The Scarlet Ibis

The Scarlet Ibis Background James Hurst published in the July 1960 Author Publication Influence James Hurst published in the July 1960 "The Scarlet Ibis" was the first and only work of Hurst's to achieve widespread success.

The Scarlet Ibis Background, Con’t: The Bird Itself Native of the South American tropics The scarlet ibis is vivid red, but loses its color if it doesn’t eat the proper diet It needs a particular habitat in order to thrive The scarlet ibis is an endangered species which has not bred successfully in its natural habitat since the 1960s.

The Scarlet Ibis Background, Con’t: The Story Explores the conflicts between love and pride and draws attention to the effects of familial and societal expectations on those who are handicapped. Draws a powerful symbolic connection between the handicapped child Doodle and the beautiful and rare Scarlet Ibis

Overview Plot at a Glance The story focuses on the troubled relationship between two young boys: the narrator and his mentally and physically disabled brother, Doodle. His brother wishes he had a normal functioning brother and sometimes even has dark thoughts about murdering him

Overview Plot at a Glance Motivated by a smile Doodle give his brother, however, Brother decides to teach Doodle how to walk along with other skills a normal boy would possess With his brother pushing him perhaps too hard to be something he is not, Doodle’s health begins to decline.

Literary Focus Symbols The Scarlet Ibis Connections Between The Scarlet Ibis and Doodle In the course of the story, Doodle becomes symbolically identified with a rare and beautiful Scarlet Ibis 1a.The Scarlet ibis, an exotic bird that does not belong in the narrator's region, land in their backyard 1b.Doodle is forced to do things that he should not have to try to do and is forced out of his element 2a.The red bird falls from the tree it is in, and lands dead at the feet of Doodle’s family 2b.Forces of out of his element Doodle loses his color (as a Scarlet Ibis would) and his health declines The shaded area of the map highlights the region populated by the Scarlet Ibis

Symbols, Con’t: Coffin and Go-Cart Weather Representative of both the expectations of Doodle’s family and Doodle’s ability to overcome those expectations (that he is going to die as an infant and that he will never walk) Reflects the mood of the story—the weather often mirrors if good or bad things are happening in the story

Expectations and Limitations Brotherly Love Beauty Found in the Unique Literary Focus Themes and Conflicts Love Pride Disabilities Expectations and Limitations Brotherly Love Beauty Found in the Unique Age and Experience

Hurst frequently uses foreshadowing to suggest an upcoming event. Literary Focus Foreshadowing Hurst frequently uses foreshadowing to suggest an upcoming event. In “The Scarlet Ibis” this most clearly used to hint at death coming: Doctor's warning about Doodle's weak heart, to foreshadow the death of Doodle The changing of seasons being described in terms of “death” and rebirth

Literary Focus Point of View Irony The story is told as a first- person reminiscence by Brother This is noteworthy because Brother is looking back on events from his childhood with the maturity of an adult. The narration is would suggest that the story would be told with sympathy for Brother, but because of the honesty of the narrative, Doodle is the more sympathetic character Furthermore, Brother’s attempts to help Doodle are ultimately harmful to him

Mentally and physically retarded Characters Doodle Mentally and physically retarded Doodle is a disappointment to his family, especially to Brother Everyone expects Doodle to die, but he defies them all and survives, becoming a loving boy with a strong attachment to Brother

Brother grows ashamed of Doodle's limitations and regularly taunts him Characters Brother He is not given a name but is referred to by Doodle, his brother, only as "Brother." Brother grows ashamed of Doodle's limitations and regularly taunts him Brother loves Doodle, but the love is tainted with cruelty and embarrassment.

A Story of Suspense and Action!!!

Background Richard Connell First published in 1924 Connell's story raises questions about the nature of violence and cruelty and the ethics of hunting for sport. Background Author: Publication Focus

Hunter Sanger Rainsford becomes stranded on an island Overview The Most Dangerous Game Hunter Sanger Rainsford becomes stranded on an island He finds another hunter, named General Zaroff, living on the island in a dark, secluded mansion Zaroff is an excellent hunter as well, and is desperately looking for new challenges to test his hunting skills. The Cape Buffalo is One of the World’s Most Dangerous Animals

Literary Focus Violence and Cruelty Themes and Conflicts Ethics of Hunting The Weak versus the Strong Survival of the Fittest The Hunter Becoming the Hunted Revenge Gaming Room. Will Zaroff’s Look the Same Way?

