American Literature

Assignment #4: September 24 & 26, 2004

“Make a small Cross of two light Strips of Cedar, the Arms so long as to reach the four Corners of a large Silk Handkerchief when extended; tie the corners of the Hankerchief to the extremities of the Cross, so you have the Body of a Kite…”

-Benjamin Franklin

1. Vocabulary:

1. Gauche: Lacking grace or social polish; awkward or tactless.

2. Gerrymander: To divide a geographic area into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections. [The word was "invented" in 1812 when the political party of Elbridge Gerry, then governor of Massachusetts, crafted a political district shaped like a salamander.]

3. Hegemony: The predominant influence of a state, region, or group over others: The hegemony of communism in Eastern Europe crumbled in the late 1980s.

4. Hemoglobin: The iron-containing pigment in red blood cells of vertebrates.

5. Homogeneous: Uniform in structure or composition; of the same or similar kind.

6. Hubris: Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance.

7. Hypotenuse: The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle (the longest side).

8. Impeach: To make an accusation against; to charge a public official with improper conduct in office before a proper tribunal. To challenge the validity of; try to discredit.

9. Incognito: With one’s identity disguised or concealed.

10. Incontrovertible: Impossible to dispute; unquestionable.

2. Reading: This week, you will finish Franklin’s Autobiography. Respond in a few sentences to four events, achievements, or remarks in these pages.

Next week, we will start reading The Scarlet Letter. Please be sure to have your copy of this book in hand and ready to read.

3. Writing: Write your moral perfection essay. Remember that you are starting with a thesis that makes a point about the quest for moral improvement or perfection and then developing an argument that cites your experiment for evidence. Be sure to refer to Franklin and his experiment as a precedent for yours (1,000 words; due Thursday October 4).