Read the excerpt from infinite jest. ‘my application’s not bought,’ i am telling them, calling into the darkness of the red cave that opens out before closed eyes. ‘i am not just a boy who plays tennis. i have an intricate history. experiences and feelings. i’m complex. ‘i read,’ i say. ‘i study and read. i bet i’ve read everything you’ve read. don’t think i haven’t. i consume libraries. i wear out spines and rom-drives. i do things like get in a taxi and say, “the library, and step on it.” my instincts concerning syntax and mechanics are better than your own, i can tell, with due respect. what conclusion can readers draw about this character vs. society conflict? the narrator is uncomfortable and defensive. the narrator has destroyed school property. the narrator earns good grades in school. the narrator is being punished for his behavior.

The right answer is the A) The narrator is uncomfortable and defensive.

Explanation: It is possible to conclude that this character is uncomfortable and defensive because he is ostensibly, and almost exaggeratedly, boasting about his abilities ("I am not just a boy who plays tennis. I have an intricate history. Experiences and feelings. I’m complex. ‘I read,’ I say. ‘I study and read. I bet I've read everything you’ve read [...] I consume libraries. I wear out spines and ROM-drives. I do things like get in a taxi and say, “The library, and step on it [...]"), he is presupposing that the people he is talking to don't see it that way ("Don’t think I haven’t") and he is even considering himself superior to them ("My instincts concerning syntax and mechanics are better than your own"). This indicates a defensive and insecure attitude, typical of a person who may be indeed intellectually superior (as Hal Incandenza is), but who feels neither confident nor comfortable with his talent, and thinks that the others actually understimate him.  

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)