This was intended to be released last night, but the Internet at my house was uncooperative. Oh well, it gave me the opportunity to catch up on all my reading and plan a little for next week.
Monkey See, Monkey Murder
So, be honest, who really expected to find an orangutan responsible for such a massacre??? Really. It seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter, Mademoiselle Camille L'Espanaye kind of gave me a Great Expectations-type feeling, but I think that could just be because of their lifestyle and that they were hulled up on the fourth floor of their home. I was convinced from the start that Dupin was the murder and I am not so sure that this is not the case. ( I am suspicious of people who want to remain constantly in the darkness.) I would kind of like to see an orangutan shave; I think it would be interesting. Overall, I liked the Sherlock Holmes feel of it all. I was constantly on edge while reading, sure that the next line would reveal Dupin as his true self. I did not trust the narrator either; since he voluntarily associated himself with Dupin, he was automatically suspicious, in my mind at least. (I realize this was a bit of a stream of consciousness, but those were some of my thoughts.)
This story raises interesting questions regarding morality, the importance of the truth and imagination, and remaining too close to a problem while trying to discern its solution. We will discuss these and others in the discussion boards this week and through out the month. The devil is definitely in the details.
I feel one is supposed to close his book remembering to keep an open mind when faced with a seemingly impossible situation. What about you all?? Thoughts on the main point of this story??
Here are some of the questions I asked myself after completing The Murders in the Rue Morgue:
Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter, Mademoiselle Camille L'Espanaye kind of gave me a Great Expectations-type feeling, but I think that could just be because of their lifestyle and that they were hulled up on the fourth floor of their home. I was convinced from the start that Dupin was the murder and I am not so sure that this is not the case. ( I am suspicious of people who want to remain constantly in the darkness.) I would kind of like to see an orangutan shave; I think it would be interesting. Overall, I liked the Sherlock Holmes feel of it all. I was constantly on edge while reading, sure that the next line would reveal Dupin as his true self. I did not trust the narrator either; since he voluntarily associated himself with Dupin, he was automatically suspicious, in my mind at least. (I realize this was a bit of a stream of consciousness, but those were some of my thoughts.)
This story raises interesting questions regarding morality, the importance of the truth and imagination, and remaining too close to a problem while trying to discern its solution. We will discuss these and others in the discussion boards this week and through out the month. The devil is definitely in the details.
I feel one is supposed to close his book remembering to keep an open mind when faced with a seemingly impossible situation. What about you all?? Thoughts on the main point of this story??
Here are some of the questions I asked myself after completing The Murders in the Rue Morgue:
- Who is at fault for the murder? The sailor? The orangutan? Without the sailor bringing the animal into the city, this would not have happened, not under these circumstances at least.
- If we are going to claim that animals have certain "rights" and the orangutan should not have been whipped and contained in a closet, is the animal not at fault for its actions? If so, what is a just punishment for an orangutan? Does it even understand what it has done or if its actions were wrong? If the orangutan does understand its actions, should we draft a bill of rights for primates??
- Do you feel the police altered their future approaches to seemingly unsolvable crimes?
Tarred and Flaxed. . .
I found Hop-Frog more than slightly disturbing. Also, I was surprised to find that I blindly chose 2 stories to be read back-to-back that included orangutans. Granted in two totally different aspects of the story.
This story also touches on morality and the justification of one's actions. We will discuss this on the discussion board.
I at first felt some sympathy for Hop-Frog and Trippetta, but that soon left once I realized everything they were willing to do to their captors. Before you jump all over me, hear me out. Once the king and his cronies were chained together and in the party, the two of them could have easily escaped (since it was easy enough to place such important people into such a compromising position). There was no reason for the two of them to kill the king and his clan. That was cruel; yes, the king held them hostage and humiliated them repeatedly, but their actions were entirely uncalled for and deplorable.
Here are some questions I asked myself after finishing Hop-Frog:
Please share your thoughts on these two stories!! And join in on the discussion. I love yo read your comments!!!
This story also touches on morality and the justification of one's actions. We will discuss this on the discussion board.
I at first felt some sympathy for Hop-Frog and Trippetta, but that soon left once I realized everything they were willing to do to their captors. Before you jump all over me, hear me out. Once the king and his cronies were chained together and in the party, the two of them could have easily escaped (since it was easy enough to place such important people into such a compromising position). There was no reason for the two of them to kill the king and his clan. That was cruel; yes, the king held them hostage and humiliated them repeatedly, but their actions were entirely uncalled for and deplorable.
Here are some questions I asked myself after finishing Hop-Frog:
- Should we, as individuals, expect punishments to rival the cruelty and violence of the crime committed? If so, what does this say about our civilization and morality?
- What is the significance of orangutans for Poe? Is he obsessed? Or did he just not have another scary animal to use?
- When does one man's humor cross the line? Does all humor not poke fun of someone, somewhere, at some time?
- Why did the king think it was ok to allow himself to be tarred and covered in dry flax, then walk into a ballroom lit only with the moon and torches???
- Does the removal by force of one man from his home and the subsequent dehumanization of him and his friend merit such a violent and malicious attack on his captors?
Please share your thoughts on these two stories!! And join in on the discussion. I love yo read your comments!!!
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