William Cullen Bryant
1.
What was Bryant considered by the time he was nine?
2.
What formal training did Bryant receive, and what did he become instead?
3.
When Bryant was young, what book of poetry changed his life?
4.
What two other factors supported the influence of English Romanticism on
Bryant’s poetry?
5.
What does the word “thanatopsis” mean and who coined it?
6.
What is the subject of the poem?
7.
How does Bryant view nature?
8.
According to Bryant, where does one go after death?
9.
What is this place like?
10.
How should one approach death?
Oliver Wendell Holmes
11.
Who is Holmes a descendent of?
12.
Besides writing, what did Holmes do for a living?
13.
What term is Holmes credited with inventing?
14.
What group of poets was Holmes a part of? Why were they called this?
15.
Besides poetry, what other types of writing did Holmes produce?
16.
What is a chambered nautilus?
17.
Why is it called a nautilus?

18.
What does Holmes allude to as he writes the poem?
19.
Why do artists admire the nautilus shell so much?
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
20.
Why was Longfellow so popular with the American people?
21.
Longfellow was a professor of what at Harvard?
22.
What tragedy struck his life?
23.
Longfellow was the first American to be honored as what?
24.
What form is the poem written in?
25.
Why would this poem appeal to Americans?
26.
On what date did Paul Revere make his famous ride?
27.
What does the phrase “one if by land, two if by sea” mean?
28.
Who else joined Revere on his ride?
29.
What does Longfellow omit from his historical poem?
Ralph Waldo Emerson
30.
What two groups of people did Emerson appeal to?
31.
What Emerson become when he was 25?
32.
Why did he have problems at this job?
33.
Where did he travel to?
34.
When he returned to America, where did he settle?
35.
What did this place become to other Americans?
36.
What was his purpose in writing
?

37.
To be truly alone, where must a person go?
38.
What do the stars represent?
39.
What is the definition of “nature”?
40.
Why can’t adults see nature? How do children see it differently?
41.
Why does Emerson refer to himself as a “transparent eyeball”?
42.
What is Emerson advocating for in this essay?
43.
What is Emerson’s opinion on conformity and consistency?
44.
Explain the quote “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
45.
What do you think slaveholders would have made of this essay?
Henry David Thoreau
46.
Why did Emerson refer to Thoreau as having “no ambition”?
47.
How did Thoreau have a strong sense of his own individuality?
48.
Where did Thoreau move to and why?
49.
Why is simplicity important to Thoreau?
50.
Explain how Thoreau’s opinion of the railroad system parallels the
Transcendentalist view of the Industrial Revolution.
51.
Why does Thoreau value solitude?
52.
What battle does Thoreau witness? What allusions does he make during this fight?
53.
What other “neighbor” does Thoreau describe the antics of?
54.
What similarities can you find between Thoreau and the Native American writings from Unit 1?

55.
Why did Thoreau decide to leave the woods?
56.
What did he learn from this experience?
57.
What happened to Thoreau in July 1846?
58.
Why did Thoreau oppose the Mexican-American War?
59.
Does Thoreau favor a strong or a weak government? Why?
60.
What keeps America free, settles the West, and educates Americans?
61.
Why does Thoreau believe a government should not be run by majority rule? What should rule instead?
62.
How do people support a government without fighting for it in battle?
63.
What is needed to abolish slavery in America?
64.
Why was Thoreau not upset about his jail time?
65.
What was the crime Thoreau’s roommate was charged with? Why was he also not upset about being jailed?
66.
Why was Thoreau not bored while in jail?
67.
Why was he released?
68.
What does a government need to be strictly just?
69.
What must the state recognize in order to be free and enlightened?
Annie Dillard
70.
What similarities does Dillard share with Thoreau?
71.
What book of Dillard’s won the Pulitzer Prize and when did she receive this award?
72.
What does Dillard think the weasel can teach her about how to live?

