The Raven and the Swan: Summary
A raven saw a swan and desired to
secure for himself the same plumage. Supposing the swan’s splendid white color
arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the raven left the altars
in the neighborhood where he picked up his living, and took up residence in the
lakes and pools. But cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not
change their color, while through want of food he perished.
The Fox and the Crow: Summary
A
crow, having stolen a bit of meat, perched in a tree and held it in her beak. A
fox, seeing this, longed to possess the meat himself, and by a wily trick
succeeded. “How handsome the crow is,” he exclaimed, “and in the beauty of her
shape and in the fairness of upon her complexion! Oh, if her voice were only
equal to her beauty, she would deservedly be considered the Queen of Birds!”
This he said deceitfully; but the crow, anxious to refute the reflection cast
upon her voice, set up a loud caw and dropped the flesh. The fox quickly picked
it up, and thus addresses the crow: “My good crow, your voice is right enough,
but your wit is wanting.”
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe: Summary
The narrator is a man who lives in
the home of an older gentleman. He begins the story by explaining several
things about himself. He tells the reader that he is not mad but nervous. He
has very keen senses; he can see and hear things that others cannot. He loves
the old man. To prove that he is sane, he states that he will tell his story
very calmly.
The narrator has a problem with the
old man’s eye. He describes it as pale blue with a film over it. The sight of
the eye makes the narrator so uncomfortable that he must destroy it and the
man. He takes care of the old man and treats him respectfully. However, at
midnight for the past seven days, he has been opening the door to the old man’s
room and watching him ever so carefully. He has been devising a plan to get rid
of the eye forever. On the eighth night, the narrator enters the room which is
a black as black can be. For an hour, he does not move. He realizes that the
old man has been awake all this time and is sitting up in his bed. Then the
narrator opens a small crack in the lantern which shines a single ray on the
eye. With a loud scream, the narrator leaps into the room. The old man shrieks,
and the narrator is upon him. He throws the old man to the floor and places the
heavy bed upon him.
It takes some time before the old
man stops breathing. The narrator places his hand on the old man’s heart and
realizes that it has stopped beating. Now he must get rid of the body. He
removes some planks from the floor of the bedroom and places the body there. He
carefully replaces the boards, so that no one would suspect any foul play. All
of a sudden, he hears knocking at the door. It is 4 a.m. Who could it be? The
narrator opens the door and sees that it is the police. A neighbor has heard a
shriek and has called them. The narrator invites them into the bedroom and even
goes so far as to place chairs directly over the spot where the body is concealed.
The police sit down and make
themselves comfortable. After some time, the narrator wishes that they would
leave. He feels himself getting pale, his head is aching, and he hears a
ringing in his ears. He becomes anxious, begins speaking in a heightened voice,
and paces back and forth. The noise in his ears becomes louder and louder; he
thinks he hears the beating of a heart. The narrator can’t take it any more. He
screams to the police that he has done the deed and tells them to tear up the
planks.
The Three Sisters’ Wishes: Summary
Once upon a time, there was a young
sultan, who was fond of putting on disguise and seeking adventures in all parts
of the city. Passing down a lonely street, the sultan heard women’s voices in
loud discussion: and peeping through a crack in the door, he saw three sisters
explaining what sort of men they wished to marry.
“I ask nothing better,” cried the
eldest, “than to have the sultan’s baker for a husband.” She thought of being
able to eat all the delicious bread that was meant for the sultan alone.
Feeling challenged, the second
sister said, “I should be quite content with the sultan’s head cook. I could
feast upon delicious stews and have the sultan’s bread into the bargain.” She
was excited, for she thought she proved her taste was better than that of her
older sister.
It was now the youngest sister’s
turn. She was by far the most beautiful of the three; and had more sense than
the other two. “As for me,” she said, “I should take an even higher flight; and
if we are to wish for husbands, nothing less that the sultan himself will do
for me.”
The sultan was so amused by the
conversation he had overheard, that he decided to fulfill their wishes. He
commanded his officers to bring the ladies into his presence right away.
“You,” the sultan said, turning to
the youngest, “who desired to have me for a husband shall be satisfied this
very day. And you,” he added, addressing himself to the other two,”shall be
married at the same moment to my baker and to my chief cook.”
