For this unit’s Written Assignment, you will review the story you chose and answer the following questions in complete sentences, as provided for use by Cumbria University
1. What is the title of the text and what is the text about?
The name of the story I chose for this written assignment is “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs. In this text, Mr. and Mrs. White’s friend, Sergeant-Major Morris, shows them a mummified monkey paw. An old fakir put a spell on the paw, and now it can fulfill three wishes. Desires are always granted with monstrous consequences as a punishment. At the suggestion of his son, Mr. White is flippant about getting the £200 he wants, even though he thinks he already has everything he wants. The next day, Herbert leaves for work at a local factory and dies as a result of a terrible accident. After that the employer pays the desired £200 to the family, fulfilling their wish. A week after the funeral, Mrs. White, distraught with grief, forces her husband to use a paw to resurrect Herbert. Reluctantly, he does so despite having a bad feeling. An hour later there is a knock on the door. While Mrs. White, in a desperate situation, wants to open the door, Mr. White, horrified by the “thing outside”, takes out the paw and says his third wish aloud. The knock suddenly disappears. Mrs. White opens the door and finds that no one is there. She cries with grief and disappointment (Jacobs, 1902).
2. What is the author’s view? How do I know?
The author tells us, that what is given too easily, will not bring good. But there is also a second, important idea that not everyone can see. When people want something badly, they are deaf to everything that is contrary to their desire, and even to danger signals. Before you make a wish, think about the consequences, because they can backfire on you. This is exactly what happened to the family in the story – they did not want to listen to the voice of reason and forever lost the most precious thing they had – their own child.
3. What is the evidence presented by the author to support ideas?
At the beginning of the story, through Mr. Morris’ character, the author tells us, that the consequences of wishing can be horrible, therefore, he warns White’s family to think well before using the Monkey’s Paw. He even mentions that the first owner of this artifact wished to die (Jacobs, 1902). However, the family decides to use this talisman just for fun and can’t stop even after realizing how big the price for their wish was. They don’t think about how big the price of resurrecting their child can be.
In the story, it is not said how they paid for the last wish. But I think the knowledge that all this happened to them because of their fault is a serious punishment for Mr. and Mrs. White. I don’t know how I would continue living with such a piece of knowledge.
4. Is the evidence valid? How do I know?
This evidence is valid because it is well-shown throughout the whole story and while reading this text you have a chilling feeling that something horrible is going to happen because of the decisions made by this family. It is scary to see how crazy they become: even knowing that the consequences of wishing are going to be horrible, they are mad and continue wishing and ignoring common sense.
5. Is the evidence relevant? How do I know?
This evidence is relevant because you see the consequences of wishing from everything you know about this artifact. The first owner of the Monkey Paw wished to die, and the second – Sergeant-Major Morris – was so frustrated that wanted to burn the paw after all his wishes were granted. The third owner of the paw – Mr. White – paid with his child’s life for a simple and harmless desire, and in the end, we realize that with his last wish he wanted to get rid of his son and wanted him to die again. What could be worse for a parent?
6. Have I heard/read anything similar or dissimilar? What was it?
There are many interpretations of this story, with different characters, different wishes, and consequences. I watched a movie based on the motives of this story and saw the Simpsons Halloween episode about it. Actually, I think that the main idea of this story is connected with fairy tales about genies, who offer to fulfill your three wishes, but there is always some kind of trick waiting for the one who wishes.
7. Do I agree or disagree with the views expressed by the author? Why?
I agree with the views expressed by the author. We should remember the two main ideas of this story in our daily life. First of all, we need to consider the price for everything we want. We live in a society, and most of the things we do can affect it. Sometimes people wish for something because they simply believe that it is for good, but in the end, it brings negative results – maybe not for you, but for others. We should also remember to stay calm and listen to common sense, instead of making emotional wishes. As the famous proverb says – haste makes waste.
References
Jacobs, W. (1902) The Monkey’s Paw. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.lonestar.edu/departments/english/Jacob_Monkey.pdf