto?WhyisWhitman’s“myself”differentfromthenarrowegotism?Why does Whitmancall his workLeavesofGrass?Whatdoes“aleafofgrass’’meantoyou?ToWhitman?Word文檔..WordWord文檔WhatistheendingofSongofMyself?AndhowwillyourespondWhitman’sinvitation?Week7Emily Dickinson（1830-1886）Dickinsoniswell-knownforpoeticmeditationsondyingdeath.Whatissomovingtouchinginherdeathmeditations?Doyouthinkthespeakfearsofdeath? Discuss yourunderstandingwiththehelpofherpoems.Whatimagesdoesthepoetessintroduceinthe“Hope”,howdotheyworkasthemetaphorsoftheidea---HOPE?Howdoesthetriumphingspirit permeate

humanthroughDickinson’spoetryofsuffering?Illustrateyourideaswithherspecificpoems.Week8EdgarAllanPoe(1809-1849)1.Howmanytimesisthe“nevermore”repeated?Andwhatinquiriesthat“I”raisedincitestheraven to respond to with“Nevermore’?Besides“nevermore”,whatistheotherwordorwordsthatyoufind