Unit 1 Review

Terms and Applications

Terminology of Philosophy

Philosophy—the study of truth in all its various forms

Epistemology—the study of how and what we can truly know

Metaphysics—the study of the fundamental nature of reality and being

Ethics—the study of right and wrong Aesthetics—the study of the nature and

effect of art

Critical Thinking Skills

Metacognition—thinking about thinking Reflection—taking time rather than making a

snap decision; requires effort—integrity rather than expedience (not always the proper way to go)

Reason, logic—rather than emotion; trying to figure out the truly right answer rather than simply what we want; being dispassionate and objective, scientific method

Source evaluation—being able to find and evaluate sources of information

Terminology of Literary Criticism

Magic Realism—literature containing a magical element neither explained nor questioned. It includes rich sensory description, distortion of linear time, and mythical or folkloric elements

Verisimilitude—the appearance of being real or true; the elements of a story that make it seem real

Willing Suspension of Disbelief—Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s theory that readers willingly “believe” stories are real for aesthetic pleasure

Doppelgangers—parallel, identical characters, often used to represent a divided consciousness

Foils—characters placed in similar situations in order to enlighten readers about one of them

Terminology of Literary Criticism

Metafiction—fiction about writing fiction, calling attention to its own “fictionality”

Transcendentalism—a branch of American Romanticism. Major tenets: Spiritual, individual intuition is the only way to

understand the truth of the world; In order to “transcend” reality, individuals must

rely on their abilities to look inside themselves to understand what is right and true for themselves;

All knowledge begins with self-knowledge; Reason alone results in an incomplete

understanding of the universe.

Terminology of Literary Criticism

Modernism—literary movement from the 1880s – WWII which introduced radical experimentation in literary technique, including fragmentation of perspective, discontinuity of narrative, disruption of syntax, and themes of alienation and spiritual emptiness

Flashback—interruption in the chronological order of the story by a scene or image from the past

Back Story—history of a character, often not shown or related, perhaps hinted at

Terminology of Literary Criticism

Flash forward—interruption in the chronological order of the story by a scene or image from the future

Motif—a repeated thematic element throughout a story or other work of art

Persona—a “mask” or personality a character (or real person) adopts in preference to or to cover up his/her real self

Platonic Idealism—Plato’s belief that the reality we can sense is only a poor reflection of an ideal that exists on a higher plane

General Terms

Progressive Era—a period in American history (~1890s – 1920) when reformers moved by outrage about present conditions optimistically tried to improve society through political, economic, and social reform

The Prodigal Son—a religious parable in which a son, given wealth, leaves home, wastes his wealth, and returns humbly only to be welcomed with open arms. Used figuratively in literature.

Rapture—generally extreme happiness; specifically, the direct ascension to heaven of true believers

General Terms

Free Will—the ability to choose your actions and ultimately your fate for yourself

Naturalism—detached, scientific view of humans as controlled by environmental forces, thus negating the possibility of free will and perhaps the existence of god

Determinism--the extreme of Naturalism. Denies free will and sees humans as animalistic, controlled more by biologic drives than logic and thought—if we can’t see the soul, then it must not exist.

General Terms

Quid pro quo—”this for that”: an action performed in expectation of a return action

Nature vs. Nurture—the debate in psychology over the relative roles of genetics and environment in producing psychological outcomes

Ostentation (Ostentatious, adj.)—the gaudy, excessive showing off of wealth

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect!

Which term above represents the following? “If I’m taught there is a God I’m responsible

to, I know I have to treat people right. But if there’s no creator to answer to, it changes your whole lifestyle. Then it’s just survival of the fittest. That’s where our society is headed. That’s why we have some of the problems we do.”

Literature creates a virtual world that we respond to as if it were real.

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect!

Which term above represents the following? I know it is true because I am at one with

nature “Sleeping on” a difficult decision Considering who tells us a fact before we

decide to believe it Choosing a new car based on gas mileage

and reliability instead of how “cool” it looks The sum of all knowledge is the search for

truth in all its forms

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect!

