author of "The Open Window"

Saki

author of "The Tell-Tale Heart"

Edgar Allen Poe

author of "The Landlady"

Roald Dahl

author of "The Monkey's Paw"

W.W. Jacobs

author of "Harrison Bergeron"

Kurt Vonnegut

author of "There Will Come Soft Rains"

Ray Bradbury

conflict

struggle between forces

reversal

a sudden change in a character's situation from good to bad or vice versa

personification

giving things human qualities

plot

chain of related events that make up a story

foreshadowing

clues and hints that suggest future events

satire

writing that ridicules something in order to change it

narrator

person or character that is telling a story

theme from "There Will Be Soft Rains"

technology cannot replace humanity

themes from "The Open Window"

• It isn't funny to make an individual's disability the brunt of a joke.
• "White" lies can be harmful.

theme from "Harrison Bergeron"

it is impossible to erase all forms of competition from society

theme from "The Landlady"

"if something seems too good to be true, it probably is."

theme from "The Monkey's Paw"

nothing is free or without consequence

facts from "The Landlady"

• Billy Weaver has gone to do business
• takes place in Bath, England
• Chris and Gragory
• has a magic sign that draws a character to it
• a stuffed dog foreshadows the end

facts from "The Open Window"

• Mr. Framton Nuttel comes out to the country to relieve his nerve condition
• Vera entertains Mr. Nuttel before her aunt, Mrs. Sappleton, appears
• Three men and a dog have been missing for three years
• Mr. Nuttel leaves wihtout saying good-bye because "he is afraid of dogs."

facts from "The Tell-Tale Heart"

• the story is told in first person narrative
• the narrator is disturbed by an eye
• a bed is used as a murder weapon
• a character has sharpened senses

facts from "The Monkey's Paw"

• Sergeant Major Morris delivers a "good luck" charm to friends
• Herbert White dies from machinery at work

facts from "Harrison Bergeron"

• George and Hazel are Harrison's parents
• Harrison rebels against society
• A ballerina gets shot
• Intelligent people are forced to hear a piercing noise every twenty seconds

facts from "There Will Come Soft Rains"

• takes place in the year 2026
• there are no humans in the story
• takes place in Allendale, California