Explain Howells’ definition of Realism using “Editha”. For example, explain how and why George and his mother present a realistic point of view while Editha presents a more Romantic concept of life.

1. Select one poem by Dickinson or Whitman (you may use only section of “Song of Myself” to discuss the Romantic movement. In other words, explain what makes your selected poem Romantic. How does this text illustrate the characteristics of Romanticism? Be specific.
2. How do Dickinson’s poems support or challenge what we think we know about gender roles in the nineteenth century?
3. Explain Howells’ definition of Realism using “Editha”. For example, explain how and why George and his mother present a realistic point of view while Editha presents a more Romantic concept of life.
4. In Chesnutt’s “The Passing of Grandison,” the title character is a trickster figure. Explain how he functions as a trickster figure and for what purpose. Include the definition of the trickster in your answer. You may also discuss any other tricksters in the story. For example, does Chesnutt as author function as a trickster with his audience.
5. Choose one of the female characters in the readings for Units 2 and 3 and discuss how that character has been shaped by the concepts in the Cult of True Womanhood.
6. In The Awakening, women play a prominent role. Women of this period are often described as essentially powerless in the wake of a patriarchal society, confined to the home and dominated by the Cult of Domesticity. Do you see powerlessness at work or displays of power in the women characters in these two works? Or possibly a combination of both?
7. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” what does the yellow wallpaper represent, both to the narrator and to the reader? Include in your answer the significance of the “woman trapped behind the wallpaper” – why does the narrator want to free her? What does the trapped woman signify and is she “free” at the end?
8. Explain how and why “The Open Boat” is a Naturalistic story. For example, fully explain the importance of nature’s indifference in the story. To answer this question, you may discuss the repetitive lines in the story – how do they change and why? How do these lines illustrate nature’s indifference?