Harsh Realities of the American Dream: Realism



Harsh Realities of the American Dream: Realism

(10 points) Read page 482, and then complete the following activity:

Passage 1:

Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly in the long run.

--The Facts Concerning the Recent Resignation

Passage 2:

Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do…Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.

--The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Passage 3:

Hain’t we got all the fools in town on our side? And ain’t that a big enough majority in every town?

--The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn

Passage 4:

War talk by men who have been in a war is always interesting; whereas moon talk by a poet who has not been in the moon is likely to be dull.

--Life on the Mississippi

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Use the lines as a guide for how long your response should be. If you need more space, that is fine—but your response should fill the space above.

An Introduction to Literary Criticism

What is literary criticism?

Literary criticism refers to the distinct methods of reading, interpreting, and commenting on literature. Although “criticism” generally has a negative connotation, “lit crit” can in fact be positive. Instead of thinking of it as criticizing a work, think of it as reading and thinking critically about literature. In a letter to his nephew, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.” Active questioning and exploration are longstanding American ideals, carried on in the process of literary criticism.

Who was the first literary critic?(

In the early fourth century B.C., Plato raised skeptical questions about the value of art and literature: What is the nature of the work of art? What are its sources in the artist, in the literary scene, in the society for which it is produced? What are its properties, uses, powers, and value? What are literature’s effects on individuals and on communities? Questions like these remain at the heart of the critical tradition.

What are the basic types of literary criticism?

Historically, the first type, the mimetic theories of classical antiquity, focused on the relationship between the outside world and the work of art. These theories posited that poetry [or literature] could best be understood as an imitation, a representation, a copy of the physical world.

The second type, the rhetorical, emphasized the relationship between the work of art and its audience—either how the literary work should be formed to please and instruct its audience, or what the audience should be like in order to appreciate literature correctly.

The third type, called expressive stressed the relationship between the work of art and the artist, particularly the special faculties of mind and soul that the artist brings to the act of creation.

The fourth type, which developed around the beginning of the twentieth century, played down the connections of the work of art with the exterior world, the audience, and the artist. These formal theories stressed the purely aesthetic relationship between the parts of a work of literature, analyzing its ‘themes’ or ‘motifs’ as if a literary text were a form of classical music or an abstract painting, and strove for a quasi-scientific objectivity.

(2)What is the best way to differentiate between the different categories?

(2)What is the point of literary criticism? Why write it? Why read it?

We can set these voices at play, engage them in contrapuntal dialogue with each other, and enter that dialogue ourselves. And in discoursing with some of the most probing minds that have trained their gaze upon literature, we become participants in an ancient and exalted conversation.

(2)Why must readers be careful with literary criticism?

Literary critics analyze selections from many angles (style, structure, language, etc.) and on many levels (emotional, moral, philosophical, etc.). Like the author of the work, however, critics are being influenced by the times in which they live. As a result, literary criticism reflects both the point of view of the critic as well as the social and political period during which it is written. (Consider, for example, the critical review excerpts we read during our study of Sentimentalism and how they differed in regard to the gender of the poet.)

Prominent Schools of Literary Criticism:

TRADITIONAL TEXTUAL PSYCHO/SOCIO-LOGICAL POSTMODERN

Historical/Biographical Formalist Freudian Deconstructionist

Moral/Philosophical Rhetorical Archetypal (Jungian) Reader Response

Feminist

Marxist

(2) Consider which questions you usually ask of a literary work. Do you align yourself to one particular school of thought or are you a mixture of several? Explain.

Cultural Criticism Assignment

Now that you’ve been introduced to the concept of literary criticism, put yourself in the shoes of a literary critic. Instead of analyzing literature, however, you will interpret and comment on a subject from pop culture. Start by selecting a movie, television show, or song of your choice—preferably something for which you have a strong like or dislike. (1)Write your topic below:

(2)What is it that you like, dislike, or otherwise observe about this topic?

(2)Review the categories of literary criticism and choose the one you’d like to work with. Which type of criticism will do the best job of bringing out the highlights—or “lowlights”—of your subject? Write your answer below.

Next, select two questions a critic from that school might ask of your topic. (Example: A feminist critic might ask of Spongebob Squarepants—Why is the show’s main female character unable to breathe underwater?)

