Reading Log

• The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe
  
  The Tell-Tale Heart tells the story of a domestic who murders is master. As the story begins, this man tries to first convince the reader that he is not mad. He then gives the readers the purpose of the assassination; the old man vulture eye; “Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees – very gradually – I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.” He then describes how he managed to enter the old man room for several nights before he actually kills him, hiding the parts of is body under the floorboard. A few moments later, the police arrived at the old man’s house and the killer invites them to enter, confidence that them wouldn’t suspect anything. However, while chatting with the police, the murder began to hear the heart of is master. Loosing control over him, he admits is murder.
  
  Hills Like White Elephants – Ernest Hemingway
  
  While reading this story for the first time, I did not understand the purpose of the author. The short story is a discussion between a man and a woman waiting for the train to arrive. What I didn’t understand was the discussion they were having. Very unclear, it is hard to understand what the man and the woman are talking about. I then made my research by asking my friends what the story was about and I found out that the couple was talking about abortion. Rereading the story, it all made sense. The girl is pregnant and is not to sure about keeping or not the baby while the man is totally clear about aborting the baby.
  
  The Lottery – Shirley Jackson
  
  The setting of the story is in a small town of 300 people. On June 27, the population seems to have a celabraty mood as they gather for they annual lottery. For this lottery, a person from each family of the town as to draw a small piece of papre. One of the paper is marked by a black spot. The family who gets the black spot is the chosen family. This family, the Hutchison family, as to draw again to have the final choice. The mother of the Hutchinson family is the final choice. She is then stone to death by everyone of the village including her own family.

• The Veldt - Ray Bradbury

Upon doing a research on Ray Bradbury short story, The Veldt, I learned that the story was written at the time were many American families were acquiring their first television set. No one really knew what impact this new technology would have on the relationship of the family members. Some people were afraid that watching too much television would lead to the total breakdown of the family unit. This fear is directly reflected in The Veldt, but in the story, Bradbury heightens the odds by creating a machine that not only allows children to detach emotionally from their parents, but one that can also physically destroy the parents, as well.

• The Story of an Hour - Kate chopin

Kate Chopin gave her short story the title “The Story of an hour” because the reader only gets a very brief peek on the life of of Mrs. Mallard character. Mrs. Mallard dies of a heart attack at the end of the story. While the other characters of the story thinks she died because she is so overjoyed to see her husband is still alive, the readers truly know the real cause of her death; she only had a glimpse of the freedom she had without living with her husband. The shocking view of her husband alive kills the poor lady who would have preferred him to be dead.

Vocabulary journal

1) Acute: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “Above all was the sense of hearing acute.”
Meaning: Pointed; sharp
Ex) I had a very acute sense for listening to people conversations.

2) Foresight: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “You should have seen […] with what foresight […] I went to work.”
Meaning: The act or capacity of foreseeing, of looking forward.
Ex) I had the foresight to plan my travel in advance.

3) Latch: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “I turned the latch of his door […] oh so gently!”
Meaning: A catch for fastening the door, lid, shutter, etc.
Ex) I silently pushed the latch of his door so he wouldn’t hear me.

4) Sagacity: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “Never before that night had I felt the extent […] of my sagacity.”
Meaning: The possession of exceptional judgment and perceptiveness.
Ex) My parents were proud of the sagacity I showed them.

5) Deed: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “I could scarcely contain my feeling […] of my secrets deeds or thoughts.”
Meaning: Anything done; an act. An exploit, a notable achivement.
Ex) my most amazing deed was to save my brother’s life.

6) Hearkening: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “He was still sitting up in bed listening – just as I have done night after night, hearkening to the death watched in the wall.”
Meaning: Listening with intent.
Ex) He was quiet, not making a sound, hearkening for the unsupportable fly.

7) Groan: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “Presently I heard a slight groan […] of mortal terror.”
Meaning: To utter a low, prolonged sound of or as of pain, sorrow, etc.
Ex) The boy groan seeing his dog hit by a car.

8) Stealthily: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “So I opened it – you cannot imagine how stealthily […] and fell full upon the vulture eye.
Meaning: Moving or acting secretly.
Ex) I stealthily walked toward my sister to scare her good.

