Segunda Prueba de Evaluacin Continua a Distancia

1) Discuss binary oppositions in Olaudah Equianos and Phillis Wheatleys

writings (focusing on the texts selected in units 7 and 8). See A Study Guide for

American Literature to 1900, pages 63-65.

Binary oppositions can be either explicit or implicit in a text. In the case of Equianos narrative, anexplicit binary opposition that we can think of easily is the opposition between slavery and freedom.During his narrative, Equiano tells us how he was deprived from his freedom by describing hiskidnapping and his imprisonment on the slave ship. Other binary oppositions that we can identify ina very explicit way are the ones presented in lines 24-30 and 86-91. The oppositions: black vs. white,evil vs. good and mercy vs. cruelty are evident in these lines where he describes positively how hewas treated by people who spoke the same language as him, and describes negatively the treatmentreceived from the whites. Another example of these oppositions is the one represented by ignorancevs. knowledge. Through the text is possible to find many examples where the author was amazedby the functioning of the slave ship and all that it contained, for instance, in lines 101-105. At theend of Equianos writing his tone changes to be more accusative and we can find another opposition,Christians vs. Pagans.

In the poetry of Phillis Wheatley we can also find more examples of binary oppositions similar tothe ones mentioned above. In her poem On Being Brought from Africa to America we find mercyvs. cruelty, pagan vs. Christian, salvation vs. damnation and black vs. white. Especially, the wordbenighted at line 2 acquires certain symbolism since it makes clear the opposition between nighand day or light vs. night. To these oppositions we can add one more, found in To the Universityof Cambridge, in New England which is evil vs. good. Finally, in To His Excellency GeneralWashington at line 32, we find another binary opposition full of irony: freedom vs. slavery.

All these oppositions present at these authors writings call into question the surface meaning ofsome assertions made in these works. In both cases, the oppositions found help to reassure their ownidentity as Africans, as Christian people, and as intelligent and educated as whites can be. In addition,the most subversive fact is that both writers were able to gain literacy under the oppressive institutionof the salve trade and the widely accepted idea of white superiority. With the clever use of rhetoricalirony in Wheatleys works and Equianos powerful and highly eloquent double voice, they were ableto not only to contribute to the tradition of American Literature but helped to support the antislaverycause.

2) Discuss the use of the four narrative modes in Washington Irvings Legend of

Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa and in the excerpt you have read from chapterXXXII of James Fenimore Coopers The Last of the Mohicans. See A Study

Guide for American Literature to 1900, pages 67-73.

In the case of Irvings work, the description of time, place and objects is not extensive. Details areprovided to suit the purpose of the story (lines 1-10). Although characterization is no deep, seemsto be more detailed than the rest of the descriptive components. There is no physical or emotionaldescription of the characters, they are depicted by their possessions, their nature, their actions andthe social rank they hold (lines 11-16; 18-27; 31-39). On the other hand, we find in Coopers worka more vivid and intense description of the landscape, the actions and the objects. However, the

characterization is also stereotyped, since it falls on the idealized dichotomy of the Good Indiansrepresented by Uncas and Chingachgook; and the Bad Indians represented by Magua. CaptainHeyward represents the romantic hero and Alice, is the week maiden to be saved. There is no physicaldescription, too.

The focus seems to be on the report of actions, since these happen one after the other without muchdelay. They are also used to describe characters attitude (lines 69-71, Irving; 54-55, Cooper). Inaddition, Cooper unifies the descriptions with the report of fast-paced actions in order to achievesuspense and colour in the story; while Irving includes some adjectives -that may belong to thedescriptive mode- in the report of actions, such as powerful in line 105, beautiful in line 45 orgood in line 58.

Regarding the speech, most of it is direct and it functions to help to fit the character in the stereotypethat represents. Abodil and Don Munio are knights and they speak as knights (lines 50-57). And DoaMara expresses herself as the fearful wife (lines 59-62). The register is formal, the diction is loftyand the syntax is complex. In lines 40-41 and 47-49 we can find examples of inner indirect speech,and indirect speech respectively. Direct speech is also present at Coopers text, but reduced to theminimum and it helps to develop the character that represents, since the language spoken by Cora isarticulated (lines 16, 18, 28) and the one spoken by the Indians is almost intelligible (lines 14,15, 25,29, 30, 74-75).

Regarding the comment, we can see clearly that predominates at the end of the Irvings story (lines160-161). However, since the comment is made with the narrators evaluations, observations andjudgements; we can also appreciate its use through the text by the authors choice of adjectives andadverbs. In this way the author is provoking on the reader a positive or negative attitude towardsthe characters. For instance, the selection of adjectives by Irving in line 12: noble and in line 58:good to describe Don Munio and the one chosen by Cooper at line 67: honest to describe Gamut.Of course, there is much less use of the comment mode on Coopers work than in Irvings.

Finally, I would dare to say that the description and the speech modes are exceeded by the reportand speech modes in Irvings work, while in the case of Cooper, the report and description modesdominate his text.