American Literature

Assignment #2: September 11 & 13, 2007

“It was about this time that I conceiv’d the bold and arduous Project of arriving at moral Perfection. I wish’d to live without committing any Fault at any time; I would conquer all that either Natural Inclination, Custom, or Company might lead me into.” -Benjamin Franklin

1. Vocabulary: Be prepared for a quiz on Tuesday, September 18.

1. Chromosome: A threadlike linear strand of DNA and associated cells in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells that carries the genes and functions in the transmission of hereditary information of the cell.

2. Churlish: Of, like, or befitting a churl; boorish or vulgar. Having a bad disposition. “He is as valiant as the lion, as churlish as the bear” (Shakespeare).

3. Circumlocution: The use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect language; Evasiveness in speech or writing; A roundabout expression.

4. Circumnavigate: To proceed completely around: “The whale he had struck must also have been on its travels; no doubt it had thrice circumnavigated the globe” (Herman Melville, Moby Dick).

5. Deciduous: Shedding or losing foliage at the end of the growing season: “Orange-picking begins in December and overlaps the pruning of the deciduous orchards” (Mary Austin, Art Influence in the West).

6. Deleterious: Having a harmful effect; injurious. “I will follow that system of regimen which…I consider for the health and benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous” (Hippocratic Oath).

7. Diffident: Lacking or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid. “He was too diffident to do justice to himself; but when his natural shyness was overcome, his behavior gave every indication of an open affectionate heart” (Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility).

8. Enervate: To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of. “What is the nature of the luxury which enervates and destroys nations?” (Henry David Thoreau, Walden).

9. Enfranchise: To endow with the rights of citizenship, especially the right to vote; to free, as from slavery or bondage. “Many people who were enfranchised were nonetheless unable to vote because of onerous poll taxes.”

10. Epiphany: A Christian feast celebrating the visit of the three Magi to the young Jesus; a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something: a revelation. “I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself” (Frank Maier, Newsweek).

2. Reading: Benjamin Franklin continues the story of his interesting life this week, on pages 54-108. Read this section and summarize five more episodes in one sentence each (due Tuesday, September 18). Remember to relate the episodes to the overall point of Franklin’s story—the story of the self-made man.

Pay particular attention to Franklin’s account of his experiment in Moral Perfection: what do you think it reveals about our friend’s character and his philosophy?

3. Writing: Choose two of Franklin’s virtues and think about their significance. Write a definition of each one. DO NOT refer to a dictionary. Begin each definition with a summary statement that names the virtue, its genus (general class), and its differentia (unique characteristics). In your definitions, include at least one simile, one synonym, and one example. Remember that to define is to explain and illustrate the meaning of the term (600 words; due Tuesday, September 18).

4. Finger Exercises: Write a one-sentence definition of each of the following terms (Due Thursday):