Education Standards Addressed
CE 1.1.1, CE 1.2.1, CE 1.3.1, CE 1.5.1, CE 2.1.3, CE 3.1.2, CE 4.1.1
Theme: Coming of Age, Finding Oneself in the World.
Essential Question: Who Am I?
This week's SCRIBE and I-WRITE will be different. Due to the shortage of computers in the classroom, you will be required to complete the journal entries on your own before Thursday October 1,2009 11:59pm.
Journal Topics 250 words each
Suggestion: Type your blog entry in Microsoft Word first. Make sure you perform a spelling and grammar check. You may also check your word count there. Copy your entry and paste it into a new blog post. The title of your entry, should be the question or a shortened version of the question.
1. What do you think Robin was feeling when he decided to sail around the world? Would this be possible today? Why or Why not?
2. Find a Coming of Age ritual or ceremony of a culture that is different than yours. Describe the similarities and differences.
Short Story of the Week : Marigolds http://sphstigers.org/ourpages/users/jasher/Bootcamp/Marigolds.pdf
You are required to read this for this week and have the study guide completed and ready to submit for evaluation Monday October 5, 2009.
The study guide will be sent to your email accounts.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Study Guide Answers
Why did Kim stand before the family altar, why was she sad?
Kim stood before the family altar because she was trying to remember her father who had died when she was only 8 months old. This made her sad.
How would you describe the neighborhood in which Kim and Ana lived?
The neighborhood in which Kim and Ana lived was poor and shabby. This was revealed by the description of trash and tires, rats, and abandoned buildings.
Why did Kim plant the lima bean seeds in the vacant lot? Why did she choose this time for her project?
Having come from Vietnam’s tropical climate, Kim suffered from the relatively cool temperatures of Cleveland in April. She did not realize that it was the wrong time of year. Kim also wanted to prove to her father, that she was his daughter.
Why were Ana and Wendell important to one another?
Ana and Wendell had a friendship based on concern for each other, they were important to one another because each lived a long and had nobody else to turn to for help or company.
Why did Ana and Wendell try so hard to save Kim’s bean plants?
Ana and Wendell tried hard to save Kim’s bean plants because they saw how important the plants were to Kim; they were also moved by the child’s desire to grow in the abandoned lot.
Why did Leona want to plant goldenrod?
Leona thought it would be nice to plant a patch of goldenrod in the lot in honor of her grandmother.
What did Leona mean when she observed, “You can’t measure the distance between my block and City Hall in miles?
She meant that the poor neighborhood she lived in was far from the thoughts of the public officials, and that the gap between poor and wealthy people was very wide.
What type of work did Sam do before he retired? In what ways did he continue to work toward the same goal?
Sam used to work for organizations that sought world peace. He still worked towards that goal by encouraging friendly communication between people and deliberately ignoring their fears and prejudices.
What did Gonzalo mean when he said, “The older you are, the younger you get when you move to the United States?
He meant that for an adult who loses the ability to communicate and work, moving to this new country could mean giving up independence and authority
How did Gonzalo’s mother show that she understood Tio Juan’s needs?
By ordering her son to take Tio Juan back to the vacant lot so that he could garden; she knew that as a farmer, he yearned to make things grow.
Why did Curtis plant tomatoes in the lot?
Curtis planted tomatoes in the lot because he wanted to prove to his former girlfriend Lateesha, that he cared for her and wanted to take on adult responsibilities.
How did Curtis and Royce help each other?
Curtis helped Royce by buying him a sleeping bag and, in return Royce guarded Curtis’ tomato plants.
Why did Nora call Mr. Myles’s work in the garden “a mind altering drug?
Nora called Mr. Myles’ work in the garden “a mild altering drug” because the work excited and energized him, giving him a fresh interest in life.
Why did Maricela feel like an outcast?
Maricela felt like an outcast because as a pregnant, Mexican teenager she embodied three stigmatized qualities.
How did Maricela become involved in the community garden?
