The midterm consists of two essay questions. Please answer one question from Part A and one question from Part B. Please bring a blue book in which to write your essays.

A. 50 points

1. Walt Whitman writes in "Song of Myself": "Be not curious about God, / For I who am curious about each am not curious about God, / (No array of terms can say how much I am at peace about God and about death.)" It is hard to imagine similar sentiments being uttered by Emily Dickinson. Discuss these two poets' attitudes toward questions of faith. Be sure to refer to the language of specific poems in the course of your discussion.

2. It is a commonplace observation that American poetry begins with Whitman and Dickinson. In what ways do these poets anticipate later American character and attitudes. In other words, through discussing particular poems and passages, discuss why these two very different poets are the 20^th and 21^st centuries' favorite 19^th -century poets.

B. 50 points

1. Discuss the "center-of-consciousness" narrator Henry James employs in "The Beast and the Jungle" and, to a lesser extent, in "Daisy Miller." What are the advantages of this type of narration? Be sure to support your arguments with textual analysis.

2. Huck Finn spends a fair amount of time wrestling with his conscience. Yet the definition of “conscience” in the novel is tricky. Recognizing this trickiness, discuss the ethical dimension of Huck's decision making and how your reading of this dimension influences your overall interpretation of the novel. Be sure to support your argument with specific textual analysis.

Guidelines for Preparing and Taking the Test:

1. You should spend a good amount of time preparing to answer these questions in class.

2. You should make notes on this sheet, and you may use your textbook. You may not use any other notes.

3. Have a solid plan so that you don’t waste time trying to decide what to write. You have 75 minutes to write 2 substantial esssays/

4. Please bring a blue book (either size) in which to write your essays.

Good luck!