The Black Cat-study guide
describe the narrator's deterioration. you must detail what he was like first, and then describe his negative changes.
He is nice, kind. then he starts to drink, becomes cruel-(beats his wife, kills her and kills his cat)
what vicious crime does he commit instead?
He kills his wife
what does the narrator attempt to do the second cat?
He tries to kill the cat with the axe
describe the crime scene once the wall's been destroyed.
The decaying corpse forward and the very much alive cat
does he admit to having deteriorated?
YES
what famous superstition is alluded to the fourth paragraph?
black cats are witches
what similarity did the husband and wife share?
both like animals
why is this story considered a flashback?
cause he was writing in jail, looking back on it
Detail the narrator's post-crime personality.
he is calm, he relaxed; can sleep well
what was his gruesome reaction when the cat bites him?
he takes out his eyeball with his knife
how does he ultimatley tell on himself
he taps the wall and the cat starts to scream
where is the narrator as he writes the story?
in jail, and is dying tomorrow
list the animals the couple owned.
monkey, rabbits, bird, goldfish, cat-Pluto, dog
describe the narrator as a child
nice, quiet, kind
what is the origin of that superstition
that people in the middle ages believed that people came back to life as black cats
what do the police behind the wall?
the cat screaming
after the narrator's house burns, what imprint has been left?
the hanged cat
what was his second attack on the cat?
then hangs him
what is his immediate reaction?
to hid the body
List five ways that Poe's life is similar to that of the narrator's.
1. Both drank 2. Both of there wife's died 3. Both believe in the perviness humankind 4. Both suffer from depression
in what point of view is the story written?
1st person point of view
what did the narrator write near the end of the story that foreshadowed his committing a crime and being caught?
But this blow was arrested by the hand of my wife
the first cat is named "Pluto". what is the possible significance of that name?
Pluto was the name of the Roman God of the underworld
how is the second cat similar to Pluto in a physical sense?
They are exactly the same but then the second cat has a white hair on his chest.
