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Copywork
About This Passage
On the hill's northern edge, the smallest careless movement would expose Pym and Peters to the savages in the village below. Copying this sentence lets a writer feel how Poe piles up commas and clauses to slow the men down to a crawl, so the sentence itself moves as cautiously and painfully as the bodies it describes.
We crawled along, therefore, on our hands and knees, and, occasionally, were even forced to throw ourselves at full length, dragging our bodies along by means of the shrubbery.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell the chapter in order: the days in hiding, the food running out, the failed attempts to climb down, and the exploration of the strange chasms and marks. Then name the moment you think matters most, and say why.
Discussion Questions
- Pym and Peters give up their safe hiding place to search for food, even though leaving exposes them to danger. Was that a wise choice, or too great a risk? Use the chapter's details about their dwindling food to defend your view.
- Pym and Peters try the southern, eastern, and northern sides of the hill, and every route is blocked. What does the chapter gain by having them fail again and again before they admit they are 'cut off entirely,' and why does that repetition matter? Use the details of their attempts to explain.
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Vocabulary
Item 1
Care taken in advance to avoid danger or harm.
Item 2
A supply of food gathered for future need.
Item 3
A downward slope of ground.
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Critical Thinking
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