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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What reason does the narrator give for believing that Americans have trouble understanding their own national character?
2. Why does the narrator admire Pere Rasles?
3. What category of people does Williams say that Houston fits into?
4. What does Williams admire about Poe's choice of words?
5. Why does Williams say that it is "water from a spring" to talk to M?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Write an essay in which you compare and contrast the characters of Thomas Morton and Cotton Mather. How are the two men similar? How are they different? Could they have gotten along if they had lived in the same community? Why or why not? Use evidence from In the American Grain to support your answer.
Essay Topic 2
Consider In the American Grain as a whole. What do you think William Carlos Williams is trying to tell his readers about the American national character? Do you think Williams believes there is just one national character, or several? How was the national character shaped? What do most Americans believe about their own identities as Americans? Write a strong thesis and develop it by relating examples from the book and responding to them.
Essay Topic 3
William Carlos Williams includes, as part of In the American Grain, several essays about historical figures who served in the military: George Washington, John Paul Jones, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton. How does military life fit into the American Grain? Does military life only affect those who serve in the military, or is it also a part of being American for those who never do any military service? Write an essay responding to this question in which you cite the experiences of these four men as they are depicted in Williams' essays, and also draw upon your own experiences and values in contemporary America.
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This section contains 470 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
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