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Copywork
About This Passage
Poe pauses the action to reason about the mind: usually a person who sees an apparition keeps 'some glimmering of doubt,' a faint hope that he is 'the victim of chicanery' rather than facing 'a visitant from the old world of shadows.' Copying it teaches the semicolon that joins two balanced clauses and the cool, analytical voice Poe uses to make terror feel scientifically exact.
Usually, in cases of a similar nature, there is left in the mind of the spectator some glimmering of doubt as to the reality of the vision before his eyes; a degree of hope, however feeble, that he is...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell this chapter in order: how the three creep to the cabin, how Peters leads the mutineers to speak of superstition, how the narrator appears as the dead Rogers, how the fight is won with Tiger's sudden help, and how the gale then wrecks the brig. Then name the moment you find most decisive and defend your choice.
Discussion Questions
- Before the apparition, the plan nearly collapses: the mate orders the cook to fetch the hidden men, and only a violent lurch and Peters's faked 'Ay, ay' keep them from discovery. Explain what these near-misses contribute to the chapter just before its climax. Use details from the chapter.
- When the apparition of Rogers strikes the whole crew, only the mate drops dead while the others freeze or fight. Explain why you think the same sight affects the mate so differently from the rest. Use details from the chapter.
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
A ghostly figure that suddenly appears.
Item 2
The use of clever trickery to deceive.
Item 3
A bringing back to life.
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Critical Thinking
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