The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe - Chapter 24

Study guide for 1st – 3rd Grade

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Copywork

About This Passage

This is the chapter's bravest moment. Seeing Pym about to fall, Peters climbs back up the deadly cliff and reaches him 'just in time.' Copying this calm, careful sentence lets a young writer feel how a plain, steady line can carry a daring, life-saving rescue, and how loyalty makes Peters risk himself for his friend.

At length, seeing me totter, he hastened to ascend to my rescue, and arrived just in time for my preservation.

Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.

Discussion Questions

Narration Prompt

Tell the story of this chapter in order. Start with Pym and Peters climbing down the steep cliff, then tell about Pym's scary fall, the surprise attack by the savages, and how the men get away in the canoe. Slow down at the part you think matters most.

Discussion Questions

  1. Peters gets the men down the steep cliff by cutting little steps and driving in pegs with a pistol. What does the way Peters makes a path down the cliff tell you about him, and why? Use the chapter's words about how he climbs down to explain.
  2. As Pym climbs down the cliff toward Peters, he becomes so afraid of falling that he almost lets go on purpose. Why do you think Pym's own frightening thoughts nearly make him fall? Use the chapter's words about what he imagines to explain.

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide

Vocabulary

Item 1

A deep space that seems to have no bottom.

Item 2

To faint and lose consciousness.

Item 3

Great danger.

+ 5 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide

Critical Thinking

+ 4 more questions in the complete study guide

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