73.
Dillard says that “the weasel lives in necessity and we live in choice.” What does she mean by this distinction? Do you agree with her?
74.
How does this twentieth century essay reflect the ideas of nineteenth century
Transcendentalism?
Frederick Douglass
75.
Why was Douglass never exactly sure of his correct age?
76.
How did Douglass learn to read?
77.
How did Douglass become a free man?
78.
Explain the significance of the name of Douglass’s newspaper.
79.
After the Civil War, what important cause did Douglass advocate for?
80.
What circumstances made Douglass work for Mr. Covey?
81.
Approximately how old was Douglass during this incident?
82.
What is Douglass explaining to readers during this section?
83.
What was Douglass doing on the hottest day of August?
84.
Why did he stop working, and what was Mr. Covey’s reaction?
85.
After this incident, what did Douglass resolve to do?
86.
What was Douglass’s master’s reaction to the story?
87.
What influence did Sandy Jenkins have on Douglass?
88.
What was the significance of the root? Do you believe it actually held “magical” properties? Why would Sandy give it to Douglass?
89.
What was different about the next encounter Douglass had with Mr. Covey?
90.
How was this incident a turning point for Douglass’s career as a slave?

Harriet Jacobs
91.
According to Jacobs, what do Northerners not understand about slavery?
92.
How did Jacobs become the property of Dr. Norcom?
93.
Why did Norcom send her away to do hard labor?
94.
Where did she spend seven years of her life?
95.
How did Jacobs finally gain her freedom?
96.
What pen name did Jacobs use when writing her story?
97.
What did Jacobs advocate for after the Civil War?
98.
What made Jacobs run away?
99.
How was Jacobs aided after she was bitten by a snake?
100.
What satisfaction did Jacobs receive while being hidden?
101.
Why did Jacobs actually hope that her children would be sold?
102.
Why were members of Jacobs’s family jailed?
103.
Why was her aunt finally released?
104.
What did the Dark Romantics share with Transcendentalists? What differences did they have?
105.
Name two examples of Gothic novels.
106.
What kinds of settings did these novels have? What does the term
mean?
107.
What Americans transformed the genre? How did they do this?
108.
What are three characteristics of the short story?
109.
How did these characteristics fulfill the authors’ purpose?

110.
Explain the quote: “The want of parental affection has been the heaviest of my trials.”
111.
Why did John Allan disapprove of Edgar Allan Poe?
112.
What problems did Poe have in school and the army?
113.
How old was Poe’s wife Virginia when he married her?
114.
The stores “The Purloined Letter” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” laid the foundation for what modern genre?
115.
What was Poe’s purpose in writing, besides wanting to shock and frighten?
116.
What poem brought Poe fame in 1845?
117.
Explain the controversy surrounding Poe’s death.
Edgar Allan Poe
118.
How does the narrator feel as he approaches the house of Usher?
119.
Describe the house.
120.
Why is the narrator going to the Usher home?
121.
Describe the relationship between the narrator and Roderick Usher.
122.
What is the Usher family known for?
123.
How many are now left in the Usher family?
124.
What is the condition of the house, and what extends from the roof to the tarn?
125.
How has Roderick Usher changed since the last time the narrator saw him?
126.
According to Roderick, what is the cause of his health problems?
127.
What is wrong with the lady Madeline?
128.
How does Roderick occupy himself in his free time?

129.
Why is Madeline’s corpse being preserved for a week?
130.
Where is the body placed for temporary storage?
131.
What more do we find out about the relationship between Roderick and Madeline?
132.
How does Roderick change after Madeline’s death?
133.
Describe how the narrator feels as he lays in bed about a week later.
134.
What can be seen outside of the house at night?
135.
What is occurring while the narrator is reading
to Roderick?
136.
What does Roderick say actually happened to Madeline?
137.
What ultimately happens to Roderick and Madeline?
138.
What is the narrator’s next decision?
139.
What happens to the house of Usher?
Nathaniel Hawthorne
140.
Why is Giovanni in Padua, and where is he from originally?
141.
What did Giovanni note about the coat of arms above the doorway?
142.
What does Lisbetta tell Giovanni about the garden?
143.
Describe the garden.
144.
How does Rappaccini treat the flowers in the garden?
145.
What is the metaphor that Hawthorne uses to describe the relationship between
Dr. Rappaccini and the garden?
146.
How does Beatrice treat the flowers?
147.
What does Professor Baglioni tell Giovanni about Rappaccini?

