The Reading Nook

Title: The Secret Garden

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Original language: English

Originally published in: 1909

Setting: Victorian England Countryside, 19th century

Characters: The main character’s name is Mary Lennox. Mary is a disagreeable, rude, and spoiled little girl who has no love or care for anyone in her life. Archibald Craven, known as Mr. Craven, is Mary’s uncle. He is a bitter, lonely, and desolate man who spends all his time in the seclusion of his gigantic mansion home. Dickon is a simple boy who lives on the moor surrounding Mr. Craven’s home. He is able to tame wild animals through compassion, care, tentative observation, and his unexplainable ability to understand the creatures’ inner feelings. Colin is Mr. Craven’s son, he lives in the house in a hidden room. He has been deemed a cripple and a hunchback by his father, doctors, and the servants of the house. Colin is spoiled and prone to having tantrums, which increase the severity of his illness and make him weaker. Susan Sowerby is Dickon’s mother, she has twelve children including Martha, a young woman who works in Mr.
Craven’s house and tends to Mary and Colin. Susan is warm, understanding, intelligent, kind, and loving, she has a thick Yorkshire accent, just as Dickon and Martha’s. Ben Weatherstaff is a gruff old gardener who does not speak much but thinks much about the happenings in the gardens.

Plot Summary: Mary Lennox originally lived in India with her bitter and uncaring mother and many servants who hated her for her rudeness. When everyone in her home in India leaves to escape a plague, Mary is left behind. She is taken to her uncle’s mansion in England where she meets Martha, who is kind and warm to a little girl who is cold, heartless, and distant. In the mansion she also meets Dickon, Martha’s warm, kind, and good-hearted. With the wind of the moor in her lungs she soon becomes healthier and begins to explore the house, she finds herself with many mysterious rooms and many secrets to discover, some more tantalizing than the others. Through the course of the book, Mary becomes healthier, stronger, and more beautiful with the help of the moors, and her new friends who live in her mysterious new home filled with unopened doors.

Q: What do the children in the beginning of the book name Mary because of her attitude?

A: Mistress Mary Quite Contrary

Q: What was Colin often compared to in Mary’s thoughts?

A: A young Rajah

Q:What is Mr. Craven’s first name?

A:Archibald

Q:Why did Mr. Craven not wish to see his son?

A:Because Colin’s birth caused the death of Mr. Craven’s beloved wife

Title: A Tale of Two Cities
Author: Charles Dickens
Original Language: English
Originally Published in:
Setting: London, Englnd and Paris, France
Characters: Lucie Manette- Loved by three men but marries Darnay. Meets up with her imprisoned father, whom she thought was dead after 18 years. Charles Darnay- Former Noble man, charged for being a spy, marries Lucie Manette. Sydney Carton- Great Lawyer but has many vices. Falls in love with Manette whom makes him a better person. In the end, he makes the ultimate sacrifice for Darnay. Defarges- Revolutionaries, own a wine shop. Dr. Manette- Imprisoned for 18 years. Father of Lucie Manette.

Plot Summary:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” Set in Paris during 1775, chaos was evidently present; executions were popular, as was much violence. It was the best of times, for the French revolution to oust the aristocracy was about to happen, but it was the worst of times for the violent result of the revolt. The scene is set with a man named Jarvis Lorry riding in a mail coach. He receives a letter, which tells him to meet a young lady at Dover, he then says, “recalled to life.” Lorry proceeds on his journey, and meets with Lucie Manette a beautiful maiden, whom he tells that her father is not dead; he has been imprisoned for years, and now lives in Paris as a shoemaker. They both travel to Paris where her father is housed in a wine shop owned by the Defarges. Five years pass, and a man by the name of Charles Darnay is put on trial, and being charged for being a spy whom betrayed the English and gave the French and Americans information on the beginning of the American Revolution. However, he is saved by his lawyers appearance; they both look extremely alike; Darnay is acquitted of all charges, as it is argued that Darnay looks like many people and, and the witnesses could be getting him confused with another man. Three men from the trial, Darnay, Carton (Darnay’s lawyer) and Stryver (a lawyer) fall in love with one of the witnesses, Lucie Manette. Lucie chooses Darnay to marry, without the knowledge that he is a French noble men; Darnay could not tell Lucie that, as all of the aristocracy were getting beheaded because of the revolution. While Lucie and Darnay are married, Darnay’s uncle Monseigneur is murdered. He receives a letter from Gabelle to go to Paris. On his journey, he is arrested for being an emigrant. Meanwhile, in the Defarges wine shop; there is a spy present to see if they are revolutionaries. He can’t decide if they are, but at the side, Madame Defarge is knitting a list of whom the revolts are going to kill. Meanwhile, Dr. Manette, Lucie Manette, and a man named Pross travel to Paris because of Darnays imprisonment. Dr, Manette has much power, and gets Darnay released. To his demise, he gets thrown back in jail by the charge made by the Defarges. We learn that Dr. Manette was in jail for a witness of a rape, which happened because of Darnay’s family. Darnay is sentenced to death, but Carton, who is in love with Lucie, and inspired to do good deeds because of her, makes a plan. Carton goes into Darnay’s cell, drugs him and changes their clothes. Barsad carries Darnay out of his cell. Him and his family all flee. Meanwhile, Madame Defarge is looking for Lucie, but in her house is another person, Pross. Pross and Defarge have an argument and Pross accidentally shoots Defarge. Darnay and his family are all safe. In the end, Carton dies by means of the guillotine, in honor of Darnay.

Questions:

1) What are the names of the two men in love with Lucie Manette?

1. Charles Darnay 2. Sydney Carton

2) Why was it considered the best of times, and the worst of times?

In France, the reign of terror was happening. Although people thought it was the best of times because the aristocry was overthrown, but it was the worst of times, as there was mayhem; innocent men fell to the guillotine.

3) During the revolution, how did the revolutionaries kill the members of the aristocracy?

They used the guillotine, a machine that beheads people.

4) In the end of the novel, what is the ultimate sacrifice?

Sydney Carton sacrifices his life in honor of Darnay.

5) How many books is The Tale of Two Cities broken into?

3

Leighton, Deven, Mack, Kheyana, Zach C., Zach G.,

Deven has a prediction. He thinks that Battle of the Labyrinth might not be as good as others and these are my reasons: Since the first book was amazing, but the second book wasn’t as good. The third book was better than the second … but not as good as the first. So, this might not be as good as the first one. He thinks that in this one, Percy will fight Cronos. Riordan messes up the myths. For example, Athena didn’t have children!

Leighton’s comments on Sharpsburg: She thinks that the book is horribly sad. It was an amazing book and she likes how it is written, but the worst part (tear-jerking) was when the papers and the deeds to free the slaves were burned.

Deven saw an amazing movie: Lawrence of Arabia. It’s a real classic!

Then we got to discuss the movie 21, and all the controversies surrounding it.
This meeting we also talked about TITLES of books. Here are some of the opinions from the students:

Books with Great Titles: Enna Burning (Leighton): When she says the title, each time, it’s like an arrow piercing through her chest. It’s short and powerful. Combined a girl’s name with the word burning is so cool.

Mac thinks that Cliche titles actually work — like “The Fabulous Adventures of Blah Blah” — even if you groan reading the title, you still want to read it.

Deven: He likes titles that do not tell anything about the book. So it leaves a mystery for you to figure out. For example, the Lightning Thief does not really tell you what the story is about but it sounds cool and you want to find out what it means by reading the book.

At this point, Mrs. Feldman brought out a recent book called “100 Cupboards” and showed everyone the cover.  The students then commenced to make predictions and comments upon seeing the title:
Kheyana: Freakish House, children are daring each other to go in. Cool but mysterious cover. Zach C: Cover looks like one of the scenes from Mirrormask and it looks awesome. A room of cupboards and each cupboard is a portal to a different place. Deven: It’s going to be a book about children who go to a house and see a bunch of cupboards. Each cupboard is opened and contains a different story. Some look like vaults. Something can live in each cupboard and takes children to a different worlds. Zach G.: A different story for each cupboard. Mack: I would not have been intrigued because the title doesn’t sound that exciting. Leighton: The title font makes you think that this is some stupid witch Halloween story. It doesn’t go with the tone of the design of the cover. She thinks that the cupboards are not necessarily portals but they will loom over you in the background the entire time.

Title: The Scarlet Pimpernel

Author: Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Original language: English

Original publication date: 1905

Setting: The Scarlet Pimpernel takes place during the French Revolution. It takes place in four major cities, London, Paris, Calais, and Dover.

Main Characters: Sir Andrew Ffoulkes, who was an English aristocrat who helped Marguerite Blakeney, find her husband. Marguerite Blakeney, beautiful woman who does not know she is married to the evasive Scarlet Pimpernel, goes on a great journey with Sir Andrew to find him. Percy Blakeney is an English aristocrat who disguises himself as the Scarlet Pimpernel to get French aristocrats out of France. Chauvelin, a Frenchman who is a part of the French revolution, and is trying to find the Scarlet Pimpernel so that he can be killed. Armand, anther Frenchmen, is the brother of Marguerite Blakeney and is promised safety to England if Lady Blakeney helps Chauvelin find the Scarlet Pimpernel.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is an exiting novel taking place during the French Revolution. The novel revolves around the evasive Scarlet Pimpernel, a tall man who is able to rescue French aristocrats from the rebelling French. The French send a man over to England by the name of Chauvelin to find out who is Scarlet Pimpernel is. Chauvelin is able to strike a deal with an old friend, Marguerite Blakeney, who is mourning what might happen to her brother Armand who is being held in captivity in Paris. At the ball that same night Marguerite is able to find out where the Scarlet Pimpernel will be at one in the morning by stealing a letter sent by him to one of the English aristocrats; however, the only man in the room was her sleeping husband, Percy Blakeney. Chauvelin is very well aware of who the Scarlet Pimpernel is however Ms. Blakeney is confused about who the man may be. The adventure begins when an old school friend Suzanne whose father is going to be saved by the Scarlet Pimpernel the night of the day that the two were talking. Percy Blakeney had just left that morning, and when Marguerite looks in Percy’s office she finds a coin with the symbol of a scarlet pimpernel, thus the journey begins. Lady Blakeney asks Andrew Ffoulkes for help in finding her husband before Chauvelin does, and in Calais France, they all encounter.

Questions:

Q: Who is the Jew that Chauvelin and his men encounter in Calais?

A: Percy Blakeney is the one pretending to be a Jew

Q: How does Marguerite Blakeney find out that her husband is the Scarlet Pimpernel?

A: She finds out when she finds a coin on the floor of Percy’s office with the symbol of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Q: What happens that does not allow Ffoulkes and Lady Blakeney to go to Calais?

A: A large storm.

Q: What is Marguerite’s brother’s name?

A: Armand.

Q: Where does Percy say he goes, when he leaves suddenly from the house?

A: He had a business problem up north that he had to take care of.

Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Original Language: English
Originally published: 1897
Setting: England
Characters: Jonathan Harker- an energetic smart businessman at the start of the book, but becomes a stern self doubting person. Mina Murray (Mina Harker) - Johnathan Harker’s fiancée and later to be wife. A good and kind and woman. Count Dracula- the main antagonist of the story. A vampire who stalks the night. Dr. Abraham Van Helsing- a genius scientist and the brain of the anti-Dracula group. Dr. John Seward- one of Lucy’s suitors. He runs an asylum which eventually becomes the headquarters of the anti-Dracula group. Arthur Holmwood- Lucy’s husband. After killing Lucy, he joins the band to defeat Dracula. Quincey Morris- an American who joins the battle against Count Dracula. Also one of Lucy’s suitors.
Summary: Dracula is a classical horror novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897. The book consists mostly of diary entries and letters written by various people. The story starts with Jonathan Harker going on a business trip to Count Dracula’s castle in Transylvania to help the Count with buying new real estate. When he arrives at the enormous isolated castle, he is gently welcomed in by a tall and old man, Count Dracula. However, after some time, he notices some strange things about his client. The count never seems to sleep, is nowhere to be seen in the day, and does not eat anything. Soon Harker finds that he is held captive in the castle and searches for an escape route. While looking for a way of escape, he is confronted by three young female vampires, the Wives of Count Dracula. Now desperate for escape, he makes a final effort while the Count was away. Meanwhile in England, we meet Mina Murray, Jonathan Harker’s fiancée, and her friend Lucy Westerna, who was just proposed to by three men. They take a vacation to a seaside town where a Russian ship is shipwrecked. The ship carried 50 boxes filled with earth from Transylvania which are delivered to their destinations. Shortly after, Lucy starts to show signs of a mysterious illness; she gradually becomes paler and thinner every day. Worried about her, they take her to Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. He realizes that her illness is caused by a vampire. He tries various charms to keep Lucy alive, but a wolf attack finally kills her. After Lucy’s death, Dr. Van Helsing reveals that Lucy has turned into a vampire herself. Arthur Holmwood, Lucy’s husband, John Seward, and Quincey Morris travel to destroy Lucy. Holmwood stabs her through the heart with a stake while she is asleep, and the four swear to kill Dracula. Back in England, Mina and Jonathan, now happily married, join the anti-Dracula force. Mina collects her husband’s diaries and gives them to Dr. Van Helsing who pieces together the clues. They come to the conclusion that the 50 boxes scattered across the land containing earth are the objects fueling Dracula’s power. They plan to purify each box with holy water and track him to the one in Transylvania. However, one of Seward’s patients lets Dracula in to the asylum, letting him prey on Mina. Mina starts her evolution into a vampire, and if they do not destroy Dracula in time, she will, like Lucy, will turn into a bloodthirsty vampire. The others hurriedly purify the many boxes, eventually driving Dracula into a corner and forcing him to flee to Transylvania. Traveling over land and sea, they finally catch him about to reach his castle. Quincey receives a fatal wound which eventually kills him, but they manage to destroy Count Dracula. The team returns to England. The story ends with Jonathan and Mina happily living life, and naming their child Quincey.
Questions:
Q. What is Jonathan Harker’s Job?
A. A solicitor
Q. What is the name of the shipwrecked Russian vessel?
A. The Demeter
Q. What does Lucy become?
A. A vampire, also called an un-dead
Q. In this book, what do wolves do?
A. Do Dracula’s bidding.
Q. How many boxes of earth did Dracula have in all?
A. 50

Title: Pygmalion
Author: George Bernard Shaw
Original Language: English (even though the first performance was in German)
Original Publish Date: 1916
Setting: Pygmalion takes place in the early 1900s in London.
Main Characters: Eliza Doolittle is a poor young girl who roams the trashier neighborhood of London, selling flowers to anyone who will buy them. Throughout the story, Higgins turns Eliza into a proper lady who could pass for a duchess or a lady in a flower shop.

Henry Higgins is a temperamental dialect teacher, who earns his living by teaching people to learn how to speak properly. His lack of manners, cold-hearted attitude and temper irritate Eliza greatly.

Colonel Pickering: Colonel Pickering is a gentleman who came all the way from India to meet Higgins because of his interest in phonetics. He assists Higgins in turning Eliza from a poor flower seller into a lady.

Plot Summary: Pygmalion(that should be underlined but i don’t know how) is the story of the metamorphosis of Eliza, a poor girl earning her salary by selling flowers on the streets of London. Henry Higgins, the temperamental phonetics teacher, takes her into his home to teach her how to act and speak like a lady with some help from Colonel Pickering. Eliza has parents who do not seem to care about her and has been living on her own for some time. Higgins, Pickering and Eliza meet in Covent Garden and he mocks the way she speaks. There is a family of snotty social climbers there by the name of the Eynsford-Hills. They ignore Eliza since she is of such lower class. Eliza pursues Higgins after she hears that he could teach her how to be a lady. Higgins does not want to take her in but Pickering and Higgins bet on whether or not Higgins could pass her off for a duchess. Pickering agrees to pay for all of Eliza’s lessons and expenses. Time passes and Higgins, much to the irritation of his mother, arrives at her house on her at-home (when visitors come over to her house) day and tells her about the girl he has been teaching. The visitors are the Eynsford-Hills, who come in shortly before Eliza arrives. Eliza arrives and tries to make conversation with the Eynsford-Hills and Higgins’ mother. Eliza is not presentable yet and still uses some of her old language. Eliza and the Eynsford-Hills leave and Higgins’ mother is wondering what will happen to Eliza after her time with Higgins is up. More time passes and Pickering, Higgins and Eliza return from the ball at which she was being passes off for someone of higher class. Pickering and Higgins are congratulating themselves for a job well done but still feel unsatisfied. They say that it became boring. This obviously hurts Eliza’s feelings greatly as she throws Higgins’ slippers at his head. Higgins and Pickering go to Mrs. Higgins’ living room and tell her that Eliza ran away from them. Eliza’s father walks in. He has come into some money and is now a part of the middle/upper class. He invites Higgins, Pickering and Mrs. Higgins to his wedding to Eliza’s soon-to-be stepmother. Eliza walks in and there is another conflict between the two of them. Higgins is the only one who stays behind and doesn’t go to Eliza’s father’s wedding. The play ends with Eliza not marrying Higgins but marrying Freddy Eynsford-Hill.

Q: What famous movie was based on Pygmalion?
A: My Fair Lady

Q: What is another play that George Bernard Shaw wrote that was performed in the high school last year?
A: Major Barbara

Q: Where does Colonel Pickering come from and why does he come?
A: Colonel Pickering comes from India to meet Henry Higgins.

Q: What is an at-home day?
A: A day when you stay at home and entertain visitors that come over to your house.