Maricela was forced to work in the community garden when the director of her program for pregnant teenagers obtained a spot in the garden so that the girls could have practice taking care of living things.
Why was Amir critical of America?
Amir was critical of America because he believed that people here, unlike in his village in India, avoided making new friendships. People did not seem neighborly, preferring to remain independent of others.
How did the garden change Amir’s perception of America?
The cooperative spirit and friendliness that the garden developed among neighbors who were once non communicative changed Amir’s perception of America.
Kim stood before the family altar because she was trying to remember her father who had died when she was only 8 months old. This made her sad.
How would you describe the neighborhood in which Kim and Ana lived?
The neighborhood in which Kim and Ana lived was poor and shabby. This was revealed by the description of trash and tires, rats, and abandoned buildings.
Why did Kim plant the lima bean seeds in the vacant lot? Why did she choose this time for her project?
Having come from Vietnam’s tropical climate, Kim suffered from the relatively cool temperatures of Cleveland in April. She did not realize that it was the wrong time of year. Kim also wanted to prove to her father, that she was his daughter.
Why were Ana and Wendell important to one another?
Ana and Wendell had a friendship based on concern for each other, they were important to one another because each lived a long and had nobody else to turn to for help or company.
Why did Ana and Wendell try so hard to save Kim’s bean plants?
Ana and Wendell tried hard to save Kim’s bean plants because they saw how important the plants were to Kim; they were also moved by the child’s desire to grow in the abandoned lot.
Why did Leona want to plant goldenrod?
Leona thought it would be nice to plant a patch of goldenrod in the lot in honor of her grandmother.
What did Leona mean when she observed, “You can’t measure the distance between my block and City Hall in miles?
She meant that the poor neighborhood she lived in was far from the thoughts of the public officials, and that the gap between poor and wealthy people was very wide.
What type of work did Sam do before he retired? In what ways did he continue to work toward the same goal?
Sam used to work for organizations that sought world peace. He still worked towards that goal by encouraging friendly communication between people and deliberately ignoring their fears and prejudices.
What did Gonzalo mean when he said, “The older you are, the younger you get when you move to the United States?
He meant that for an adult who loses the ability to communicate and work, moving to this new country could mean giving up independence and authority
How did Gonzalo’s mother show that she understood Tio Juan’s needs?
By ordering her son to take Tio Juan back to the vacant lot so that he could garden; she knew that as a farmer, he yearned to make things grow.
Why did Curtis plant tomatoes in the lot?
Curtis planted tomatoes in the lot because he wanted to prove to his former girlfriend Lateesha, that he cared for her and wanted to take on adult responsibilities.
How did Curtis and Royce help each other?
Curtis helped Royce by buying him a sleeping bag and, in return Royce guarded Curtis’ tomato plants.
Why did Nora call Mr. Myles’s work in the garden “a mind altering drug?
Nora called Mr. Myles’ work in the garden “a mild altering drug” because the work excited and energized him, giving him a fresh interest in life.
Why did Maricela feel like an outcast?
Maricela felt like an outcast because as a pregnant, Mexican teenager she embodied three stigmatized qualities.
How did Maricela become involved in the community garden?
Maricela was forced to work in the community garden when the director of her program for pregnant teenagers obtained a spot in the garden so that the girls could have practice taking care of living things.
Why was Amir critical of America?
Amir was critical of America because he believed that people here, unlike in his village in India, avoided making new friendships. People did not seem neighborly, preferring to remain independent of others.
How did the garden change Amir’s perception of America?
The cooperative spirit and friendliness that the garden developed among neighbors who were once non communicative changed Amir’s perception of America.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
What we have done so far
žSeed Folks & Similies
žSeptember 15, 2009
žObjectives
žBLOG SET UP
žDOL
žREADING QUIZ
žSHORT STORY of the Week
ž
žSimilies
žA comparison using like or as
žHis feet were as big as boats.
žMetaphors
žA metaphor states that one thing is something else. It is a comparison, but it does NOT use like or as to make the comparison.
