It seems to declare that she is proud, rather than ashamed, of her sin. In reality, however, Hester simply accepts the “sin” and its symbol as part of herself, just as she accepts her child.
And although she can hardly believe her present “realities,” she takes them as they are rather than resisting them or trying to atone for them. How does this tell us about her character?
Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable. It is the extraordinary circumstances shaping her that make her such an important figure.
Unit5 Herman Melville
1.What are the stories Ismael tells about Moby Dick?
Ishmael compares the legend of Moby Dick to his experience of the whale. He notes that sperm whale attacks have increased recently and that superstitious sailors have come to regard these attacks as having an intelligent, even supernatural origin.
In particular, wild rumors about Moby Dick circulate among whalemen, suggesting that he can be in more than one place at the same time and that he is immortal. Ishmael remarks that even the wildest of rumors usually contains some truth. Whales, for instance, have been known to travel with remarkable speed from the Atlantic to the Pacific; thus, it is possible for a whale to be caught in the Pacific with the harpoons of a Greenland ship in it.
Moby Dick, who has defied capture numerous times, exhibits an “intelligent malignity”（狠毒） in his attacks on men
2.Why does Ahab react so violently against the white whale? First, he lost one of his legs because of the white whale.
Second,He considers Moby Dick the embodiment of evil in the world, and he pursues the White Whale，because he believes it his inescapable fate to destroy this evil. Ishmael suggests that Ahab is “crazy”and call him “a raving lunatic.” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
Ishmael describes Ahab as mad in his narration, and it does indeed seem mad to try to fight the forces of nature or God.
3. What narrative features can you find in the selected chapter?
In the selected charpter, Melville employed the technique of multiple view of his narrative to portray Moby Dick to achieve the effect of ambiguity and let readers judge the meaning. Unit 6 Henry David Thoreau
1.Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spiritual level? He lived in a cabin on Walden Pond, which belonged to Emerson’s property.
2.Had Thoreau ever bought a farm? Why did he enjoy the act of buying? No, he hadn’t.
He avoided purchasing a farm because it would inevitably tie him down financially and complicate his life.
Thoreau didn’t see the acquisition of wealth as the goal for human existence, he saw the goal of life to be an exploration of the mind and of the magnificent world around us.
He regarded the places as an existence free of obligations and full of leisure.
3.Is it significant that Thoreau mentioned the Fourth of July as the day on which he began to stay in the woods? Why? Yes, it is.
Because The Fourth of July is known as Independence Day,the birthday ot the United States.
Here Thoreau uses the day to express his beginning of??regeneration at Walden. It also means a symbol of his conquest of being.
4.How could you answer the question Thoreau asked at the end of this selection? Unit 7 19th Century American Poets 1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(1) I Shot an Arrow…
1. Why did the speaker lose sight of his arrow and song?
The arrow flies too swiftly and too far away to be seen by the speaker; whereas the song is naturally invisible.
2. In what circumstances did he find them again?
He finds them unexpectedly years later from the trunk of a tree and the heart of a friend.
3. What do arrow and song stand for in this poem? The images of arrow and song here may stand for friendship. (2) A Psalm of Life
1. What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?
The speaker is a man of action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to achieve as much as possible in the short span of life.
2. According to the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death? We should work harder and live happier.
3. Interpret the metaphor of \ The metaphor refers to human deeds in real life. 2. Walt Whitman (1)One's Self I Sing
1. What is the significance of singing about one's self?
It is an exaltation of the individual spirit, which is typical of American people. 2. What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?
Physiology is a science that deals with the functions and life process of human beings, whereas physiognomy refers to an art of judging character from contours of face itself or the appearance of a person.
3. What does Whitman mean by the term of \
He means that a man should be free from any prejudice and pride, totally different from the traditional one, that is full of bias. (3) O Captain! My Captain!
1. Why is the word \
In this poem the word “Captain” specially refers to Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States.
2. What overall metaphor does the poet employ in this poem? Life is a journey.
3. Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring, while the speaker remains so sad?
They welcome the ship returning from its hard trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor. 3.Emily Dickinson (1) To Make a Prairie …