9) Burst: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “I thought the heart must burst.”
Meaning: To break open or come apart suddenly and violently.
Ex) The girl was about to burst when her mother managed to calm her down.

10) Concealment: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “If still you think me mad, you will think no longer when […] I took for the concealment of the body.”
Meaning: To hide, secrete; keep from sight, discovery or knowledge.
Ex) The murderer was very organized for the concealment of his victim body.

11) Suavity: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police.”
Meaning: Diplomatic, politically correct.
Ex) Suavity is important for political person.

12) Vehemently: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “I talked more quickly- more vehemently; but noise steadily increased.”
Meaning: Acting with great force or energy; energetic; violent; furious.
Ex) The robber start running more vehemently when to police officers released their dogs.

13) Forestall: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “ He had only taken to time to assure himself […] to forestall any less careful […] bearing the sad message.”
Meaning: To hinder, prevent or guard against by taking preventive measures.
Ex) Jimmy forestall what he had to say to his mother to keep her from having a sudden heart attack.

14) Wept (Weep): The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “She wept at once […] in her sister’s arms.”
Meaning: To manifest grief or other strong emotion by shedding tears.
Ex) I wept of joy when my parents told me we were leaving for Europe for the summer.

15) Acquiver: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all acquiver with the new spring life.”
Meaning: That trembles or quivers.
Ex) My cats is acquiver from the sight or dogs.

16) Wares: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “In the street below a peddler was crying his wares.”
Meaning: Products that are bought and sold in businesses.
Ex) The fishermen presented their ware next to their boats.

17) Bespoke: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “She was young, with a faire calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.”
Meaning: Indicate, show
Ex) Claudia face bespoke her happy thoughts.

18) Elusive: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “She did not know; it was to subtle and elusive to name.”
Meaning: Hard to understand
Ex) The reaction of my dad was to elusive to describe.

19) Scent: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.”
Meaning: An odor, pleasant or unpleasant.
Ex) The scent that comes out of this bathroom is horrible.

20) Bosom: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously.”
Meaning: A person’s chest, which contains emotions
Ex) The wife bosom lightered at the sight of her husband.

21) Warmth: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “ The morning of June 27th was a clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day.”
Meaning: The state or quality of being warm.
Ex) Most people prefer summer to winter because of the warmth.

22) Boisterous: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “School was recently over for the summer […] they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play […] of books and reprimands.”
Meaning: Cheerfully loud
Ex) When John and Alex play together, we always end up hearing boisterous shouts.

23) Clung (Cling): The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “The girls stood aside […] the very small children rolled in the dust or clung to the hands of their older brothers or sisters.”
Meaning: To hold fast, to keep close.
Ex) The boat clung to the coast.

24) Grasping (Grasp): The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “Bobby Martin ducked under his mother’s grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of stones.”
Meaning: To seize hold of firmly with the hand.
Ex) My sister ran away grasping my hand so I would follow her.

25) Scold: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “[…] people were sorry for him, because he had no children and his wife was a scold.”
Meaning: A woman who habitually displays noisy or abusive behavior.
Ex) We are now use to be humiliated by my grandmother who is a scold.

26) Stool: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “The postmaster, Mr. Graves, followed him, carrying a three-legged stool.”
Meaning: A backless and armless seat.
Ex) A stool was placed beside her bed for her little lantern.

27) Paraphernalia: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago […]”
Meaning: equipment, accessory
Ex) Lot’s of paraphernalia were placed in honor of Nathalie 59th anniversary.

28) Shabbier: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “The black box grew shabbier each year […]”
Meaning: Looking badly worn.
Ex) The itinerants clothes grew shabbier every year.

29) Veldtland; The Veldt, Ray Bradbury; “Now the hidden odorophonics were beginning to blow a wind of odor at the two people in the middle of the baked veldtland.”
Meaning: A grassland of southern Africa.
Ex) My aunt who travels a lot in Africa went a few time to the veldtland.

30) Jaunt; The Veldt, Ray Bradbury; “[…] but for yourself when you felt like a quick jaunt to a foreign land […]”
Meaning: A short trip for pleasure
Ex) A jaunt would be perfect to forget what happened.