When the sultan had finished
speaking the three sisters were very scared of being punished because of what
they had wished. The youngest flung herself at his feet, and faltered, “Oh,
Sire, since you know my foolish words, believe, I pray you, that they were only
said in joke. I am unworthy of the honor you give me-please forgive my
boldness.” The sultan said, “Do not be afraid, for I have not the slightest
intention of giving you pain.” The other sisters also tried to excuse
themselves, but the sultan would hear none of it. “No, no,” he said, “my mind
is made up. Your wishes shall be granted.”
A couple of days after the big
wedding, the two older sisters became displeased that they fell into a jealous
passion.
The Masque of the Red Death: Summary
In the land of Prince Prospero, a
terrible sickness, known as the Red Death, was sweeping across his kingdom.
Many people had been afflicted with the illness and had died. Prince Prospero
had a taste for the bizarre and magnificent. His castle was very grand and most
unusual. It contained seven apartments, arranged in a maze from east to west.
Each apartment was a different color-blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet
and black. The stained glass windows, as well as all the furnishings, matched
the color of the room, except for the black room. In the black room, the
windows were red, and on one wall was a giant ebony clock.
To escape the outside world, Prince
Prospero invited one thousand friends to his castle. As soon as they arrived,
his servants were told to bolt all the doors which led into and out of the
castle. He wanted to make sure that in his world of the castle, no one would
come in contact with the Red Death.
Six months later, he decided to
throw a huge party for his friends. It was a masquerade party where masks and
wild costumes were required. The prince provided entertainment, dancers,
singers, and musicians for the guests’ pleasure.
The guests are having a grand time
at the masquerade party. They make their way from room to room. There is one
room in which they will not go. It is the black room with the giant ebony
clock. As each hour passes, the clock strikes, and the guests become
motionless. When the chimes cease, the party begins again.
At the stroke of twelve, many
become aware of a masked figure which they have not noticed before. The figure
is tall and bony, wearing burial clothing. Covering his face is a mask,
speckled with red dots, that resembles a corpse. Prince Prospero is outraged upon
seeing this intruder. As the intruder runs from room to room, the prince
follows closely. None of his guests are part of the chase. They are too afraid
of the masked figure.
Finally, the chase comes to an end
in the black room. The prince, with drawn dagger, approaches the figure.
Suddenly, he drops the dagger and falls dead. The guests seize the figure that
seems to disappear into thin air. One by one they drop to their death, and the
ebony clock will chime no more.
The Monkey’s Paw: Summary
Mr. White and his son Herbert are
playing chess on a cold, dark, rainy night. Mrs. White is keeping busy,
knitting in front of the fireplace. They are expecting a guest, Sergeant Major
Morris. He has an interesting story to tell. While he was in India, an old
beggar gave him a monkey’s paw. The paw had a spell put on it by a man who
believed that fate ruled people’s lives. Three men could have three wishes from
it. Sergeant Major Morris was the second man who had the paw. When asked
whether his wishes had been granted, the sergeant’s face turned white. He
believes that the paw is evil and throws it into the fire. Mr. White retrieves
the paw and puts it into his pocket.
The sergeant leaves and Mr. White
makes his first wish. It is for money. The paw moves in his hand, twisting like
a snake, but no money appears. Father and son sit down by the fire. The wind
blows furiously, and the sound of a banging door is heard. Then Mr. White retires
to their bedroom while Herbert sits alone in the dark by the fire. As he gazes
into the fire, he sees horrible faces staring back at him. Alarmed, he grabs
hold of the paw and goes upstairs to bed.
The next morning is a beautiful winter
morning, with the sun streaming through the kitchen window. The Whites are
having breakfast. Herbert leaves for work, and shortly thereafter, Mrs. White
notices a strange man outside the house. The man appears nervous and undecided
about whether to enter the house. Hesitantly, he enters but remains silent. He finally
tells the Whites the nature of his business. He has come from Herbert’s work
with some bad news. Herbert had a terrible accident! He was critically injured
by the machinery. He gives the whites some money to pay for funeral services,
the exact amount that Mr. White wished for on the previous night.
The Whites are speechless; their
son is gone. After many days, Mrs. White has an idea. Why not make a second
wish? Later that evening, she convinces her husband to wish their son alive. As
they lie in bed in darkness, they hear strange sounds coming from downstairs.
Mr. White cautiously creeps down the stairs. All of a sudden, they hear loud
knocking at the door. Mrs. White races to the door while Mr. White searches
frantically for the paw. He finds it and makes his third and final wish. The
knocking ceases, the door opens, and all that is visible is a street light on a
quiet, deserted road.
