Literary Analysis of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is a classic tale of revenge that incorporates Poe's proclivity for Gothic horror.  Many scholars speculate that Poe was inspired by events he heard about when he was stationed as a private at Fort Independence of a man who was buried alive by being walled up in an underground prison.  Others speculate that the victim in the story was modeled after Poe's rival, Thomas Dunn English, who had just mocked Poe's now famous poem, "The Raven".  Whether or not these are true, Poe's tale is a classic that will continue to make our blood run cold.  This analysis will examine the theme, setting, plot, characterization, point of view, irony, and symbolism in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado".

Theme

A theme of "The Cask of Amontillado" is "Revenge is a dish best served cold". This classic line espoused by the cinematic Sicilian mafiosi to indicate that it is best to bide your time, plot your revenge, and enact it when your victim does not see it coming actually originated in Afghanistan. I selected this theme because the whole tale is centered around Montresor enacting his revenge on the unexpecting Fortunato.

The story begins with Montresor explaining that Fortunato has deeply wronged him, and then the story shows how Montresor tricks and then entraps Fortunato into a horrific and terrifying death.  Fortunato is so unsuspecting that even after he is chained the stone dungeon wall and Montresor is walling him in, he still is asking about the Amontillado, not believing that Fortunado really means him any harm.

As I alluded to in the introduction, I believe that Poe wrote this story as a warning to Thomas Dunn English, letting him know that he should watch his back.  I do not know if Poe was actually a threat to English, but I am sure that English would likely be careful to never be alone with Poe.  It is also a warning to the reader to be aware that everyone who flatters you and smiles in your face is not your friend.

Setting

The setting of this tale is in a city in Italy during the Carnival season.  This provides a logical explanation for a prestigious man of the city, like Fortunato, to be walking around drunk.  The story was published in 1846, so the story would have been set, at the very latest, fifty years previous to that year, so around the turn of the century from the 18th to the 19th century.

The Paris Catacombs

While the story begins late at night in the streets of the city, most of the events transpire in the catacombs underneath Montresor's palazzo, which is a beautiful and historic palace that had been in his family for many generations.  The catacombs were an underground maze of corridors in which dead bodies were left to decay.  From the description of them, Poe likely had in mind the catacombs in Paris in which the bones have been stacked in an orderly fashion against the walls.  The darkness, the bones, the niter, the cold, and the trickling water all create a mood of horror and suspense.  In this spooky setting, deep underground, nothing good can happen.

Fortunato is being walled up in his underground tomb at midnight, which is also an appropriate time for murder.  The cultural context in which Montresor and Fortunato interact is much more formal than modern times, but the principles of psychology are revenge are timeless.  Montresor is kind, solicitous, and flatters Fortunato, but this is likely more to psychologically entrap him than out of the gracious, good manners people of wealth and prestige would use back then.

Plot

The plot of the story is fairly simple, with simple, innocuous events that slowly increase in horror and the macabre.  The rising action begins with Montresor telling Fortunato that he has a pipe, or cask, of the rare and coveted Spanish wine: Amontillado.  The first minor conflict occurs when Montresor claims that he wants someone else, another wine connoisseur named Luchesi, to tell him if he made a good choice when he purchased the supposed Amontillado, and Fortunato insists that he should be the one to sample the wine.  He does not realize that he is falling into a trap.

The second minor conflict occurs when Fortunato has a coughing fit as Montresor is leading him down the damp dark stairs to the catacombs.  Montresor suggests that they should turn around, but Fortunato is captivated at the thought of sampling the Amontillado.  The third minor conflict occurs when Fortunato makes a gesture that Montresor does not understand, and Fortunato says that he is not of the brotherhood--not a Mason.  Montresor says that he is, and he pulls out the trowel he has in his pocket that he is going to use to build the wall to entomb Fortunato to prove that he is a Mason.  Had Fortunato not been drunk, he might have been suspicious, but he waves the trowel off as a joke and resumes his focus on the Amontillado.

The major conflict in this story is the rivalry between Montresor and Fortunato.  The rivalry is so old that Fortunato has forgotten it, but Montresor has not forgotten everything that Fortunato did to him.  He remembers and he has plotted an elaborate scheme to entrap Fortunato and kill him--and get away with it.  The story details the steps Montresor took to entrap Fortunato and lure him to his death.  The plan required cunning, understanding of psychology, and a deep understanding of Fortunato.  Montresor did his homework, and Fortunato easily fell into his trap.

