It's not nice to mock the students...

[icewolf]

...but I'm going to anyway.

So, for the short story unit, I had the students read "The Cask of Amontillado" and "Araby," among others.

So, question 4 on the unit quiz was, "What is the setting of "The Cask of Amontillado"?

The answer one gave: "At Carnival in Ireland on a dead-end street."

Which produced a sheer mind-frell of squishing Edgar Allan Poe and James Joyce into the same short story.

Not that they wouldn't get along... Neither one was happy unless he was miserable...

Comments

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

Bwaaaahahahaha!

There's a clever comment here somewhere, but I'm too fever-ridden to find it.

[karmaflouge.livejournal.com]

Please, oh please, tell me they were writing out of sheer desparation and hoping they got it right.

And "The Cask of Amontillado" is one of Jon's absolute favorites. He'll die to read this, I can guarantee you that.

[arakasi1.livejournal.com]

I pondered weak and weary weary weary over many a quaint and curious volume of forbidden lore while I nodded nearly napping suddenly there came a tap tap tapping as of some one gently rapping rapping rapping at my chamber doortis some visitor I muttered tapping at my chamber door only this nothing more ah distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor eagerly I wished the morrow vainly I had sought to borrow from my books surcrease of sorrow sorrow sorrow for the lost Lenore for the radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore nameless here for evermore

And what did our nameless narrator believe to be the origin of the rapping sound?
The narrator believed that the rapping heard was from a visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -- some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door. This is it and nothing more.

What was the narrator's response to the rapping sound?
The narrator called out to his visitor and begged his or her forgiveness. He then went to the door and flung it open to find darkness there and nothing more

-----AT THE OPEN DOOR ---
I peered into the darkness and stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming. The silence was unbroken and the only word there spoken was the whispered word Lenore. This I whispered and an echo murmered back the word Lenore. Merely this and nothing more.

-----BACK IN THE CHAMBER -----
All my soul was in me burning. Soon I heard the tapping louder than before. Surely there is something at my window lattice. Let my heart be still a moment and explore.

What entity was reveled to the narrator?
When the narrator flung open the shutter, a raven stepped into the room. Making no obeisance, staying not a minute it perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door. Perched, sat, and nothing more

Though thy crest, says I be shorn and shaven thou art sure no craven -- ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the nightly shore -- tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!

Nevermore, says the Raven

Doubtless, says I, what it utters is its only stock and store, caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore-- till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore of Never--Nevermore

Query. Who's astanding this here do? Proud possessor of damnall. Declare
misery. Bet to the ropes. Me nantee saltee. Not a red at me this week
gone. Yours? Mead of our fathers for the UBERMENSCH. Dittoh. Five number
ones. You, sir? Ginger cordial. Chase me, the cabby's caudle. Stimulate
the caloric. Winding of his ticker. Stopped short never to go again when
the old. Absinthe for me, savvy? CARAMBA! Have an eggnog or a prairie
oyster. Enemy? Avuncular's got my timepiece. Ten to. Obligated awful.
Don't mention it. Got a pectoral trauma, eh, Dix? Pos fact. Got bet be a
boomblebee whenever he wus settin sleepin in hes bit garten.

[arakasi1.livejournal.com]

Then methought the air grew denser perfumed from an unseen censer swung by Sersphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor wretch thy god hath lent the by these angels he hath sent thee respite respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore quaff oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore quoth the Raven nevermore prophet thing of evil prophet till if bird or devil whether tempter sent or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore desolate yet all unduanted on this desert island enchanted on this home by Horror haunted tell me truly, I implore is there--is there balm in Gilead tell me tell me I implore quoth the Raven nevermore. prophet thing of evil prophet still if bird or devil by that Heaven that bends above us by that God we both adore tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn it shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore quoth the Raven nevermore be that our sign of parting, bird or fiend I shrieked, upstarting get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul has spoken leave my loneliness unbroken quit the bust above my door take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door quoth the Raven nevermore and the Raven never flitting still is sitting, still is sitting on the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming and the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadows on the floor and my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor shall be lifted nevermore once upon a midnight dreary

[reportergirlkes.livejournal.com]

That actually sounds like a better book than I remember reading.