Q: What is Covent Garden?
A: A district in London, England

Title: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Author: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Original Language: English
Original Publication Date: 1876

Setting: 19th century Mississippi

Characters:
Tom Sawyer- a mischievous boy who soon matures into adulthood and is one of the book’s heroes
Huckleberry Finn- son of a drunk, he is abandoned by his father and he can do anything he wants, but soon matures in the face of trouble and saves the Widow Douglas’ life by telling people about Injun Joe’s murder conspiracy against the widow. He is the second protagonist.
Becky Thatcher- new girl in town, she is Tom Sawyer’s heartthrob and has blonde pigtails
Injun Joe- the antagonist, Joe is half-Indian, half-white. He is malevolent and a villain, but all of his crimes are revenge for biased treatment because of his Indian (Native American) heritage. He is a murderer and a thief.
Aunt Polly- The mother figure to Tom and Sid, since the boys are orphans. She does her best to discipline Tom, but it hurts her to punish him.
The Widow Douglas- one of Joe’s targets and almost his victim, the Widow Douglas then adopts Huck Finn and helps him on his path to a civilized life.
Sid- Tom’s annoying little brother; he is malevolent and loves getting his brother in trouble.
Amy Lawrence- Tom’s former girlfriend, she is the reason Becky Thatcher became angry after engaging to Tom.
Dr. Robinson- he is killed by Injun Joe in the graveyard for marginalizing him.
Muff Potter- he is framed by Injun Joe for the murder of the doctor. He is the reason Tom and Huck confessed and told the court that Injun Joe was the true murderer.

Plot Summary
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a book about a mischievous boy who always disobeys the rules and acts mostly very childish. However, Tom is also very cunning and always finds ways to get out of his chores and other responsibilities or he finds a way to take advantage of people so he can get what he wants. He likes playing hooky and doing fun things. Every time he is caught, he is given a licking. He goes and hangs out with Huckleberry Finn, son of the town drunk and a boy Tom is forbidden to talk to or play with, but Tom does it anyway. When the two boys go to the graveyard to confirm Huck’s superstition of a dead cat curing warts, the action begins here. They see Dr. Robinson, Injun Joe, and Muff Potter. Potter is drunk and passed out. Joe and Robinson begin to fight. Injun Joe is tired and angry of being marginalized, and he wants to get revenge on Robinson. Joe ends up killing the doctor and places the bloody knife in Potter’s hands. Potter wakes up and thinks that he is the murderer, so Injun Joe’s framing of the murder worked. Meanwhile, Huck and Tom see this and are terrified. They make a pact that they will not tell anyone of what they saw and they signed it in their blood. However, at Potter’s trial, Tom confesses that the real killer was Injun Joe and he says this out of guilt and maturity, showing signs of Tom coming into manhood. The next encounter with Injun Joe was his plan to murder the Widow Douglas as revenge for more racism. The boys once again overhear this. This time, it is Huck’s turn to be mature. He gets help by telling someone the plan and saves the Widow Douglas’ life in this way. The last encounter was when Tom and Becky Thatcher are trapped in a cave. There is a search going on for them. They are found soon, and Injun Joe is left, trapped inside the cave to starve. When he does starve, Huck and Tom go back to his deathbed and find Injun Joe’s loot. Huck becomes rich and he is told to stay with civilized society. Huck cannot stand it and is about to escape through the window, but Tom promises him that he can join his band of robbers, so long as he stays in civilized society. Huck agrees and goes downstairs. Since Sid has ruined the Widow Douglas’ surprise announcement of how Huck is the hero, everyone pretends to be surprised at the news. The story is continued in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Questions

Q: What was Injun Joe’s fate?
A: Injun Joe starved to death in the sealed cave he was trapped it.
Q: With whom was Tom Sawyer first engaged?
A: Tom was first engaged to Amy Lawrence.
Q: How many yellow tickets does it take to win a Bible, and how many memorized verses do that equal to?
A: It takes ten yellow tickets, or 2,000 memorized verses, to win a Bible.

Dylan Freeman
English C
4/16/08

Slaughterhouse-Five

Title: Slaughterhouse-Five
Author: Kurt Vonnegut
Original Language: English
Original Publish Date: 1969
Setting: This book takes place throughout many different places and times jumping around dates throughout the main character life (around the time of WWII), all over Germany, U.S.A., and Tralfamadore (a 4th dimensional planet which he is taken to when abducted by aliens).
Main Characters:

The Narrator of this story is Kurt Vonnegut as a veteran after the end of WWII writing about the war and one of his friends stories.

Billy Pilgrim, the protagonist, is an optometrist with a dull but safe marriage. His hometown is in Ilium, New York and throughout the story he travels through different points in his life. Billy was drafted as a young boy and became a prisoner of war almost immediately. Also at another point in his life he was abducted by aliens and taken to a planet called Tralfamadore and put in a Zoo.

Valencia, Billy’s overweight wife and mother to Billy’s two children Robert and Barbera Pilgrim.

Tralfamadorians, the aliens who abduct Billy and teach him about the fourth dimension and time.

Monatan Wildhack, a pornographic actor who is also abducted by the Tralfamadorians and studied by them in the same “room” (simulation of Earth).

Plot Summary: The narrator in this book is Kurt Vonnegut who is a war veteran writing a war novel about a friend of his in the war, Billy Pilgrim. Billy Pilgrim is an aspiring optometrist in Ilium, New York and goes to an optometry school. Billy’s father is killed in a hunting accident just before Billy was sent to Belgium in WWII and he was captured almost immediately. Just before the Germans capture Billy he becomes “unsuck in time” and sees a vision of his whole life. The POWs are then taken to another camp in Germany and are hosted by a group of English men who had been captured earlier in the war. Billy starts to time travel more often now. They are then taken by railway boxcar to Dresden and stored in a Slaughterhouse which was originally used for pigs. One night forces come and carpet bomb the city killing everyone one in it except for the americans who were stuck in the air tight slaughterhouse. Billy returns home and goes back to finish optometry school. Billy checks himself into a veterans mental hospital and is introduced to the writer Kilgoure Trout by a fellow patient. After his reccuperration he gets married to Valencia Merble and they have two children together. The night after Billy’s daughter’s wedding, Billy sneeks away to New York to go on a radio talk show and tell everyone about his abdution by the Tralfamadorians. Billy then goes to an optometry meeting but his plane crashes in Vermont and everyone on the plane was killed except for him. He is then operated on because he had brain damage, in a Vermont hospital. On her way up to the hospital, Valencia crashes her car and drives off with a broken tailpipe. When she reaches the hospital she fainted and died one hour later from carbon monoxide poisoning. Billy then tape records what he predicts his death will be because he has seen it many times in his numerous time travels.

1. What is the name of the planet that Billy Pilgrim is taken to?
a. Tralfamadore

2. What is Billy’s wife’s name?
a. Valencia

3. Who is the narrator of the story?
a. Kurt Vonnegut

4. Who kills Billy?
a.Paul Lazzaro

5. What is the name of the actress who was captured by the Tralfamadorians?
a. Montana Wildhack

Kaori Nagase
English C, Classics Assignment
April 16, 2008

Title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Author: Betty Smith

Original Language: English

Original Publish Date: 1943

Setting: Pre – World – War I. Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City.

Main Characters:
∑ Francie – A very serious girl who understands most of the things that are going on around her, even the troubles of her parents. She is very kind and benevolent to her family members (especially her father who she loves the most.), but is not liked very much by her school classmates. Considers Neeley her true friend.
∑ Neeley (Cornelius) – A boy who is excited by many things in life, Mama’s favorite because he is a boy.
∑ Mama – Francie and Neeley’s mother, Katie Nolan. A very frugal lady who really loves her husband, Johnnie. She is used to a very simple life, most of which is actually pretty harsh in terms of hunger and living conditions. She is a determined woman who works her hardest all of the time. Favors Neeley over Francie. She is a janitor at the local public school before she stops working. Then she becomes a janitor for her building.
∑ Papa – Francie and Neeley’s father, Johnny Nolan. A severe alchoholic who gets fired at the beginning of the book, and then thereafter does not have a permanent job.

Plot Summary:

     Francie comes from a typical poor family with her in a cramped apartment. She lives a typical life in Brooklyn, but she is not the average girl. She has a very special trait that not many young girls have: she is hungry for knowledge. She reads books, and tries to listen in on any conversations she can listen to. Since her favorite pastime is reading, she does not have any friends at school (although she loves school); her only friend is her brother Neeley. Just like she loves Neeley as a friend and a brother, she loves her father the best out of her whole family. Unfortunately, Johnny is a sever drunkard and dies in the middle of the book. This leaves Francie’s family lost and confused, also making them realize that they are in dire need of money. Katie decides to take Francie out of school and get her a job with a good salary, and afterwards the Nolans start leading a much easier life. Francie also decides to try out for college, and although she has not had a complete education, she qualifies. Although part of this lucky turn came from Francie’s intelligence, many parts of it come from her strict but benevolent mother, her favorite Aunt Sissy, and her beloved father although he is dead. Towards the end of the book, Francie takes up a full-time job, and at first she is regarded as a inexperienced and bad buissiness-woman, she quickly is promoted to a very high position. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the amazing story of Francie Nolan, her supporting family, and Francie’s life as she grows up.

 Q: What is the last name of the owner of the bar that Johnny used to go to?
A: McGarrity
 

 Q: Which one does Katie prefer: Francie or Neeley?
 A: Neeley

 
 Q: How many children does Katie have?
 A: Three
 

 Q: What is Aunt Sissy’s problem?
 A: That she always gives birth to a stillborn.

Q: What was Johnny’s job before he got fired?
A: A school janitor.

Q: Did Aunt Sissy ever have a baby?
A: She adopted one secretly without telling her husband.
    

Nia Heslop
English C

Title: Rebecca
Author: Daphne Du Maurier
Original Language: English
Original Date of Publish: 1938
Setting: In the beginning of the book, the setting was in Cote d’Azur at Monte Carlo. Then the setting moved to Manderly.
Main Characters: The main character are: Maxim de Winter, Mrs. de Winter, and Mrs. Danvers.

Summary:
The book Rebecca is about a young woman who had come from a difficult life and tells the story about previous life and her life with her very first husband. In her previous life, she was a secretary to a woman whose name is Mrs. Van Hopper. She meets her future husband, Mr. Maxim de Winter, while sitting at a meeting with Mrs. Van Hopper. After their first meeting, they had very random meeting times and unusual endings. After about four meetings, she is faced with the decision of moving to New York and continuing to work for Mrs. Van Hopper or to live in Manderly and marry Mr. de Winter. It was a difficult decision, but she moved ot Manderly and married Maxim de Winter. Upon moving to Manderly, she is greeted with harsh glares and dirty tricks from the head maid, Mrs. Danvers. One of Mrs. Danvers’ worst tricks was tricking Mrs. de Winter into wearing a dress that the previous Mrs. de Winter had worn embarrassing her infront of all of the people in Manderly during their first ball since she and Mr. de Winter were wedded. When she moved into the house she bearly knew the story of the previous Mrs. de Winter. Rebecca was her name and she was said to be beautiful. It always seemed that Maixim had never gotten over Rececca’s death and had still loved her, but the new Mrs. de Winter never wanted to accept that. Aside from being many years apart in age, she thought that she could live hapiliy with her husband and have at least one person to be able to comfort her, but she was wrong. She was alone, young and confused; in a relationship that she was starting to beleive was not right. Her dream relationship with the man of her dreams was turning into a nightmare.

The death of Rebecca was always thought to be an accident. Mrs. Danvers and the whole Manerly staff thought such a story was true. They thought that she went out for a sail and by accident her boat toppled over and she had drowned, but the story could have be otherwise. Trapped and blind to her surroundings, Mrs. de Winter is faced with the thoughts of the past and the present. She is constantly being reminded of how beautiful and sweet Rebecca was and how unlike Rebecca she is. Beatrice, Maxim’s sister and her husband, Giles, are very good friends to the newly wedded couple nad even they are telling her the difference between her and Rebecca. Mrs. de Winter hated being compared ot Rebecca and hated that fact that everything she did was bad and did not appeal to Maxim, but most of all she hated the fact that she did not know the true story of how Rebecca had truely died. Maxim finally told her over a resting peirod when they were together. He was forced to tell her the truth because the boat that was Rebecca’s was found earlier, and if all things did not go his way, there could be severe consequences to the life of them both. The confession time had come and finally Mrs. de Winter was going to find out who the true Rebecca was, an angel or a devious woman who played with mens hearts. As the story unwinds the trial of Rebecca is brought up and closed with the decision that she had comitted suicide. The actual cause of Recbecca’ s death is far from suicide. her killer and widower, Maxim, was able to escape the trial. For Rebecca was truely a cruel wife and deserved the death she got. She had spent many nights making love to other men while she was still married to Maxim. One of her lovers, Jack Favell her cousin, was unsatisfied with the final decision that was made of her death, but he was not able to give a sutible case to turn the jury around. When all of the drama in finished, Mr. and Mrs. de Winter are finally free to live their lives with out having to worry about reinacting the movements made by the now dead and the invisible divider between them, Rebecca. They could now start over as a new couple keeping nothing from each other, no secrets like the death of the previous wife.

1. What is the name of Rebecca’s cousin?
Ans. Jack Favell.

2. Where did Maxim de Winter first meet his second wife?
Ans. Monte Carlo.

3. Who are Beatrice and Giles?
Ans. Maxim’s sister and brother-in-law.

4. Where is Maxim from?
Ans. Manderly.

5. Who did Mrs. de Winter work for before marrying Mr. de Winter?
Ans. Mrs. Van Hopper.

Title: The Island of Dr. Moreau
Author: H.G. Wells
Original Language: English
Original Publish Date:1896
Setting: The island of Dr. Moreau, 19th Century

Summary: The Island of Dr. Moreau begins as the boat known as the Lady Vain is starting to sink. The main character, Edward Prendick, a seaman who is one of seven on the boat, is able to get aboard a dingy successfully along with two others. Unfortunately, there is no food aboard the boat and the three became starved. Then, the two other men who are with Prendick fall overboard and drown. As Prendick is about to die of starvation another boat picks him up. The man who takes care of him on the boat is named Montgomery. After he is almost back to health, Prendick is thrown off the boat into yet another dingy by the captain.

After a while, Prendick is picked up again by Montgomery and taken to shore. There, he is shown to a nice room and receives food. He notices that many of the creatures he has seen so far on the island are misshapen. One day, he hears a Puma yelp in the office that he has been forbidden to enter by the only other regular human on the island, a man named Dr. Moreau. He remembers that Moreau was a well-known scientist who had been shunned and forced out of England. He goes into the forest where he sees many unknown and deformed species. After running back to the cabins where he is staying, he sees a human being vivisected. He quickly gathers a stick with a nail and runs away. When he arrives back in the forest, he meets a very oddly shaped man/creature who is described as being just a bit smarter than a complete idiot. This man/creature takes Prendick back to his tribe where he discovers many other oddly shaped creatures.

Prendick later returns with Dr. Moreau and Montgomery. Moreau tells Prendick what actually happened with the creatures and how they always recite their law. Then things start to go wrong. The creatures begin to break their law, and one creature attacks and kills Dr. Moreau, which forces Prendick to shoot the creature dead. Later, Montgomery has to kill quite a few animals, which forces him into depression. One day, Montgomery drinks too much. After becoming drunk, he leaves the compound and is killed. Unfortunately for Prendick, in trying to save Montgomery he burns down the compound and is forced to live with the creatures until he finds a ship and is rescued. When he returns to England, he tries to tell about his strange experience on the island but he is thought of as mad.

Questions

Question 1: What was the name of the boat that sunk at the very beginning of the book.

Answer: The Lady Vain

Question 2: What was the law of the animals?

Anwser:Not to go on All-Fours; that is the Law. Are we not men?
Not to suck up Drink; that is the Law. Are we not men?
Not to eat Fish or Flesh; that is the Law. Are we not men?
Not to claw the Bark of Trees; that is the Law. Are we not men?
Not to chase other Men; that is the Law. Are we not men?

Question 3: What was the name of the pamphlet that forced Dr. Moreau to leave England?

Answer: The Moreau Horrors

Question 4: What was the animal that Prendick kept hearing yelp while it was being vivisected?

Answer: A Puma

Question 5: How long was Prendick forced to stay on the island before being saved?

Answer: Eleven months

Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Original Language: English
Original Publishing Date: 1953
Setting: The Future
Main Character: Guy Montag

Plot Summary:
Set in the future, Fahrenheit 451 tell the story of Guy Montag, a fireman of ten years, but not the kind of fireman we think of today. Instead of putting out fires, the firemen in Bradbury’s story start them. According to Bradbury, in the future, no one is allowed to posses any books. For entertainment, people watch television programs, specifically chosen by the government to control people’s thoughts. Anyone suspected of the possession of a book has his or her house lit on fire. Guy Montag finds nothing wrong with this system is happy with his job and finds pleasure in watching paper being set on fire. His life seemed simple, until he met Clarisse. Clarisse, a seventeen-year-old girl, was unlike anyone Guy had ever met. The biggest thing that stood out about her was that she could think for herself. When Clarisse questions the fire burning system and Guy’s happiness, his life begins to become more complicated. Guy, too, begins to question his life. He realizes that his world is being diluted and controlled by television. Guy finds himself intrigued by books and begins to read, but his sudden interest in books is not discreet enough to hide from his boss. This is a great book that shows the importance of books and what happens when our minds become controlled, taking away our freedom of thought.

Questions:

Q: What is the significance of the title “Fahrenheit 451″
A: 451 degrees fahrenheit is the temperature at which paper burns

Q: What is Guy Montag’s wife’s name?
A: Mildred

Q: How many wall-TVs do Mildred and Guy have?
A: 3

Q: How old is Clarisse?
A: 17 years old

Q: What animal is pictured on Guy Montag’s fireman uniform?
A: A salamander

Title: The Time Machine
Author: H.G. Wells
Original Language: English
Original Publishing Year: 1895
Setting: This book takes place in London, England. There is no time period given, but part of the book also takes place in 802,710 AD. This part of the book also takes place in London.
Characters: The main character of the book has no actual name, but is called The Time Traveller, by the narrator. He is a scientist and is probably about somewhere between 50-60 years old. He has a group of men who come to his house to listen to his idea, and one of them is the narrator. Later in the book, The Time Traveller encounters people called Eloi and he meets a girl of the Eloi named Weena.

