SHORT ANSWER:Answer these questions in 3-8 well formed sentences. 5 points each.
-What reason would you give for Holden's frequent removal and replacement of his hunting cap? (Think about when this occurs and what it means symbolically. Give examples.)
Holden removes his hat around adults.
He fears he will be criticized for his hat.
He puts the hat on when he feels insecure.
The hat functions as a security blanket.
If the hat functions as security blanket it serves to link him to his childhood.
Examples of instances when he removes/replaces the hat.
-Holden finds himself in many lonely situations. Briefly describe one of these situations and how he tried to find away to combat this loneliness. Do his actions bring him closer to others or further alienate him?
Holden's entire adventure/story is lonely.
ALIENATE: Holden talking to the nun.
ALIENATE: Holden talking to the prostitute.
ALIENATE: Holden trying to make calls, but not.
BRING CLOSER: Holden reaching out to his sister.
BRING CLOSER: Holden reaching out to his teacher.
-Holden tries to talk to the cab driver about what happens to the Central Park ducks in the winter but the cab driver will not take him seriously. Briefly describe what you think the ducks might represent, and why they are so important to Holden.
To Holden, the ducks represent his loneliness.
They have no one to care for them, and he feels there is no one to care for him.
Essentially the ducks are a metaphor for Holden's situation.
The cab driver not taking his question seriously shows how Holden thinks adults feel about him.
-Give an example of Holden using “You” when he means “I.” Why might he do this?
The best example of Holden using "You" when he means "I" when he talks about the girl he dated.
"You could just hold her hand..."
When Holden speaks like this he is distancing himself from painful past experiences.
-In class we discussed the representation of women in the novel. What would a Feminist reading of the text might be like. Include examples that would be useful.
Holden and the prostitute, the nun, the x girlfriend, his sister are examples.
How does Holden talk about women in these situations?
For the most part women are two dimensional, and expected to make Holden feel better in some capacity.
ESSAY:Answer this question in about a half a pageto a page. 25 Points.
-Several times during the unit we discussed the genre of Bildungsroman. Make an argument for each of the three main texts we studied (Cather in the Rye, Nothing But the Truth,andDead Poet's Society): Was this text a true Bildungsroman? In what ways did it adhere to the genre? In what ways did it break the genre rules? You may reference any discussion, workshop or additional material covered in class.
Journey
In Catcher, Holden embarks on a personal journey that is physical, emotional and intellectual.
In Nothing But the Truth, Phillip also embarks on a personal journey but his journey is limited to the emotional and intellectual. Most of his journey takes place when he is not even present - the world changes around him without him knowing it, until it is too late.
The journey in Dead Poet's is similar to that in Catcher: physical, emotional and intellectual. They students leave home for a boarding school. They students are faced with emotional growth when confronted with personal issues: suicide, problems with authority and parents. Finally there is intellectual growth that comes from learning from their teacher.
Growth
In Catcher, Holden's growth is debatable.
In the end there is no growth with Holden. He uses all the same language. He still hates "phonies." He still wants the same things and still idolizes his older bother.
Holden does grow somewhat, but his growth is more about the audience. They see how he could or should grow - it is speculative.
Nothing but the Truth: Phillip grows indirectly as the story progresses around him. He breaks the genre in that he isn't always the protagonist of the story, yet the story is about his growth. Also, his growth comes suddenly at the end of the story.
Dead Poet's: The growth is gradual... story adheres very clearly to Bildungsroman.
Test questions for Nothing But The Truth:
MULTIPLE CHOICE: ? points each.
1. What is the reason for Philip’s conflict with Miss Narwin?
A: Philip is passing notes in class B: Philip is humming the national anthem during announcements
C: Philip is consistently late to class.
D: Philip lies about his homework.
2: How does Ted Griffen use this conflict for his own benefit?
A: To gain favor with his wife. B: To win the school board election
C: To get promoted at the newspaper by reporting on the story.
D: To get on the air at the radio station.
3: Which amendment to the Constitution is supposedly violated in the school's response to Philip Malloy? A: First
B: Fourth
C: Seventh
D: Nineteenth
4: Philip Malloy's situation becomes nationally known through:
A: A blog entry from Ted Griffen that "went viral".
B: A CNN news story C: A syndicated political radio talk show
D:An article in The New York Times
5: The type of novel that Nothing But The Truth represents is known as
A: Comedy
B: Psychological
C: Novel of Manners D: Epistolary
SHORT ANSWER: Answer these questions in no more than four-five complete sentences. 5 points each.
6: Write the ROLE (who they are) and SIGNIFICANCE (what specific lesson we can learn from them) for these characters:
Ted Griffen- The school board candidate who took advantage of Philip's conflict with Miss Narwin to gain visibility in the election. He twists the truth for his own good.
Allison Doresett- Philip Malloy's classmate, who he has an attraction to and wants to impress, but who just wants him to be himself.
Mr. Malloy- Philip's father, who is supportive of him without hearing all sides of the story.
Dr. Doane- The principal of Philip's school, who is most concerned with sweeping the incident away as opposed to finding the truth.
Miss Narwin- Philip's English teacher, who is old-fashioned and expects the students to be studious and behaved. She does not seem to understand how the situation with Philip spiralled out of control so quickly; she only sees her side of the story.
Mr. Lunser - One of Philip's other teachers, whose encouragement of irreverent behavior partially influenced Philip's behavior when he switched homerooms.
7: How is the story’s ending ironic? -After all the controversy that enveloped over the school supposedly repressing Philip's right to sing along with the national anthem, with such consequences as the failure of the school budget and the resignation of long-time teacher Miss Narwin, he doesn't know the words when he is asked to sing the National Anthem at the private school he went to to escape his former school.
8: What is the significance of the book's title? - Almost every character in the book believed that their truth was the truth, but each side had a different version of the truth. In a sense, the book was "Nothing But The Truth", but truth is variable from one's own point of view.
9: Describe one instance of dysfunctional communication each between: parents and their children, between authority figures, and between Philip and his peers.
1: Philip and his parents, when Philip gets caiught up in his parents' outrage over the school's treatment of him.
2: The reporter tries to get a statement from Miss Narwin and several administrators, all of which give her the run-around and shade the situation to show the truth in their own best interest.
3: Philip believes that Allison will be impressed by his actions, when in reality she thinks he's being mean.
Test Questions for Dead Poets Society 1. The name of the school is _. (a) Wexley(b) Bixley(c) Felton(d) Welton 2. What was the headmaster’s name? (a) Mr. Dolan(b) Mr. Nolan(c) Mr. Keaton(d) Mr. Keating 3. What did Mr. Keating want the boys to do with the introductions of their books? (a) Memorize them(b) Rip them out(c) Read them aloud(d) Highlight them 4. Mr. Keating dares his students to call him . (a)“Sir John”(b)“O Captain, My Captain”(c) “Lieutenant Dan” (d) “O Mentor, My Mentor” 5. In Latin, the words carpe diem mean. (a) Seize the day.(b) We are one.(c) Long live poetry.(d) Liberty for today. 6. The meetings of the “Dead Poets Society” were held. (a) In a cave(b) In a dorm room(c) In the school cafeteria(d) On a boat dock 7. What was the name of the book that the members of the “Dead Poets Society” read from before each meeting? (a) Poems of Robert Frost(b) Poetry for the Soul(c) Five Centuries of Verse(d) TIME 8. What is the “God of the Cave”? (a) A Lantern(b) A Girl(c) A Yearbook(d) The Spirit of Walt Whitman 9. What did Neil really want to do in life? (a) Teach(b) Act(c) Write(d) Become a doctor
10. What Shakespearean play was Neil involved in? (a) As You Like It(b) Romeo and Juliet(c) Othello(d) A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Short Answer 1. Who was the bravest of the boys in Keating’s class? Why?
2. Was there another way for Neil to deal with his problems or was suicide his only way out of his predicament? What could he have done differently?
3. What were the dangers of nonconformity shown in the film?
4. Who in the film conformed to the wishes of Welton? Was their decision brave? Why or why not?
5. What was the significance when Mr. Keating told the boys to rip the introduction pages out of their textbooks?
SHORT ANSWER: Answer these questions in 3-8 well formed sentences. 5 points each.
-What reason would you give for Holden's frequent removal and replacement of his hunting cap? (Think about when this occurs and what it means symbolically. Give examples.)
-Holden finds himself in many lonely situations. Briefly describe one of these situations and how he tried to find away to combat this loneliness. Do his actions bring him closer to others or further alienate him?
-Holden tries to talk to the cab driver about what happens to the Central Park ducks in the winter but the cab driver will not take him seriously. Briefly describe what you think the ducks might represent, and why they are so important to Holden.
-Give an example of Holden using “You” when he means “I.” Why might he do this?
-In class we discussed the representation of women in the novel. What would a Feminist reading of the text might be like. Include examples that would be useful.
