UNIVERSITETET
I OSLO
Institutt for litteratur, områdestudier og europeiske språk
WRITTEN EXAMINATION
FALL 2015
2 pages
ENG1304 – American Literature, an Introduction
4 hours December 2, 2015
You are allowed to use oneEnglish–English dictionary.
The questionmust be answered in English.
The answer must be written on copy-sheets.
Answer ONE question.
- Give an interpretation of Whitman’s “When I heard at the close of the day” from “Live Oak, with Moss,” including an analysis of the poem’s formal features and linking its theme to the thematic concerns of the “Live Oak, with Moss” sequence as a whole. (Text provided.)
- Discuss how Sula challenges conventional understandings of right and wrong, supporting your argument through a detailed discussion of AT LEAST TWO ethically charged episodes from the novel.
- Compare and contrast Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire with AT LEAST ONE female main character from another work on the syllabus and discuss how these characters experience the limitations on women’s lives during their historical period.
Walt Whitman, “When I heard at the close of the day”
When I heard at the close of the day how I had been praised in the Capitol, still it was not a happy night for me that followed;
Nor when I caroused—Nor when my plans were accomplished—was I really happy,
But that day I rose at dawn from the bed of perfect health, electric, inhaling sweet breath,
When I saw the full moon in the west grow pale and disappear in the morning light,
When I wandered alone over the beach, and undressing, bathed, laughing with the waters, and saw the sun rise,
And when I thought how my dear friend, my lover, was coming, then O I was happy;
Each breath tasted sweeter—and all that day my food nourished me more—And the beautiful day passed well,
And the next came with equal joy—And with the next, at evening, came my friend,
And that night, while all was still, I heard the waters roll slowly continually up the shores,
I heard the hissing rustle of the liquid and sands, as directed to me, whispering to congratulate me,—For the friend I love lay sleeping by my side,
In the stillness his face was inclined toward me, while the moon’s clear beams shone,
And his arm lay lightly around my breast—And that night I was happy.
The grades will be published approximately 3 weeks after the exam date in Studentweb. You will receive an e-mail when the results are ready.
For an explanation of the grade obtained, please contact the exam coordinator, Kristin Berstad (k.m.berstad@ilos.uio.no) within one week after the exam resultshave been published. Remember to include your name and candidate number. The examiner will decide whether to give a written or oral explanation.
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