1. (1) First Question:

2. (1) Second Question:

Put all of your work together in one or two well-developed paragraphs in which you critically analyze (not necessarily criticize) your subject. Your paragraph should have a main idea that incorporates your responses to the two questions you selected (10 points).

Group Work: “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”

• Complete each step—you have today and tomorrow to complete these steps with your group and be prepared to share your reading with the class in presentation format on Wednesday.

• Everyone in your group must be involved and must fill out the worksheet to turn in.

• Everyone in the group must have a part in the presentation—you decide how.

Read

⇨ Read “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” and complete the structural analysis below. In the blank space around the frames, write the details you discover about the characters (10 points).

Round 2: Analyze (5 points)

⇨ Discuss with your group the story & draft a thesis based on your literary theory and ideas. Your thesis should answer the essential question: How does “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” display distinct ________________ characteristics?

Litcrit theory (ex. Feminist)

Thesis: ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

*Hint* Remember a thesis should make a declaration about the work and should have specifics

Round 3: Interpret (15 points)

List specific examples from the story that support your thesis. You may use a bullet format, but make sure you are able to explain how they relate to your thesis. ONE of you should write NEATLY because this page will be displayed on the document camera for your fellow classmates as you present. Ideally you should make approximately 3-4 claims that have 2-3 pieces of evidence to support them.

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*PART 1 and PART 2 study guides are posted on Ms. Carmichael’s Website; It is up to you whether or not you want to download them. They could be VERY useful for quizzes, but WILL NOT be graded.**

Literature Circles

|MY Group: |

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DIRECTIONS: Make sure you understand what is expected of you as well as the rest of your group. Use the sample questions to get started, but provide independent, elaborate answers. Each group member should contribute equally. At the end of the discussion, you are responsible for turning in the group’s notes. For each literature circle you must prepare three level 3 lit crit questions. Each question must be written down and identified by a school of literary criticism. See examples and non examples below.

Level 1 Questions: The answer is explicitly found in the text. These are your basic recall questions.

Example: What is the protagonist’s name?

While these questions have value in their own right, they do not elicit discussion and should not be used as one of your 3 questions. If there is only one “right answer”, you do not want to use it as a discussion questions. Points will be deducted if you generate level 1 questions.

Level 2 Questions: The answer can be inferred, and understood, but is not directly stated in the test.

Example: Why does Huck feel the need to fake his own death?

Again, these questions have value, but do not elicit thoughtful and sustained discussion. Usually they can be answered in a few sentences and again, there is usually one “right” answer, so they do not make good discussion questions. Points will be deducted if you generate level 2 questions.

Level 3 Questions: Answers derive from synthesized information with these questions.

Example: Is an egalitarian society truly possible?

These are the questions you want to strive for. These are thought provoking questions that elicit strong discussion. Answers require pulling information from the text and outside the text, including but not limited to your own opinion. These are the types of questions you want, and the only types of questions that will earn you all your points.

Practice: Generate a level 1, level 2 and level 3 question for the story of Cinderella.

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You also are required to identify the school of literary criticism (page 3) that your questions would fall under. This will also help you in generating true level 3 questions; if it doesn’t fall under a school of literary thought, most likely it is not a level 3 question. What school would the level 3 example fall under? ___________________. Now identify which school your level 3 question for Cinderella would fall under.

|Discussion Check list |To get full credit students must | |

|3 Questions |Have all 3 questions prepared BEFORE class; all three questions must be | |

| |level three questions that elicit thought and discussion |1 2 3 4 5 |

|Discussion Participation |Students will lose points for each time they are off task during the | |

| |discussion. Ms. Carmichael will also look at the discussion log and deduct| |

| |points for students who are not well represented in the discussion. |2 4 6 8 10 |

| |Ideally the discussion notes should reflect equal participation among all | |

| |members of the group. It is up to the group to encourage equal | |

| |participation, but it is up the individual to assert him/herself in the |12 14 16 18 20 |

| |discussion. | |

|Discussion Notes |Simply based on following the instructions |1 2 3 4 5 |

|Reflection |Simply based on completion |1 2 3 4 5 |

| |Total_____/35 |

| |Letter: A B C D F |

1. (10)Read the following quotes carefully, underlining key words and phrases. In the space provided, state the context (where it can be found) of the quote and it meaning.

