A narrow fellow
What is the setting of the poem?
Outside in a field with tall grass
Whose perspective is the story from?
Montresor
What type of irony is this?
(The reader knows that Montresor is planning to get revenge on Fortunato, but Fortunato does not know.)
Dramatic Irony
What is exposition?
The beginning of the story that introduces the reader to the setting and characters.
What would be MISSING if the story were written from Fortunato's perspective? (What would the reader not know about Montresor?)
The reader would not know that Montresor was angry with Fortunato.
"The grass divides as with a comb"
What does the author want the reader to visualize?
The snake is making a clear path through the grass.
Who is Montresor speaking to in the story?
"You who so well know the nature of my soul."
A person who knows Montresor (the narrator) well.
What is figurative language?
When someone says something overly dramatic or compares two things.
What is conflict?
The character desires something or is having a struggle.
How does the reader know Fortunato is an expert on wine?
"He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine."
"In painting and gemmary, Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack—but in the matter of old wines he was sincere."
What does the imagery of the "whip-lash" suggest about a snake?
A snake can curl up and stay very still or straighten out and move incredibly fast.
Did Fortunato know Montresor was planning to trap him?
No, he was keeping it a secret.
What is a central idea?
The heart of the story or main message/takeaway the author wants to reader to learn.
What is rising action?
The events that build up to the climax.
Which can be inferred about Montresor’s feelings as he imprisons Fortunato? (Think about why he would imprison him rather than just kill him.)
He enjoys imagining Fortunato is suffering.
"His notice sudden is"
"It wrinkled, and was gone"
What do these two lines suggest about a snake?
A snake is quick and surprising.
What is the conflict of the story? (What does the main character desire?)
Revenge
“I replied to the yells of him who clamored. I re-echoed—I aided—I surpassed them in volume and in strength. I did this, and the clamorer grew still.”
What does the word “replied” mean in this context?
He yelled loudly
What is climax?
The turning point of the story where the reader seeing the character get what they desire or overcome their struggle.
“For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them.”
What information about the story does this sentence convey?
Fifty years have passed since the events of the story.
Is this line literal or figurative?
"The grass divides as with a comb"
Figurative
What does Montresor tell his servants to do? Do they follow his orders?
that he will not be coming home that night, and that they should stay at home.
They do not follow his orders and sneak out to enjoy the carnival.
In paragraph 76, Montresor describes a “long and obstinate silence” coming from the recess where Fortunato is. What is Montresor implying when he calls Fortunato’s silence “obstinate” (or stubborn)?
Fortunato is trying to upset Montresor
What is resolution?
The very ending of the story.
What is the resolution of the story?
Montresor leaves Fortunato in the crypt for 50 years.