Literary Focus Setting: Point of View: Connell sets the "game'' in a dangerous wilderness of quicksand, wild seas, fallen trees, mud and sand, and rocky cliffs. Omniscient third-person narrator.

Literary Focus Suspense Foreshadowing The story’s fast-paced action, life or death plot, and jungle setting all contribute to a sense of anxiety about what will happen next in the short story There are numerous clues about the “new game” that Zaroff hunts, but perhaps no clue is stronger than his repeated claim that 1 animal can reason

Characters Rainsford Rainsford: world famous hunter who doesn’t believe animals have feelings and becomes stranded on Ship-Trap Island.

General Zaroff: refined manners, clothing, tastes, and delicate speech contrast with his brutal passion for hunting. Characters General Zaroff General Zaroff

The Necklace

Guy De Maupassant Author Published 1884 Maupassant was extremely successful during his lifetime and “The Necklace” was an instant success Author Don’t mess with the ‘Stache

Madame Mathilde and her husband are not well off financially The Necklace Overview Madame Mathilde and her husband are not well off financially She has always dreamed of being rich.

Overview, Con’t: When the couple is invited to a ball, Madame Loisel must find jewelry and fine clothing so she can attend the event. The trouble begins when her jewelry is lost.

Literary Focus Themes Appearance vs. Reality Rich vs. Poor Generosity vs. Greed Madame Loisel is pretty and charming, but she is also unhappy with her lot in life and believes that she deserves more. Madame Loisel’s belief that beautiful things and luxury are essential to her happiness is the untruth that scars her physical beauty. Madame Loisel’s greed stands in marked contrast to the generosity of her husband and Madame Forestier.

The necklace is the central symbol of the story. ‘‘The Necklace’’ is told by an omniscient third-person narrator. The narrator does have access to the characters‘ thoughts. The necklace is the central symbol of the story. The necklace comes to represents Madame Loisel's greed and also her artificiality. Literary Focus Point of View Symbolism

Literary Focus, Con’t: Irony In a society that so highly values appearance, it is ironic that the beautiful Madame Loisel is excluded from society because of her class standing. The greatest irony of all, however, comes during the story’s surprise ending.

Beautiful woman on the outside but has a superficial personality Believes that she is meant for better things than the middle-class Infatuated with superficial things: a ball gown better furniture fancy jewelry Characters Madame Mathilde Loisel

Content with social situation Attentive to his wife's desires, Acts in stark contrast to his wife: generous, hard working, selfless Characters Monsieur Loisel

The Tormented Life of Edgar Allan Poe The Nightmarish Mind of Edgar Allan Poe “The Short Life” 1809-1849

Born 1809-1849 His mother died during his youth and his father abandoned them After the death of his grandmother married his 13- year-old cousin, Virginia in 1835 Virginia died in 1847 Died in 1849 Background

Entered and dropped from both the University of Virginia and West Point Ran into debt and started borrowing money, gambling and getting deeper into debt Education of Poe

Wrote in a Gothic Style Deep and intense Explorations of а world of dream and of nightmare In his stories the past is darker, mоrе ominous and oppresses his heroes and heroines Writing Style of Poe

Poe’s Characters Many of his characters аrе filled with madness Obsessed with the irrational side of the mind

The Pit and the Pendulum The Fall of the House of Usher Tell-Tale Heart The Cask of the Amontillado The Masque of the Red Death The Raven Lenore Famous Works Short Stories Poems

The Cask of Amontillado

Background The Cask of Amontillado Published 1846 One theory for the inspiration for story was a feud Poe had with 2 other poets The story was somewhat controversial for focusing his story on a crime with no apparent motive, and a murderer with no apparent remorse

The Cask of Amontillado Overview The story is narrated by Montresor, who carries a grudge against Fortunato for an offense that is never explained Montresor leads a drunken Fortunato through a series of chambers beneath his palazzo

The Cask of Amontillado Overview Although Fortunato has a horrible cough the promise of a taste of Amontillado spurs him deeper and deeper into the underground When the two men reach the last underground chamber, Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall, builds a new wall to seal him in, and leaves him to die

