Winter Study Guide Periods Two and Four

Winter Study Guide Periods Two and Four

The Mystery of Marie Roget Notes

1. The detective, August Dupin and his assistant are reminiscent of which literary characters?

Sherlock Homes and Dr. Watson

1. What is Poe trying to explain in the first paragraph?

That his story is a modified version of the real-life murder of Mary Rogers.

1. Who is Monsieur le Blanc?

He was the owner of the perfume shop.

1. How does Poe (as the original narrator) intend to solve the murder of Mary Rogers?

By analyzing the circumstances of her murder in a mathematical style.

1. What was the original case that Dupin solved?

The Murders in the Rue Morgue.

1. Where was Marie Roget’s body found?

The Rhine River.

1. Where was Mary Rogers’ body found?

The Hudson River.

1. Who narrates the story after Poe is done with the opening?

Dupin’s assistant.

1. What strange incident occurred with Mary/Marie prior to her murder?

She disappeared for several days.

1. Why does Dupin think that Marie’s fiancée did not kill her?

Because he would have known to not act guilty. (He would have had a better alibi.)

1. Who does Poe believe the murderers were?

A gang of sailors.

1. Why did Poe write the story?

It was a vehicle for him to write a possible solution to the mystery of who killed Mary Rogers.

1. Essay Questions

1. Why did the press make such a big deal about this one girl’s death?

(Murder was more uncommon, she was popular)

1. Why do some people find murder so fascinating?

The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide

Author: Stephen Crane – Crane was born after the American Civil War, but grew up listening to the stories of those who had fought in it. He became curious about what it would be like to fight in a war, and wrote The Red Badge of Courage based on the tales he had heard and read about it.

He became a reporter, and finally got his wish when he went to Cuba to cover the Spanish-American War. Although not actually a soldier, he was present at several battles, and even assisted the army by acting as a messenger for the commanders.

Unfortunately, he contracted tuberculosis and died while visiting Europe. He died at age 29.

Terms

American Civil War – The war broke out in 1861. It occurred due to a Southern reaction to the election of Abraham Lincoln. Many Southerners feared that the election of the Republican president would strengthen the position of the abolitionists and that their way of life would be threatened. The southern states seceded from the Union, and after attacking Fort Sumter, the war began in earnest.

The war lasted from April of 1861 to April of 1865.

Confederacy – The Southern side of the Civil War. Most of the Southerners were fighting to preserve their way of life, and they were highly motivated. Out of the 5 million free people in the south, over 1 million of them fought in the war. Southern soldiers typically wore grey or butternut-colored uniforms and they were nicknamed ‘Johnny Reb’.

Regiment – A regiment was the most important formation of soldiers during the Civil War. A regiment often started out with roughly a 1000 men. These men typically came from the same neighborhood. During the Civil War, they had high rates of attrition, and by the end of the war, it was not uncommon to see Regiments of less than 300 or even 100 men.

Union – The Northern side of the Civil War. Initially the north was fighting to preserve the Union, and in 1862, freeing the slaves became the new motivation for the war. Northern soldiers were often called ‘Billy Yank’ and war blue uniforms.

Vocabulary Chapters 1 & 2

Campaign (noun) - A series of operations undertaken to achieve a certain goal.

- The Northern army embarked on a campaign to capture Richmond, Virginia.

Diffident (adj.) - Lacking confidence in other people; Distrustful.

- I expressed diffidence when I was told that my book would arrive on Wednesday. I thought it would occur later.

Ecstasy (noun) - A feeling of immense happiness.

- Many of the students were in ecstasy on December 23, aware that they were about to have a week off.

Enlist (verb) - To sign up and join an organization.

- At the beginning of the novel, Henry leaves his mother to enlist in the Union army.

Futile (adj.) - When something is not worth doing because it is unlikely to be successful.

- It is futile to attempt to fly by flapping your arms.

Impregnable (adj.) - When something is unable to be entered.

- The fortress on the hill was considered impregnable, as the stone walls were thick and very high.

Lucid (adj.) – Able to see things clearly.

- It is good to have a lucid person in a crisis, as people who panic usually don’t make good decisions.

Oblique (adj.) – Slanted; At an angle.

- When the car slid on the ice, it moved in an oblique way.

Secular (adj.) – Not religious.

- The government of the United States is supposed to be secular.

Thoroughfare (noun) – A heavily travelled road.

- Route 80 is a thoroughfare that cuts straight across Pennsylvania.

Vague (adj.) – Unclear; Not precise.

- When I asked the student how long it would take for them to finish the late project, they gave me vague estimate.

Vivacious (adj.) – Lively; Spirited.

- Vivacious behavior is expected from cheerleaders.