Plot Summary: The Time Traveller had a group of men at his house. He is talking to them about his idea that time, is the fourth dimension. These men are very skeptical of this, so The Time Traveller shows them a very small machine that looks like a clock. It is a mini-time machine and he shows them that it disappeared into thin air after he turned it on. The men are quite amazed, and next, he shows them his real time machine, that he will use, himself. The next day, the men go to The Time Traveller’s house, but he is not there. He arrives and tells the men about his journey on his time machine. For the most part, the rest of the book is about The Time Traveller’s stay in London in the year 802,701 AD. So The Time Traveller arrives and encounters these very frail people, who call themselves Eloi. He explores the place where the Eloi live and returns back to the site of the time machine, but it is no longer there. He sees a statue and thinks that it is in the statue’s pedestal. He tries to open it, but it does not open and he is frustrated. The night comes and he sees these creatures that look like apes; the Eloi call these creatures Morlocks. He discovers that the Morlocks live underground. He next finds a female member of the Eloi drowning; her name is Weena. Weena and The Time Traveller befriend each other, and together they go to where the Morlocks live. They do this to try to get The Time Traveller’s time machine back. Weena and The Time Traveller are chased out of the Morlocks’ “world” by the Morlocks. Very frightened, they travel to the Palace of Green Porcelain. That night, as The Time Traveller is evading the Morlocks, he accidentally starts a fire in a wood. Most of the Morlocks are killed, but Weena dies too. Finally, The Time Traveller goes back to the statue, and the pedestal is already pried open. He quickly fixes the machine before the Morlocks attack him; he gets away and goes further into the future. The Time Traveller continues in the future and makes a few more stops. After this, he returns back into the year he started in, and goes back into the future, once more.

Questions:

1. Q: Who are the Eloi?
A: The Eloi are very small and frail, futuristic people.

2. Q: What is the Time Traveller’s theory?
A: His theory is that there is a Fourth Dimention.

3. Q: What is the name of the girl the Time Traveller befriends?
A: Her name is Weena.

4. Q: What year did the Time Traveller travel to?
A: 802,701 AD.

5. Q: What was the Time Traveller’s problem when he wanted to leave the Eloi?
A: His machine dissappeared and he could not locate it.

Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Original Language: English
Setting: London England now called Airstrip one, in the country of Oceania. The year 1984 and the years following it.
Originally Published on: June 8, 1949
Characters: Winston Smith, the protagonist. A man living in London works for the party and is an outer party member. Julia a woman that Winston meets from his work and has a forbidden love affair with. Big Brother, the party leader, no one knows if he actually exists. O’Brien, a spy working for the Party but tricks Winston into thinking that he is a member of a group of people working against the party: the Brotherhood.

Summary: Winston Smith is a 39-year outer party member living in London, in the one of the 3 countries in the world: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. It is a totalitarian society where the government controls the past and present. Winston works in the ministry of truth where they edit history so that it fits with the party’s lies. Winston finds himself opposing the party subconsciously. He doesn’t like his job and the concept of the party. He bought a journal, which is illegal and writes things that oppose the party. He could be convicted of thought crime, which is thinking conspiratorial thoughts. He meets a woman who he first is afraid is going to turn him for his thought crime. Her name is Julia and she also works at the ministry of truth. Winston falls in love with her but love between party members is forbidden. They live in a room above Mr. Charrington’s junk store. O’Brien is man that Winston suspects to be opposing the party. O’Brien invites Winston and Julia over reveals to Winston that he is a member of the brotherhood. They are inducted into the brotherhood, but later, soldiers come into their room and arrest them. It turns out that O’Brien and Mr. Charrington were both loyal to the party and setting them up. Winston is taken to the ministry of love where they brian wash people who oppose the party. He tries to resist, so they take him to Room 101; the room where they meet their worst fear. Winston is afraid of rats, so they put rats in with him. He begs for forgiveness and tells them to do it to julia and not him. This is what O’Brien wanted. He is released.

Questions:

1. What are the 3 countries in the world at the time?
Answer: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia.

2. Where does the story take place?
Answer: London, Which is in the country of Oceania.

3. How old is Winston?
39 years old.

4. What are proles?
Proles are the lowest society members. Not watched as much by the party, so they have more freedom.

5. What is a Telescreeen?
A two-way television that can never be shut off, so that the thought police is always watching everyone.

Title: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
Original Language: English
Originally Published in: 1813
Setting: Longbourn. England. During Napoleonic wars (1797-1815)
Characters: Elizabeth Bennet: The second Bennet daughter and the most intelligent. Fitzwilliam Darcy: A wealthy gentlemen, master of Pemberley, Nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Jane Bennet: First daughter, the most beautiful. Charles Bingley: Darcy’s wealthy best friend.

Plot Summary:

In Longbourn, England, five Bennet sisters live together with their parents. The Bennets are a very poor family, and all of the girls are single. Mrs. Bennet is a noisy and foolish woman, who wants all of her daughters to be married to rich and handsome men, unlike her husband who doesn’t care very much. The Bennets attend a Ball, where the oldest daughter Jane befriends the kind and wealthy Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth is sitting with a rich but rude and prejudiced man named Mr. Darcy. The two of them are not alike at all. Elizabeth has much pride in herself, even though she is poor, but Mr. Darcy doesn’t care how she feels about herself, he just cares if she is wealthy or not. As the story progresses Darcy and Elizabeth feel more attracted to each other. Of course distractions get in their way, a man named Mr. Collins, who is the Bennets cousin, comes to visit. He is a pompous clergyman, who plans to inherit Mr. Bennet’s money and property. Soon after his arrival he proposes to Elizabeth. Elizabeth immediately refuses his offer. Collins then successfully proposed to Elizabeth’s best friend Charlotte. Soon after Charlotte accepts, Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth. Elizabeth refused proposal due to her own pride. More time passed and after a series of ups and downs, Mr. Darcy tells Elizabeth how he feels about her and proposes for the second time. This time Elizabeth accepts, and both her and Jane are married.
Questions and Answers:

Q: Where does the story take place?
A: Longbourn, England

Q: What are the names of the five daughters?
A: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine and Lydia Bennet.

Q: Who are the two married couples?
A: Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Jane and Mr. Bingley

Q: Who does Mr. Collins propose to first?
A: Elizabeth

Q: Who demonstrates pride in the novel, and who demonstrates prejudice in the novel?
A: Pride=Elizabeth, Prejudice=Mr. Darcy

Title: A Tale of Two Cities
Author: Charles Dickens
Original Language: English
Original Publication Date: 1859
Setting: The novel is set during the French Revolution in the cities of Paris and London.

Main Characters:

Charles Darnay, a Frenchman who is an aristocrat although he does not play a part as one in the French Revolution, and the husband of Lucie Manette.

Jarvis (Mr.) Lorry, a banker working at Tellson’s bank and a friend of the Manette family.

Sydney Carton, an English lawyer who changes enormously throughout the duration of the story, and a suitor of Lucie Manette.

Alexandre (Dr.) Manette, the father of Lucie Manette and also a prisoner for many years.

Lucie Manette, a French woman, the son of Alexandre Manette, whom Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay both love.

Plot Summary:

A Tale of Two Cities is the story of the French Revolution told through the eyes of ethical people. The novel begins in 1775, when Mr. Lorry travels to inform Lucie Manette that her father is alive and has been released from prison. Mr. Lorry is sent by Tellson’s bank to Paris to get her father, Dr. Manette. Mr. Lorry and Lucie travel to Defarge’s wine-shop, who has housed the Doctor since his release, and they meet Dr. Manette, still mad due to his imprisonment. In 5 years, Dr. Manette has fully recovered. At the courthouse, Dr. Manette and his daughter are called as witnesses for Charles Darnay, accused of spying by Roger Cly and John Barsad. In Paris, the Marquis, Darnay’s uncle, kills runs over the son of Gaspard, a peasant, and kills him. Gaspard murders the Marquis. Charles. In London, Charles asks Dr. Manette, who accepts, to marry Lucie as long as Charles tells Dr. Manette his real name on the marriage morning. When Charles does tell him on the marriage morning, Dr. Manette begins to work on his shoemaking bench as he did in prison, but he recovers before Lucie finds out. In 1792, Darnay gets a letter from imprisoned Gabelle addressed to the heir of Darnay’s uncle, and he goes to save the prisoner, and gets arrested. After 1 year and 3 months, Darnay is released, and then put on trial again. He is sentenced to die for the sins of his family, read in a letter found in Dr. Manette’s cell. Meanwhile, Carton finds out about Madame Defarge’s plan to condemn Darnay’s family, and tells them to leave France immediately. In the end, for his love for Lucie and her family, Carton sacrifices his life for Darnay’s and forces Darnay to except this.

Q: When does this story take place?
A: During the years of the French Revolution.

Q: Which character was changed by the Revolution the most throughout the novel?
A: Madame Defarge, who became extremely involved in being a revolutionist.

Q: How did Sydney Carton change as a person?
A: Carton went from being jealous of the love between Darnay and Lucie, from being generous enough to sacrifice his own life for them.

Q: How many instances are there of Dr. Manette being possessed by his imprisonment?
A: Two: one at his release and other at hearing the family of Charles Darnay.

Q: How long is Darnay’s first imprisonment (on the way to rescuing Gabelle)?
A: 1 year and 3 months.

Title: The Importance of Being Earnest
Author: Oscar Wilde
Original Language: English
Originally Published in: 1895
Setting: London, England in the 1890s
Characters: The main two characters are Jack (Ernest) Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff. Jack and Algernon, who goes by the name of Algy both use the same pseudonym of Ernest because their romances require upon it. Both their loves have always dreamt of marrying an Ernest, so in desperate measures they pretend their names are Ernest to please their loves. Jack is a serious gentleman, while Algy is the opposite being carefree, irresponsible, sardonic and witty. Jack’s love interest is Gwendolyn, the proper and “perfect child” of an over-bearing and protective mother, Lady Bracknell, who is also pretentious. Cecily, Jack’s ward and Algy’s love interest is a semi-foolish, young, and day-dreamy girl who is educated by the highly knowledgeable, Miss Prism. Miss Prism is deeply infatuated with Dr. Chasuable, the local priest.

Plot Summary: Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff both fool their romance lovers to believing their real name is Ernest because with any other name their lovers will not marry them. They use the same pseudonym in the hopes of mistaking their identities to increase their chances of romance with the ones they love, but their deception does not get them very far before they are figured out. Jack goes by Jack in the country and Ernest in town. He loves Gwendolyn, the daughter of Lady Bracknell, who does not approve of them marrying. This is so because when she interviews Ernest (Jack) as a possible bachelor he tells her that he was found in a handbag in the cloak-room at Victoria Station by an old charitable man, Mr. Thomas Cardew, which is clearly unacceptable. Going against her mother’s wishes, Gwendolyn does not want to end her affection toward Jack, so she furtively sneaks to the country to be with him. In the mean time, Algeron becomes nosy about Jack’s personal life in the country, in particularly interested in Cecily, Jack’s ward. Jack forbids any type of relationship between them, but is surprised to find Algy pretending to be his younger brother, Ernest, so that he can come to see Cecily. Jack made up his “younger brother, Ernest” in the first place so that he could come to town whenever he liked. In the country, both Algy and Jack make appointments to be christened to the name of Ernest for their lover’s sake, however an unexpected visit from Lady Bracknell creates more mayhem. Lady Bracknell approves of the marriage between Cecily and Algernon, but Jack will not give his consent, being Cecily’s legal guardian, unless Lady Bracknell will allow him to marry Gwendolyn. This conflict is interrupted when Dr. Chasuable is about to see Miss Prism who is supposedly waiting for him in the vestry. Lady Bracknell hears that there is a Miss Prism and goes after her, thinking she knows her. The story unfolds that Miss Prism had put a baby of Lady Bracknell’s sister in a handbag and left it in a cloakroom at Victoria Station. Jack, in complete excitement believing he has found his mother is only disappointed when this is not actually the case. Lady Bracknell explains that Jack is the son of his sister and therefore the older brother of Algy. However, Jack still has to figure out his name. Lady Bracknell tells him he was named after his father’s Christian name, which she cannot remember. So, Jack looks up his father’s name in the Army Lists and finds that his real name is Ernest, proving he had not lied to Gwendolyn after all. Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism embrace, Algy and Cecily embrace, and Ernest and Gwendolyn embrace. In the end, Ernest figures out the importance of being earnest.

Questions and Answers:

Q: What is the name of Algy’s “ill friend”?
A: Mr. Bunbury

Q: Who are 3 couples in the story?
A: Dr. Chasuble & Miss Prism, Cecily & Algernon, and Ernest & Gwendolyn

Q: What was Ernest born in?
A: Ernest was born in a handbag.

Q: What does Cecily call Ernest?
A: Uncle Jack

Q: What did Algy have Merriman, his butler, make especially on his Aunt Augusta’s account when she was visiting his flat?
A: Cucumber sandwiches

Title: The Wind in the Willows
Autor: Kenneth Grahame
Original Language: English
Originally Published: 1908
Setting: Most of the book takes place in a forest called the Wild Woods or in and by the river.
Characters: The main characters are Mole, Rat, Toad, and Badger. Mole is a calm and well adapting animal who is not used to all of the business that goes on above ground. Rat is a caring rodent who loves the river and gladly takes Mole under his wing. Toad is the richest in the group, and although he usually means well Toad will become obsessed with one specific thing only to drop it, unfinished, the next week for something else. Badger, although grumpy, is wise and has the most common sense and knowledge of the bunch.

Plot Summary:
The book begins with a character name Mole cleaning his underground home for the spring. Mole is a good-natured and curious creature that wanders out for some fresh air only to fall upon and into the river, which he has never seen before. By the river Mole meets Rat, who lives in the water, and they become friends. Rat is also kind enough to teach Mole to swim and steer his boat. Rat and Mole run into Toad who has recently given up his obsession for boating and changed it to horse-drawn caravans. Toad gets into an accident when a car hits his caravan and cars become his next obsession. Mole desperately wants to meet and befriend Badger, one of Rat’s friends, who lives deep in the heart of the Wild Woods, known as dangerous place. One day Mole explores the Wild Woods but becomes hopelessly lost during the cold winter. Rat goes looking for him and once they have found each other they stumble upon Badger’s house. Badger, although usually impatient and unfriendly, gives them both dry clothes and food to eat for the night. Later on in the book Badger visits Mole and Rat with concerns of Toad and his dangerous habit of getting into crashes with his new car. Mole and Rat decide to put Toad under house arrest, but soon Toad escapes and steals a car. After getting into a car crash Toad is sentenced to 20 years in jail. After Toad is put into jail Rat visits Otter and discovers Otter’s son is missing. Mole and Rat goes on a journey to find Otter’s son. On their journey the animal god Pan, who is the one to give them the place to find Otter’s son, visits Mole and Rat. While Mole and Rat are on their journey Toad gains the sympathy of the jailer’s daughter who helps him escape from jail by dressing him as a washer-woman. Many chapters describe Toad’s expedition fleeing from jail still in disguise until he arrives at Rat’s house. After Rat informs Toad that his home, Toad Hall, has been taken over by weasels, ferrets, and stoats from the Wild Wood him, Toad, Mole, and even Badger drive away all of the animals from Toad Hall. Toad then realizes how great his friends are and undoes all his wrongdoings by making amends and the four friends live happily ever after.

Questions and Answers:

Q:Does Rat teach Mole how to swim?
A:Yes, right after he meets him and then he teaches him to steer a boat

Q:How long is Toad sentenced to be in jail?
A:20 years

Q:Who helps Rat and Mole find Otter’s missing son?
A:Pan, an animal god, helps them find Otter’s son

Q:Who helps Toad get out of jail?
A:The jailer’s daughter

Q:In the end, are Toad’s home invaiders driven out?
A:Yes, Toad, Rat, Mole, and Badger drive them away

Maria Emily Lovett
English A, Karp

Title: The Hound of Baskervilles
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Original Language: English
Original Publishing Year: 1902

Main Characters:
Sherlock Holmes: A detective with amazing deduction skills.

Watson: Sherlock Holmes’ assistant. He goes with Sir Henry to Devonshire.

Sir Charles Baskerville: The old Barron of Baskerville Hall. He recently died in the moor by his house.

Sir Henry Baskerville: Sir Charles’ Heir to Baskerville Hall.

Mr. and Ms. Barrymore: The butler and Maid of Baskerville hall.

Dr. Mortimer: A doctor and good friend of Sir Charles. He acquires Sherlock Holmes in order to solve the Mystery behind Sir Charles’ death.

Mr. and Mrs. Stapleton: A brother and sister, who live in Devonshire.
The Hound of Baskerville: The Baskerville family curse, which was started by Hugo Baskerville when he kidnapped a women. The hound is a hellish monster the haunts the Moor.