A. “There warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft” (chapter 18)

Context:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Meaning:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B. “Pap always said it warn’t no harm to borrow things if you was meaning to pay them back sometime; but the widow said it warn’t anything but a soft name for stealing, ad no decent body would do it. Jim said he reckoned the widow was partly right and pap was partly right; so the best way would be for us to pick out two or three things from the list and say we wouldn’t borrow them any more—“ (chapter 12)

Context:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Meaning:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

C. “So there ain’t no doubt there is something in that thing—that is, theres’ something in it when a body like the widow or he parson prays, but it don’t work for me, and I reckon it don’t work for only just the right kind” (chapter 8)

Context:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Meaning:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

D. “En all you wuz thinkin’ ‘bourt wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim and a lie. Dat truck dah is trash; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren’s en makes ‘em feel ashamed” (chapter 15).

Context:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Meaning:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

E. “If any real lynching’s going to be done it will be done in tehh dark, Southern fashion, and when they come they’ll bring their masks” (chapter 22)

Context:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Meaning:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. (2)Choose one of the above quotes and write it on the Popsicle stick. Glue the quote in the appropriate place on the map.

3. (5) Put the following events in order along the map’s route, arranging them around the popsicle stick raft. Notice that these events are obstacles that the raft cannot avoid.

The Duke and the King come aboard (“By rights, I am a duke!”)

Escaping Jackson’s Island (“They’re after us!”)

Huck Fakes his own death (“I did wish Tom Sawyer was there”)

Grangerfords vs. Shepherdsons (“It’s on account of the feud.”)

The Royal Nonesuch is performed (“Ladies and Children Not Permitted”)

Most stories follow this pattern, which many of you have seen before:

Put the events (which are out of order) listed below in order on the chart provided for you on the back. REMEMBER we talked about the climax of the novel & and the denouement. The climax is the highest point in the novel.

Critics Respond to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Now that we have finished the novel, we must return to some of the sensitive issues we addressed in the beginning of the unit. Read the following reviews carefully, marking any lines or passages with which you strongly agree or disagree. Then answer the questions after each section. The first review is from the time of the novel’s publication, the second illustrates the novel’s reputation a century later, and the final excerpt shows the overall impact of the book’s ending.

From “‘Huckleberry Finn’ and His Critics,” The Atlanta Constitution (May 26, 1885)

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The young Englishman of leisure is not only fond of outdoor sports, but of books. He has culture and taste, and patronizes literature with as much enthusiasm as he does physical amusements. If our leisure class is to imitate the English, it would be better if the imitation extended somewhat in the direction of culture.

The American leisure class—the class that might be expected to patronize good literature and to create a demand for sound, conservative criticism—is not only fond of horses, but is decidedly horsey. It is coarse and uncultivated. It has no taste in either literature or art. . . .

We are led to these remarks by the wholly inadequate verdict that has recently been given in some of the most prominent newspapers as to the merits of Mark Twain's new book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It is difficult to believe that the critics who have condemned the book as coarse, vulgar and inartistic can have read it. It presents an almost artistically perfect picture of the life and character in the southwest, and it will be equally valuable to the historian and to the student of sociology.

Whatever is coarse and crude is in the life that is pictured, and the picture is perfect. It may be said that the humor is sometimes excessive, but it is genuine humor--and the moral of the book, though it is not scrawled across every page, teaches the necessity of manliness and self-sacrifice.

• (1)What is this writer’s main idea?

• (2)Do you agree with the critic? Why or why not?

From Norman Mailer’s “Huckleberry Finn, Alive at 100,” The New York Times (December 9, 1984)

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The Springfield Republican judged it to be no worse than “a gross trifling with every fine feeling” and the public library in Concord, Mass., was confident enough to ban it: “the veriest trash.” The Boston Transcript reported that “other members of the Library Committee characterize the work as rough, coarse, and inelegant, the whole book being more suited to the slums than to intelligent, respectable people.” All the same, the novel was not too unpleasantly regarded, There were no large critical hurrahs but the reviews were, on the whole, friendly. A good tale, went the consensus. There was no sense that a great American novel had landed on the literary world of 1885. The critical climate could hardly anticipate T. S. Eliot and Ernest Hemingway’s encomiums 50 years later. In the preface to an English edition, Eliot would speak of “a masterpiece of Twain’s genius,” and Ernest went further. In “Green Hills of Africa,” after disposing of Emerson, Hawthorne and Thoreau, and paying off Henry James and Stephen Crane with a friendly nod, he proceeded to declare, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. . . . It’s the best book we’ve had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.”

