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1、Unit2 Edgar Allan Poe1) Who is the narrator? What wrong does he want to redress?It is Montresor. Fortunato has given Montresor thousands of injuries that he hasto bear before he has this opportunity of taking revenge.2) What is the pretext Montresor uses to lure Fortunado to his wine cellar?He claim
2、s that he has just got a cask of Amontilado and stores it in the wine cellar before he may find a connoisseur to testify to its authenticity.3) What happens to Fortunado in the end?The deceived Fortunado is killed because of his inability of getting out of the catacomb.4) Describe briefly how Poe ch
3、aracterizes Mortresor and Fortunado as contrasts.Poe characterizes Mortresor and Fortunado as seemingly contrasting characters chiefly by presenting their identical habit in wine and their different mannerstowards each other, but actually he intends to show some similarly defective aspects in their
4、nature. The similarity in their nature is also suggested by their namesas synonyms in Italian: Mortresor means “fortune ” while Fortunado “treasure ”. Their defective nature is highlighted when the revenger Mortresor, who is fully prepared on psychological and operating levels, throws the hardly pre
5、pared but totallydeceived wrong-doer Fortunado into the deep and damp catacomb and blocks up its entrance with huge rocks.Unit 7 19 th Century American Poets1. 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 fa
6、r 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 s
7、tand for friendship.(2) A Psalm of Life1. What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?The speaker is a man of action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to achieveas much as possible in the short span of life.2. According to the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact thateach
8、 day brings us nearer to death?We should work harder and live happier.3. Interpret the metaphor of Footprints on the sand of time (line 28).The metaphor refers to human deeds in real life.2. Walt Whitman(1)Ones Self I Sing1. What is the significance of singing about ones self?It is an exaltation of
9、the individual spirit, which is typical ofAmerican people.2. What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?Physiology is a science that deals with the functions and life process of humanbeings, whereas physiognomy refers to an art of judging character from contours of face itself or the
10、appearance of a person.3. What does Whitman mean by the term of the Modern Man?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 Captain capitalized throughout the poem?In thi
11、s poem the word“Captain ” specially refers to Abraham Lincoln, president ofthe 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 har
12、d trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.3.Emily Dickinson(1) To Make a Prairie 1. What things are needed to make a prairie? In what sense can one really do it?Some grass and insects and small animals. People can make a prairie with their imagination.2. H
13、ow can revery alone create a prairie?The prairie stays in ones mind.(2) Success Is Counted Sweetest1. Why is success counted sweetest by those who neer succeed?Those who have tasted the bitterness of failure would have a keener desire forsuccess.2. Who are the purple host?The so-called successful pe
14、ople in the world.3. Who is he in the last stanza?Anyone who is pursuing his success.(3) Im Nobody!1. Who are the pair of us and they in this poem?The pair of us refers to the speaker in the poem and the reader, and they refers to the public, especially those in power.2. What does an admiring bog re
15、ally mean? (line 28).It Implies the vain and empty common people, who are always admiring and pursuing the celebrities.3. What is the theme of this poem?The real admirable life is a secluded and common one.4. Do you want to be nobody or somebody? Explain your reasons.Different persons would have dif
16、ferent answers to this question. Personally, I prefer to be nobody.Unit 17 20 th -Century American Poets1. Ezra PoundIn A Station of the Metro1. Why does the poet call the faces of pedestrians apparition?These pedestrians are all walking in a hurry amidst the drizzling rain.2. What do petals and bou
17、gh stand for?Petals refer to the faces while the bough stands for the floating crowd.2. Wallace StevensAnecdote of the Jar1. What does the jar in poem symbolize? Why does the speaker place it on top of a hill?The jar here symbolizes a certain perspective on looking at this world. If the perspective
18、of the viewing is creative and unique, it will change the conventional order of the old world. When a new perspective comes out, it will certainly hold attention from the rest.2. The jar is round and of a port in air, meaning that it has a stately importance. What effect does it have on surroundings