Characters

The Youth (Henry) –

Loud Soldier

Tall Soldier (Jim) -

Chapter 1

1. At the beginning of the story, a group of encamped Northern soldiers respond to a rumor that they will be moving into combat.
2. One of the young soldiers (Henry) has a flashback about leaving home and saying farewell to his mother. He was upset that his mother was sad to see him go, and did not encourage his enlistment.
3. As a new soldier he remembers begin picked on by the veterans, as they would often refer to the new soldiers as ‘fresh fish’.
4. Henry persists in having the soldiers discuss the subject of bravery. All of them start to talk about whether or not they’ll run away. Two soldiers in particular are the Tall Soldier (Jim Conklin) who is an older gentleman, and the Loud Soldier (Wilson) who rather humbly suggests that he is not particularly brave, but will probably not run away.

Chapter 2

1. The regiment begins to march, and some minor incidents occur along the way. For instance, one soldier is caught stealing from a local woman’s house, and she winds up beating him with a stick, and the other soldiers wind up cheering for the woman.
2. At one point, while they are encamped during the night, they talk about the fact that the army has generally lost to the South in battles. This indicates that the army is probably the Army of the Potomac.
3. As the concept of battle draws nearer, the conversations about bravery become more agitated.

Chapter 3

1. As battle draws nearer, Henry becomes nervous, and begins to feel as if he made a mistake joining the army. He develops a persecution complex, and begins to suggest that the war forced him to enlist.
2. While on the march to the battlefield, Henry winds up passing the corpse of a Confederate soldier. Henry is curious about death, and although he wants to look at the body a bit longer, he continues to march on.
3. When the regiment halts, some of the more experienced (or wise) men begin to erect fortifications. This causes some discussion amongst the men, as some view fighting from behind defenses cowardly.
4. Wilson tells Henry that he feels that he will die in the upcoming battle, so he gives Henry a letter to send to his parents in case that happens.

Chapter 4

1. In this chapter, the men begin to approach a battle that is already in progress.
2. In the distance they can see other units fighting, and they can see the cannons firing.
3. During the lull, another Union regiment appears and flees past Henry’s regiment. The soldiers run through Henry’s unit, obviously running away from another approaching Confederate unit.
4. Although some of the new soldiers are worried, the veteran soldiers appear undisturbed by their fleeing friends, as if this sort of thing happens occasionally.

Chapter 5

1. The General comes up to the Colonel (commander of the regiment) and tells him that they are about to be attacked and tells them to be brave before riding off to talk to other soldiers.
2. Finally, the regiment is attacked. At the beginning of the fight, the Lieutenant is shot in the hand, but continues to fight anyway.
3. Henry’s regiment repulses the first Confederate attack, and they begin to think that the battle is over, and they begin to congratulate themselves. They also act relieved, and think that the fight is over.

Chapter 6

1. Henry begins to feel more at ease, and is proud at having not run away during his first fight.
2. However, a second attack occurs, and when the rebels get close, many soldiers begin to run away, including Henry. They do this despite the fact that the Lieutenant is smacking people with the flat of his sword.
3. After seeing several other soldiers run away, Henry runs as well. While retreating, he passes a battery (a group of cannons) and imagines that they will get killed by the advancing Confederates.
4. Eventually, he winds up approaching the General. While hiding in the woods, he hears the shocking news that his regiment did not run, and in fact caused the rebels to run away.

Chapter 7

1. Henry feels immense shame, realizing that he ran away from a battle that his unit won. However, he rationalizes his actions, complaining that the unit COULD have been destroyed, so that the smart thing to do was to run away.
2. While walking through the woods, he comes upon the dead body of a Union soldier. The sight of the body frightens him and he moves away from it, deeper into the woods.

Chapter 8

1. Henry emerges from the woods into a long line of wounded soldiers who are walking away from the battle to the rear of the army.
2. While moving with the wounded, he encounters the Tattered Soldier, who seems to be happy, despite being one of the soldiers who was wounded in the battle.
3. When he asks Henry where he was hit during the battle, Henry feels guilty and tries to move away from the Tattered soldier.

Chapter 9

1. While walking amongst the wounded, he encounters Jim Conklin (the Tall Soldier), and it turns out that Jim has been badly wounded.
2. Jim is worried and he tells Henry that he is afraid he will fall over on the road and get run over by an artillery wagon.
3. Jim tells Henry to help him get off the road, but eventually, Jim (who is delusional), suddenly starts running into the woods. Henry and the Tattered soldier chase after him.
4. Eventually Jim collapses and dies from his wounds.

The Red Badge of Courage Final Quiz

The Crucible Study Guide

Characters

Reverend Parris – He is the religious authority in Salem. He is not very popular with the people as he tends to talk constantly about hell and money, and very rarely has sermons which unite the population. He has a daughter, Betty who is one of the first girls to be ‘possessed’. His niece is Abigail Williams.

Abigail Williams – A young girl who had an affair with John Proctor. She is one of the more influential girls, and seems to be the leader at certain points. She is jealous of Elizabeth Proctor, and we know that at the beginning of the story, she attempted to cast a spell that would kill Elizabeth. Abigail used to be the housemaid of the Proctor family until Elizabeth learned about the affair.

