| A | B |
|---|
| the plot of "Lather and Nothing Else" | Captain Torres, leader of the military arm of the government, comes in to the narrator's barbershop for a shave. The narrator, an informant for the revolutionaries, is faces with a decision about whether or not he should kill Torres |
| character in "Lather and Nothing Else" | Captain Torres- leader of the military, brutal, willing to kill boy doesn't enjoy it____the narrator- a very good barber, a spy for the revolutionaries, nervous when he recognizes Torres, wants to be a hero but doesn't know if he can bring himself to kill anyone |
| setting of "Lather and Nothing Else" | a barbershop in Columbia; relatively modern story |
| theme of "Lather and Nothing Else" | it is difficult to kill someone else; stick with what you are good at |
| author of "Lather and Nothing Else" | Hernando Tellez |
| the plot of "The Black Cat" | Narrator was a kind and gentle person but became an alcoholic. As he drank more and more, he became cruel to those he cared for, especially his cat, Pluto, and his wife. After killing the cat, he finds a new black cat, and it torments him. He tries to hill the cat and ends up killing his wife. He conceals her body behind a false wall in the basement, but he accidentally?? walled up the cat as well, and it gives him away. He will be executed for his wife's murder the next day |
| characters in "The Black Cat" | the narrator- an alcoholic, says he was kind and gentle but we only see his bad side, tormented by the guilt of what he did to his car___Pluto- his black cat, he puts his eye out and then hangs it___his wife- puts up with him until finally he kills her ___ the black cat- mysteriously appears and torments the narrator |
| setting in "The Black Cat" | a house (specifically the basement) sometime in the mid 1800s |
| theme of "The Black Cat" | what goes around comes around; don't drink; black cats are bad luck |
| author of "The Black Cat" | Edgar Allen Poe |
| plot of "The Open Window" | a very nervous man comes to visit a small community. He goes to the home of his sister's friend and, while waiting for her, meets her niece. The girl tells him about a terrible tragedy involving her uncle and her aunt's brothers. When the aunt comes downstairs Framton is more nervous, and when he sees the uncle and the brothers coming up the lawn, he thinks he is seeing ghosts and runs away. The girl was actually telling a lie, and she tells another to cover herself. |
| the characters in "The Open Window" | Framton Nuttel- nervous, visiting for his health, recommended by his sister___ Mrs. Sappleton- a friend of Framton's sister, very nice to him___ Vera- Mrs. Sappleton's niece, likes to make up stories, fifteen years old |
| setting of "The Open Window" | late 1800's/ early 1900's in a small peaceful community |
| theme of "The Open Window" | don't believe every story you hear; don't jump to conclusions |
| author of "The Open Window" | Hector Hugh Munro- "Saki" |
| plot of "The Necklace" | a woman who is fixated on money and appearance wants to go to a fancy ball. She borrows a necklace from a friend to make herself appear wealthy and then loses it. She borrows the money to buy a new necklace and gives it to her friend without ever telling her what happened. She worked for ten years to pay off the necklace. When she finally meets her friend ten years later and tells her about the necklace, the friend admits that the original necklace was fake and that the main character has just worked all those years for nothing |
| the characters in "The Necklace" | Madame Matilda Loisel- loves money and things, very superficial, thinks she was born into the wrong family because they don't have much money, has to work when she loses the necklace___ Monsieur Loisel- very kind to his wife, spoils her by trying to give her everything she wants____ Madame Forestier- Madame Loisel's friend, has lots of money, lets Madame Loisel borrow a necklace that looks real but is actually fake |
| setting of "The Necklace" | Paris, late 1800's |
| theme of "The Necklace" | All that glitters isn't gold; always tell the truth; don't try to pretend to be something you aren't |
| author of "The Necklace" | Guy de Maupassant |
| plot of "Like the Sun" | a man decides to tell the truth, no matter how much it hurts, for an entire day. He hurts many people's feelings, including his wife's and his boss'. His boss tells him that he appreciates his honesty, but he punishes him for being brutal about it |
| the characters in "Like the Sun" | Sekhar- a school teacher who thinks it is important to spend a day telling nothing but the truth___his wife- gets her feelings hurt by Sekhar because she cooked a bad meal___ his boss- has taken singing lessons but is not very good |
| setting of "Like the Sun" | Malgudi, India, modern times |
| theme of "Like the Sun" | Truth is like the sun (it's hard to look at)___ you should try to tell the truth but be nice about it |
| author of "Like the Sun" | R.K. Narayan |
| plot of "After You, My Dear Alphonse" | Johnny brings his African-American friend, Boyd, home for lunch. His mother assumes certain things about Boyd because he is black, but Boyd does not fir into her stereotype of black people. He frustrates her attempts to be the "charitable white person: who wants to help him and his family |
| characters in "After You, My Dear Alphonse" | Johnny- a little boy who doesn't even notice that his best friend is different than he is___ Boyd- an African-American boy whose father is a factory foreman, whose mother stays at home to care for him, and his sister, and whose family can afford to buy anything they need____ Mrs. Wilson- Johnny's mother who believes that all black people must be poor and live in really big families and need a white person's help |
| setting of "After You, My Dear Alphonse" | The Wilsons' house somewhere in the U.S., 1949 or so (after WWII) |
| theme of "After You, My Dear Alphonse" | not everyone fits into a stereotype___ don't be a racist____ children are innocent and don't see differences between races |
| author of "After You, My Dear Alphonse" | Shirley Jackson |