Setting: Late 19th Century, London, and Devonshire

When Dr. Mortimer’s good friend, Sir Charles Baskerville, is found dead in the moor, he goes to London to acquires the help of Sherlock. He explains to Sherlock Holmes that a ghost hound has always haunted the Baskerville family ever since the mistakes of Hugo Baskerville, who imprisoned a woman. Dr. Mortimer also mentions that the death of Sir Charles was caused by shock and near his dead body there were the footprints of a massive hound. Although he explains this situation to Homes, he does not ask him to solve the case, but instead wonders what he should do with the new heir, Sir Henry. Holmes becomes intrigued by the case tells Dr. Mortimer to take Sir Henry to Baskerville Hall. He also asks Watson to accompany them and to always stay with and guard Sir Henry. When they reach Devonshire, they meet several suspects, Mr. and Mrs. Barrymore and Mr. and Ms. Stapleton. They also learn that a recently escaped convict is hiding in the area. After events unfold, Watson notices several suspicious actions. Barrymore always carries a light to the window at night and leaves the house, Mr. Stapleton gets very upset when his sister is with Sir Henry, and long howl is often heard from the moor. Eventually, Watson and Sir Henry follow Barrymore and learn from his wife that the escaped convict is her brother. They were helping him hide and brought food to him every night after signaling him with a light from the window. They also learn of another suspect who lives within the moor. Later, Barrymore tells them about a letter, which he found partially burned in the fireplace. The letter told Sir Charles to meet L. Lyons on moor at the time of his death. Watson later learns that the writer of the letter was Laura Lyons, a friend of Sir Charles. After learning this, Watson visits Laura. She tells him that the other man living in the moor is Sherlock Holmes. He meets with Holmes. Holmes tells him that the murderer is Mr. Stapleton, who actually is another Baskerville. Stapleton wanted to murder Sir Henry with a vicious hound in order to gain his rightful ownership to Baskerville Hall and to make it seem like the Hound of Baskerville kill him. .At the end of the book Stapleton tries to kill Sir Henry, but fails. Once again, Sherlock Holmes solves the case!

1. Q: Who introduces the murder to Sherlock Holmes?
A: Dr. Mortimer

2. Q: What item did Holms’ and Watson’s early visitor leave?
A. A Cane

3. Q: How many Boots were stolen form Sir Henry?
A: 2

4: Q: What was the real relationship between Mr. and Ms. Stapleton?
A: They were married

5. Q: Who was the owner of the hound that scared Sir Charles and almost killed Sir Henry?
A: Mr. Stapleton

The Three Musketeers

Author: Alexandre Dumas
Original Language: French
Original Pub. Date: 1844

Setting: The book is set in the early 17th century and takes place in England and France, mostly Paris and London.

Main Characters: d’Artagnan, the main character, is a young Frenchman who wishes to serve the King in the musketeers. He meets three friends: Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, who are all King’s musketeers. M. de Treville is the captain of the King’s musketeers. The Queen of France, Cardinal Richelieu of France (who has two main henchman and a host of guards), and the Duke of Buckingham, who is having an affair with the queen, are all also main characters.

D’Artagnan, a young Gascon, sets out from his home with a letter of introduction to find M. de Treville, the captain of the King’s musketeers in Paris, and enlist in the musketeers, who act as soldiers and guards for the King of France. The Cardinal de Richelieu also has his own guards patrolling Paris, and both groups regularly duel in the street. On his way, d’Artagnan has a mishap with a stranger, who steals his letter of introduction. D’Artagnan is crestfallen, but continues on to Paris. While in the office of M. de Treville, d’Artagnan accidentally offends three other musketeers, who each challenge him to a duel on the same day. This does not work out, and the four men quickly become friends after many duels with the Cardinal’s guards. In Paris, d’Artagnan meets and falls in love with a seamstress who works for the Queen of France. While d’Artagnan is trying to get close to her, he learns of her kidnapping. This tumbles him up in a secret meeting between the Queen and the Duke of Buckingham, her lover. The Cardinal hears about this, and d’Artagnan is set out on a mission back to London to get rid of any evidence of the love affair before the Cardinal can prove it and destroy the Queen’s honor. He completes his quest, and gains a place in another troupe of guards. He meets Milady DeWinter, the Cardinal’s right-hand seductress/spy, and tricks her into giving him information. D’Artagnan and his friends follow the king to the siege of a French town called La Rochelle, one of the last Protestant strongholds. While here, Milady makes many attempts on d’Artagnan’s life, and she sets out to England to assassinate the Duke of Buckingham. She is successful, and returns to a convent in France, where d’Artagnan’s lover also happens to be. She is killed by Milady. The four friends track Milady to a riverside cottage, where they kill her for all of the awful deeds she has done. D’Artagnan and his friends are commended for doing this, and D’Artagnan receives the rank of lieutenant in the musketeers. His friends all retire and pursue their separate interests.

Questions:

1. What part of France is d’Artagnan from?
A: Gascony

2. What is another name that Milady DeWinter goes by?
A: The comtesse de La Fere

3.What is the name of d’Artagnan’s lackey (servant)?
A: Planchet

4. What is the Queen’s real name?
A: Anne d’Autriche

5. What is Aramis’ life ambitions?
A: To be more involved in religion

JD Askin
4/16/08

Classic Book Assignment

Title: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Author: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Original Language: English, though used with intentional improper grammar
Originally Published: 1884
Setting: Missouri
Characters: Huckleberry Finn, the main character and narrator of the novel, is a 13 year old boy living in Missouri on his own because to the death of his mother and the alcoholism and violent nature of his father. Jim, an African American slave living in Missouri, serves for a white Lady named Ms. Watson. The Widow Douglas, a woman living in Missouri, takes on the job of being a guardant to Huckleberry Finn and teaching him to be a “civilized” human being. Miss Watson, the Widow Douglas’s sister, is a young maid who also tried to civilize and educate Tom. She lives with The Widow Douglas. Pap, the father of Huckleberry Finn, is a drunk who demands custody over Huckleberry in order to maintain to the treasure that Huckleberry Finn and his friend Tom Sawyer found that was previously described in Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Plot Summary: The novel begins in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri. Huckleberry Finn has been placed in custody under The Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Huckleberry does not like the proper clothes he has to wear, the proper way he has to eat, and the overall civilized manner that he has to act under. After several stints of trying to act civilized, Huck notices that his father has come to St. Petersburg. Huck’s father “Pap” then proceeds to kidnap Huck and take him to a rural area in the mountains. Huckleberry then decides that he has to escape due to his father’s drunkenness and violent manner. He kills a pig in the place where he is locked in so his father will think that he has been murdered. He then cuts a whole in the little cabin to escape. While hiding from his father, Tom discovers that Jim, Miss Watson’s slave, has also runaway and is on the loose. They then steal a canoe and proceed to float down the Mississippi river into the free states. During their travels, Huck and Jim stop at an island and meets a family called the Grangerfords. They seem nice, but Huck and Jim decided they must leave because of the intense, violent battle between the Grangerford family and the Shepardson family.During their travels, they also encounter two men who claim to be a royal duke and King. They turn out to be liars and scammers who have put on a variety of hoaxes and fake shows. Huck and Jim then desert the two men but find out that the “King” has put up a poster that offers a reward to whoever finds Jim. Jim is then sold to a family called the Phelps’s who turn out to be Tom Sawyer’s Aunt and Uncle. Huck lies and says that he is Tom, and when Tom shows, he lies, and says that he is his brother, Sid. They then create a plan to break Jim out, ignoring the fact that this is illegal and considered blasphemous. When Aunt Polly (Tom’s Aunt and caregiver) shows up, she exposes the boys however Jim is not in trouble because he has saved Tom Sawyer from a gun shot wound. Jim is then declared a hero and is praised…

Questions:

1) What is the main reason why Jim wants to travel out of Missouri into the free states?
(He wants to be a free man and live a good life with his family.)

2) Why does Huck and Jim run away from the Grangerford family?
(Because they were in a huge, violent fight with the Sheparsons)

3) What is the main reason why does Huckleberry’s father want to take custody of Hucklberry?
(He wants to have the treasure that Huck and Tom Sawyer had previoulsy found)

4) Who, out of Tom, Huck, and Jim, was the one who got shot in the leg?
(Tom)

5) Who makes the sign stating that they will give a $200 reward to who ever finds the run away slave (Jim)
(The Dauphin makes the sign)

Title: A Tale of Two Cities
Author: Charles Dickens
Original language: Old English
Original publishing Date: 1859
Setting: 18th century Paris/London
Main Characters: Sydney Carton, a drunken lawyer that has had a tragic life and is in love with a married woman. Lucie is a woman married to a convicted aristocrat that has many suitors. Madame Defarge is the leader of the French Republic that is married to a Wine salesman. Monsieur Defarge is a liquor salesman that ultimately is afraid of his wife. Doctor Manette is the long lost father of Lucie and in the end brings a life sentence to the husband of Lucie. Mr. Lorry is a banker that is a dear friend to Dr. Manette and is very helpful at the end of the book.

Plot summary: A Tale of Two Cities is a thrilling book by Charles Dickens. Set in the blood stained streets of Paris, and the safe haven of London, Dickens puts together an incredible historical account of the French Revolution. The Story starts out with the famous words, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. The story starts with three men in a mail cart at night. You know nothing about the three people but they exchange a few words but no information is shared. Then the story moves to a cafe probably set in Paris. Jarvis Lorry, a successful banker that is meeting with Lucie at the French cafe. Jarvis Lorry tells Lucie that he knows where her long lost father is living. This coming as a shock to Lucie (now Lucie Manette) demands to meet her father. When she does she is stunned that she had never met her father. This scene concludes the first book Recalled to Life. At the beginning of the Second book The Golden Thread we go five years into the future to Tellson’s Bank. Dickens describes the bank and sets it as a major land mark in the story. Then the story moves to a court room where Mr. Lorry is trying to defend a person from being executed by testifying for the defense of a trial. Surprisingly the defense won and the next scene is where Charles Darnay, the captive is released. Then Sydney Carton walks over and obviously drunk and exchanges words with Charles Darnay than walks away. Later we see how a “Great Lord” is dealing with the uprising Republic of the people. We enter the view of the Monsieur the Marquis’ view of life in this time period. He is living in glory despite all tries by the Republic to make the aristocrats of France dead. Monsieur the Marquis seems to be pitiless for all people that do not have as much money as he. For one instance his carriage runs over a young boy that was poor and without changing his expression has his cart man get out of his seat to toss the Father of the boy one coin. After the exchange of a coin the cart man drives away without a word with the Father yelling at them both. After this incident, the next major thing that happens in the book is the marriage of Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette. A little while after the marriage, Darnay starts to travel to his Uncle in the country side when he is arrested once again by the uprising Republic. He stays in jail for a couple of months but they let him go on account that they do not have enough evidence to prosecute Darnay of being tied to the aristocrats of France. The next night, the Republic soldiers come to the apartment of the Doctor, Lucie, Darnay, and Lucie and Darnay’s little girl. They take Darnay away after tears were shed by Lucie and their daughter. In court the evidence for the prosecution was a letter written by Doctor Manette himself explaining exactly how Darnay was tied to the aristocrats. With this much information they convict Darnay to the guillotine the next day. After the trial, Sydney Carton starts walking around Paris and makes sure that he is seen by many people both the night before and the day of the hanging. Then he pays a visit to the cell of Darnay with a person named Barsad. With a Poisson that he
bought, he knocks out Darnay and switches cloths with him. Then he hangs himself but right before he hangs himself he makes a brilliant speech. After that, the Darnay family flees France. A Tale of Two Cities had the best ending I have ever read in my life and I would recommend this book to any person that enjoys a challenging read with the reward of reading a great book.

What was The Setting of A Tale Two Cities?

The French Revolution in London and Paris (18th century)

What are the Famous opening lines?

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Who made the ultimate sacrifice?

Sydney Carton

Who was the biggest Revolutionist out of the main characters?

Madame Defarge

How many times did Charles Darnay go to jail?

Three

Title: Call of the Wild
Author: Jack London
Original Language: English
Setting: Santa Clara Valley, Yukon, Northern Canada and Alaska. Takes place during the gold rush of the Yukon

Characters: Buck, the main character and the only one who is consistent throughout the book; Judge Miller, Buck’s original owner; The man in the red sweater, a character with a small part who is incredibly important because he brings Buck into the reality of vicious life; Perrault, a Canadian government worker who buys buck for a dog sled team; Francois, his helper; Buck also passes through the hands o many other owners until he gets to John Thornton; John Thornton is a benevolent dog owner who owns Buck for a long time and is wonderful until his death.

Plot summary: Buck is a dog living the good life in the Santa Clara Valley at Judge Miller’s house when he is kidnapped by one of his master’s gardeners. The man sells him to another man who brings him to the man in the red sweater. The man in the red sweater gives Buck a violent beating that puts him in his place and teaches him that no matter what he will always be beaten by man. Buck is then sold to a man named Perrault who recognizes him as an incredible dog and treats him well. Buck joins several other dogs on the team and then they go on to take government dispatches around Canada. Buck strikes up a rivalry with a vicious dog named Spitz whom he eventually fights, with Buck emerging as the winner. Buck Travels for months passing through the hands of several owners who treat him fine until he is sold to a group of 3. This group consisting of a woman named Mercedes, her brother, and her husband are entirely incompetent and know nothing of how to treat dogs. To make matters worse, the team has just set a record and is entirely exhausted. The group entirely overloads the sled, makes it top-heavy and fails to give the dogs rest. When they finally make it on the trail, they over-feed the dogs, which means that they end up under-feeding them later. The dogs start dieing from exhaustion and starvation until only a few are left. They get to the camp of a man named John Thornton who is a gold prospector who got frostbite and had to wait all winter until his partners came back to get him with the spring thaw. They stop in the camp and when they try and go again buck refuses to get up. They whip him then beat him then beat him more until John Thornton intervenes. He tells them that it is clear that he is unable to go on. What’s more is that there is no way that they will be able to cross the ice with the team and all their gear. The family ignores him but finally decide that buck is useless and leave him. They go off and promptly fall into the water, sled and all and are never seen again. John Thornton nurses buck back to health and they develop a good relationship. Buck eventually grows to worship him like a god and is willing to do anything for him. When John’s partners rescue them they go to travel down the river. During this journey, Buck saves John’s life. John gets stuck in the water but buck jumps out and saves him. When they get to a town men in the bar are boasting about their dogs and John says that buck could pull a thousand pounds. He is forced to place a bet on it and, amazingly, buck manages it. This provides a lot of funding for their journey and they are able to go on their way. They team goes in search of a lost gold mine but instead find a stream that is entirely saturated with gold. They stay their getting rich. While the prospectors are stocking up on gold, Buck has a lot of free time. He begins to experience a tug at his heart the London calls “The call of the wild.” It is first introduced to buck through an encounter with a wild wolf. The call gets stronger and eventually leads buck to hunt and kill a moose. When he gets back to camp he finds it taken over by Indians who have killed all three prospectors. Buck, realizing that they have killed his beloved John Thornton, attacks them with no thought for his own safety he kills several and wounds several more before they retreat. After confirming John’s death, Buck realizes that there is nothing left to tie him to man and becomes the wild leader of the wolf pack.

Questions:

Q: What type of death does Buck save John Thornton from?
A: Drowning

Q: What occupation does John Thornton have?
A: Gold Prospector

Q: What agency does Perrault work for?
A: the Canadian government

Q: What type of breed is Buck?
A: A Saint Bernard (his father) and Scotch shepherd (his mother) Mix

Q: What occupation does buck fill throughout the book?
A: He is a dog in a dog sled team.

Q: What type of weather do they work under?
A: Usually sub-zero temperatures and snow.

Title: The Island of Dr. Moreau
Author: H.G. Wells
Original Language: British English
Original Publishing Date: 1896
Setting: The Island in which Dr. Moreau lived on.
Main Characters: Edward Prendick, the narrator and witness to Dr. Moreau’s Island, Montgomery, a sailor who helps Dr. Moreau and guides Edward on his journey, Dr. Moreau, a scientist who mutates animals and makes new animals.

Plot Summary:

Edward Prendick first started out as a survivor of the ship named the Lady Vain. He was seen by a sailor named Montgomery, and quickly was picked up by the ship of the sailor. Montgomery was on his way to a nameless island where he lived. Halfway through the trip, the captain who had been drunk, cast them aboard, and they landed on the island where Montgomery was heading. As they arrive the island, Edward observes that there were creatures like none that he had ever seen, that roamed the island freely. Immediately, Edward meets Moreau, the scientist. He learns that Moreau is a doctor that mutates animals. Soon Prendick was scared that Moreau was a mad man and ran for shelter on the island, but it was quickly apparent that the mutations were only for scientific purposes.
Since most of the animals on the island were carnivores, they could never taste blood, or they would eat the tree humans on the island, but soon enough, problems arose, because there were a series of animal killings in the forest. And before anyone knew it, Dr. Moreau was killed. The island was full of havoc, and there were only a few loyal animals left. After living a week more on the island, Edward Prendick saw a boat and escaped the island, leaving Moreau’s legacy among the animals.

Questions:

Q: What was the name of the ship that Edward Prendick was first on?Who found Edward Prendick lost among the wrecks of the Lady Vain?
A: Lady Vain

Q: Who found Edward Prendick lost among the wrecks of the Lady Vain?
A: Montgomery

Q: What astonished Prendick about Dr. Moreau, after Moreau died?
A: Moreau devoted his life to making a new generation of animals, and that it was his destiny to die on the island.

Q: Did Edward think that the creatures on the island were made from animals or from men?
A: Edward thought that the creatures were made from men.

Q: What did Montgomery study at University College?
A: Biology

Title: Brave New World
Author: Aldous Huxley
Original Language: English
Originally Published in: 1932
Setting: London, England in 2540 and the southwestern United States
Characters: Bernard Marx is an Alpha plus and a social outcast. He is shorter than the average male Alpha, and the society does not appreciate differences. This makes him the object of much taunting and also makes him dislike himself. He is not as promiscuous as everyone else, which again makes him an outsider. His only friend is Helmholtz Watson, an outsider because of his incredible intellect. Bernard is fixated on Lenina Crowne, a Beta-plus worker at the Hatchery. She tries to conform to the ideals of the world they live in and does not particularly care about Bernard Marx, and only goes out with him to be proper. John the Savage is a naturally-born man who Bernard imports to England from a Savage Reservation in America. He loves Lenina and Lenina finds herself liking him a little too much herself.