ž
ž Wednesday September 16, 2009
žDOL
žReading Quiz
žLiterary Device- Personification
žLiterary Element- Characterization
žReading Quiz
žWhy were Ana and Wendell important to one another?
žWhat did Gonzalo mean when he said “ The older you are, the younger you get when you move to the United States?
žWhy did Leona want to plant Goldenrod?
žDOL
žReading Quiz
žLiterary Device- Personification
žLiterary Element- Characterization
žReading Quiz
žWhy were Ana and Wendell important to one another?
žWhat did Gonzalo mean when he said “ The older you are, the younger you get when you move to the United States?
žWhy did Leona want to plant Goldenrod?
žQuiz Review:
žWhy did Ana dig up Kim’s seeds? How did she feel when she realized what she had done?
žAna dug up Kim’s seeds because she thought they were drugs, or something else illegal. She felt horrible once she saw that they were beans and that knew she had done harm.
žLiterary devices
žLiterary devices refers to specific aspects of literature, in the sense of its universal function as an art form which expresses ideas through language, which we can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze.
žLiterary elements
žLiterary elements refers to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole text. They are not “used,” per se, by authors; they represent the elements of storytelling which are common to all literary and narrative forms. For example, every story has a theme, every story has a setting, every story has a conflict, every story is written from a particular point-of-view, etc. In order to be discussed legitimately as part of a textual analysis, literary elements must be specifically identified for that particular text.
žPersonification
žIs the literary device in which and author grants human qualities to nonhuman objects.
ž“An icy wind teetered trash cans and turned my cheeks to marble.”
žWhat is being personified?
žCharacterization
žChart Progress Check
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Homework Due Thursday
In 3 paragraphs- Min 7 Sentences per Paragraph: Address this topic: I- Write: Is there someone in your life who has inspired you to do something you have never done before? Due Tuesday September 22, 2009 IN CLASS
Reading Assignments:
Monday- Ana, Kim
Tuesday- Wendell, Gonzalez and Leona
Wednesday- Sam, Virgil, and Gonzalo
Thursday- Sae Young, Curtis, Nora
Friday- In Class Reading- Maricella, Amir, and Florence
Homework: ACT Dictionary should be emailed by Friday 6:00pm
TESTS
Friday- ACT Vocabulary Test
Monday- Seedfolks Short Answer Test
Reading Assignments:
Monday- Ana, Kim
Tuesday- Wendell, Gonzalez and Leona
Wednesday- Sam, Virgil, and Gonzalo
Thursday- Sae Young, Curtis, Nora
Friday- In Class Reading- Maricella, Amir, and Florence
Homework: ACT Dictionary should be emailed by Friday 6:00pm
TESTS
Friday- ACT Vocabulary Test
Monday- Seedfolks Short Answer Test
WEEK 2- Short Story of the Week
Short Story of the Week: The Lady or the Tiger?
Frank StocktonThe Lady Or The Tiger?In the very olden time there lived a semi-barbaric king, whose ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbors, were still large, florid, and untrammeled, as became the half of him which was barbaric. He was a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal, of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts. He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done. When every member of his domestic and political systems moved smoothly in its appointed course, his nature was bland and genial; but, whenever there was a little hitch, and some of his orbs got out of their orbits, he was blander and more genial still, for nothing pleased him so much as to make the crooked straight and crush down uneven places.
Among the borrowed notions by which his barbarism had become semified was that of the public arena, in which, by exhibitions of manly and beastly valor, the minds of his subjects were refined and cultured.
But even here the exuberant and barbaric fancy asserted itself. The arena of the king was built, not to give the people an opportunity of hearing the rhapsodies of dying gladiators, nor to enable them to view the inevitable conclusion of a conflict between religious opinions and hungry jaws, but for purposes far better adapted to widen and develop the mental energies of the people. This vast amphitheater, with its encircling galleries, its mysterious vaults, and its unseen passages, was an agent of poetic justice, in which crime was punished, or virtue rewarded, by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance.