Which term above represents the following? A woman crying at the end of a sad movie Teddy Roosevelt’s prosecution of monopolies

under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act The direct promotion of a student who truly

believes in the value of literature to English 11 without English 9 or 10

Belief in intuition over reason Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Both Romeo and Paris love Juliet

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect! One indication of this genre is Ray’s detailed

description of digging Annie’s garden Fiction focusing metaphorically on writing fiction Richard was metaphorically this J.D. Salinger perhaps experienced this in fiction Belief in “the force” resembles this belief Intuition is this belief’s answer to the basic

question of epistemology

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect!Which term above represents the following? As I was hanging by a branch from the cliff,

my life passed before my eyes . . . James Gatz’s view of himself Using stream of consciousness as a narrative

technique Showing off your huge engagement ring Are identical twins alike in every way? The frequent references to driving and car

accidents in The Great Gatsby Our “decisions” are only biological imperative

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect!

Which term above represents the following? Nick’s reverie about the first time Gatsby

kissed Daisy Nick’s sense of alienation from the world at

the end of The Great Gatsby is a characteristic of this

Contribute to my campaign and I’ll steer business to your company

Fuzzy picture only seen clearly on a U2 (jet that flies at extreme altitude)

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect!Which term above represents the following? You can do whatever you choose Gatsby magically deflects Wilson’s bullet and

it kills Tom What readers really would need to have if the

above had happened What the above lacks, therefore, if the

readers don’t accept it Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is set in this era The Outsiders turns out to be Ponyboy’s

English theme

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect!

Which term represents the following? Someone isn’t listening right now—years later

he curses as he lays dying because he hadn’t understood that his inattentiveness would cause poor reading skills and lead to his using his radio in the bathtub—he thought the directions said he could

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect! What I must do is all that concerns me, not what

the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.—Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect!

The Hollow MenHere we go round the prickly pearPrickly pear prickly pearHere we go round the prickly pearAt five o'clock in the morning.Between the ideaAnd the realityBetween the motionAnd the actFalls the ShadowFor Thine is the KingdomBetween the conceptionAnd the creationBetween the emotionAnd the response Falls the ShadowLife is very long

Between the desireAnd the spasmBetween the potencyAnd the existenceBetween the essenceAnd the descentFalls the ShadowFor Thine is the KingdomFor Thine isLife isFor Thine is theThis is the way the world endsThis is the way the world endsThis is the way the world endsNot with a bang but a whimper.

- T.S. Eliot

I was my parents’ third child, which proves that __________ makes perfect!

We Wear the Mask

    WE wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our

eyes,— This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties.

    Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while

         We wear the mask.

  We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

To thee from tortured souls arise.

We sing, but oh the clay is vile

Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

But let the world dream otherwise,          We wear the mask!

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Shoeless Joe

Why is Ray obsessed with baseball and Shoeless Joe Jackson?

In what ways is this novel typical of magic realism?

How are Annie and Karin fitting family for Ray?

How is Annie’s family not so fitting? Why does Mark want Ray’s farm? Explain the rules and dynamics of Ray’s

ballpark.

Shoeless Joe

Why does Ray want his father to play on the field?

What happens on Ray’s trip to Boston? What does this show us about the modern world he lives in?

Who is J.D. Salinger? How is Moonlight Graham different from the

other dead ballplayers who appear on the field? What does Eddie Scissons do to betray Ray?

Shoeless Joe

What does Eddie do to betray baseball? How is he “punished” for this? In what ways is religion used as a motif throughout the

novel? How is the farm saved? What does Salinger do at the end of the novel? What does this have to do with the novel? How are Richard and Ray similar and different? Who created the world of the book? What term does this question address?

The Great Gatsby

What is Nick’s mood at the beginning of the novel?

What is his contradictory opinion of Gatsby? Why has Nick moved to West Egg? What is Nick’s salient characteristic at the

beginning of the novel? How does he know Tom and Daisy? Explain Myrtle. What are some of the rumors about Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby

How does Gatsby find out Nick knows Daisy? What do we know for sure about Gatsby’s

past? Why does Nick like Jordan? What are some of the signs that Gatsby is not

who he says he is? What is Gatsby’s first reunion with Daisy like? What does Gatsby want Daisy to do? What happens at the hotel?

The Great Gatsby

Why did Gatsby fail? What are the circumstances of the car

accident? What does Tom do for revenge? Why does Nick dump Jordan? Describe Gatsby’s funeral? What the heck does the ending mean? What characteristics of Realism can we find in

this book.