[Twain] could deal with every kind of man or woman God ever gave to the middle of America. Jail-house drunks like Huck Finn’s father take their bow, full of the raunchy violence that even gets into the smell of clothing. Gentlemen and river rats, young, attractive girls full of grit and “sand,” and strong old ladies with aphorisms clicking like knitting needles, fools and confidence men – what a cornucopia of rabble and gentry inhabit the author’s river banks.

We are presented . . . with the best river ever to flow through a novel, our own Mississippi, and in the voyage down those waters of Huck Finn and a runaway slave on their raft, we are held in the thrall of the river. Larger than a character, the river is a manifest presence to support the man and the boy, a deity to betray them, feed them, all but drown them, fling them apart, float them back together. The growth of love and knowledge between the runaway white and the runaway black is a relation equal to the relation of the men to the river for it is also full of betrayal and nourishment, separation and return.

• (1)How many different opinions appear in the excerpt above?

• (2)With which opinion do you agree most? Least? Why?

• (2)How does this excerpt elaborate on the symbolic role of the river?

From “Huck Finn in Context: The Curriculum,” PBS Culture Shock, 1999.

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Writer David Bradley notes that many have criticized the ending of Huck Finn but “none of them has been able to suggest -- much less write -- a better ending. . . . They failed for the same reason that Twain wrote the ending as he did: America has never been able to write a better ending. America has never been able to write any ending at all.”

• (1)What do you think Bradley means?

• (2)Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

( From The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends. Ed. David H. Richter. Second ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1998.

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#3: In 1885, Twain wrote in his notebook, “My works are like water. The works of great masters are like wine. But everyone drinks water.” Choose one of the following passages from Twain’s work, and show how that passage exemplifies the author’s philosophy of style. You response should show how the passage exemplifies the down-to-earth directness of Twain’s style—the way that his writing is, “like water,” meant for everybody. Incorporate the passage in your response as a direct quote. Cite it in MLA format by using the passage number as the page number; remember who the author is!!!

Character:_____________________________________________________________________________

~A good

Listener.

Sets up the story and frames what is to come in the latter part of the story.

Character:_____________________________________________________

Tells the inner story to the first frame character

Character:________________________________

The inner most story; the meat of it.

Denouement (the Ah-ha moment)

• Huck decides to “light out for the territory.”

• Huck decides to “free Jim and go to Hell” rather than allow him to stay in the Phelps’ possession.

• Huck gives his $6000 to Judge Thatcher

• The king and the duke impersonate the Wilks brothers

• Tom and Huck try to free Jim

• Jim is sold to the Phelps

• Jim and Huck are separated in the fog

• Miss Sophia and Harney Shepherdson run away

• Pap almost kills Huck in a drunken rage

• Jim calls Huck “trash”

• The king and the duke arrive to travel with Jim and Huck

• Huck’s dad tries to get his money

• Jim’s hairball tells Huck’s future

• The king and the duke humiliate Jim by dressing him up as a “Crazy Arab” and painting him blue.

• Aunt Sally wants to “sivilize” Huck

• Jim and Huck flee Jackson Island

• Tom, Judge Thatcher and the rest of the town search for Huck’s body by firing cannon shots.

• Jim and Huck meet the gang of robbers on the Walter Scott

• Tom plays a trick on Jim and puts his hat on a tree

• Jim tells Huck that his pap was the dead man on the houseboat

• Huck fakes his own death and runs away.

• Tom’s gang of robbers forms

• The king and the duke perform the “Royal Nonesuch”

• The king fools the churchgoers into giving him money because he says he is a pirate

• Tom is shot

• Jim and Huck find a dead man on the houseboat

• Widow Douglas tries to “sivilize” Huck.

• Pap kidnaps Huck

• Huck steals the inheritance money and hides it in the coffin

• Buck dies

• Huck goes to Mrs. Loftus’ house, dressed as a girl, to find out what is going on in town

• Tom tells everyone that Jim has been freed.

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