The Fall Of The House Of Ushers

Check comprehension
1 He has come to the house because his friend Roderick sent him a letter earnestly
requesting his company. Roderick wrote that he was feeling physically and
emotionally ill, so the narrator is rushing to his assistance.
2 In the "exaggeration" of his features, Roderick appears as different as to be
unrecognizable. His hair is now of a mere "weblike softness," and a strange luster is
in his eyes of a face of "ghostly pallor."
3 Basically, Usher is a slave to his fear of the unknown and intangible
4 Usher expresses his belief in the human quality of matter and that the house and
surroundings are Alive
5 The corpse seems to have color in the cheeks as if alive
6 (A) Hears a Metallic Reverberation (B) Says that his sister is making the noise (C)
A door opens, Madeline collapses into Usher's arms, and they both fall dead

Critical thinking
1 His appearance and the house are in decay, like his mind which is sorrowful and
gloomy
2 he buries Madeline alive, and is trying to end/cover up his insanity just as he is
trying to end/cover up Madelines life
3 The significance of this detail deals with the reliability of our narrator. Considering
that the narrator himself has admitted to becoming "affected" by Usher's sickness,
we must realize that a person isolated from the real world can become infected by
the same mental "sickness" as another isolated person.
4 that maintaining contact with the outside world is important to maintain sanity
5 yes because when a person is isolated from the real world, he or she can become
infected by another persons psychological maladies

The Ministers Black Veil Activities

1 Mr. Hooper becomes a more efficient clergyman, gaining many converts who feel
that they too are behind the black veil with him (in The Minister's Black Veil). This
hints at the idea of "secret sin". Also the veil hung between him and the world. This
shows how sin keeps people separate from other people. Also when first he wears
the veil he talks about "secret sin" & people assume that he has a secret that he's
keeping (possibly about the young girl who recently died). !
2 secret sin exists in people, and they are hypocritical about their sins, pretending
that they are guileless.

Vocab
1 equidistant

2 wickedness

7 agitated

2 equate

3 discourteous

8 jocularity

3 equilibrium

4 showy

9 vulgar

4 equivalent

5 perceptive

10 inflexibility

1 respected

6 oddity

Reading strategy
1 (a) basically the whole story said that no human is perfect and no matter where
you are or who you are, you are no different. (B) I agree because nobody is perfect
and I believe that no matter what you do you can't please everyone.
2 (a) In refusing to understand his gesture, on the other hand, his parishioners are
insisting on not confessing that they are not confessing anything. Every time they
manage to distract themselves from getting the message, they repeat an
enactment of its meaning! That is, they persist in wearing an invisible "veil." (B) I
think this is true because you need to admit to things so you're not wearing this
fake veil in your life, like something heavy on your shoulders

Grammar: 3 examples
(1) There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance. (2) Swathed about his
forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr.
Hooper had on a black veil. (3) On a nearer view it seemed to consist of two folds of
crape, which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin.