Uni Gottingen
229 688 411
7
2011 A 13515
24 Classic American
Short Stories
Yvonne CoHuonad Sffsko
Middlesex County College
Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River
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Contents
Intent and/oi Tone Contents
x
Chronological Contents
xii
Foreword
xiii
Preface
xv
A Sample Lesson
I
Kate Chopin
"Ripe Figs"
Chapter I
Characters and Conflicts
*^ Kate Chopin "The Unexpected"
23
Is Dorothea shallow or profoundingly honest? What do you think?
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
23
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
25
"The Unexpected"
26
Journal
29
Follow-up Questions
32
Discussion Questions
33
Writing
33
25
*P Eudora Welty "A Worn Path"
34
Old Phoenix overcomes challenge after challenge as she takes the reader
on a journey to town.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
34
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
36
"A Worn Path"
37
Journal
45
Follow-up Questions
48
Discussion Questions
49
Writing
49
36
^ Amy Tan "Two Kinds"
50
Tensions between mother and child touch us all in this lively tale of hopes
and aspirations.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
50
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
52
iv
CONTENTS
Pre-reading Questions
"Two Kinds"
53
Journal
63
Follow-up Questions
Discussion Questions
Writing
67
52
66
67
*P Edgar Allan Poe "The Tell-Tale Heart"
68
Edgar Allan Poe walks the reader through the homicidal mind in this
classic tale of maniacal obsession.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
68
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
70
"The Tell-Tale Heart"
71
Journal
76
Follow-up Questions
79
Discussion Questions
80
Writing
80
70
*& Ray Bradbury "There Will Come Soft Rains"
81
Using nontraditional characters, Ray Bradbury questions humankind's
relationship with the technology it creates.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
81
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
83
"There Will Come Soft Rains"
84
Journal
88
Follow-up Questions
91
Discussion Questions
92
Writing
92
Chapter 2
Setting and Props
83
9
V Sandra Cisneros "Eleven"
95
Rachel brings forth insights we can all share.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
95
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
97
"Eleven"
98
Journal
101
Follow-up Questions
104
Discussion Questions
105
Writing
105
97
^ Alice Walker "Everyday Use"
106
Sincerity triumphs over superficiality in this story centered around a
family heirloom.
CONTENTS
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
106
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
108
"Everyday Use"
109
Journal
118
Follow-up Questions
121
Discussion Questions
122
Writing
122
v
108
•(• Joseph Bruchac "Bone Girl"
123
Old traditions lead to new changes in this spirited tale.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
123
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
125
"Bone Girl"
126
Journal
133
Follow-up Questions
136
Discussion Questions
137
Writing
137
125
*@ Mark Twain "Strong Temptations—Strategic Movements—
The Innocents Beguiled"
138
Told with humor and irony, this is the classic tale of Tom Sawyer painting
the fence.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
138
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
140
Pre-reading Questions
140
"Strong Temptations—Strategic Movements—The Innocents
Beguiled"
141
Journal
146
Follow-up Questions
149
Discussion Questions
150
Writing
150
+* Edgar Allan Poe "The Cask of Amontillado"
151
Edgar Allan Poe walks the reader through the homicidal mind in this
classic story of family revenge wherein darkness increases with the
subterranean descent.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
151
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
153
"The Cask of Amontillado"
154
Journal
161
Follow-up Questions
164
Discussion Questions
165
Writing
165
153
vi
CONTENTS
Chapter 3
Plot and Foreshadowing
*)» Langston Hughes "Salvation"
168
We share the narrator's confusion as events swirl around him in this light
yet introspective tale.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
168
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
170
"Salvation"
171
Journal
174
Follow-up Questions
177
Discussion Questions
178
Writing
178
170
*** Migene Gonzalez-Wippler "Yoruba"
179
In this lively story, Migene Gonzalez-Wippler portrays a childhood
experience with a religious system that combines Christian and African
beliefs, enhanced by foreshadowing.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
179
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
181
"Yoruba"
182
Journal
192
Follow-up Questions
195
Discussion Questions
196
Writing
196
181
** Max Brand "Wine on the Desert"
197
Justice is brutally served in this powerful story.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
197
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
199
"Wine on the Desert"
200
Journal
208
Follow-up Questions
211
Discussion Questions
212
Writing
212
199
*P O. Henry "The Last Leaf"
213
We share friendship and devotion in this stirringly poignant tale.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
213
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
215
"The Last Leaf"
216
Journal
222
Follow-up Questions
225
215
CONTENTS
Discussion Questions
Writing
226
226
<^ Frank Stockton "The Lady or the Tiger?"
227
The reader expects resolution in a story, but Frank Stockton leaves the
reader holding her or his breath.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
227
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
229
"The Lady or the Tiger?"
230
Journal
236
Follow-up Questions
239
Discussion Questions
240
Writing
240
229
W Kate Chopin "The Story of an Hour"
242
Kate Chopin turns marital assumptions upside down with her ironic
twist.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
242
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
244
"The Story of an Hour"
245
Journal
248
Follow-up Questions
251
Discussion Questions
252
Writing
252
244
•P O.Henry "Gifts of the Magi"
253
Love triumphs over all as gifts are well, if not wisely, given.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
253
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
255
"Gifts of the Magi"
256
Journal
261
Follow-up Questions
264
Discussion Questions
265
Writing
265
255
W Dorothy Parker "The Wonderful Old Gentleman"
266
Did you ever want to scream, "That's unfair"? The knife of injustice
slowly twists in this ironic story.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
266
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
268
268
vii
viii
CONTENTS
"The Wonderful Old Gentleman"
Journal
280
Follow-up Questions
283
Discussion Questions
284
Writing
284
269
*P O. Henry "The Ransom of Red Chief"
285
O. Henry turns the tables in this story in a way that is still humerous
today.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
285
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
287
"The Ransom of Red Chief"
288
Journal
298
Follow-up Questions
301
Discussion Questions
302
Writing
302
287
^ Zora Neale Hurston "Sweat"
303
Zora Neale Hurston's ever-surviving female realizes ultimate justice.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
303
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
305
"Sweat"
306
Journal
317
Follow-up Questions
320
Discussion Questions
321
Writing
321
Chapter 5
Extended Short Story Study
305
323
W Jack London "To Build a Fire"
324
Arctic conditions test the knowledge of man and dog.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
324
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
326
"To Build a Fire"
327
Journal
341
Follow-up Questions
344
Discussion Questions
345
Writing
345
326
<M? William Faulkner "A Rose for Emily"
346
The reader experiences the very wretchedness of William Faulkner's
decaying South through Emily and her relationships.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
346
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
349
CONTENTS
ix
Pre-reading Questions
349
"A Rose for Emily"
350
Journal
359
Follow-up Questions
362
Discussion Questions
363
Writing
363
*@ Nathaniel Hawthorne "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment"
364
In this tale set amid dark and ominous surroundings, Nathaniel
Hawthorne questions change with light humor, irony, and even a touch of
sarcasm.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
364
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
368
"Dr. Heidegger's Experiment"
369
Journal
378
Follow-up Questions
381
Discussion Questions
382
Writing
382
368
V Herman Melville "The Bell-Tower"
383
In this powerful tale written long before modern machinery, Herman
Melville exposes a man's self-glorifying pride in his own resourcefulness.
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context
383
Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack
Pre-reading Questions
387
"The Bell-Tower"
388
Journal
401
Follow-up Questions
404
Discussion Questions
405
Writing
405
Appendix A Judges
407
Appendix B How I Use This Book
411
Appendix C Vocabulary in Context
415
Glossary of Prefixes and Suffixes
419
Credits
425
Index
427
387