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.