When a subject was accused of a crime of sufficient importance to interest the king, public notice was given that on an appointed day the fate of the accused person would be decided in the king's arena, a structure which well deserved its name, for, although its form and plan were borrowed from afar, its purpose emanated solely from the brain of this man, who, every barleycorn a king, knew no tradition to which he owed more allegiance than pleased his fancy, and who ingrafted on every adopted form of human thought and action the rich growth of his barbaric idealism. When all the people had assembled in the galleries, and the king, surrounded by his court, sat high up on his throne of royal state on one side of the arena, he gave a signal, a door beneath him opened, and the accused subject stepped out into the amphitheater. Directly opposite him, on the other side of the enclosed space, were two doors, exactly alike and side by side. It was the duty and the privilege of the person on trial to walk directly to these doors and open one of them. He could open either door he pleased; he was subject to no guidance or influence but that of the aforementioned impartial and incorruptible chance. If he opened the one, there came out of it a hungry tiger, the fiercest and most cruel that could be procured, which immediately sprang upon him and tore him to pieces as a punishment for his guilt. The moment that the case of the criminal was thus decided, doleful iron bells were clanged, great wails went up from the hired mourners posted on the outer rim of the arena, and the vast audience, with bowed heads and downcast hearts, wended slowly their homeward way, mourning greatly that one so young and fair, or so old and respected, should have merited so dire a fate.
< 2 > But, if the accused person opened the other door, there came forth from it a lady, the most suitable to his years and station that his majesty could select among his fair subjects, and to this lady he was immediately married, as a reward of his innocence. It mattered not that he might already possess a wife and family, or that his affections might be engaged upon an object of his own selection; the king allowed no such subordinate arrangements to interfere with his great scheme of retribution and reward. The exercises, as in the other instance, took place immediately, and in the arena. Another door opened beneath the king, and a priest, followed by a band of choristers, and dancing maidens blowing joyous airs on golden horns and treading an epithalamic measure, advanced to where the pair stood, side by side, and the wedding was promptly and cheerily solemnized. Then the gay brass bells rang forth their merry peals, the people shouted glad hurrahs, and the innocent man, preceded by children strewing flowers on his path, led his bride to his home. This was the king's semi-barbaric method of administering justice. Its perfect fairness is obvious. The criminal could not know out of which door would come the lady; he opened either he pleased, without having the slightest idea whether, in the next instant, he was to be devoured or married. On some occasions the tiger came out of one door, and on some out of the other. The decisions of this tribunal were not only fair, they were positively determinate: the accused person was instantly punished if he found himself guilty, and, if innocent, he was rewarded on the spot, whether he liked it or not. There was no escape from the judgments of the king's arena. The institution was a very popular one. When the people gathered together on one of the great trial days, they never knew whether they were to witness a bloody slaughter or a hilarious wedding. This element of uncertainty lent an interest to the occasion which it could not otherwise have attained. Thus, the masses were entertained and pleased, and the thinking part of the community could bring no charge of unfairness against this plan, for did not the accused person have the whole matter in his own hands?
< 3 > This semi-barbaric king had a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies, and with a soul as fervent and imperious as his own. As is usual in such cases, she was the apple of his eye, and was loved by him above all humanity. Among his courtiers was a young man of that fineness of blood and lowness of station common to the conventional heroes of romance who love royal maidens. This royal maiden was well satisfied with her lover, for he was handsome and brave to a degree unsurpassed in all this kingdom, and she loved him with an ardor that had enough of barbarism in it to make it exceedingly warm and strong. This love affair moved on happily for many months, until one day the king happened to discover its existence. He did not hesitate nor waver in regard to his duty in the premises. The youth was immediately cast into prison, and a day was appointed for his trial in the king's arena. This, of course, was an especially important occasion, and his majesty, as well as all the people, was greatly interested in the workings and development of this trial. Never before had such a case occurred; never before had a subject dared to love the daughter of the king. In after years such things became commonplace enough, but then they were in no slight degree novel and startling. The tiger-cages of the kingdom were searched for the most savage and relentless beasts, from which the fiercest monster might be selected for the arena; and the ranks of maiden youth and beauty throughout the land were carefully surveyed by competent judges in order that the young man might have a fitting bride in case fate did not determine for him a different destiny. Of course, everybody knew that the deed with which the accused was charged had been done. He had loved the princess, and neither he, she, nor any one else, thought of denying the fact; but the king would not think of allowing any fact of this kind to interfere with the workings of the tribunal, in which he took such great delight and satisfaction. No matter how the affair turned out, the youth would be disposed of, and the king would take an aesthetic pleasure in watching the course of events, which would determine whether or not the young man had done wrong in allowing himself to love the princess.