Remorse vs. Lack of Remorse Pride Friendship Power and Respect Literary Focus Themes and Conflicts Revenge Madness Deception Remorse vs. Lack of Remorse Pride Friendship Power and Respect Social Classes and Social Significance within Society

Montresor’s Coat of Arms and motto, Nemo me impune lacessit Literary Focus Symbols Montresor’s Coat of Arms and motto, Nemo me impune lacessit Irony The Usage of a Trowel A foot in a blue background crushing a snake whose fangs are embedded in the foot's heel “No one attacks me with impunity” Both the coat of arms and motto are representative of Montresor’s lust for revenge He will crush Fortunado for the “injuries” he has given Fortunado belongs to a secret society called the Freemasons Montresor says he is also a mason, but then produces a trowel used for regular masonery work Fortunado thinks this action is trivial, but the trowel ends up playing an integral part in his demise .

Told in the first person by Montresor By presenting the story in the first person, Poe puts the reader at the mercy of an unreliable narrator, a mad man, who decides what to tell and what to leave out. Literary Focus Point of View

Fortunato Montresor's sworn enemy, Fortunato displays no uneasiness in Montresor's company, and is unaware that his friend is plotting against him. Fortunato is a proud connoisseur of fine wine He is urged on by the chance of sampling some rare Amontillado

Luchesi Acquaintance of Montresor's and Fortunato's A rival wine expert of Fortunado’s Montresor keeps Fortunato on the trail of the Amontillado by threatening to allow Luchesi to sample it first

Montresor Holds a grudge against his friend Fortunato, who has committed several unnamed offenses against him Wealthy and lives in a palazzo Has planned murder of Fortunado Telling the story fifty years after it has taken place he reveals no regret for his actions

The Masque of the Red Death

The Masque of Red Death Background Poe’s fictional Red Death is probably based on the Black Death, which killed as many as two thirds of the population in some regions in Europe Poe calls the plague “the Red Death” because victims oozed blood from painful sores.

Summary Theme In this story a fourteenth- century prince gives a costume party, or masque, to try to forget about the epidemic raging all around him. Inevitibility of death (regardless how much money you have) Human weakness and fear Arrogance Death

Allegory Symbol A narrative that is really a double story. One story takes place on the surface. Under the surface the story’s characters and events represent abstract ideas Something that is itself and yet also represents something else Can be read both as a chilling ghost story and as an allegory representing the inevitability of death. Prospero’s name (Prospero means prosperous) The stranger’s appearance (Dressed like the Grim Reaper or Death) The arrangement of the seven halls The rooms of the palace, lined up in a series, allegorically represent the stages of life. Their colors (black=death), (red=blood) Clock marking the inevitable passage of time.

Characters Prince Prospero The Stranger Prince Prospero invites a thousand lords and ladies to escape death by living luxuriously in his castle until the pestilence passes. To entertain his guests Prospero hosts a masquerade party that takes place in seven halls, each a different color. At the stroke of midnight, a tall figure in a blood-splattered burial costume appears. Prospero demands that his friends seize the intruder, but everyone is frozen with fear as the stranger slowly walks through the rooms.

The Gift of the Magi

Author Origin of Title O. Henry Wise men, or magi, brought gifts to the baby Jesus and so invented the giving of Christmas gifts

O.Henry Writing Style Overview of Story Humorous tone, realistic detail, and a surprise ending Delia and Jim Young are a young married couple with very little money They are both trying to save money so they can buy Christmas gifts for one another What will they sacrifice in order to buy their spouse a fantastic gift?

Characters Jim Young Jim, is a thin, serious young man, twenty- two years old. He works hard, not returning home until seven o'clock, and is reliable:

Delia Young Has long beautiful hair and has saved $1.87 to buy her husband a gift

Value of Love Faulty Value of Money Faulty Value of Material Items Wisdom and Growth Sacrifice and Generosity Unselfishness Themes and Conflicts

New York. The setting helps emphasize the couple being poor New York. The setting helps emphasize the couple being poor. They have a "shabby little couch," and a “dismal view” Dark and unsettling. The mood is used to emphasize how poor and desperate this couple has become When the couple loses everything that is important to them, they realize it really doesn’t matter Style Setting Mood Irony