Preview
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell this chapter in order: how the crew marches nine miles inland to Too-wit's village, Klock-klock, while small groups of islanders keep joining the party 'as if by accident' until the narrator senses 'so much of system' in it that he distrusts it; how the village is rendered with naturalist precision amid domesticated animals, even tame black albatross; how the crew is led into Too-wit's hut 'with great solemnity' and then packed so tightly by the crowd that they could neither rise nor reach their arms; how Captain Guy's beads are scorned while his knife delights the chief; how the chief devours raw entrails the sailors cannot stomach; and how Too-wit leads them to reefs rich with biche de mer before they return to the schooner. Note where the chapter most quietly registers danger and consider why.
Discussion Questions
- On the march to Klock-klock the islanders' party swells 'as if by accident' with 'so much of system' that the narrator distrusts it, yet he confines his clearest warning to the chapter's final sentence. Why might Poe withhold that judgment until the close, and what does the timing do to our reading of the visit? Use details from the chapter.
- The crew acts friendly toward Too-wit because it has no safe way to retreat, yet the men stay ready to kill him at the first sign of danger. How should we judge that decision, and why does the chapter make it feel prudent, dishonorable, or both? Use details from the chapter.
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Critical Thinking
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