148.
What does Rappaccini focus his research on?
149.
What does Baglioni share about Beatrice?
150.
What does Giovanni discover while looking out of his window later that night?
151.
What two incidents happen to Beatrice after she pins a flower on her dress?
152.
How does the react to these incidents?
153.
As the days pass, how does Beatrice affect Giovanni?
154.
According to Baglioni, how does Rappaccini treat Giovanni?
155.
How does Giovanni feel once he is in the garden?
156.
Who does he meet there, and what does she remind him of?
157.
Why does Beatrice flee the garden?
158.
How is Giovanni physically affected by the meeting with Beatrice?
159.
What barrier exists between Giovanni and Beatrice?
160.
What story does Baglioni tell Giovanni?
161.
What does Baglioni leave with Giovanni?
162.
How does Giovanni know that Beatrice is starting to affect him?
163.
Why does Rappaccini give Beatrice and Giovanni his parental blessing?
164.
Why does Rappaccini believe Beatrice’s condition is a blessing and not a curse?
165.
What is the result of Beatrice drinking the antidote?
166.
Who gives the last word at the end of the story?
167.
How can this story be seen as a cautionary tale about industrialization and scientific progress?

Washington Irving
168.
What did Irving have a genius for?
169.
What characters is he well known for?
170.
What profession did Irving have?
171.
How many years did Irving spend in England?
172.
Who was a big influence on Irving? How did he influence him?
173.
What book made Irving an international success?
174.
How did Irving bring a fresh voice to his material even though he borrowed from
European writers?
175.
What is an archetype?
176.
What famous book is this story based off of?
177.
What is buried in the inlet?
178.
Describe the relationship between Tom and his wife.
179.
How does Tom become lost in the woods?
180.
What are the rumors concerning the fort?
181.
What does Tom find in the dirt?
182.
Who is the visitor, and what does he look like?
183.
Why are there names written on the trees? What is the significance of this?
184.
Why is Tom not afraid of the Devil?
185.
What is the Devil’s offer to Tom, what does Tom have to do to get it, and what is the Devil’s signature?
186.
Why does Tom go back on his agreement with the Devil?
187.
Why does Tom’s wife go meet with the Devil? Explain what results.

188.
Why is Tom so concerned over her absence?
189.
What is the Devil’s first bargain concerning the treasure, and why does Tom refuse?
190.
What is the final bargain agreed upon?
191.
Why is the time perfect for Tom to do his job in Boston?
192.
How does Tom become so successful?
193.
Why does he want to break his bargain with the Devil?
194.
What does Tom start doing to ease his conscience? Why is that a problem?
195.
How was Tom taken “unawares” by the Devil? Why don’t his items of protection help him?
196.
When the people look into Tom’s effects, what do they find there?
197.
What is a folktale?
198.
In what part of the United States does the story take place, and what is the reason for naming the town “Tarry Town”?
199.
Describe Ichabod Crane.
200.
What is Crane’s profession?
201.
Why is Crane on good terms with his pupils?
202.
What is Crane’s other vocation?
203.
In what book is Crane particularly knowledgeable?
204.
How does Crane feel about this book?
205.
What is the one thing that causes more trouble to mortal men than ghosts or goblins?

206.
Why is Ichabod feel so attracted to Katrina Van Tassel?
207.
Why is Katrina a challenge?
208.
Describe Brom Bones.
209.
How does Ichabod attempt to court Katrina with attracting attention from Brom
Bones?
210.
When Brom does find out, what is the result?
211.
Why does Ichabod dismiss the school an hour early?
212.
Who is Gunpowder? Describe him.
213.
Describe the party at the Van Tassels’.
214.
What happened after the dancing?
215.
What does the Headless Horseman have to do with the church bridge?
216.
Why is Ichabod so upset on his way home?
217.
What happened when Ichabod approached the “haunted” stream?
218.
What does Ichabod discover about his midnight companion?
219.
How does the horseman assault Ichabod?
220.
What is found later beside Ichabod’s hat?
221.
What is the town’s conclusion about the fate of Ichabod?
222.
What is the old farmer’s tale of the fate of Ichabod?
223.
What happens to Katrina and Brom Bones?