The climax of the story occurs when Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall at the farthest end of the catacombs and then row by row, builds a brick wall to entomb Fortunato alive. At this point, Fortunato is less intoxicated, and he screams as he realizes his fate, and begs for his freedom and his life.

The falling action of the story is rather short: Montresor throws the torch in to Fortunato, but he is silent, perhaps realizing that screaming is useless. Montresor inserts the final brick, restacks the bones of his ancestors, and leaves Forunato to die.  The resolution of the story confirms that Fortunado is dead, undisturbed and entombed behind the wall Montresor built fifty years ago with Montresor saying "In Pace Requiescat!" or "Rest in Peace!".

Characterization

Poe's development of character is well done; his antagonist, Fortunato, is of particular interest.  Fortunato is developed as a round character.  His ridiculous costume, his drunken state, and his eagerness to sample a rare wine all make him human, vulnerable, and relateable.  His pompous nature is revealed when he mocks Montresor for not being in the Brotherhood, a Mason, but his vulnerability is again revealed when he leans on Montresor for support on the journey through the catacombs, and when he begs to be released as he is slowly being entombed.

Fortunato is a static character.  He is a rich drunk who is focused on tasting more and more wine throughout the story.  His focus on wine does not waver; even at the end of the story, when he is being entombed alive, he still asks about the Amontillado.  He has no growth, no epiphany that he is being punished for harming Montresor, no desire for repentance.

Poe's use of indirect characterization is excellent.  While Montresor tells us that he was a man to be "respected and feared", Poe shows us that Fortunato is a foolish man who loves to party by having him dressed in Motley clothes--such as a clown would wear today with a conical hat.  While this might have been a common thing to do back then during carnival season, it sets Fortunato up in direct contrasts to Montresor's black attire.  Poe reveals more of Fortunato by describing his eyes as "two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication".  This vivid image shows the reader how drunk he was: it is one thing to have the smell of alcohol on one's breath, but quite another to have the odor emanating from one's eyes.

We are also shown through his speech that, even while he is drunk, Fortunato is a gentleman.  His grammar is perfect and his speech is always polite.  Even as he is being entombed alive, the strongest thing he says is, "For the love of God, Montresor!".  He does refer to his wine tasting rival, Luchesi, as an "ignoramus," but that insult is still a proper and formal term to describe Fortunato's opinion of Luchesi's supposed lack of knowledge of fine wines.

Poe also reveals Fortunato's character through his actions.  He describes Fortunato as walking unsteadily, leaning heavily on Montresor's arm, and coughing uncontrollably. All of these descriptions show him to be weak and vulnerable.  Because the story is told from Montresor's perspective, the reader is not privy to Fortunato's private thoughts and feelings.  That said, in his drunkenness, Fortunato is transparent in his desire to get his hands on the Amontillado, ignoring all of the signs that a sober man would not be able to ignore.

The last strategy of indirect characterization is when the author shows the reader how other people treat the character.  As there are only two characters in the story, the reader is shown how Montresor treats Fortunato by plotting a horrifying death for him, and Fortunato stepping eagerly into his trap.  In this characterization, then, Fortunato is shown to be a weak and greedy drunkard, and the reader does not feel his loss deeply at the end of the story.

Point of View

The point of view, or narrative perspective, of this story is first person.  The story is clearly told from Montresor's point of view.  The first line of the story reads, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could." Hereafter, we are privy to his insane and diabolical thoughts, feelings, and motivations.  Poe likely selected this perspective so that the reader would experience the suspense of wondering what demise Montresor had concocted for Fortunato while experiencing a growing horror and Montresor's insanity and Fortunato's gullibility.  It is an extremely effective narrative perspective for a horror story--to be inside the brain of a mad man.

Irony

This story contains examples of verbal irony, dramatic irony and situational irony.  Verbal irony is used at the beginning of the story when Montresor meets Fortunato in the street and says so him, "My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met."  In truth, Montresor hated Fortunato, and it was the unluckiest day of his life because he would entrapped to die that day.  Later in the story, Montresor tells Fortunato, "Your health is precious" when in reality his plan was to destroy Montresor's health by killing him.