< 4 > The appointed day arrived. From far and near the people gathered, and thronged the great galleries of the arena, and crowds, unable to gain admittance, massed themselves against its outside walls. The king and his court were in their places, opposite the twin doors, those fateful portals, so terrible in their similarity. All was ready. The signal was given. A door beneath the royal party opened, and the lover of the princess walked into the arena. Tall, beautiful, fair, his appearance was greeted with a low hum of admiration and anxiety. Half the audience had not known so grand a youth had lived among them. No wonder the princess loved him! What a terrible thing for him to be there! As the youth advanced into the arena he turned, as the custom was, to bow to the king, but he did not think at all of that royal personage. His eyes were fixed upon the princess, who sat to the right of her father. Had it not been for the moiety of barbarism in her nature it is probable that lady would not have been there, but her intense and fervid soul would not allow her to be absent on an occasion in which she was so terribly interested. From the moment that the decree had gone forth that her lover should decide his fate in the king's arena, she had thought of nothing, night or day, but this great event and the various subjects connected with it. Possessed of more power, influence, and force of character than any one who had ever before been interested in such a case, she had done what no other person had done - she had possessed herself of the secret of the doors. She knew in which of the two rooms, that lay behind those doors, stood the cage of the tiger, with its open front, and in which waited the lady. Through these thick doors, heavily curtained with skins on the inside, it was impossible that any noise or suggestion should come from within to the person who should approach to raise the latch of one of them. But gold, and the power of a woman's will, had brought the secret to the princess. And not only did she know in which room stood the lady ready to emerge, all blushing and radiant, should her door be opened, but she knew who the lady was. It was one of the fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court who had been selected as the reward of the accused youth, should he be proved innocent of the crime of aspiring to one so far above him; and the princess hated her. Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned. Now and then she had seen them talking together; it was but for a moment or two, but much can be said in a brief space; it may have been on most unimportant topics, but how could she know that? The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess; and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door.
< 5 > When her lover turned and looked at her, and his eye met hers as she sat there, paler and whiter than any one in the vast ocean of anxious faces about her, he saw, by that power of quick perception which is given to those whose souls are one, that she knew behind which door crouched the tiger, and behind which stood the lady. He had expected her to know it. He understood her nature, and his soul was assured that she would never rest until she had made plain to herself this thing, hidden to all other lookers-on, even to the king. The only hope for the youth in which there was any element of certainty was based upon the success of the princess in discovering this mystery; and the moment he looked upon her, he saw she had succeeded, as in his soul he knew she would succeed. Then it was that his quick and anxious glance asked the question: "Which?" It was as plain to her as if he shouted it from where he stood. There was not an instant to be lost. The question was asked in a flash; it must be answered in another. Her right arm lay on the cushioned parapet before her. She raised her hand, and made a slight, quick movement toward the right. No one but her lover saw her. Every eye but his was fixed on the man in the arena. He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Every heart stopped beating, every breath was held, every eye was fixed immovably upon that man. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it. Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady ? The more we reflect upon this question, the harder it is to answer. It involves a study of the human heart which leads us through devious mazes of passion, out of which it is difficult to find our way. Think of it, fair reader, not as if the decision of the question depended upon yourself, but upon that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric princess, her soul at a white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and jealousy. She had lost him, but who should have him?
