Two



The title of this short story is a reference (allusion) to the famous line from Shakespeare's //Julius Caesar//. A soothsayer warns Caesar to "Beware the ides of March." In the ancient Roman calendar, the "ides" is the fifteenth day of March, May, July, or October and the thirteenth day of any other month. Caesar is stabbed to death by a gang of conspiratorial politicians on the ides of March.

1. Why is Nikki at first impressed by her personalized horoscope? 2. What are some of the mishaps that Nikki suffers on November 12? 3. Why does Nikk decide to ignore her horoscope prediction for November 13? 4. What might Niki's decision to ignore her horoscope say about human nature?

Ted L. Nancy is the pen name of an author of a series of best-selling books that contain the prank letters he sent to unsuspecting celebritites and organizations and the replies he received. Ted L. Nancy's true identity remained a mystery for many years. 1. What kinds of people does Ted L. Nancy write letters to? 2. Do you think thta Nancy is merely playing a practical joke, or does he have a purpose in writing the letters? 3. Do the recipients of Nancy's letters seem to take them seriously? 4. What kind of person does Nancy try to portray in his letters? 5. In the age of electronic mail, do you think Nancy will continue to send his wacky requests via traditional mail or might he switch to email?

Read the short story by Harold Rolseth and write out the answers to the following questions: 1. In the first paragraph of the story, what does the description of Calvin tell us about him? 2. How might the race of "foreigners" who live underground be described? 3. How do you think Dora feels about Calvin's death? Give examples from the story to support your opinion. 4. How effective is the "delayed revelation" technique in the story? Give reasons for your answer. 5. What serious topic is approached in this story? Did you find it appropriate? Why or why not?
 * //Make Up Work: 1 Point//**