The dramatic irony is that the reader knows that Montresor is going to kill Fortunato, but he obtusely remains clueless until the end.  Dramatic irony is also evident in Fortunato's clothing. He is dressed in motley, as a clown or a court jester would dress.  Fortunato dressed for an evening of revelry, but the reader knows that the joke would be on him as his motley clothes would be his burial clothes.

There are several examples of situational irony.  First, Fortunato's name means "fortunate", but his terrible fate of being buried alive, chained to a wall in a dungeon and being left to slowly die, is the opposite of good fortune.  There is also irony in the fact that Montresor shows Fortunato the trowel he is going to use to build the wall to entomb him, and Fortunato laughs it away as a joke, not knowing that the horrific joke is on him.  Lastly, there is irony in the quest for the wonderful and rare Amontillado which Fortunato lusted after all evening, and did not even exist.

Symbolism

The symbol in this story is the Cask of Amontillado.  It represents Montresor's desire for revenge as well as Fortunato's greed.  It is the central focus of the story: it is the title of the story; it is the bait that Montresor uses to lure Fortunato to his death, and it is the object of Fortunato's desire on which he was so focused he ignored all warning signs of his impending doom. It is repeated throughout the story, even at the end, when the wall entombing him is almost complete, Fortunato is still asking for the Amontillado.

Poe selected the Cask of Amontillado because it is rare and expensive.  It is a wine that any wine lover would go out of his way to task.  It was the perfect bait to lure a wine lover to his death.  Montresor was focused on getting revenge--and getting revenge in a way that Fortunato would not expect.  Revenge is a dish best served cold, and this revenge was so cold that Fortunato thought it was his lucky day until he was entombed behind a wall and left to rot.

Overall, Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado is a great story.  It contains a little ambiguity--What did Fortunato do to deserve such a horrible death?  Why did Montresor feel a little sick once he has finished building the wall around Fortunato after he had worked so hard to exact his revenge?--but this adds to the mystery and complexity of the story and keeps the reader guessing.

There will be some people who do not like the story.  The vocabulary is difficult; the names are foreign, and the location is unfamiliar.  Most people do not know what catacombs are, let alone know what Amontillado is.  That said, the story is worth solving the puzzle of the confusing names, unfamiliar location and difficult vocabulary.  It is a classic that will not go away, but will keep returning to horrify and chill the reader.

Three Influential People

First Influential Person: Louise Clyde 

Many people have influenced me in different ways, but when I think about who influenced me personally during the pivotal adolescent years of my life, I think of Louise Clyde, my pastor's wife and piano teacher.  Louise was likely fifteen years older than me, old enough to be ahead of me on the path of life, but not too old that I thought she was out of touch.  Louise was not cool or glamorous, but she made everyone feel special and loved, and she never saw the bad in anyone, only the good.

My Facebook Post from Louise this year.

She did little things like decorate birthday card envelopes with hand drawn flowers, hearts and curlicues.  This might seem silly, but she was very busy, and taking the time to decorate the cards was a visible demonstration of how important you were to her.  She took the time to talk to everyone, giving each person her full attention, complimenting them, and noticing little things that made each person feel special and loved.  Even though she now lives on the west coast and I have not seen her for decades, she still takes the time to make me feel special.  For my birthday this year, she posted a lovely message on my page.  While most people, including myself, post a simple birthday greeting, she does so much more.

In addition to being the most loving, accepting person, Louise was also very passionate about anything she did.  An example of this was in the way she played the piano.  She was a gifted piano player, and she played the piano like no one I had seen before, nor seen since.  She played the piano with everything she had.  She put her whole body into it and she poured her heart and soul into it.  She became one with the piano; whether pounding the keys loudly in a soul-wrenching way, or softly in a poignant way, she emotionally moved everyone who heard her play.

When I think about a true Christian, a passionate person who shows the world Christ's love, I think of her.  She was a perfect Pastor's wife, living her faith for the world to see.  She inspired me to love others without judgement and to be passionate about my work, and I am blessed to have had her as a role model.

Second Influential Person: Frank McGhee

A person who has impacted many people is Frank McGhee.  I met Frank while I was teaching at Osborn High School on the east side of Detroit.  Because the zip code in which Osborn is situated was (and may still be) the most violent zip code in the city, the students who attended Osborn were facing many challenges in addition to their academic challenges at school.  Frank McGhee serves as a mentor to young people through his role with the Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO) in the Youth Initiatives Project.