< 6 > How often, in her waking hours and in her dreams, had she started in wild horror, and covered her face with her hands as she thought of her lover opening the door on the other side of which waited the cruel fangs of the tiger! But how much oftener had she seen him at the other door! How in her grievous reveries had she gnashed her teeth, and torn her hair, when she saw his start of rapturous delight as he opened the door of the lady! How her soul had burned in agony when she had seen him rush to meet that woman, with her flushing cheek and sparkling eye of triumph; when she had seen him lead her forth, his whole frame kindled with the joy of recovered life; when she had heard the glad shouts from the multitude, and the wild ringing of the happy bells; when she had seen the priest, with his joyous followers, advance to the couple, and make them man and wife before her very eyes; and when she had seen them walk away together upon their path of flowers, followed by the tremendous shouts of the hilarious multitude, in which her one despairing shriek was lost and drowned! Would it not be better for him to die at once, and go to wait for her in the blessed regions of semi-barbaric futurity? And yet, that awful tiger, those shrieks, that blood! Her decision had been indicated in an instant, but it had been made after days and nights of anguished deliberation. She had known she would be asked, she had decided what she would answer, and, without the slightest hesitation, she had moved her hand to the right. The question of her decision is one not to be lightly considered, and it is not for me to presume to set myself up as the one person able to answer it. And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door - the lady, or the tiger?
Frank StocktonThe Lady Or The Tiger?In the very olden time there lived a semi-barbaric king, whose ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbors, were still large, florid, and untrammeled, as became the half of him which was barbaric. He was a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal, of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts. He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done. When every member of his domestic and political systems moved smoothly in its appointed course, his nature was bland and genial; but, whenever there was a little hitch, and some of his orbs got out of their orbits, he was blander and more genial still, for nothing pleased him so much as to make the crooked straight and crush down uneven places.
Among the borrowed notions by which his barbarism had become semified was that of the public arena, in which, by exhibitions of manly and beastly valor, the minds of his subjects were refined and cultured.
But even here the exuberant and barbaric fancy asserted itself. The arena of the king was built, not to give the people an opportunity of hearing the rhapsodies of dying gladiators, nor to enable them to view the inevitable conclusion of a conflict between religious opinions and hungry jaws, but for purposes far better adapted to widen and develop the mental energies of the people. This vast amphitheater, with its encircling galleries, its mysterious vaults, and its unseen passages, was an agent of poetic justice, in which crime was punished, or virtue rewarded, by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance.
When a subject was accused of a crime of sufficient importance to interest the king, public notice was given that on an appointed day the fate of the accused person would be decided in the king's arena, a structure which well deserved its name, for, although its form and plan were borrowed from afar, its purpose emanated solely from the brain of this man, who, every barleycorn a king, knew no tradition to which he owed more allegiance than pleased his fancy, and who ingrafted on every adopted form of human thought and action the rich growth of his barbaric idealism. When all the people had assembled in the galleries, and the king, surrounded by his court, sat high up on his throne of royal state on one side of the arena, he gave a signal, a door beneath him opened, and the accused subject stepped out into the amphitheater. Directly opposite him, on the other side of the enclosed space, were two doors, exactly alike and side by side. It was the duty and the privilege of the person on trial to walk directly to these doors and open one of them. He could open either door he pleased; he was subject to no guidance or influence but that of the aforementioned impartial and incorruptible chance. If he opened the one, there came out of it a hungry tiger, the fiercest and most cruel that could be procured, which immediately sprang upon him and tore him to pieces as a punishment for his guilt. The moment that the case of the criminal was thus decided, doleful iron bells were clanged, great wails went up from the hired mourners posted on the outer rim of the arena, and the vast audience, with bowed heads and downcast hearts, wended slowly their homeward way, mourning greatly that one so young and fair, or so old and respected, should have merited so dire a fate.