Tituba – Reverend Parris’ household slave. She is from Barbados, and is a big believer in superstitions, which is why the girls asked her to perform some magic for them. She is one of the first people accused of consorting with the devil.

Reverend Hale – He is a professional witch hunter. He is not from Salem, but he is called by Reverend Parris as a precautionary measure. He initially believes that witches are present in Salem, but as the story goes on, he begins to believe that it is all a hoax.

John Proctor – The main character of the play. He owns a farm which is 5 miles away from the center of Salem. Due to his strained relationship with Reverend Parris, he rarely goes to church, and indeed, one of his sons has never been baptized.

Elizabeth Proctor – The wife of John Procter, she is portrayed as a cold and unemotional woman, which is supposedly the reason John cheated on her. However, they do love each other but they still have issues regarding John’s affair with Abigail.

Mary Warren – The household maid for the Proctor family. She is Abigail’s replacement. Although she starts off as an easily frightened and timid girl, she becomes very willful when she starts working with the court.

Mr. Putnam – One of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Salem, he is very greedy and considers himself an authority figure. He does not get along well with others because he covets their property. He and his daughter will be the foremost accusers of witches in the town.

Mrs. Putnam – A woman who has lost seven children in childbirth. She has become convinced that they were murdered through unnatural means. She told her daughter to ask for Tituba’s assistance in contacting her dead children.

Giles Corey – An old and silly man, possibly senile. He accidently gets his wife in trouble when he talks about her reading mysterious books.

Puritans – The Puritan religion was a Christian faith which was extremely strict. For a while, they were the dominant religion in England. However, their iron rules became very unpopular, and eventually many of the fled from persecution in their home country. Generally, their religion looked favorable upon hard work and tended to believe that fun and distractions were bad things.

Act I

1. The story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. At the time, the local area was run by Puritans. They had their own government.
2. This takes place in the year 1692. It is roughly 100 years before the country became the United States of America.
3. The author of the novel is Arthur Miller.
4. The author was writing the novel to compare the events of the Salem witch trials with the Red Scare of the 1950s.
5. During the Red Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many Americans of being Communist or having communist leanings/connections. In particular, the media was heavily affected by the persecutions, and many people were pointing fingers at each other in order to vindicated themselves and preserve their own livelihoods.
6. The story begins when Reverend Parris has discovered a significant amount of the young girls in the town dancing in the woods. Apparently, they were asking Tituba to do various magical things. When they were caught. They initially tried to say that they were only dancing. However, Reverend Parris’ daughter, Betty, became very scared of punishment and pretended to go comatose.
7. The first scene shows that the town has heard of a rumor that witchcraft was being practiced by the girls. As a result, Reverend Parris’ foyer is filled with people who are busy spreading rumors of children casting spells and flying around the town.
8. Parris feels that it is not witchcraft, but has sent for Reverend Hale to clear things up. He feels that the witch hunter will legitimize his claim that no magic was being practiced.
9. The Putnams arrive and make everything worse, by spreading rumors that people are worshipping Satan. Mrs. Putnam confesses that she told her daughter to ask Tituba to talk to her dead children.
10. John Proctor arrives and immediately tells everyone that all accusations of devil-worship are silly.
11. When many of the characters temporarily leave the room, John has some time alone with Abigail and confronts her about what happened in the woods. Abigail tells him that nothing serious was going on, but she also flirts with him, as she is still infatuated with him. John rejects her advances telling Abigail that he has made up with his wife and that he is not interested in her.
12. Parris, the Nurses, the Putnams, Giles Corey and Proctor talk about the accusations of witchcraft. However, their conversation suddenly changes to conflicts over money and property. During this exchange we learn that the town has deep-rooted problems prior to the witchcraft issues. The problems include:

1. John Proctor refusing to go to church or baptize one of his sons because he dislikes Parris.
2. Parris demanding that he own the church property.
3. Parris arguing that his salary is too low.
4. Mr. Putnam accusing John Proctor of stealing firewood.
5. John and Giles accusing Mr. Putnam for false land claims.

1. Reverend Hale arrives and begins to question everyone. Once the people being questioned realize that Hale will not prosecute them if they confess and accuse others, it causes a chain reaction where everyone starts pointing the finger at everyone else.

1. When Abigail is questioned and it was discovered that a Frog was put in the boiling pot, she accused Tituba of making her drink blood.
2. When Tituba is accused of casting spells, she caves in and claims that Satan was trying to get her to kill Reverend Parris.
3. Tituba says that Goody Osburn and Goody Good were in league with the Devil and are the real conspirators.
4. The characters claim that the devil has a black book with his followers’ names in it.
5. Betty ‘wakes up’ and starts accusing other women, along with Abigail and Tituba.

1. The scene ends with them rapidly accusing various people.

Act II