New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

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Library Selection for High School Week 6

This week we are reading “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. It is a tale of revenge for perceived wrongs set in Italy in the 1800s. Below are links to the print version of the story and the audio version of the story. The print version is about ten pages and the audio takes about fifteen minutes. Below the story links are some questions to consider after reading the story. Click here for a brief biography of the author from the Poe Museum. If you enjoy “The Cask of Amontillado” and want to listen to more of Poe’s stories, here are links to audio versions of “The Tell-Tale Heart” and the “Masque of the Red Death” and text versions of “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Mask of the Red Death”.

The Cask of Amontillado

To Read the Print Version of The Cask of Amontillado
To Listen to the Audio Version of The Cask of Amontillado

Edgar Allan Poe
(born January 19, 1809, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.—died October 7, 1849, Baltimore, Maryland)

Edgar Allan Poe, (born January 19, 1809, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.—died October 7, 1849, Baltimore, Maryland), American short-story writer, poet, critic, and editor who is famous for his cultivation of mystery and the macabre. His tale “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841) initiated the modern detective story, and the atmosphere in his tales of horror is unrivaled in American fiction. His “The Raven” (1845) numbers among the best-known poems in the national literature. (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica)

Questions to think about for “The Cask of Amontillado”

What do you think Montresor’s motivation is for killing Fortunato? What do you think Montresor means in the 1st paragraph of the story by “the thousand injuries” and “insult”?

What kind of clown is Fortunato? We see lots of scary clowns in the movies and in books. Is Fortunato a scary clown? Did you find anything ironic about his name?

To whom, do you suppose, is Montresor telling this story? Upon what evidence do you base your assumption?

Montresor acts as judge, jury, and executioner of Fortunato. Is there any crime/offense that Fortunato could have unwittingly committed that would make Montresor’s rage seem reasonable to you? Do you think individuals are ever justified in taking justice into their own hands?

Library Selection for Elementary Week 6

This week we are reading a story about a little bat who makes new friends while she is lost.
To Listen to the Audio Version of Stella Luna

Library Selection for Preschool/Intensive Support Week 6

This week we are reading the six selections below. Click on the links under each book cover to hear the stories being read to you.

To Listen to the Audio Version of How I Became a Pirate