The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe - Chapter 6

Study guide for 1st – 3rd Grade

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Copywork

About This Passage

Even in danger and a hurry, the narrator will not leave the dog who has twice saved him. Copying it teaches the comma that joins two thoughts and shows how a writer can make loyalty feel like a duty worth any risk.

No time was to be lost, yet I could not bring myself to abandon an animal who had now been twice instrumental in saving my life, without some attempt at preserving him.

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

Discussion Questions

Narration Prompt

Tell what happens in this chapter in order: how Augustus and the narrator carry the half-dead dog Tiger out of the box, how Tiger gets well again, how Dirk Peters turns out to be only pretending to be drunk, and how the crew keeps fighting during the storms. Slow down at the part you find bravest or kindest and tell what you think about it.

Discussion Questions

  1. Even though the dog Tiger seems nearly dead and is heavy to carry, Augustus and the narrator drag Tiger out of the box rather than leave him. Why do you think they cannot bring themselves to abandon Tiger? What part of the chapter helps you decide?
  2. Dirk Peters had seemed drunk in front of the mate and cook, but Augustus and the narrator discover that 'the greater part of his apparent intoxication... was a feint.' Why do you think Dirk Peters pretends to be more drunk than he really is? How do you know from the chapter?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide

Vocabulary Builder

Item 1

Great tiredness from hard effort.

Item 2

A trick or pretend action meant to fool someone.

Item 3

A sudden change of mind for no clear reason.

+ 5 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide

Critical Thinking

+ 4 more questions in the complete study guide

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