A typical Facebook Post from Frank

Frank McGhee's mission in life is to model a constructive way for his mentees to face their challenges.  He works closely with the young people, teaching them how to be activists, teaching them to become mentors themselves, teaching them to transform their lives, and teaching them to transform their city.  When I was teaching at Osborn, certain students stood out from the rest.  These students had positive attitudes, regular attendance, took their studies seriously, did not get into trouble, and did not get pregnant or involved in the streets.  As I would get to know these students better, they would talk about the NSO.  Later, after I met Mr. McGhee, I began to realize what a significant impact he was having on the lives of so many young people.

One campaign that Frank McGhee nurtured is the "Hugs, Not Bullets" campaign.  This is one way that the young people are combating the gun violence in their community.  It is important that I emphasize that this campaign is not Frank's campaign.  He develops young leaders, and they brainstorm solutions, they train as activists, they counsel their peers, and they speak at the press conferences.   Frank is always present; he helps the young people network; he provides them with a safe place to work, and he nurtures them.  Most of all, he respects them.  He sees a bright future for them, and he helps them see if for themselves.  The young people with whom he works become successful students, become leaders at their school, and become leaders in their community.

Third Influential Person: Eleanor Roosevelt

A person who has left a mark on history is Eleanor Roosevelt. I admire Eleanor for so many things.  She was not a passive, quiet, compliant woman who served behind the scenes.  While she did faithfully care for her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt after polio crippled him, she used her position as First Lady of the United States to make the world a better place.

In my opinion, she did more in her office than any other first lady has done.  She fought for justice for marginalized groups.  She worked for the Civil Rights Movement before it became a movement, and she continued to work for equality for African Americans until she died in 1962.  She worked hard for women's rights, paving the way for women to enter the workplace.  (The famous World War II icon: Rosie the Rivoter was modeled after her.) She also fought hard for people who were living in poverty.  During the Great Depression, she started many programs that improved the lives of thousands of people who were trapped in misery.  Eleanor was born into a place of privilege, and she could have easily enjoyed the perks of her wealth and focused her time on more fun endeavors.  Instead, she chose to fight battles that earned her much criticism and many enemies.  She did not care.  She chose to follow her conscience and do the right thing.

Eleanor was also a great speaker. She maximized the impact of her efforts by motivating others to join her cause.  Many of her quotes inspire and motivate me as well.  Here are some quotes from her that I love:

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves."

"When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die."

"You get more joy out of the giving to others, and should put a good deal of thought into the happiness you are able to give."

"One of the best ways of enslaving a people is to keep them from education."

As an educator, this last quote speaks to me.  I truly believe that education is a great equalizer, providing opportunity and hope that cannot be found anywhere else.  Eleanor did so many wonderful things that I could write a book about her, and I encourage you to spend more time reading about her and her accomplishments.

Top Ten Songs in My Life

#10 "Superstar" by The Carpenters

My mom's laundry tub looked like this!

This song is not my favorite song.  The Carpenters are a talented group, but they are not are not even close to being my favorite group.  This song is on my list for a very strange reason: every time I go into the basement in my mother's house where the washer, dryer, and laundry tub are positioned, this song starts playing in my head.  I have no idea why.  I cannot control it.  I cannot stop it.  By some strange freak of nature, I find myself humming or singing the refrain of this song.  It started when I was in seventh-grade, and it continues even to this day.  I have not once gone down there and not have that song start playing in my head.  I have even intentionally tried to sing a different song in my head before going down the stairs, but it doesn't work.  This song starts playing!  In recent years, when I had forgotten about this song playing in my head, any time I went down to the basement, this song comes into my head again.  This is such a peculiar thing!

#9 "Beautiful Savior"

My dad when he was healthy.

This hymn is significant in my life because it was my father's favorite song.  Since my father died when I was two months old, I do not know much about him.  I do not know his favorite color, his favorite food, his favorite hobby, or his favorite sports team.  I do know these things: I know that he liked to tell jokes; he liked to tease my mother (in a loving way), and I know his favorite song was the hymn "Beautiful Savior".  I love this song because it reveals to me a bit of my father's heart.  He went through a lot; he made a lot of bad choices, but in the end, he turned his life around and impacted a lot of people in a great way.  I wish he had lived long enough so that I could have gotten to know him, but that was not meant to be.  When I listen to this song, I feel connection to my father.  This video is a contemporary rendition of the old hymn, and I think that, if my dad were alive today, then he would like it!

This is the only picture I have with my dad.  

