Cask of Amontillado Summary

The Cask of Amontillado is a short horror story written by Edgar Allan Poe. It is about the main character, Montresor, re-telling how he murdered Fortunato, a nobleman, because of an insult. The story starts off Montresor describing Fortunato. Then it transitions to the start of the actual plot. Montresor meets Fortunato in a carnival and finds him drunk and dizzy. He tells Fortunato that he has attained a cask of amontillado, which is a very rare wine. Montresor claims that he wants his professional opinion on the wine, since Fortunato is a wine connoisseur.  He then leads Fortunato to his catacombs, in which he claims the wine is placed. As they travel down the catacombs, Montresor gives Fortunato more wine, in order to drunken him more. When they drink the wine, Fortunato does a strange gesture, which is described as a Mason sign. Montresor points out that there is nitre in the walls, which is harmful to breathe over long periods of time. When they reach a certain point, Montresor randomly chains up Fortunato to the wall. He then starts to build a wall to lock up Fortunato. Fortunato screams very loudly, in which Montresor micks him, exclaiming that no one can hear them. As Montresor places the final brick on the wall, he places a torch through to have a final look at his victim. After, Montresor claims to the person he is telling the story that in the 50 years since it occurred, he has never been caught.

Personally, this is a very interesting story mainly because it is told from the murderer’s perspective. The murderer, Montresor, describes the event in detail, detailing how he carefully plotted the plan. The author’s intent on writing this story is to provide an authentic perspective made by a murderer, on the contrary to the usual perspective being one from a detective or victim. The main pattern of organization is chronological order, in which the story’s events are told in order of occurrence.

To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter 28 Summary

In Chapter 28 of To Kill A Mockingbird, both Jem and Scout attend the Halloween pageant in their school. On their way to the school, they get surprised by Cecil Jacobs when he jumps from a bush and scares them.  Jem dresses up as a ham and performs a mild mistake during the pageant due to her falling asleep. After the pageant, Jem and Scout walk back to their home. On their way to their house, Jem feels as if someone is following them. He listens intently as hears footsteps moving at the same pace as theirs. Scout thereafter, smells the essence of alcohol. Suddenly, a man comes violently charging at them and as both Jem and Scout run away, Scout falls to the floor.  Since she still has her ham costume on, he does not have a clear view on what is happening. She then hears Jem scream, which followed a dull crunching sound. Out of nowhere, someone comes and picks Jem up from the floor. Hearing this, Scout tries and pulls off her costume and starts running home. Upon reaching home, Scout notices that Jem is lying on his bed. She is worried that he is dead but Atticus, her father, reassures her that he is not. Dr. Reynolds then enters the house and check Jem. He also reassures them that all he has is a broken arm and a concussion. After that, the Sheriff of the town, Heck Tate, enters the home. He talks to Atticus and explains to him that Bob Ewell was found on the ground near where the children were attacked, with a knife stuck up his ribs.

The author’s intent was to reveal what Bob Ewell’s threat was two chapters beforehand and to show Bob Ewell’s real character. The author of the book used chronological order, stating what happened in the story in order. In my opinion, I really enjoyed this chapter. I t was filled with much mystery and danger. Out of all the chapters I have read, this has been by far the best one. My favorite and possibly the most suspenseful  part of the chapter was when the Sheriff came back and told Atticus that Bob Ewell was where the attack happened with a knife stuck up his ribs. 

To Kill A Mockingbird (Chapter 12)

In Chapter 12 of To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem starts to grow older, as he has reached the age of twelve. Both Scout and Jem are looking forward for Dill to come to Maycomb this summer. They are disappointed when a letter from Dill comes on the mail. The letter says that Dill will not be coming to Maycomb this year and will be staying in Meridian, since he got a new father. Later, the state legislature is called into session, and Atticus must take part since he is a member. He is required to go every day for two weeks. Apart from that, Calpurnia decides to take Jem and Scout to her church, which is only for colored people. While entering the church, they are confronted by Lula, which is bothered by the fact that there are white children in a colored church. The churches’ reverend, Reverend Sykes, however, lets the children stay and attend the sermon. Since the church cannot afford hymn books, one person leads the hymns, which is Zeebo, Calpurnia’s son. During the end of the service, Reverend Sykes call for everyone to donate money for Tom Robinson’s family, whose wife cannot find work because of the current case that he was accused of rape. Seeing that barely anyone donates, he locks the church doors until a certain number of money is raised. When the sermon ends, Calpurnia and the children arrive home to find that Aunt Alexandra is sitting on a chair in the porch waiting for them.
Personally, I liked this passage since it reveals much about the current plot of the court case. It also identifies the hardships of the colored people of Maycomb and their lifestyle. Similarly, the author’s intent was to reveal information about the plot of the Tom Robinson court case. I observed that the pattern of organization used in this passage was mostly Chronological Organization, since the story is being described in order of things that happened.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Chapter 1)

Recently, I have started reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The whole book is narrated by a girl called Jean Louise Finch, which is called by her nickname, Scout, throughout the book. In chapter one, she starts explaining her family history and how her brother, Jem, broke his arm. Scout also goes on to describe her father, Atticus and the house maid, Calpurnia. In the summer of 1933, they both meet a boy called Charles Baker Harris, or as he calls himself, Dill. During the summer, Dill starts suggesting that they try to lure out Arthur "Boo" Radley. Boo Radley is the neighborhood mystery, in which all people know about him is conveyed through rumors. He is kept locked in his house by his father after an incident that occured some years ago. Rumors about him include that he is a monster, eats animals, and creeps around at night and stares into peoples windows. Toward the end of the chapter, Dill dares Jem to touch the Radley's home, in which he does so quickly.

Personally, this chapter was very interesting. It provides much details and foreshadowing of the rest of the book. I really enjoy the main character, Scout, as she is always curious and intuituve, and her father Atticus, which is logical and intelectual. I found the story of Boo Radley to be mysterious and interesting, since there are not many clear facts about him, just rumors.

If I were to use a note taking strategy for this book, I would most likely use an outline. This is because an outline carefully highlights the main points of a reading passage and provides the right amount of supporting details to the main points. Another note taking strategy which can be very useful is listing. This is because in a list, one can correctly place important imformation from the reading passage and carefully organize it.

The Kind of Reader I am

For the "What kind of Reader are You" quiz, I got that I am intterested in Speculative Fiction and Nonfiction. I believe that this is accurate because these two genres are a big part of what I mostly read.

The last thing I read that I enjoyed is the "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. It falls into the category of speculative fiction. This book is about Bilbo Baggins and his quest to find the treasure guarded by a dragon. He is pulled into this adventure by a wizard, Gandalf, and a group of dwarves. Throughout the book, Bilbo becomes more mature and eventually gains a sense of confidence with himself. I enjoyed reading this book because it is filled with a wonderful story and a great message. Also I enjoyed this book because the book can have many interpretations, like a literal interpretation on life and it's challenges.