ESSAY: Answer this question in about a half a page to a page. 25 Points.
-Several times during the unit we discussed the genre of Bildungsroman. Make an argument for each of the three main texts we studied (Cather in the Rye, Nothing But the Truth, and Dead Poet's Society): Was this text a true Bildungsroman? In what ways did it adhere to the genre? In what ways did it break the genre rules? You may reference any discussion, workshop or additional material covered in class.
Test questions for Nothing But The Truth:
MULTIPLE CHOICE: ? points each.
1. What is the reason for Philip’s conflict with Miss Narwin?
A: Philip is passing notes in class
B: Philip is humming the national anthem during announcements
C: Philip is consistently late to class.
D: Philip lies about his homework.
2: How does Ted Griffen use this conflict for his own benefit?
A: To gain favor with his wife.
B: To win the school board election
C: To get promoted at the newspaper by reporting on the story.
D: To get on the air at the radio station.
3: Which amendment to the Constitution is supposedly violated in the school's response to Philip Malloy?
A: First
B: Fourth
C: Seventh
D: Nineteenth
4: Philip Malloy's situation becomes nationally known through:
A: A blog entry from Ted Griffen that "went viral".
B: A CNN news story
C: A syndicated political radio talk show
D:An article in The New York Times
5: The type of novel that Nothing But The Truth represents is known as
A: Comedy
B: Psychological
C: Novel of Manners
D: Epistolary
SHORT ANSWER: Answer these questions in no more than four-five complete sentences. 5 points each.
6: Write the ROLE (who they are) and SIGNIFICANCE (what specific lesson we can learn from them) for these characters:
7: How is the story’s ending ironic? -After all the controversy that enveloped over the school supposedly repressing Philip's right to sing along with the national anthem, with such consequences as the failure of the school budget and the resignation of long-time teacher Miss Narwin, he doesn't know the words when he is asked to sing the National Anthem at the private school he went to to escape his former school.
8: What is the significance of the book's title? - Almost every character in the book believed that their truth was the truth, but each side had a different version of the truth. In a sense, the book was "Nothing But The Truth", but truth is variable from one's own point of view.
9: Describe one instance of dysfunctional communication each between: parents and their children, between authority figures, and between Philip and his peers.
1: Philip and his parents, when Philip gets caiught up in his parents' outrage over the school's treatment of him.
2: The reporter tries to get a statement from Miss Narwin and several administrators, all of which give her the run-around and shade the situation to show the truth in their own best interest.
3: Philip believes that Allison will be impressed by his actions, when in reality she thinks he's being mean.
Test Questions for Dead Poets Society
1. The name of the school is _.
(a) Wexley(b) Bixley(c) Felton(d) Welton
2. What was the headmaster’s name?
(a) Mr. Dolan(b) Mr. Nolan(c) Mr. Keaton(d) Mr. Keating
3. What did Mr. Keating want the boys to do with the introductions of their books?
(a) Memorize them(b) Rip them out(c) Read them aloud(d) Highlight them
4. Mr. Keating dares his students to call him .
(a)“Sir John”(b)“O Captain, My Captain”(c) “Lieutenant Dan” (d) “O Mentor, My Mentor”
5. In Latin, the words carpe diem mean.
(a) Seize the day.(b) We are one.(c) Long live poetry.(d) Liberty for today.
6. The meetings of the “Dead Poets Society” were held.
(a) In a cave(b) In a dorm room(c) In the school cafeteria(d) On a boat dock
7. What was the name of the book that the members of the “Dead Poets Society” read from before each meeting?
(a) Poems of Robert Frost(b) Poetry for the Soul(c) Five Centuries of Verse(d) TIME
8. What is the “God of the Cave”?
(a) A Lantern(b) A Girl(c) A Yearbook(d) The Spirit of Walt Whitman
9. What did Neil really want to do in life?
(a) Teach(b) Act(c) Write(d) Become a doctor
10. What Shakespearean play was Neil involved in?
(a) As You Like It(b) Romeo and Juliet(c) Othello(d) A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Short Answer
1. Who was the bravest of the boys in Keating’s class? Why?
2. Was there another way for Neil to deal with his problems or was suicide his only way out of his predicament? What could he have done differently?
3. What were the dangers of nonconformity shown in the film?
4. Who in the film conformed to the wishes of Welton? Was their decision brave? Why or why not?
5. What was the significance when Mr. Keating told the boys to rip the introduction pages out of their textbooks?