Plot Summary: The book is set in a world where “perfect” stability has been achieved: babies are not born, old age has been conquered, and death is no longer terrible because family no longer exists. People have no parents, as they are fertilized in a lab and grown in bottles. Lenina Crowne works in one of these labs. Bernard Marx works up his courage to ask her on a week-long vacation to America. They go to a Savage Reservation, where people grow old, believe in God, and give birth naturally. Lenina finds this disgusting, but Bernard is fascinated. Before he left, his boss related that he went with a girl to the same Reservation but lost her. Bernard finds her these years later, old, fat, and a mother. At the end of the week, he arranges to bring her and her son back, where she is considered disgusting in civilization. She resorts to taking soma, a hallucinogenic drug that gives her on “holiday” for days at a time. Her son, John, becomes a popular sight. The Savage, as they call him, creates a sensation, and Bernard finds himself at the center of society because he is John’s guide in the “brave new world.” This goes to his head. Helmholtz Watson, Bernard’s only friend, and John end up meeting and strike up a better understanding than Bernard ever did with either of them. John introduces Helmholtz to Shakespeare, whose works are banned. Then John’s mother dies. His display of emotion in the hospital is shocking to witnesses. In turn, he is appalled by their indifference and tries to wake them up to a better world. He does this by taking their soma and throwing it from a window. Helmholtz and Bernard are called in to help the situation, but instead Helmholtz begins to throw more soma out the window and Bernard simply backs away. As punishment, the Savage, Helmholtz, and Bernard are brought before Mustapha Mond, the Controller for Western Europe, who tells them that they will be sent to an island to live in isolation. Bernard throws himself at the Controller’s feet and blames the other two. The Controller says later that if Bernard had any sense “he’d understand that his punishment is really a reward” (271). On the island they will meet the most interesting people in the world; they will live with free and independent thinkers. But the Controller decides to not send the Savage to the island and to continue exposing him to civilization. The Savage has other ideas. As Bernard and Helmholtz are being transported miles away, the Savage heads south to a deserted lighthouse where he inflicts punishment on himself by whip and sleepless nights, repenting of his sins. He is plagued by people. Then Lenina arrives. He lashes her with his whip. The next day, devastated by what he has done, the Savage hangs himself in the lighthouse.

Where does Brave New World get its title from?
Brave New World gets its title from the lines in The Tempest that Miranda speaks upon seeing people other than Prospero, Ferdinand, and Caliban for the first time.

Who do “civilized” people honor?
“Civilized” people honor Henry Ford. Sometimes they honor Freud instead, as they think that Ford and Freud were the same person.

How do babies come into the world?
Babies are not born. They are grown in bottles in a factory setting and when they are mature enough they are “decanted.”

How are people classed?
People are classed as Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons. Within each caste are pluses and minuses as well.

How are children taught how to think and behave in the society?
In their sleep, voice recordings under their pillows play sayings over and over. This is a method called sleep-learning.

What is a Bokanovsky Group?
It is a set of up to ninety-six identical twins produced from stunting the growth of only one egg and sperm.

Title: Our Town
Author: Thornton Wilder
Original Language: English
Originally Published in: 1938*
Setting: A small town, Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire from 1901-1913

Characters: Stage Manager- a man who is distant from the town but still knows everyone’s business and life. Not only does he break through the fourth wall, constantly communicating with the audience, but he also has relationships with the members of Grover’s Corners. He is the narrator for the play. Mrs. Webb- a woman in the town. She is the mother of Emily Webb- a young girl who grows up during the course of the play. She goes from being in high school, to getting married. Emily’s father, Mr. Charles Webb- is the editor of the town’s newspaper. Mrs. Gibbs- is another woman in town. She is the mother of a boy named George Gibbs. George also grows as the play progresses. He is the same age as Emily. George’s father, Dr. Frank Gibbs- is the doctor in the small New Hampshire town. He is a serious man. He takes care of his family, but being the only doctor in town he is often very busy. There are many other characters but the plot line mainly revolves around these two families.

Plot Summary: Act one; entitled “Daily Life” begins with the Stage Manager on an empty stage. He begins to set up the stage and talks with the audience. After a conversation and a brief tour of the town, people begin to enter and have regular conversations. The audience goes unnoticed to everyone, except the Stage Manager. Reflecting the title, the audience views the regular, normal, everyday, daily life of the citizens of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. The year is 1901. After the audience gets a good idea of life in the small town, and understands the gossip, the curtain closes. Act two, “ Love and Marriage”, takes place in 1904. Everyone has aged by three years. There have been births and deaths. The most important, main focus of this act is when George and Emily get married. George and Emily reflect on their past and are stressed, and also very excited to be married. George confesses that he does not want to be married but he loves Emily. They discussed their future and decided to still get married. The Curtain closes again and then opens. This time, act three, nine years have passed, and it is the year 1913. The stage is set up with chairs and the people on them are dead. Many of the people died old, but soon Emily joins. She just died in childbirth. Although many of the dead people warn Emily not to, she finds out that she is able to relive parts of her life. Emily sees George at her grave crying and wants to tell him to live life. This play summarizes life in three simple acts. Each act portrays a different stage in life and depicts it through the lifestyles of each member in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire.

*-This is a play and therefore the original date is the date in which it was first performed

Q When and where do Emily and George discover that they love each other?
A Junior year of high school at an ice cream parlor.

Q What is Emily’s epiphany after she dies?
A “Doesn’t anyone ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?”

Q Who is Rebecca?
A George’s little sister

Q What type of day does Mrs. Gibbs suggest for Emily to relive?
A An insignificant one

Q How many years pass between acts?
A Three between the first and second. Nine between the second and third.

∑ Main Characters- Jerusha Abott, who later becomes known as Judy Abbott. Daddy Long Legs Smith, which is the only form of a name we have for this character. Other characters include Mrs. Lippet the head advisor and the foster home, Mrs. Pritchard, another advisor at the home. Sallie McBride and Julia Rutledge Pendleton whom she meets at college.
∑ Setting (Time/Place/Historical   Events, etc.) This book is set in The John Grier Home (the foster home), New York City, Connecticut,
∑ Original Language-English
∑ Original Publishing Year-1912
∑ Plot Summary:

In the John Grier Home, Blue Wednesday was the day of the year that everyone hated. Things must be cleaned and the orphans must look their best. Jerusha Abbot lived in this foster home all her life, and being 17 years of age she craved for the outside world. The day finally came when she would come out of foster care, and be able to find her true potential. On this day a mystery trustee who prefers his name to be a secret visits the home. He has provided her with a four years education and activities during the summer months, in return all she has to do in return is keep up her grades and send him monthly letters reporting her progress. After being thrust into this different world, Jerusha has something to say, starting with changing her name indefinitely to Judy. We follower Judy thorough four years inquiring about herself, the world, and this mystery sponsor. During this time, she learns many things, and is comfortable being able to make decisions by herself which she has never done before. She meets a two young men whom she is interested in, and they happen to be related to her roommates. This sweet story had me on the edge off my seat wondering if her letters would ever get a reply. And lo and behold it never got one. In the sequel Dear Enemy, the story continues in letters, but follows Judy’s friend Sallie as she runs the John Grier Home. It is very interesting to see the contrast between the two stories, and to see how Judy evolved as a naive girl into a woman. This was and is a great coming of age story, for any girl feeling like they don’t belong, or just looking for a book to read. The themes in this book can be light, or taken to mean deeper things. Which ever way you take it this book is a great read, and deserves to be called a classic.

Questions:
1. What do Mrs. Lippett, Jerusha, and the other orphans calls the sponsors that come to the house?
2. What is the name of the place where Jerusha lived before college for most of her life?
3. What is the name of the college that Judy attends?
4. How much money will Judy receive per month (not including tuition?) And what must Judy do in turn to repay John Smith?
5. What is the name of the person that is related to Julia, but Judy doesn’t believe that he is really related to her? How are they related, and how does Judy feel about him?
6. Why did Judy begin calling Mr. John Smith Daddy Long legs?

Answers:
1. Trustees (of the John Grier home)
2. The John Grier me
3. We never find out
4. 35 dollars (board and tuition were paid directlty to the college) Judy in turn had to write only one letter per month about her studies and details.
5. Jervis Pendleton
6. The first time that she saw him, it was a fleeting glance and he was very tall; she has no other recollection of him.

Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Original Language: English
Original Publication Date: 1953

Setting: This story takes place in the future in a big city in America.

Main Characters: The main character is Guy Montag, someone who burns books for a living. His antagonists include the chief fireman, Beatty; his wife, Matilda who Guy feels he has lost connection with and Clarisse, someone who is very different from the rest of the community.

Plot Summary: In a future where ignorance is definitely bliss, in an anti-intellectual world, Guy Montag is a fireman, book burner, until on his way home from work he meets a mysterious girl, Clarisse. This girl is extraordinarily different from everyone else in the city. She has a thirst for knowledge, and unlike everyone else, stops to smell the flowers, taste the rain and get a sense of the world. When Guy meets her, all of the trouble begins as he starts questioning burning books and why knowledge is such a bad idea. He does not show up for work after stealing books to read. As he lies in bed creating for himself a bigger need to know what is inside the books, his fire-captain comes over to visit him. Sensing that Guy is starting to think that burning books is an extremely bad idea, he attempts to convince Guy that there is nothing in books that people need to know and that every fireman at one point in his life wants to know what is inside books, but Guy will get over it soon. Guy remembers a former professor, Farber and senses that Farber might be able to help him out with the anxiety and troubles he is facing. Farber can indeed and together they plot to learn more about the world. Guy is reported for owning books and immediately chased away from the city. He is able to hide until he runs into men who also find his need to know more. Watching the innocent city that he resided in what seems like years ago burn down, Montag finds that these men have all memorized parts of books hoping to save what was unnecessarily taken from them. They realize that since the city is burning down, they will need to start a new one.

5 Questions:
What is a parlor?
A room with a brainwashing TV on three screens.

What is the duty of a fireman?
To burn illegal books.

What subject is Farber a former professor of?
English.

In what century does this story take place?
21st

What poem does Guy Montag read to his wife, Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowels?
“Dover Beach”

Title: Gone with the Wind
Author: Margaret Mitchell
Original Language: English
Originally Published in: June 10, 1936
Setting: Atlanta, Georgia. It takes place during the Civil War, and about 10 years after it.
Characters: Scarlett O’Hara is the main character of the book. She was raised in the south under an extremely wealthy household. Rhett Butler is another very important character. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He was unwanted by his father, so he was kicked out of his home. He eventually becomes very wealthy.

Plot Summary: Scarlett O’Hara grows up in a wealthy. She wants to marry Ashley Wilkes, but can’t get him because he wants to marry a girl named Melanie. Because she is so mad, she goes off and marries Charles Hamilton. Upon marrying him, the Civil War starts, and Charles goes off to fight. Charles dies in battle, and Scarlett supposedly becomes very depressed. She goes to Atlanta and leaves Tara, which is in a pre Civil War southern state. She ends up staying there for a very long time, and meets Rhett Butler. Everybody in Atlanta hates Rhett but many people like Scarlett, so when they start to become close friends, the town despises them. As the years go on, the war is becoming more and more harsh for the people in the south. When the war is about to expand into Atlanta, Melanie is about to have a baby, and Scarlett has to stay with her. When the baby is finally delivered, they ask Rhett to get a horse and carriage so that they can go to Tara. Rhett brings them a horse and carriage and then drives them out of town to a safe area. Then he tells Scarlett that he is going to leave them there and go fight in the war, which he has opposed from the start. She has to accept it, and she drives on home to Tara by herself. When she arrives, she discovers her father, Gerald O’Hara in a very senile state, and also finds out that her mother died the night before. Because the war was lost many of the slaves had run away, so live on the cotton plantation was a lot harder, and since the Yankees has won, the confederate money was barely worth anything. Even with all these problems, Scarlett still pulls thru. One day though, she hears that Rhett Butler is in Atlanta so she goes to Atlanta to find him so that she can get money. She goes to Atlanta to find him in jail, learns that he has tons of money, but he won’t have access to in from jail. She thinks that she is defeated, but then finds out that Frank, Scarlett’s sister’s fiancé, has money and marries. She lives on with him for a long time, but after hearing that her father has died, she goes back to Tara. She stays there for a while and then her sister marries a boy named Will. After the marriage, she returnes to Atlanta with Ashley and Melanie, who have been living in Tara since the first arrived after the death of Scarletts mom. After a long time, Frank dies because he is in the Ku Klux Clan. She then marries Rhett, and they have a Child. Rhett is very attached to this child, but when she dies, Rhett becomes traumatized. He and Scarlett are on very bad terms for a while, but upon Melanie’s death, Scarlett falls madly in love with him, but he looses his love for her.

Q:How many Children did Scarlett O’Hara have?
A:3

Q:How old is Scarlett at the end of the book?
A:28

Q:What was Scarlett’s epiphany at the end of the book?
A:Her epiphany was that she loved Rhett Butler very much and that she also needed Melanie in her life.

Q:What does Scarlett constantly say when she has something troubling her?
A:”I will think about it tomorrow”.

Q:Who were her husbands?
A:Charles Hamilton, Frank Kennedy, and Rhett Butler.

Alison Kaplon
English B, Dawson
Library Assignment
Feldman

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Brontë
Original Language: English
Original Publication Date: October 16th, 1847
Setting- England, around the 19th century
Characters:
The main character’s name is Jane Eyre, sometimes known as Elliot. Jane is an orphan with no known relations; after she spent around 8 years at school, she became the governess for a man named Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester is a wealthy man who takes an interest to Jane; he becomes very important as the book goes on. Grace Poole is an odd servant who, which no one knows much of. Mr. St. John Rivers is of a small importance and helps Jane through hard times.

Plot Summary:
When Jane was a child she was mistreated and abused by her 3 cousins. Her aunt never understood her unfortunate position and eventually sent her to school. The school provided a harsh life for Jane and she spent around 8 years there: 2 spent as a teacher. She then went on to become the governess for a wealthy man, Mr. Rochester. Her pupil was a young French girl names Adèle. Jane encounters Mr. Rochester on his way to the manor. Mr. Rochester speaks to Jane every night during his daily visit with Adèle. Soon, Jane becomes attracted to Mr. Rochester, after a short absence from the manor Mr. Rochester brings home many guests for a fortnight. Jane soon becomes aware that Mr. Rochester seems to be in preparation of marrying one of the women he has over. After many strange events most of the occupants leave. Soon after they have left Mr. Rochester proposes to Jane, Jane happily accepts now knowing that he never had any true feelings for the other woman. While about to get married a man claims that Mr. Rochester has been previously engaged and has a living wife. Mr. Rochester does not deny the existence of his wife and shows all of the men his lunatic wife. Shortly after Jane flees from the manor unable to be near Mr. Rochester knowing he is married. For a short period of time she is a beggar without any possessions or money, she finds shelter at a friendly house, Moor House, she spends many months there. The head of the house, St. John Rivers, finds her a suitable job as the mistress of a school; soon she found out her distant uncle left her a large fortune. She decides to share it with her newly found cousins: Diana, Mary, and John. Within the next few months John proposes to her wishing for her to go to India with him to teach children; because he has no real love for her she denies him. So she goes to find Mr. Rochester, she soon finds out that Thornfield manor has burn down and Mr. Rochester has become blind and lost a hand; unfortunately, his wife has also died. She finds him in a rural area and the get married. She and Mr. Rochester live for many years, and eventually he regains sight in one of his eyes.

Trivia Questions
Q) Who was Jane’s good friend in the Lodwood School, and what happened to her?
A) Helen Burns, she died of an illness at the school.

Q) What is the name of Jane’s pupil, and how does Mr. Rochester feel about her?
A) Adèle, Mr. Rochester finds her annoying.

Q) Why did Mrs. Reed house Jane even though, she didn’t want to?
A) Because she swore to her husband on his death-bed

Q) Who first told Jane Mr. Rochester his full name and what is it?
A) Adèle, Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester

Q) What did Jane wear on her first meeting with Mr. Rochester?
A) A black silk dress, with a pearl ornament.

Q) What was the name of the Manor where Jane lived as the governess?
A) Thornfield manor

Q) During the party what did Mr. Rochester pretend to be?
A) A gypsy

Q) What was the name of the woman whom Mr. Rochester nearly married, and what was her opinion of Jane?
A) Miss. Ingram, she disliked Jane.

Title: Slaughterhouse-Five: or The Children’s Crusade
Author: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Original Language: English
Originally Published in: 1969
Setting: 1922-1976, All over America, Luxembourg, Germany, A zoo on the planet Tralfamadore
Characters: The beginning of the book is Kurt Vonnegut writing about how he should write a book about the Dresden fire-bomb, so Kurt Vonnegut is a character. His war friend, Bernard V. O’Hare is another character. Billy Pilgrim is the main character of Vonnegut’s fiction story. Pilgrim’s wife, Valencia, is a rich fat woman. Roland Weary is a man he travels with in Luxembourg. Edgar Derby is a high school teacher who is a prisoner of war, along with Paul Lazzaro, who is an insane, scrawny car robber. Montana Wildhack is an actress.