< 2 > But, if the accused person opened the other door, there came forth from it a lady, the most suitable to his years and station that his majesty could select among his fair subjects, and to this lady he was immediately married, as a reward of his innocence. It mattered not that he might already possess a wife and family, or that his affections might be engaged upon an object of his own selection; the king allowed no such subordinate arrangements to interfere with his great scheme of retribution and reward. The exercises, as in the other instance, took place immediately, and in the arena. Another door opened beneath the king, and a priest, followed by a band of choristers, and dancing maidens blowing joyous airs on golden horns and treading an epithalamic measure, advanced to where the pair stood, side by side, and the wedding was promptly and cheerily solemnized. Then the gay brass bells rang forth their merry peals, the people shouted glad hurrahs, and the innocent man, preceded by children strewing flowers on his path, led his bride to his home. This was the king's semi-barbaric method of administering justice. Its perfect fairness is obvious. The criminal could not know out of which door would come the lady; he opened either he pleased, without having the slightest idea whether, in the next instant, he was to be devoured or married. On some occasions the tiger came out of one door, and on some out of the other. The decisions of this tribunal were not only fair, they were positively determinate: the accused person was instantly punished if he found himself guilty, and, if innocent, he was rewarded on the spot, whether he liked it or not. There was no escape from the judgments of the king's arena. The institution was a very popular one. When the people gathered together on one of the great trial days, they never knew whether they were to witness a bloody slaughter or a hilarious wedding. This element of uncertainty lent an interest to the occasion which it could not otherwise have attained. Thus, the masses were entertained and pleased, and the thinking part of the community could bring no charge of unfairness against this plan, for did not the accused person have the whole matter in his own hands?
< 3 > This semi-barbaric king had a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies, and with a soul as fervent and imperious as his own. As is usual in such cases, she was the apple of his eye, and was loved by him above all humanity. Among his courtiers was a young man of that fineness of blood and lowness of station common to the conventional heroes of romance who love royal maidens. This royal maiden was well satisfied with her lover, for he was handsome and brave to a degree unsurpassed in all this kingdom, and she loved him with an ardor that had enough of barbarism in it to make it exceedingly warm and strong. This love affair moved on happily for many months, until one day the king happened to discover its existence. He did not hesitate nor waver in regard to his duty in the premises. The youth was immediately cast into prison, and a day was appointed for his trial in the king's arena. This, of course, was an especially important occasion, and his majesty, as well as all the people, was greatly interested in the workings and development of this trial. Never before had such a case occurred; never before had a subject dared to love the daughter of the king. In after years such things became commonplace enough, but then they were in no slight degree novel and startling. The tiger-cages of the kingdom were searched for the most savage and relentless beasts, from which the fiercest monster might be selected for the arena; and the ranks of maiden youth and beauty throughout the land were carefully surveyed by competent judges in order that the young man might have a fitting bride in case fate did not determine for him a different destiny. Of course, everybody knew that the deed with which the accused was charged had been done. He had loved the princess, and neither he, she, nor any one else, thought of denying the fact; but the king would not think of allowing any fact of this kind to interfere with the workings of the tribunal, in which he took such great delight and satisfaction. No matter how the affair turned out, the youth would be disposed of, and the king would take an aesthetic pleasure in watching the course of events, which would determine whether or not the young man had done wrong in allowing himself to love the princess.
