Q1 of 34 Page 130

'... I was asleep and not asleep, ... 'what state of mind of the speaker is indicated here? What /who is responsible for this state?

These lines were said by Mr. White. He was so petrified by terror and awe that he was unable to have a conscious control over his mind and body. This state of his was a result of the effect the monkey's paw had on him. After witnessing unnatural things such as moving of the paw and seeing of faces in fire, Mr. White was not able to keep calm and hence remained disturbed which hampered his sleep patterns as well.


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1

Working in pairs, imagine the following scene:

• Mr. White's living room


• Midnight; Herbert's gone to work


• Mrs. and Mr. White seated on the armchairs, on each side of the fireplace; both watching faces in the fire with horror.


Role play Mrs. and Mr. White. Discuss what you are seeing and your plans to avert the impending disaster that might befall your household.

 2

Work in groups of four: One of you should act as Herbert and the other three as his friends at work.

Two of the friends are superstitious and warn Herbert about the premonition, whereas the other one is happy-go-lucky, like Herbert. They are talking about Herbert's experience the previous evening at home.


• Convince Herbert to take some precautions before it is too late.


• At the end of the conversation, write a message as Herbert to Mr. White, suggesting to him what precautions the family should take.

 2

Why do you think Sampson was not able to decide about entering White's house?

 3

Has Sampson brought good news to the White couple?