Plot Summary:Kurt Vonnegut is trying to write a book about his experiences in WWII and as a witness of the Dresden fire-bombing. He goes to his war buddy, Bernard V. O’Hare to try to remember things about the war, but they can’t think of anything. Bernard’s wife is upset about them talking about the war because all the soldiers were so young and she is scared for her children. Kurt promises her he’ll call his book “The Children’s Crusade”. He ends up writing a fiction novel about a man named Billy Pilgrim, who is unstuck in time – he randomly travels through different parts of his life. He is a carefree, very innocent, man who takes life as it is. He is born the son of a poor family. He attends the Ilium School of Optometry to become an eye doctor. He is then drafted into the army as a chaplain’s assistant in South Carolina. While in the army, his father is killed in a hunting accident. He then goes to be a chaplain’s assistant in Luxembourg. He arrives in the middle of an attack, and joins up with a man named Roland Weary and two scouts. Roland wants to be a war hero, even though he is a lowlife. He calls himself and the scouts “The Three Musketeers” even though he has never said it to the scouts. Billy passes out while they are in the woods and the scouts ditch them. Germans come and kill the scouts and capture Billy and Roland. They are taken to a prisoner-of-war camp with a bunch of other prisoners. Then they are taken into boxcars and driven to another prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. On the way, Roland Weary dies of gangrene because the Germans forced him to wear shoes that cut into his feet. They are greeted by British prisoners at the camp who end up hating them. There he meets Edgar Derby, a high school teacher who is later accused of stealing a teapot and shot by a firing squad, and Paul Lazzaro, a maniac who promised to avenge Roland Weary by killing Billy. From the camp they are shipped off to a place in Dresden, a beautiful city in Germany. After a month of being there, Dresden is bombed and 130,000 people are killed. The prisoners all survive the attack, and end up going back to America. In America, Billy leads a very odd life. He finishes college and marries the daughter of the school of optometry, Valencia. She is fat but very rich, and he doesn’t really love her. He has two kids with her. Billy cries a lot for no apparent reason, although it probably is because he was traumatized by the Dresden bombing. On his daughter’s wedding night in 1967, he is kidnapped by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. They put him in a zoo on Tralfamadore with a beautiful actress named Montana Wildhack. They learn to love each other and have a baby together. He then returns to Earth. In 1968, he gets on a plane with a bunch of other optometrists for a meeting in Vermont. The plane crashes and he is one of the only 2 survivors. He is taken to a hospital. His wife, on the way to the hospital, gets in a minor crash and her exhaust pipe falls off. She doesn’t notice, and when she gets to the hospital, she passes out and dies of carbon monoxide poisoning. Billy is unconsious for 2 days. In the hospital, he starts reading science fiction by an author named Kilgore Trout, whose work is completely unknown by everyone other than Billy and the man in Billy’s hospital room. He lives a fairly happy life after that, and is killed in 1976 by Paul Lazzaro after a public speech.

Q:Where does the fire-bombing take place?
A: Dresden, Germany

Q:What year does Billy Pilgrim get in a plane crash?
A: 1968

Q:What does the book say, and the Tralfamadorians say, every time someone dying is mentioned?
A: So it goes.

Q: Why is the book called Slaughterhouse-Five: or the Children’s Crusade?
A: It is called Slaughterhouse-Five because that is the place Billy Pilgrim is taken in Dresden and where he is when the bombing happens, it’s called the Children’s Crusade because so many soldiers in WWII who died were really young, like children.

Q: How does Billy Pilgrim die?
A: Paul Lazarro shoots him with a laser gun after a speech.

Title: Animal Farm
Original Language: English
Originally Published in: 1946
Setting: Manor Farm
Characters: Mr. Jones, owner of the farm. He is an unkind man who often gets drunk.
Snowball: A powerful and kind pig
Napoleon: Another Pig
Molly: A horse
Boxer: A horse

Summary:
There are many animals on a farm somewhere called manor farm. All the animals are under fed and treated poorly by an often drunk man named Mr. Jones. He is in charge of the farm and the animals make no choices. The animal’s true opinions are manifest in their ability to talk and express themselves.
One marvelous day on manor farm, snowball, a very strong pig decides that all the animals should start a rebellion against Mr. Jones and his inequality. They decide that all animals should be equal so he makes a list of rules about the duty of all animals on the farm. It is very important that every animal not break the rules or they will be punished. This is a metaphor for communism that some leaders supported at the time. Everyone on the farm became happier than they ever had. A Large Pig named napoleon decided that he should be leader so he convinced everyone to rebel against snowball. Once he seemed to be in charge, the farm became very unhappy and they were working much more. Snowball is accused of killing another animal on the farm. The animals consider killing him for this offense because no animal was supposed to kill another animal on the farm. Snowball escapes from the farm for the rest of the book.
Napoleon breaks many rules as he has become leader but he insists that the rules have not been changed. The animals are not very smart so they listen to him. This is the end of the book, which leaves us to think about the morals bestowed within it.

Questions

1) What is the Moral of this book?
The main moral of this book is that although communism is told to be successful in a society, it is impossible to have complete equality.

2) Why did the animals rebel against Mr. Jones?
It is because they were tired with his shananigans and him mistreating them

3) What did neopoleon do to gain power?
He used his persuasion to get the animals on his side

4) Why did George Orwell give the animals the ability to talk?
It is because their true feelings can only be expressed through their words which are given to express their opinions

5) What was snowballs idea?
It was that all animals should be equal

Title: The Call of the Wild
Author: Jack London
Original Language: English
Original Publishing Date: 1903
Setting: Yukon, during the Klondike Gold Rush (19th century)
Main Characters: Buck, a Saint Bernard and Scotch Sheppard mix, who is a fierce and brave dog who is the only character who is in the entire story. John Thornton, Buck’s favorite and final of many owners, who, although he only appears late in the book, is a crucial, kind, warm character who deeply affects Buck.

Plot Summary:
Buck, a domesticated and pampered dog who lives in Santa Clara Valley, is taken away and made into a sled dog for the Klondike Gold Rush. He is then bought by Perrault and Francois, two Frenchmen seeking their fortune in the freezing snow and ice. With hard training and battering conditions, Buck very quickly becomes a great sled dog and develops a rivalry with the pack leader, Spitz. After many small scuffles between the two during the journey, they finally face off in a battle to the death, and Buck comes out on top. He takes control of the pack, and they have many a journey together. However, the wear and tear of the freezing conditions, miniscule rations, and heavy loads force Buck and his fellow dogs to stop their trip to rest. There, Buck and a few others are brought by a young family (two brothers and a sister) who are uneducated, unprepared, and determined to rule the pack. They set out with a tired leader in Buck, much too heavy a load, and no plan whatsoever. These mistakes catch up to them, as the dogs, once a fit group but now just skin and bone, collapse at a rest spot. There, despite many lashings, Buck refuses to travel any more, and the pack leaves without him, only to die by falling into freezing water a few minutes later. Meanwhile, Buck is picked up by John Thornton and his two partners, Pete and Hans. Buck immediately takes to John Thornton, and sticks by his side through many journeys. Then, while searching for gold, Thornton is killed by an Indian tribe (the Yeehats), and Buck, after going on a rampage and killing a portion of the tribe, becomes wild and joins a pack of wolves, finally content, a leader of himself in the wild.

Questions and Answers
Q: What is the name of the Indian Tribe that kills John Thornton?
A: Yeehats

Q: Where does Buck originally come from?
A: Santa Clara Valley

Q: During which gold rush is this story set?
A: The Klondike Gold Rush

Q: What breed is Buck?
A: A mix of a Saint Bernard and Scotch Shepard

Q: What is the name of the dog who Buck fights for leadership and ends up killing?
A: Spritz

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Brontë
Original Language: English
Originally Published in: 1847
Setting: The English countryside, Lowood School, and several of Mr. Rochester’s houses
Characters: The main character is named Jane Eyre. She is an orphaned girl who is very plain and reserved, but extremely talented in teaching and drawing. Jane Eyre has a strong sense of conscious shown throughout the book. Mr. Rochester is a stoic man who employs Jane after she leaves the school. He is a Byronic Hero in the way that he is a flawed but admired character. He is high class and very intelligent.

Plot Summary: Jane is an orphaned girl, living life under Mrs. Reed, her spiteful aunt who is not fond of her and treats her poorly. She stays with Mrs. Reed and her cousins in Gateshed manor in the English counrtyside. When Jane turns 10, she is sent by Mrs. Reed to a boarding school called Lowood. Jane goes to the school, and despite efforts by Mrs. Reed to make her life hard, Jane enjoys the school and excels in her studies. She stays at the school making many friends and becoming a teacher for two years. Jane eventually advertises for a position as governess. She finds a job working for Mr. Rochester, teaching a young French girl named Adele at Thornfield manor.After a while of teaching Adele and getting to know Mr. Rochester, they fall in love with each other. They plan to get married, but on the wedding day, it is found out that Mr. Rochester has an insane wife living in his attic. Jane leaves Mr. Rochester with no intention of becoming his mistress while he is still married. She is taken in by the Rivers family after leaving Thornfield. St. John Rivers finds her a job teaching at a local country school which she enjoys. St. John Rivers eventually informs Jane that a close relative of hers had died and left his fortune of 20,000 pounds to her. Finding out that she and the Rivers are cousins, she splits the fortune between the four of them. Jane eventually leaves in search of Mr. Rochester, only to find Thornfield burned down by Rochester’s lunatic wife, who has sadly perished in the fire. Jane finds Mr. Rochester blind and crippled in another of his homes. They rekindle their love and get married.

Q: Where is Jane sent to school?
A: Lowood

Q: Who is Jane’s favorite teacher at school?
A: Mrs. Templeton

Q: What is the name of Mr. Rochester’s house?
A: Thornfield

Q: Who is the child that Jane takes care of in her time at Thornfield?
A: Adele

Q: What pseudonym does Charlotte Brontë use when she first released Jane Eyre?
A: Currer Bell

Title- The Call of the Wild

Author- Jack London

Original Language- English

Original Publishing Year- 1995

Main characters-
Buck is a strong dog who lives a comfortable life until he is sold to be a work dog. Buck struggles at first, but learns quickly. He is cunning and smart. He soon learns the men have power over dogs.
Spitz is Bucks rival. He is the leader of the pack of dogs until Buck arrives. When Buck challenges Spitz’s leadership, their fighting begins. Buck knew from the start, that there would be a battle to the death, and there was. Buck kills Spitz and assumes his position.
Hal and Charles are men who bought Buck. They treat then curly and do not know anything about sled dogs. Their team of dogs eventually dies down to 5 dogs, but buck is set free.
John Thornton is the man who saves Buck. After being abused and whipped, John cuts Buck loose from the sled and saves him. Buck feels obliged to John because he saved his life. He is a kind and generous man.

Major Plot Points- Buck is taken away from his comfortable home and sold to work. At first he struggles with the harsh living conditions, but as time progresses, he becomes the leader of the sled team. He is sold from one man to another, never really getting to know them. Buck becomes worth a lot of money because of his strength, determination, and work ethic. He undergoes a lot of beating and whipping until he figures out the man is more powerful and he should not fight them. He then obeys his sled driver, but also creates problems for them. He becomes enemies with the leader of his sled team, Spitz, and ends up killing him. He then takes his place, as the leader of the team. Their team becomes a fast, well working team, until they are sold to other people. Hal and Charles are inexperienced sled drivers and force the dogs to work beyond their limits. Many dogs die from starvation and being overworked. Finally, the band of dogs dies down to 5 dogs. They are all tired, overworked, and malnutrition. They meet up with a man named John Thornton. He sees that they are not fit to keep on going, but Hal and Charles crack the whip. When Buck refuses to move, they hit him harder. John steps in and frees Buck. Buck feels tied to John because he saved him, so he stays with him. They move to the wild, but Buck feels propelled away from John. He wanders into the woods for days at a time but one day when he comes back, he sees John dead. Indians had come to their camp and kill him. Enraged, Buck lunged at their throats, ripping them open, and the Indians fled. Buck then goes with the wolfs that he had met before. He funs off into the woods with them. Every year, he comes back and mourns the death of John Thornton.

Questions
What was the name of Buck enemy?
Who saves Buck?
Why is Buck sold?
Who was Bucks last owner?
What were the names of the abusive sled drivers?

Answers
Spitz
John Thornton
To work as a sled dog: carrying mail, delivering things.
John Thornton
Hal and Charles

Aiden Slavin
Dawson C
The Hound Of The Baskervilles

Title: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Original Language: English
Originally Published In: 1902
Setting: London, England. Devonshire, England. Late 1800’s
Characters: Watson, Sherlock Holmes’s assistant and the point of view that the story is told from. Sherlock Holmes, the famous British detective who solves every mystery. Henry Baskervilles, a young farmer who has just received the Baskerville’s fortune. Barrymore, the in-house Baskervilles servant. Mr. and Mrs. Stapleton neighbor of the Baskervilles residence. Dr. James Mortimer, friend of Charles Baskervilles and the one who brings the case to Sherlock Holmes. Charles Baskerville, the man who owned the Baskerville fortune before being murdered.

Plot Summary: The book starts out in Sherlock Holmes’s house where him and Watson are discussing the owner of the missing cane that was left in Sherlock’s house. It turns out that it was Dr. Mortimer’s cane and he came to Holmes to solve a murder. He brings with him a manuscript, from a long time ago. The story tells us about an ancestor of Charles Baskervilles (the man that has just been killed) his ancestor had imprisoned a woman from another household. Then Hugo Baskerville (Charles Baskerville’s ancestor) was found murdered by a huge dog-beast that same night he imprisoned the girl. Since then all of the Baskervilles have met unnatural ends. The new heir to the Baskerville fortune is arriving in the morning. Sherlock leaves Watson with the heir (Henry Baskerville) because he has to do work in London. Watson and Henry are about to leave when he finds his new boot is missing. They travel to Henry’s new home, and then they learn that there is an escaped convict roaming the grounds of Devonshire. Watson the meets suspects in Barrymore (the in-house servant) and Mr. Stapleton (Henry’s new neighbor. Watson seems to notice three suspicious acts, Barrymore roaming the grounds at night, he keeps seeing a figure on the moor, and he could swear he hears a dog howling. Beryl Stapleton (Mr. Stapleton’s wife) then notifies Watson that on the night of his death he was meeting a woman named Laura Lyons. Watson learns that Barrymore is sneaking around at night trying to help his escaped convict of a brother. Watson also discovers from Ms. Lyons that Sherlock Holmes is the man on the moor. In the final scene Henry is walking back from dinner at the Stapleton residence. When Mr. Stapleton’s beast of a dog attacks. Watson and Sherlock manage to subdue him and realize that Mr. Stapleton is responsible for the murder of Charles Baskerville.

Questions:

1.Who stole Henry’s boot and why did he do it?
Mr. Stapleton stole Henry’s boot so that his dog could get Henrys scent.

2.What led Holmes to sneak around the moor without Watson knowing?
Sherlock did it because he needed no one to know that he was there so that he could gather intelligence.

3.What led Sherlock to believe that it was a woman who wrote the threatening note?
He knew because there was perfume on the letter.

4.Why did he withhold this piece of evidence until the end?
He had to know that Henry was on his side and not trying to scam him.

5.Who killed Charles Baskervilles?
Mr. Stapleton

Title: The once and future king (The sword in the stone)
Author: T. H. White
Original Language: English
Originally published in: 1938
Setting: England, 12th century
Characters: Kay-Son of Sir Ector, eventually becomes a knight, is brought up with Arthur; Arthur (Wart)-Adopted son of Sir Ector, Adopted brother of Kay, main character, eventually becomes King Arthur; Merlyn-Great magician who lives through time backwards, tutors Kay and Wart; Sir Ector-Father to Kay and Wart, ruler of a great manor.

Plot Summary:
At the age of about eight Arthur, or better known as Wart, would be tutored at day and would learn to joust and hunt at night. He lived a normal life for a boy of his status. His brother was Kay, the really son of the king of the manor while he was the adopted son and therefore would never become the ruler of the manor unlike Kay. Because of this and because of the fact that Kay was older Wart was treated with less respect than Kay. After a while the tutor went crazy and was sent away. To the two boys nothing could be better their days were filled with running around and playing all day, but soon their father decided it would be time for the boys to have a new tutor but the trouble was he couldn’t find one. One day Wart got lost in the forest and after walking for a while more he found a little hut with an old wizard out side. After introducing himself to the wizard he found out that the wizard, named Merlyn, lived backwards through time and was to be his new tutor. After returning to his estate with Merlyn, Wart and Kay had one more month of freedom before starting their tutoring. Merlyn grew fond of Wart and Wart grew fond of Merlyn. Merlyn sent Wart on many adventures and Wart went on many adventures of his own including: Getting turned into a fish, bird, badger; and other animals; sent him on a journey with Robin Hood to kill a griffin, and many more wonderful adventures. Eventually they grew up and after eight years of being tutored with Merlyn, Merlyn had to go, Wart had to become a squire and Kay a knight. Right after Kay finished his initiation as a knight and had Wart as his squire and just as Merlyn left, the king died. Out side a church in London an anvil was set on a rock with a sword going through the anvil into the rock and on the rock and sword it said that who ever could pull this sword from the stone would be the rightful king for the previous king had no heir. Also at this same time in England there was a tournament for knights and Kay, Sir Ector, and Wart all went to it. When they got to London they stayed in an inn and the next morning they went to the tournament. When they got there Kay realized he had left his sword at the inn and ordered his squire, Wart, to go find a sword. Wart did not know about the deal with the sword in the stone and as he was riding back to the inn he saw it and pulled it out with ease and brought it back to Kay. Kay realized what it was and told everyone that Wart was the new king. He got many gifts and party and as he was sitting in his room Merlyn appeared and told him that he had dressed as a beggar and put King Arthur as a baby on the door step of the manor so Sir Ector would adopted him and that all along Merlyn new he was actually the son of the King.

What was the first animal Wart was turned into? A fish
Who battle King Pellinore and then became his best friend? Sir Grummore
Who told Sir Ector and Kay about the sword in the stone? King Pellinore
What type of animals was Merlyn’s talking pet? An owl
Who goes hunting for Sir Ector when the King’s hunter comes? Robin Wood

Alex Moore
English C

Title: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Original Language: English

Original Publishing Year: 1886

Main Characters: Mr. Utterson is Dr. Jekyll’s best friend. Mr. Hyde is the evil side of Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll is a mad scientist who makes a potion that can split him in two. Poole is the butler of Dr. Jekyll.

