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1. The Wit of Porportuk

   In: To Build a Fire and Other Stories Format(s): Text

   In this story from To Build a Fire and Other Stories, an old and ill chief has a large debt and cannot find the means to pay it. The lender, Porportuk, offers to have the debt waived if the chief gives away his daughter.

2. The Law of Life

   In: To Build a Fire and Other Stories Format(s): Text

   In this story from To Build a Fire and Other Stories, an old and blind Alaskan Native man listens to the sounds of his tribe preparing to migrate to find food and thinks about the law of life: all things must die.

3. To the Man on Trail

   In: To Build a Fire and Other Stories Format(s): Text

   In this story from To Build a Fire and Other Stories, a stranger seeking to get back the money that he lent to another man visits a group of revelers in their cabin. The stranger has been on the trail for 12 hours with no rest. The revelers take him in and listen to his story.

4. The Cask of Amontillado

   In: Edgar Allan Poe: Storyteller Format(s): MP3, Text

   The text and audio of this story in Edgar Allan Poe: Storyteller are about a man named Montresor who wants to commit revenge against his "friend" Fortunato. Luring the wine-loving Fortunato with the promise of tasting the rare and fine wine Amontillado, Montresor leads him down beneath his palace into the bowels of the earth.

5. The Black Cat

   In: Edgar Allan Poe: Storyteller Format(s): MP3, Text

   The text and audio of this story in Edgar Allan Poe: Storyteller describe a man who, while telling his story on the eve of his death, proclaims that he is psychologically sound despite his drunken and violent rages.

6. The Story of William Wilson

   In: Edgar Allan Poe: Storyteller Format(s): MP3, Text

   The text and audio of this psychological story in Edgar Allan Poe: Storyteller describe a narrator who asks to be called "William Wilson" and tells a tale about his encounters with his mysterious doppelganger. Try as he might to escape from the haunting whisper of an unknown figure, William Wilson always comes face to face ... with himself.

7. Poetry for the People

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article starts with the view that most poets believe that poetry should be understandable and accessible to everyone. The article then introduces the poetry and ideas of Ted Kooser, a famous poet born in Iowa. Following the stories of Ted Kooser, the article introduces what a poet laureate is, how long they serve, how they are chosen, how much pay they get, what they do, and six poet laureates of the past two decades. The history of the Library of Congress is introduced at the end.

8. The Tell-Tale Heart

   In: Edgar Allan Poe: Storyteller Format(s): MP3, Text

   The text and audio of this story in Edgar Allan Poe: Storyteller are about a man who is obsessed with an elderly man's pale blue eye.

9. The Last Leaf

   In: The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories Format(s): Text

   This story describes a woman who catches pneumonia and wishes to die when the last leaf on an ivy vine outside her window falls.

10. Beyond Film: Exploring the Content of Movies

    In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 1 Format(s): Text

    This article looks at the use of movies in the language-learning classroom. The author promotes the use of the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird” due to its content, which involves poverty, racial inequality and mental illness, and to the availability of websites related to its use in English classrooms. The author highlights six scenes for understanding the movie, pre-viewing, while viewing, and post-viewing activities, as well as suggestions for Internet follow-up. An example WebQuest is included.

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