First Literature Exam
I. The literature that developed during the 1700s and post-Civil War era displayed very complex representations of romantic relationships. Interactions between men and women were portrayed as stereotypically patriarchal but also depicted the impacts of individualism on relations between the two sexes. Though many of the pieces differ in the development of their characters, each primarily shows females as dependent on men. This dependence ranges from financial to emotional need. An example of this is seen in Rebecca Davis’s “Life in the Iron Mills.” A woman named Deborah possesses an emotional attachment to Hugh Wolfe, an ironworker. Their relationship is based solely on her continuous attempts to nurture him, all of which …show more content…
What does fire represent in Rebecca Davis’s “Life in the Iron Mills”?: Fire is depicted in the iron mills Hugh Wolfe works in. The fire not only is parallel with the reference to the mill’s appearance (“… like a street in Hell.” (pg. 45)), but also represents how easily exhausted people are by work in an industrialized city. Every item that is tossed into the flames is quickly blackened and then consumed.
4. Why does William Howells reference storms in his piece “Editha”?: Storm references are used in multiple lines to portray the excitement felt by the community in regards to war. In addition, Howells also uses this to display George’s uncertainty about being involved combat.
5. Explain the passage taken from Mark Twain’s “War Prayer”. What are “curse” is the speaker referring to?: “Ponder this — keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon your neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain on your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse on some neighbor’s crop which may not need rain and can be injured by …show more content…
In his piece “The War Prayer,” Mark Twain uses a number of rhetorical devices. Three of the most prominently seen in this work are onomatopoeia, satire, and alliteration. The use of onomatopoeia is seen primarily in the first paragraph of the piece in which the anticipation for war is expressed through patriotic merriment. Examples of this include “… the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering…” Satire is seen throughout the entire piece as Twain comments on the diverse opinions of war. This is most effectively used when the stranger speaks in church, asking “…O Lord our God, help us tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells…” Alliteration is seen in multiple places throughout the piece to the same affect of onomatopoeia, such as when Twain writes “…breasts burned…”, “…pistols popping…”, and “… a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed…” in the first few lines. Another example is seen in the third paragraph in the line “… the flashing sabers, the flight of the
I. The literature that developed during the 1700s and post-Civil War era displayed very complex representations of romantic relationships. Interactions between men and women were portrayed as stereotypically patriarchal but also depicted the impacts of individualism on relations between the two sexes. Though many of the pieces differ in the development of their characters, each primarily shows females as dependent on men. This dependence ranges from financial to emotional need. An example of this is seen in Rebecca Davis’s “Life in the Iron Mills.” A woman named Deborah possesses an emotional attachment to Hugh Wolfe, an ironworker. Their relationship is based solely on her continuous attempts to nurture him, all of which …show more content…
What does fire represent in Rebecca Davis’s “Life in the Iron Mills”?: Fire is depicted in the iron mills Hugh Wolfe works in. The fire not only is parallel with the reference to the mill’s appearance (“… like a street in Hell.” (pg. 45)), but also represents how easily exhausted people are by work in an industrialized city. Every item that is tossed into the flames is quickly blackened and then consumed.
4. Why does William Howells reference storms in his piece “Editha”?: Storm references are used in multiple lines to portray the excitement felt by the community in regards to war. In addition, Howells also uses this to display George’s uncertainty about being involved combat.
5. Explain the passage taken from Mark Twain’s “War Prayer”. What are “curse” is the speaker referring to?: “Ponder this — keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon your neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain on your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse on some neighbor’s crop which may not need rain and can be injured by …show more content…
In his piece “The War Prayer,” Mark Twain uses a number of rhetorical devices. Three of the most prominently seen in this work are onomatopoeia, satire, and alliteration. The use of onomatopoeia is seen primarily in the first paragraph of the piece in which the anticipation for war is expressed through patriotic merriment. Examples of this include “… the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering…” Satire is seen throughout the entire piece as Twain comments on the diverse opinions of war. This is most effectively used when the stranger speaks in church, asking “…O Lord our God, help us tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells…” Alliteration is seen in multiple places throughout the piece to the same affect of onomatopoeia, such as when Twain writes “…breasts burned…”, “…pistols popping…”, and “… a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed…” in the first few lines. Another example is seen in the third paragraph in the line “… the flashing sabers, the flight of the