Setting: London, late 19th century

Major Plot Points: Mr. Utterson is taking a walk with Robert Enfield. They pass a mysterious door. No one knows who lives in it. Robert tells a story of Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Utterson’s friend, running over a girl. When the family demanded money from him, he paid for the accident with a check from the mysterious door. Mr. Utterson meets Mr. Hyde, a scary looking man, who lives in the mysterious building with the door. From Mr. Hyde, he gets Dr. Jekyll’s address and learns that Dr. Jekyll trusts Mr. Hyde with his keys. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Utterson talk about Mr. Hyde at a dinner. Dr. Jekyll says that Mr. Hyde is not that bad even though he is very rude and that he should get a second chance. From a window, a maid sees Mr. Hyde kill Sir Danvers Carew. She faints but when she wakes up she calls the police. Sir Danvers Carew was holding a note addressed to Mr. Utterson at the time of his murder and the police bring Mr. Utterson to the scene. He identifies Sir Danvers Carew. The police and him go to Mr. Hydes house. He has already evacuated it, but they find his cane and checkbook. Mr. Utterson goes to Dr. Jekyll’s house. Dr. Jekyll tells Mr. Utterson that he doesn’t like Mr. Hyde anymore. Dr. Jekyll leaves him a note from Mr. Hyde. Mr. Utterson shows Mr. Guest and he says that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have similar handwriting. When Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield are on a walk, they see Dr. Jekyll from a window above. They see something that Dr. Jekyll doesn’t want them too. Poole, the butler of Dr. Jekyll is scared because his master won’t come out of his room. Mr. Utterson and him find out that Mr. Hyde is pretending to be him. They bust the door to find Mr. Hyde dead. They look for Dr. Jekyll’s body but can’t find it. Dr. Lanyon says in a note that he got another note from Dr. Jekyll and it said that he should meet someone presented by him and break open his cabinet. Mr Hyde, the one presented by Dr. Jekyll, drinks what is in the cabinet and turns into Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll wrote a note saying he made a potion that ‘split him in two.’ His good side, Dr. Jekyll, and his bad side, Mr. Hyde. Eventually he couldn’t help turning into Mr. Hyde. An example of this is when he was talking from window to Richard and Mr. Utterson. Lastly he needed the potion to stay as Dr. Jekyll. He knew that the police knew what Mr. Hyde looked like and he was wanted, so he couldn’t go and get the potion himself. Instead, he wrote a note to Dr. Lanyon and he got the potion. He used the last bit of the potion to write this letter and ends it by saying he will never be seen again as Dr. Jekyll.

Questions:
1) Who does Dr. Jekyll take walks with?
Robert Enfield
2) Who does Dr. Jekyll turn into when he drinks his potion.
Edward Hyde
3) What is Mr. Utterson’s occupation.
He is a lawyer.
4) What is Mr. Hyde’s first name.
Edward.
5) What is Mr. Jekyll’s first name.
Henry

Title: Anne of Green Gables
Author: L. M. Montgomery
Original Language: English
Original Publishing Date: 1908
Setting: Avonlea, Prince Edward Island in Canada.
Main Characters:
Anne Shirley: She is a feisty red-headed orphan. She has a quick temper, and is very skinny and has never had a real family.
Matthew: He is a middle-aged man who lives with his sister. He is very, very shy and never adds any information of his own accord.
Marilla Cuthbert: She is Matthew’s sister, a stern, middle-aged woman. She keeps everything strict and neat from her house to Anne.
Plot Summary: Matthew and Marilla wanted to adopt a boy to help on their farm, but the person they sent to bring him back brought a little girl instead. Anne Shirley was an eleven-year-old girl who was never had a real family in her life. She wanted to stay with the Cuthberts, who had originally wanted to send her back, but they were so charmed by her that they decided to keep her. Anne talked non-stop. She had a talent for getting into every mishap imaginable. When she went to school, she met Gilbert Blythe, who teased her about her red hair, a sensitive subject for Anne, who went up in a fury. While she had many friends at school, she and Gilbert were always competing for who was at the top of the class. As Anne grew older, her misfortune for accidents shrank, and she and the Cuthberts grew closer and closer. When she was fifteen, Anne and some of her classmates went to Queen’s University, to learn to be teachers. They all competed for top of the class, who won a medal, and for the Avery Scholarship, which would give the winner a free college education. In the end, Gilbert won the medal, and Anne won the scholarship. However, when Anne returned home, she spent only a small amount of time with Matthew and Marilla when Matthew died of a heart attack. Soon after that, Marilla’s doctor said that if she continued to read and sew, she would go blind. Anne sacrificed her scholarship to stay back and help Marilla, and when she saw Gilbert Blythe, they discussed it and realized their feud had been silly, and that they could be great friends.
Five Questions:
1. Where is Anne of Green Gables set? Avonlea, Prince Edward Island
2. How old is Anne when she first comes to Green Gables? Eleven years old.
3. Who was more inclined to keep her at first, Matthew or Marilla? Matthew
4. Who was Anne’s best friend? Diana Barry
5. Who was the teacher that coached Anne and her classmates for Queen’s? Miss Stacy

Title: Les Miserables
Author: Victor Hugo
Original Language: French
Originally Published in: 1862
Setting: Montfermeil, Montreuil-sur-Mer, and Paris – all located in France.
Characters: Jean Valjean, Cosette, Marius Pontmercy, Fantine, Javert, Enjolras, Thenardiers (and Eponine)

Plot Summary: Ex-convict, Jean Valjean, who has been imprisoned in Toulon for nineteen after stealing a loaf of bread and attempting numerous escapes, visits the diocese of Digne as an outcast. Spending the night at the house of the diocese’s bishop, Valjean tries to steal the household’s silverware, and being caught by the police, is not taken into arrest but given a second chance and a pair of silver candlesticks by the bishop. Valjean undergoes a personal transformation and moves to the town of Montreuil-sur-Mer, were he opens up an incredibly successful factory, betters the lives of everyone within the vicinity, and eventually becomes the major. Meanwhile, a poor grisette (working-class French woman), Fantine, with a father-less child, Cosette, is employed at Valjean’s factory with her daughter in the care of two unscrupulous innkeepers – the Thenardiers. As one of the other workers at the factory discovers that Fantine had a child out of wedlock, she is fired. Unable to pay the enormous funds the Thenardiers ask of her for her child’s care without her job at the factory, Fantine ends up selling her two front teeth and most of her hair, eventually stooping to prostitution to keep her child from being tossed out into the streets. When a man puts snow down her back one winter and Fantine attacks him, she is arrested by Javert, a policeman who has been tracking Valjean for years (as he committed several other petty crimes before completely reforming to morally correct ways). Valjean – who is major under the name Medeleine – believes Fantine’s story about her child and the Thenardiers, and he excuses Javert from his post. All is well, until Fantine develops tuberculosis and another man, named Champmathieu is arrested as Jean Valjean. Unable to continue to live as major while another man is jailed under his name, Valjean turns himself in, promising Fantine, on her deathbed, that he will find and raise her daughter. Fantine dies and Valjean is arrested, until years later, by chance, he survives an accident but is presumed dead. Using this opportunity to travel to Paris and retrieve Cosette from the Thenardiers, the two live happily in Paris, first at a convent where Cosette receives an education, and later in several different households around the city – reserved from society as much as possible to reduce the risk of running into Javert or anyone else who would recognize Valjean - until Cosette is in her mid-teens. It is then that Cosette falls in love with a young revolutionist, named Marius Pontmercy, gazing at each other in the city’s garden, Luxembourg. They later exchange vows unbeknownst to Valjean, and Marius asks his grandfather for permission to marry as Cosette tells him that Valjean wants them to move to London. His grandfather, having a turbulent relationship Marius, does not offer his blessings upon the marriage. Believing that Marius will never see Cosette again, as he cannot marry her and cannot follow her to London, he joins the revolutionaries, who are setting barricades and fighting the Nation Guard. Jean Valjean also joins the fray, and is offered a chance to execute Javert – who is caught spying on the revolutionaries for the police. Jean Valjean spares him, however, and attempts to carry Marius – who was brutally wounded during the battle – to his grandfather’s house via the sewers of Paris. Javert catches and arrests him, though he allows Valjean to return Marius to his grandfather. However, Javert finds that he cannot arrest Valjean, because doing so would truly be immoral – as he owed Valjean his life. Thus, being unable to live as a breaker of legal laws, though he would be holding his own moral rules, Javert commits suicide. Marius’ grandfather has a change of heart, rediscovering his affections for his grandson, and allows him to marry Cosette. The two wed, and after several issues concerning Jean Valjean’s identity (being unable to live in the household of his son-in-law and daughter as a liar, he divulges his secret to Marius, who – for some period of time – decides to restrict his access to Cosette) he dies of old age and the book comes to an end.

Q: How does Jean Valjean die?
A: Of old age.

Q: Does Marius ever kiss Eponine? Does Cosette find out?
A: Yes, Marius kisses Eponine’s forehead after she dies. No, Cosette never finds out.

Q: What does “les miserables” (the title) refer to?
A: The poorest of the poor, those who truly have nothing. (The phrase is used in a comparison between those who are extremely poor, but have some substance and those who are the “les miserables”, those who can be found truly starving, huddled in the darkness on the verge of oblivion.)

Q: Who kills Javert?
A: Javert commits suicide.

Q: Who wrote the lyrics to the musical that is based on Les Miserables?
A: Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Author: Oscar Wilde
Original language: English
Originally published in: 1890
Setting: London, England. The late 19th century.
Characters: the plot centers around a young man of high rank and nobility named Dorian Gray, a painter named Basil Hallward, who is a great admirer of Dorian, and a man named Lord Henry Wotton, who although cynical is entrancingly charming. Also importang are a young unknown actress named Sibyl Vane, and her brother James.

Plot Summary: One hot summer day, a painter of little fame, Basil Hallward is receiving a visit from his dear old friend Lord Henry Wotton. They are discussing Basil’s latest subject, Dorian Gray. Basil feels that Dorian is beautiful in every way, from body to soul, and furthermore does not want Henry to meet him because he is worried that Henry will be a very bad influence on Dorian. Dorian arrives and insists that Henry stays. While Henry and Dorian talk (Dorian is entranced by Henry) Basil finishes his portrait of Dorian. Everyone declares it Basil’s greatest work to date, except for Dorian because he is displeased that although he will grow old, the portrait will stay young. He wishes that the opposite should happen instead. Slowly Henry’s cynical ideas infect Dorian’s virgin mind and he becomes more and more frivolous and sinful, but over the years his physical appearance remains the same. One day he becomes infatuated with a little known Shakespearean actress named Sibyl Vane. He is engaged to be married to her, but one day she tells him that she will give up acting to marry him, and he is so horrified that he calls off the engagement. Eventually she kills herself. That night Dorian notices that his portrait has marred itself. It looks older, and also somehow crueler. He realizes that his wish of long ago has come true, and the picture is a window into his soul. He hides it. For the next eighteen years Dorian lives a life of shameless sin, and although he remains young and beautiful whilehis portrait becomes more and more hideous. When Basil confronts him about his unscrupulous lifestyle, in a fit of madness Dorian kills him. One night, in an opium den, Dorian runs into Sibyl’s brother James who thinks he recognizes Dorian as the man responsible for his sisters death. Dorian escapes rom James, but James follows Dorian to Henry’s country house. There James is killed by the hunters who mistake him for an animal while he is prowling the grounds looking for Dorian. Suddenly the weight of his crimes falls on him. He takes the very knife with which hhe killed Basil and stabs his portrait which is now the deformed beyond recognition. Having heard a scream the police come to the house, and find a horrid old ugly carcass on the floor next to he picture of Dorian Gray as fresh and beautiful as the day it was painted.

Where does Dorian encounter James Vane?
In an opium den.

What is Sibyl’s specialty on the stage?
Shakespeare.

What does Henry give Dorian that starts him on his 18 years of sin?
A French book.

What is Sibyl’s nickname for Dorian?
Prince Charming.

Who helps Dorian dispose of the body?
An old chemist friend.

Your character descriptions could have used a little more details, letting the readers know that Jo is a Tom-boy, Beth is gentle, Meg is motherly, and Amy is hot-tempered, for example.
Little Women:
Louisa May Alcott
English
Originally Published in: 1868
Setting: Boston Massachusetts. American Civil War.
Characters: The four protagonists are Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March. In the beginning of the book, vain Meg is sixteen, tom-boyish Jo is fifteen, sweet, kind Beth is thirteen, and hot-tempered and spoiled Amy is twelve. They live with their mother, Mrs. March, and cook, Hannah; their father is away, working for the war. There is also next-door neighbor Mr. Laurence, his grandson Theodore, who likes to be called Laurie, and the four girl’s old Aunt March.
Plot Summary: Christmas is coming and the Meg, Jo, and Amy are complaining about how it is no fun to be poor and that they wish they could have presents. All four girls decide to get presents for their mother because they each have a little money. When Christmas comes but they give their Christmas breakfast to a poor family. Their kind-hearted neighbor hears of this act and sends them a wonderful lunch. They meet Laurie and soon become good friends with him. The four girls and Laurie learn many lessons as they get through the year. One day Laurie takes the March girls and some of his friends from England to a picnic where Meg meets Laurie’s tutor Mr. Brooke. Shortly after that the Marches receive a telegram saying that Mr. March is ill and Mrs. March should come at once. While she is gone, the four sister try very hard to do all their mother’s work. However, only Beth continues to visit the poor family, the Hummels, and she catches scarlet fever from one of the sick children. She gets much worse and Mrs. March is called to return to her when Mr. March is recovering. Finally, Beth is well again, but she is weakened for life. Three years later, and beginning the second section of the book, Meg and Mr. Brooke get married and later have twins. Jo began writing and made a good amount of money for the family, including Mr. March who returned. Soon Amy goes around the world with Aunt March to expand her artistic talent. Jo discovers that Laurie loves her and she goes to work in New York to protect them both from each other’s quick tempers if they got married. This breaks Laurie’s heart and he goes to Europe where he gets over Jo and meets Amy, who was there at the time. They later fall in love and get married. In New York, Jo meets Mr. Bhaer, a German man, whom she admires and finally marries. Sadly, Beth dies from being so weak, but her family is glad that she will no longer suffer.
Questions and Answers:
Q: What are Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, and Laurie’s actual names. (Their first names)
A: Margaret, Josephine, Elizabeth, Amelia, and Theodore
Q: Why did Amy go with Aunt March as opposed to Jo?
A: Jo said things, which made Aunt March not want to take her.
Q: What is Mr. Brooke’s first name?
A: John
Q: What did the March girls decide to do in the very beginning of the story that they continued, both consciously and unconsciously, to do throughout the whole book?
A: Play Pilgrims
Q: Why does Laurie like to be called Laurie instead of Theodore?
A: People call him Teddy, which he does not like.

Matthew Barton
April 16, 2008
English B
Karp

Library Classics Assignment

Title: Rebecca
Author: Daphne Du Maurier
Original Language: English
Original Publishing Date: 1938
Setting: Begins in Monte Carlo, most of the action takes place at Manderley, an estate in the English country side, some of the action takes place in London, probably in Victorian times.

Characters:
The Heroine: Is the main character. She remains nameless throughout the book, but is referred to as Mrs. De Winter. She is shy and in the beginning of the story lower class. She is the narrator and protagonist
Maxim De Winter: Older cultured and proper Englishman. Owner of Manderley. Very mysterious and a widower. He is currently married to the second Mrs. De Winter
Rebecca: The late Mrs. De Winter and former mistress of Manderley. Current ghost of Manderley
Mrs. Danvers: Sinister housekeeper of Manderley, fiercely devoted to the late Rebecca
Jack Favell: Rebecca’s cousin, alcoholic, Rebecca’s lover
Frank Crawley: Maxim’s kind, loyal overseer, good friend and mentor to the heroine
Beatrice: Maxim’s sister
Giles: Beatrice’s husband
Mrs. Van Hopper: former employer of heroine. Quite the fashionista
Ben: retarded man who lives in the boathouse on the beach. He knows and sees a lot and befriends the heroine
Frith: kind butler
Clarice: maid
Jasper: the dog

Plot Summary:
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is a riveting and suspenseful love story that you will not be able to put down. Through the imagery and darkness of the book, the story will stick in the readers mind forever.
The story is told from the point of view of a nameless heroine. Throughout the book the reader never discovers her name. In the beginning of the book, the narrator is in a hotel room with her husband and she begins the book with the line: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…” She tells that she and her husband are traveling from place to place in Europe since Manderley does not exist anymore. The real story begins with the heroine and Mrs. Van Hopper at a fancy ball where they meet Maxim De Winter in Monte Carlo. The heroine is a companion to Mrs. Van Hopper. Maxim Proposes marriage to her and takes her to Manderley. A dark cloud lies over Manderley since Rebecca, the perfect woman and wife, died a year earlier. Everyone loved her, which makes the heroine feel uneasy. She feels that she can never be the Mrs. De Winter Rebecca was. Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, makes matters worse for the new Mrs. De Winter. Mrs. Danvers was very loyal to Rebecca and would not let anyone replace her. Maxim holds the Annual Grande Costume Ball, and Mrs. Danvers tells the heroine what to wear. This turns out to be a disaster. This was the same costume Rebecca wore to her last costume ball. The Heroine feels that Maxim does not love her anymore and Mrs. Danvers almost convinces her to kill herself, but this evil act is interrupted by discovery of a ship sinking. This leads to finding Rebecca’s boat. They find her body locked in a cabin—NOT SUICIDE!? Maxim tells her the truth that Rebecca was evil and had affairs with many men including her cousin Jack Favell. Maxim asks Rebecca for a divorce and she says no, but she says that she is pregnant with Jack’s child. Mazim shoots her and puts her in a boat and makes holes and it sinks. The heroine’s marriage is saved by this epiphany, but Maxim is in danger of prison. Part of this investigation of Maxim leads to them visiting Dr. Baker in London, the same doctor that saw Rebecca the day she died. It turns out that she was not pregnant and in fact had cancer, which provided her motive for her suicide. She actually wanted Maxim to kill her, but Maxim was off the hook. The heroine and Maxim drive home to Manderley, a bit awestruck and get a call that Mrs. Danvers is missing. They drive up to the house and the house is in flames.