19、 when placed on the ground?Maybe the round jar assumes the air of a domineering figure, which helps to form a certain order out of the disordered surrounding.3. How did the wilderness of Tennessee characterized? What words or phrases does the poet use to describe it?Tennessee seems to a place full o
20、f life and energy.“Slovenly, ” “sprawl ” and “wild ”are some of the words used to describe the place. (SeeAnecdote of the Jar )3. William Carlos WilliamsWilliam Carlos Williams1. How does the first two lines differ from the other pairs of lines?Each of the last three couplets creates a visual image
21、( “a red wheelbarrow, ” “glazed with rainwater, ” and“the white chickens ”), whereas the first one does not.2. What is the most visually compelling word in each of the last three pairs of lines?They are“red, glazed and white ”. (See EXPLANATION:“The Red Wheelbarrow ” below)3. What is the meaning of
22、depends upon in the first pair of lines?The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the poem. Since the poem is composed of one sentence broken up at various intervals, it is truthfulto say that so muchdepends upon each line of the poem. This is so because the form of the poem is also its meaning
23、. This may seem confusing, but by the end of the poem the image of the wheelbarrow is seen as the actual poem, as in a painting when one sees an image of an apple, the apple represents an actual object in reality, but since it is part of a painting the apple also becomes the actual piece of art. The
24、se lines are also important because they introduce the idea that so much depends upon the wheelbarrow.SEE answer 1.4.Robert Frost (1)Fire and Ice 1. What are the symbolic meanings of fire in this poem? Fire symbolizes natural disaster, human passion, as well as war.2. Why does the speaker say that i
25、ce is also great for destruction? Explain what ice stands for here.Ice, oppose to fire, is also a dreadful natural disaster in this world, and ice is always related to indifference, coldness, hatred, and the other negative sentiments of human beings.3. What is your opinion about fire and ice? Which
26、one is more destructive? Both fire and ice can destroy this beautiful world if they are beyond control of human beings. Therefore we should be open-minded and reduce our prejudice and pride so as to keep this world in peace.(2)Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening1. In your opinion, what was the reas
27、on that made the speaker stop by the woodson a snowy evening?The poet was deeply attracted by the natural beauty of the scene at that very moment.2. Why did the horse give the harness bell a shake?The horse grew impatient by stopping in the middle of the dark, cold woods at midnight.It was eager to
28、go home.3. Why couldnt the speaker stay longer by the woods to appreciate its mysterious beauty?He realized that it was late at night and he would have to hurry home to get some food and sleep, because the next morning he would have a lot of work to do.4. What is the effect of repetition in the last
29、 two lines?The refrain-like repetition inthe last two lines reminds the readera simple factof life: whatever happens, one must go forward in the journey of his or her life.(3) The Road Not Taken1. What is the speakers initial response to the divergence of the two roads?The speaker is at a loss which
30、 road he should choose, and he feels sorry that he cannot explore both roads at the same time.2. Describe the similarities and differences of these two roads. Which one does the speaker take?Two roads are similar except one of them is more“grassy, ” which implies that itis less traveled by people. T
31、he speaker prefers the less traveled one, because he likes adventure.3. What might the two roads stand for in the speakers mind?One road stands for the traditional one and the other is unconventional one and full of challenges and difficulties. To follow other peoples footsteps or to open a new road
32、 for himself is really not an easy decision for us to make in our lives.5. Langston Hughes(1)Dreams1. Why must we stick to our dreams?If God is not the first move in our life, surely our dreams are the same.2. What images does the poet employ to describe the life once we lose our dreams?Without drea
33、ms our life will be a broken bird and a barren field. I think without dream our life will be a grand ship drifting on the vast ocean, never knowing its destination.(2)Me And The Mule1. Why does the speaker identify himself with the mule?They share a lot in their life: hard-working and full of strength, submissivenessand kindness and honesty.2. What figure of speech does the poet employ in describing the mule? Personification.3. 4.精品资料