Session 2
Directions
In this part of the test, you are going to read an article called "Sylvia’s Shop" and a poem called "The Things That Haven’t Been Done Before." First you will answer questions and write about what you have read. You may look back at the article and the poem as often as you like. Then you will be asked to write an essay.
Now turn the page and begin.
by Joelle Ziemian
Above: Books and walls lined with photos surround Sylvia Beach in her bookshop. Note the U.S. flag and the portrait of Abraham Lincoln in the left of the photo.
When World War I ended in November 1918, the last thing thirty-year-old American Sylvia Beach wanted was to trade the excitement of Paris for the stability of home in America. After enduring the war with the French, she felt that she belonged with them. Women in France had few career options-nursing perhaps, or teaching-but Beach dreamed of a business to fit her passion for words and literature, while making enough money for her to stay in Paris.
So she came up with the idea of a bookshop. In a building nestled among a shoemakeer, corset store, and nose spray manufacturer, she stacked long shelves with books printed in English. She included a library so that customers who could not afford to buy books and magazines could borrow them. She positioned cozy chairs for sitting and reading and hung pictures of American and English writer on the walls.
Right: In 1922, Beach agreed to publish Ulysses, a controversial book by James Joyce (right), when no one else would. The book is now considered a classic.
She decided to name her shop Shakespeare and Company. She knew the William Shakespeare, father of English literature, would approve of her plan to encourage the company of people who loved to read. Brach added Shakespeare to her collection of pictures, hanging a portrait of him on a cast-iron hook outside the door.
The bookshop was not the most efficient business. There was no card catalog for the library. Books were in no particular order and had no marked price, but before long travelers and expatriates1 -authors, composers, and painter-crowded Shakespeare and Company’s room. Some were already famous; others, such as Ernest Hemingway, were unknown in 1919. In time, they saw their own books through Shakespeare and Company’s windows, and Beach added their pictures to her walls.
Some expatriates did not stay in Paris long, so they used Shakespeare and Company as a gathering place and a post office. Beach also relayed messages, lent money, and listened sympathetically to her customers. Expatriate Irishman James Joyce, one of her favorite customers, even convinced her to publish his most famous book, Ulysses.
By 1939, war again threatened the Continent. Most Americans left Europe, but Beach was determined to stay in Paris. The shop remained open despite the German occupation of the city in June 1940, but few cust9omers came.
One December day in 1941, a German officer threatened to seize Beach’s shop. Within hours, she and three helpers carried thousands of books and letters to safety. They took down the shelves and Shakespeare’s portrait form the cast-iron hook above the door. It was as if the bookshop had never existed.
Beach did not reopen Shakespeare and Company after the war. The building became an antique stare and is now an import/export store for Chinese goods.
If you go to Paris today, you will find a small shop along the Seine (a famous French
River) with a
sign
that reads "Shakespeare and Company". Inside the picture-lined walls (Beach is
there), owner George Whitman will fetch you a book in English among the disorderly
floor-to-ceiling shelves. Some of his customers are writers; others hope to be. Speaking
English-with accents from around the world-they chat about books and art.
If you leave Shakespeare and Company that day feeling as if you are a part of a new club, you will understand how Sylvia Beach’s expatriates felt seventy years ago.
Ernest Hemingway, Beach, and two friends (from right to left) pose for a photo outside Shakespeare and Company in March 1928. Hemingway signed this photo (his signature is in the bottom right corner) and drew a line to point out his bandaged head.
1 expatriate: a person who has taken up residence in a foreign country
30. Complete the chart with words or phrases that describe Sylvia Beach’s character. Identify information from the article that supports each character trait.
Character Trait |
Supporting Information |
31. How did Sylvia Beach feel about literature and books? Explain your answer using details from the article.
The things that haven’t been done before,
Those are the things to try;
Columbus dreamed of an unknown shore
At the rim of the far-flung sky,
And his heart was bold and his faith was strong
As he ventured in dangers new,
And he paid no heed to the jeering throng
Or the fears of the doubting crew.The many will follow the beaten track
With guideposts on the way.
They live and have lived for ages back
With a chart for every day.
Someone has told them it’s safe to go
On the road he has traveled o’er,
And all that they ever strive top know
Are the things that were known before.
A few strike out, with out map or chart,
Where never a man has been,
From the beaten paths they draw apart
To see what no man has seen.
There are deeds they hunger alone to do;
Though battered and bruised and sore,
They blaze the path for the many, who
Do nothing not done before.
The things that haven’t been done before
Are the tasks worthwhile today;
Are you one of the flock that follows, or
Are you one that shall lead the way?
Are you one of the timid souls that quail
At the jeers of a doubting crew,
Or dare you, whether you win or fail,
Strike out for a goal that’s new?
32. What is most likely the poet’s purpose in writing this poem? Use ideas form the poem to support your answer.
You may PLAN your writing for Number 33 here if you wish, but to NOT write your final answer on this page. Your writing on this Planning Page will NOT count toward your final score. Write your final answer beginning on the next page.
33. Choose a line or lines from the poem. Discuss the meaning of your selection, and explain how it applies to Sylvia Beach. Use ideas from BOTH the poem and the article in your answer.
In your answer, be sure to include
Check your writing for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
You may PLAN your writing for Number 34 here if you wish, but to NOT write your final answer on this page. Your writing on this Planning Page will NOT count toward your final score. Write your final answer beginning on the next page.
34. Write an essay about a person in history or someone you know who has overcome obstacles to follow a dream or fulfill an ambition.
In your article, be sure to include
Check your writing for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
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