Questions and Answers:
1. What famous filmmaker made a movie version of Rebecca?
Alfred Hitchcock
2. What is the name of the doctor Rebecca saw in London the day she died?
Dr. Baker
3. What was the name of the heroine’s favorite dog at Manderley and what type of dog was he?
Jasper, the spaniel.
4. What does Ravel call Mrs. Danvers?
Danny
5. What is the name of he valley on the Manderley property that has a stream running through a bed of azaleas and opens up to the beach?
The Happy Valley

Title: Daddy Long Legs
Author: Jean Webster
Original Language: English
Originally Published in: 1912
Setting: Orphanage and Boarding School
Characters: Jerusha, the main character, was an orphan all her life until Daddy Long Legs agrees to fund her and send her to a boarding school. Jerusha’s school friends gave her a different experience than she ever had when it came to socializing. Daddy long legs, a trustee that only ever funded boys sent Jerusha Abbott to a boarding school in return for her to write letters to him.

Plot Summary:
All her life Jerusha Abott spent her days tending to the young children of the orphanage she was put in as a child. By the time she was sixteen, she thought there was no hope and she would live at the orphanage her entire life. Jerusha’s future changed when she was given a scholarship to a boarding school from one of the orphanage’s trustees. The trustee promised to fund her only if in return Jerusha promised to send him letters once a month. Once she arrived at the boarding school, Jerusha was over-joyed with this different life style. She wrote letters to the trustee almost everyday explaining all the events that took place at the boarding school. After a while, because the trustee never wrote back to her, she started answering the burning questions she had herself. She then started to form a unique relationship with herself. After months went by, she her first letter from the trustee that she now calls Daddy Long Legs. This letter was asking her to come to New York because the trustee had fallen very ill. When Jerusha arrived in New York she spent a silent hour with Daddy long legs on his deathbed. They immediately connected emotionally. After this she wrote him one last letter saying that she will love him forever and ever.
Questians:
Q.Who was the real Daddy Long Legs?
A. Julia’s uncle

Q. What was the name of the orphanage that Jerusha grew up at?
A. John Grier Home

Q: Why did Jerusha switch her name to Judy?
A: Becuase she thought that Judy fits into the boarding school society more.

Q. Why was it surprising that the trustee picked Jerusha to send to college.
A. Becuase he usually only helps boys

Q: Why did Jerusha name the Trustee Daddy Long Legs
A. Becuase in her mind, Jerusha pictured him as a tall man with long legs.

The Call of the Wild, published in 1903, is Jack London’s most famous work, using and incorporating his experiences as a Gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness. Further, he uses his experiences in the Canadian wilderness to include some of his ideas about nature and the struggle for survival. He also gathered and became inspired by few historical figures including Charles Darwin, an English naturalist credited with theories of biological evolution. Although The Call of the Wild is the first and foremost a story of a dog, it displays a physiologic depth absent in most animal stories.
Buck, a strong half St. Bernard and half Sheepdog, is the protagonist of the story. The perspective of the story is mainly through the eyes of Buck, (the novel briefly shifts into the eyes of John Thornton). John Thornton, a kind individual saves Buck from the guardian of Hal (a wicked, greedy, selfish, inexperienced person) and who is rewarded with complete devotion and a strong unbroken bond with Buck.
This book has various different sets of themes including: the struggle for survival, adventure, heroism, gloominess, deprivation, savagery, and rebellious behavior. The call of the Wild takes place in the 1890’s in California (briefly) then Alaska and the Klondike region of Canada. The story is fictional but certain event such as the Canadian gold surge is certainly not ahistorical.
This book relates to the idea of socialism, how one with such decorum has everything taken away from them. Buck goes through many important stages in his life. The book starts off first with Buck, being a well-pampered, spoiled, dog. Then, he becomes a beaten food deprived dog sled-pulling dog, which actually is beneficial and makes him stronger. Further, he becomes an obedient companion of John Thornton. Lastly, he undergoes a life-changing epiphany, which transforms him into a completely savage, cub-bearing, pact-leading, wolf-like dog. The book’s ending was defiantly my favorite and I will not tell you how it ends because I want you (the reader) to read it on your own and enjoy the unique classic novel of the story of Buck!

Q: Who is the protagonist of the story?
A: Buck

Q: Who kills John Thornton?
A: A pact of nomadic Indians

Q: What time and what place does the story originally take place?
A: In the 1890’s in California

Q: When was The Call of the Wild published?
A: 1903

Q: What kind of breed is Buck?
A: Half St. Bernard and half Sheepdog

Title: Slaughter House Five
Author: Kurt Vonnegut
Original Language: English
Original Publishing Date: 1969
Setting 1930’s to 2000 ( 2000 being an estimate of the date in the future they describe).

Characters: The main character is a Billy Pilgrim, and he has become unstuck in time. Billy is a rather dreamy, extremely average person. He is a chaplain’s assistant in the war and an optometrist in his middle aged years. He is also abducted by aliens when he was 44 and later on in life he gives speeches on what he saw while he was with the aliens. Billy is the picture of a normal person who has an extremely interesting life. There are extremely vivid and well-portrayed minor characters throughout the book. Including Valencia, his ugly and devoted wife. Montana Wildhack, a movie star who is Billy’s mate in Tralfamadore (The alien planet). The aliens on the planet Tralfamadore are also play a big part. They can see in the 4th dimension, time. This allows them to choose what moments of their life they want to live. They know how they are going to die from the moment of birth.

Plot Summary: The book starts with the author talking about he himself writing the book and a rather non-descript journey he takes to find an old war buddy. He also tells us that the war parts of this book are in fact true (The author himself features in the book for a short time. The real book however starts with the words “LISTEN: Billy Pilgrim has become unstuck in time. The book then records Billy’s entire life in interesting fragments. One paragraph will talk about a random optometrist party when Billy was 54 and then switches to the war when he was in his 20s. The entire book is Billy Pilgrim’s life in a random and jumbled order. There are hundreds of characters in the book all random and detailed. The book really centers on the Dresden bombing and the war. It is in some ways an anti-war book, but Vonnegut writes in a funny and playful style. The book also is littered with Tralfamadorian references and philosophy. It also talks about the idea of all time happening simultaneously. And the repetition of the phrase “So it goes” which is a Traflamdorian saying and is used whenever someone dies. The book is about a random, random, life told in an extremely funny and interesting way.

Q: What is the Tralfamdorian saying repeated through out the book?
A: So it goes

Q: Who is Valencia?
A: Billy Pilgrim’s wife

Q: What famous bombing features a major part in the book
A: The Dresden firebombing

Q: What is Billy Pilgrim’s Profession?
A: Optometrist

Title: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Author: Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Original Language: English
Original Publication Date: 1905

Setting: England and France

Characters:
Percy Blackeney (a.k.a The Scarlet Pimpernel)- Percy first appears as one of the richest yet dumbest men in England. It is later found out that Percy is indeed the Scarlet Pimpernel, the man who has been saving the aristocrats in France from the guillotine.

Marguerite/Lady Blackeney- Lady Blackeney is considered to be one of the most beautiful women in England. She was a very successful actress but gave it up to marry Percy Blackeney.

Chauvelin- Chauvelin is the villain of the novel. Throughout the novel he attempts to find the Scarlet Pimpernel and stop anyone who is trying to save the French Aristocrats.

Plot Summary:
The Scarlet Pimpernel begins in middle of the French Revolution, where each day hundreds of French aristocrats are sent to the guillotine. As well as this there are also many attempts to escape out France. There is one man named after a flower called The Scarlet Pimpernel who is helping these aristocrats escape. None of the guards can ever find or stop him. The book then goes to a small pub in England. A group of past escapees are gathered waiting for the newest group of arrivals to come. A women named Comtesse de Tournay arrives at the pub with her two children. She says that she wants to thank The Scarlet Pimpernel for rescuing her but mentions that her husband is still back in France. The men at the pub say that the Pimpernel’s identity is a secret. Marguerite St. Just arrives. Here in England, Marguerite St. Just is known as Lady Blakeney, for she is married to Percy Blakeney, the richest and most fashionable man in England. Lady Blakeney’s brother then leaves for France. When Lady Blackeney comes back to the pub she meets Chauvelin, a French officer, intent on discovering the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. He has been spying on the activities of the Englishmen at the pub, and says that Marguerite must help him find the Pimpernel. She refuses to do so. Chauvelin finds a letter from Marguerite’s brother, Armand, and now he sees that he can blackmail her to help her find the Pimpernel. Lady Blakeney realizes that she has no choice. At a ball later that night Lady Blackeney finds out that the Pimpernel will be waiting in one of the rooms at one o’clock that night. But when she tells Chauvelin of this, he goes to the room, only to find Percy stretched out on the couch taking a nap. Chauvelin tells Lady Blakeney that if she lies again her brother will be in great danger.  Lady Blackeney and Percy Blackeney go away to the country home outside of london. While they are there Lady Blackeney tells Percy the situation with her brother. He promises to help her. That night Lady Blackeney is looking around her husbands stuff when she sees the mark of The Scarlet Pimpernel. She then realizes the true identity of her husband. Even though Lady Blackeney now knows who her husband is she still must save her brother. Together they sail to Calais to save Lady Blackeney’s brother. While in Calais Lady Blackeney hides in an inn while Percy saves the fugitives from sure death using his clevear ways to disguise himself as an old jew. Chauvelin goes tells his men to punish the old jew for lying to him about the fugitives. Lady Blackeney watches as the old jew gets beaten up only to find out that its her husband in disguise. They then sail off having saved the fugitives.

Questions:

1. q: Who is Marguerite St. Just in England?                                                                        a: Lady Blackeney

2. q:  What is a Scarlet Pimpernel?                                                                                    a. A flower

3. q: What does Chauvelin find that allows him to make Lady Blackeney help find the identity of The Scarlet Pimpernel?                                                                                      a: A letter from Lady Bleckeney’s Brother

4. q: When Chauvelin goes to the room that Lady Blackeney said to go to at 1 o’clock looking for The Scarlet Pimpernel, he instead finds…                                                            a: Percy Blackeney

5.  q:What do the common people of France use to execute the aristocrats?                                 a: A guillotine

Title: A Little Princess
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Original Language: English
Originally Published in: 1905
Setting: This book takes place in London, around the early 1900’s. The one specific place where most of the book is held is in “Ms. Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies”.
Main Characters:
Sara Crewe is the only main character, though there are many other important characters (Captain Crewe, her father; Ermengarde, Lottie, Becky, her friends; Ms. Minchin herself; and Mr. Carrisford). Sara is only seven when the book begins, and the book takes place over a few years; her rich father who is going to India to make more money leaves her at the Seminary.

Plot Summary: Though young, Sara is an ambitious and determined character. At age seven she is forced to part with her father and enroll in a ‘select seminary for young ladies’, in short, a boarding school. Sara’s mother had passed away when she was only an infant, so it is only she and her father. They are very close. Luckily enough, they are extremely rich. So, as her father is away in India making money, she is kept in the seminary in which her every need is satisfied. Her father’s money allows her to have a treasure trove of continuous luxuries; such as her own room with a fire place, and a numerous amount of expensive clothing, an elegant doll, waiting room leading to her room, furnished room, etc… Luxuries do not matter to Sara, she is smart and polite, and with her love of impromptu story telling, she soon becomes very popular. She is a modest friend, and always wants to help. She soon becomes close with ‘un-intelligent’ Ermengarde, and mothers young little Lottie, whose mother also died. Though considered taboo, she also becomes friends with the scullery maid, teenage Becky, making Becky’s days more bearable by telling Becky stories and giving her more food while her room is cleaned. A large portion of the novel is spent telling the reader of Sara’s rich days, until tragedy strikes. While partnering with an old friend, Captain Crewe invests in diamond mines. When the mines turn up bare, Captain Crewe is faced with loss of money and a series of other problems, causing him to become ill. Once his friend also becomes ill, and leaves, giving Captain Crewe ALL of the problems. He eventually dies, and on her Birthday, left without a family member, and any money, Sara is pulled out of her party and informed of this death. Ms. Minchin (who always disliked Sara) immediately stops the party, and takes all of her luxuries away. Leaving Sara with a doll, and a couple of her less-expensive clothes. She is immediately demoted to a scullery maid, and though once the center of attention, cast to the side. Sara refuses for her spirit to be broken or to let herself cry, she remains polite. No matter how tough the days may be, how hungry she may be, and how many times the adults yell at her malevolently, she keeps her poise. Her only happy moments are when Lottie and Ermengarde steal away to the attic to see her. Eventually, an odd neighbor from India moves in next door, whose name is Mr. Carrisford. Mr. Carrisford is, in truth, the friend of Captain Crewe, who is also by chance looking for Sara in Paris and even Russia. A curious series of events bring them together, and in the end, they realize each other’s true identities. Sara is adopted (with Becky as her personal maid), and so the story ends.

Q: What is Saras’ doll’s name?
A: Emily

Q: Who was Captain Crewe?
A: Her father

Q: True or False, Sara sobbed upon hearing about her father’s death?
A: False

Q: Ms. Minchin was described in the first chapter as looking like what marine animal?
A: A fish

Q: What was Mr. Carrisford’s relationship with Captain Crewe?
A: He was his best friend and was his partner in the diamond mines.

Title: All Quiet on the Western Front
Author: Erich Maria Remarque
Original Language: German
Originally Published In: 1929
Setting: early 1900’s, Europe WWI, England or Germany (not specified)
Characters: Paul Baumer: Narrator of the book and main character, 19 years old and he was a plawrite and poet. He is used by Remarque to magnify the events that took place in WWI. Kropp: Paul’s best friend from school in school, described as the “clearest thinker”. Kat: (Stanisilaus Katczinsky) 40 years old and is “the leader” of their group. He dies at the end of the book and Baumer carries him on his back all the way to their camp. He is one of Baumer’s best friends. Haie Westhus: He is one of Paul’s close friends and is a little older than Paul. His profession was peat-digger. Tjaden: His profession was locksmith. He was not well liked by the men but was one of Paul’s good friends.

Plot Summary: This book is an anti-war book that attempted and succeded in trying to capture the horrors of WWI. Paul Baumer is a young man who decided to enlist in the army. He and the rest of his group are all described in great detail to help give the mindset of the war. The book takes the reader through the many deaths and atrocities that happen throughout the book. One can see the changes that go through the boys during the book. Early in the book, when their friend is dying, few of the men show compassion but they think about his boots and who gets them. This shows the lack of feeling these men have. The war has changed them in ways they did not think were possible. Almost everyone in this book dies with the exception of Tjaden and a few others. Paul is the last to die, and the description of his death is beautiful. He dies with despair and hopelessness. It is terrible and sad for the reader to see Paul die in this way.
Questions and Answers:

Q: Why is the book called All Quiet on the Western Front?
A: Because that is the atmosphere when Paul dies.

Q: What does Paul say that Kat has?
A: A sixth sense

Q: What is the name of the group’s abusive corporal?
A: Corporal Himmelstoss

Q: What is the name of Paul’s and his schoolmates’ teacher?
A: Kantorek

Q: What is the book’s German name?
A: Im Westen Nichts Neues

Rasheed Williams
April 16, 2008
English B

Main Characters: Peter Pan, Wendy Darling, Micheal Darling, John Darling, Mr. And Mrs. Darling, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, Lost Boys, and Indians
Setting: London, England and Nevrland during the 19th century
Title: Peter Pan
Author: J.M. Barrie
Original Language: English
Published: 1911

Plot Summary: In the book Peter Pan a boy named Peter Pan losses his shadow while fleeing from sight when he was caught listening in on a bedtime story. Sometime later he returns to get his shadow back and meets three little children by the names of Wendy, Micheal and John Darling. Wendy puts his shadow back on him and Peter asks her to come back with him to Netherland and be a mother to his friends, The Lost Boys, who were all abonded in Kensington Gardens, a royal garden in England. She agrees to come with him and her brothers come along too. The instrutions to Nevrland are hard since there are none but to believe and they fly there. Once they got to Neverland the Darlings met The Lost Boys.Micheal and John started to act like them because they liked The Lost Boys ways. Soon Wendy begins to really love Peter, but since Peter can never grow up his thoughts on girls are icky. So he tells Wendy his doesn’t love her and she decides to leave for England with her brothers. However she is soon caputured by captain Hook. In an effort to save her, he also gets saved by Tinkerbell because she drinks poisoned medicine to save him. In order to save Tinkerbell he had to wish her better because in Neverland you have to believe in the magic and anything is possible. Tinkerbell gets better! Once Peter got onto the ship he scares captain hook by acting like a crocodile. Then he frees the Lost Boys and the children. When Captain Hook figures out who peter pan is they duel, but Peter Pan wins! Then he feeds Captain to a real crocodile. In the end, after coming to London, Peter returns the kids home. Mrs.Darling adopts the Lost Boys and asks if Peter wants to be adopted but he says no. Peter doesn’t want to grow-up!

Question 1: What is the little boy’s name who defeats Captain Hook? Peter Pan

Question 2: What eats Captain Hook? A croc

Question 3: Who is asked to be Peter’s mom? Wendy

Question 4: What are wendy’s brothers names? Micheal and John

Question 5: How does Peter Pan feel about growing up? He’s afraid/Really doesn’t want to