< 4 > The appointed day arrived. From far and near the people gathered, and thronged the great galleries of the arena, and crowds, unable to gain admittance, massed themselves against its outside walls. The king and his court were in their places, opposite the twin doors, those fateful portals, so terrible in their similarity. All was ready. The signal was given. A door beneath the royal party opened, and the lover of the princess walked into the arena. Tall, beautiful, fair, his appearance was greeted with a low hum of admiration and anxiety. Half the audience had not known so grand a youth had lived among them. No wonder the princess loved him! What a terrible thing for him to be there! As the youth advanced into the arena he turned, as the custom was, to bow to the king, but he did not think at all of that royal personage. His eyes were fixed upon the princess, who sat to the right of her father. Had it not been for the moiety of barbarism in her nature it is probable that lady would not have been there, but her intense and fervid soul would not allow her to be absent on an occasion in which she was so terribly interested. From the moment that the decree had gone forth that her lover should decide his fate in the king's arena, she had thought of nothing, night or day, but this great event and the various subjects connected with it. Possessed of more power, influence, and force of character than any one who had ever before been interested in such a case, she had done what no other person had done - she had possessed herself of the secret of the doors. She knew in which of the two rooms, that lay behind those doors, stood the cage of the tiger, with its open front, and in which waited the lady. Through these thick doors, heavily curtained with skins on the inside, it was impossible that any noise or suggestion should come from within to the person who should approach to raise the latch of one of them. But gold, and the power of a woman's will, had brought the secret to the princess. And not only did she know in which room stood the lady ready to emerge, all blushing and radiant, should her door be opened, but she knew who the lady was. It was one of the fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court who had been selected as the reward of the accused youth, should he be proved innocent of the crime of aspiring to one so far above him; and the princess hated her. Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned. Now and then she had seen them talking together; it was but for a moment or two, but much can be said in a brief space; it may have been on most unimportant topics, but how could she know that? The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess; and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door.
< 5 > When her lover turned and looked at her, and his eye met hers as she sat there, paler and whiter than any one in the vast ocean of anxious faces about her, he saw, by that power of quick perception which is given to those whose souls are one, that she knew behind which door crouched the tiger, and behind which stood the lady. He had expected her to know it. He understood her nature, and his soul was assured that she would never rest until she had made plain to herself this thing, hidden to all other lookers-on, even to the king. The only hope for the youth in which there was any element of certainty was based upon the success of the princess in discovering this mystery; and the moment he looked upon her, he saw she had succeeded, as in his soul he knew she would succeed. Then it was that his quick and anxious glance asked the question: "Which?" It was as plain to her as if he shouted it from where he stood. There was not an instant to be lost. The question was asked in a flash; it must be answered in another. Her right arm lay on the cushioned parapet before her. She raised her hand, and made a slight, quick movement toward the right. No one but her lover saw her. Every eye but his was fixed on the man in the arena. He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Every heart stopped beating, every breath was held, every eye was fixed immovably upon that man. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it. Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady ? The more we reflect upon this question, the harder it is to answer. It involves a study of the human heart which leads us through devious mazes of passion, out of which it is difficult to find our way. Think of it, fair reader, not as if the decision of the question depended upon yourself, but upon that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric princess, her soul at a white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and jealousy. She had lost him, but who should have him?
< 6 > How often, in her waking hours and in her dreams, had she started in wild horror, and covered her face with her hands as she thought of her lover opening the door on the other side of which waited the cruel fangs of the tiger! But how much oftener had she seen him at the other door! How in her grievous reveries had she gnashed her teeth, and torn her hair, when she saw his start of rapturous delight as he opened the door of the lady! How her soul had burned in agony when she had seen him rush to meet that woman, with her flushing cheek and sparkling eye of triumph; when she had seen him lead her forth, his whole frame kindled with the joy of recovered life; when she had heard the glad shouts from the multitude, and the wild ringing of the happy bells; when she had seen the priest, with his joyous followers, advance to the couple, and make them man and wife before her very eyes; and when she had seen them walk away together upon their path of flowers, followed by the tremendous shouts of the hilarious multitude, in which her one despairing shriek was lost and drowned! Would it not be better for him to die at once, and go to wait for her in the blessed regions of semi-barbaric futurity? And yet, that awful tiger, those shrieks, that blood! Her decision had been indicated in an instant, but it had been made after days and nights of anguished deliberation. She had known she would be asked, she had decided what she would answer, and, without the slightest hesitation, she had moved her hand to the right. The question of her decision is one not to be lightly considered, and it is not for me to presume to set myself up as the one person able to answer it. And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door - the lady, or the tiger?
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