#8 Tie between Play Deep by The Outfield and Tender Lover by Babyface

Play Deep by The Outfield makes me want to blast loud music and sing at the top of my voice.  It was a great outlet for stress when I was in college.  I would leave class, head back to my dorm room, hit the play button on my tape player, and blast this album.  I knew the whole album by heart and sang each word.  Even today when I hear one of the songs, I have the impulse to turn up the volume and sing.

My Dorm building.  My room was the center room on the top floor on the left.

Tender Lover by Babyface is another album that I would listen to over and over.  My memories of this are actually back at my mom's house.  I listened to this over and over the summer after my junior year of college.  The songs on this album always take me back to the hot summer of my youth.  To this day, when I hear one of the songs on that album I sing every word. I have posted a link to the video for the song "Sunshine" from the album.  This was one of my favorites, although I loved the whole album!

#7 "Sign Your Name Across My Heart" by Terence Trent D'arby

He had one of these air fresheners.

This song is one of those songs that can instantly transport me back in time.  Whenever I hear this song, I am taken back to the summer between my sophomore and junior year in college when I realized that I was in love with a young man, and he felt the same about me.  We were in his car, which was spotlessly clean and smelled fresh from the air freshener.  We were sitting at a stop light, and this song came on the radio.  He reached for my hand and I looked up and into his deep brown eyes and our feelings were so palpable.  My stomach muscles tightened and I felt a thrill as though I were falling down a steep roller coaster.  Needless to say, I did not marry this young man, but our romance lasted for almost two years.  This song never fails to transport me back to that sweet moment in time when the world was innocent and full of possibility, and I thought I had found my soulmate.

#6 Diamond Life by Sade

I can not pick one song from this album; the whole thing is flawless.  This is another album that I would play incessantly while I was in college.  Sade's voice is so smooth and elegant.  She is glamorous and sophisticated, and her voice is incomparable.  It was a great album to block out distracting noises and help me relax and study.  I still enjoy listening to this album and her other albums as I work.

  

#5 "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong

Who doesn't like this song?  It is one of those songs that seems to right the wrongs of the world and remind us that life is short, so we should enjoy it!  I don't have a specific memory associated with this song; I just love it.  It always makes me happy and grateful to be alive.

#4 "Rushing Wind" from Keith Green

.Keith Green is one of my all-time favorite musicians.  He sings and plays the piano with passion that is almost palpable.  I love all of his songs, but this song touches my soul deeply.  I cannot listen to it without being moved spiritually.  Keith Green died very young; indeed, I did not start listening to his music until after he died.  That said, his short life had a huge impact, and his music will continue to impact the lives of people who hear it.

#3 "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder

My tiny baby was only 4 pounds when she came home.

No list of music could be complete without Stevie Wonder.  "Isn't She Lovely" holds a special place in my heart because one of my colleagues played it for my first daughter's baby shower.  My first daughter was born prematurely, and I was not prepared for her arrival.  My colleagues at my school threw me a baby shower to help me get some of the things that I needed for her.  My daughter was so tiny; her arms and legs were so thin, that I would try to hide them when I took her out.  In my eyes, she was beautiful, and when my colleague played this song at the start of the shower, my heart was filled gratitude for my wonderful colleagues who embraced us both with their love.  It was the best baby shower!

#2 "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long" by Chicago

When my husband and I first met, and were getting to know each other, we listened to a lot of Chicago.  The songs are happy, full of hope and full of love, which completely reflects how we feel about each other.  We met each other later in life, and we had both given up on the possibility of love and happiness that comes with it.  Meeting someone who complements you and completes you so perfectly was unexpected and wonderful.  This particular song reflects how much both of our lives were transformed by our relationship.  

  

#1 Tie between "Come Fly With Me" and "The Best is Yet to Come" by Frank Sinatra

"Come Fly With Me" is the theme song for myself and my husband.  It makes me happy and it makes me think of my unexpectedly joyful romance with my husband.  Ironically, my husband travels for his job, so he is a frequent flyer.  Because we are inseparable, he tries to get me to travel with him whenever my schedule allows it.  So, not only has he figuratively invited me to travel through life with him, but he has also literally invited me to fly with him.

My husband and I dancing.

Even though "Come Fly With Me" is our song, my husband and I selected "The Best is Yet to Come" for our official wedding dance. We took dance lessons, and our dance teacher recommended we do a Foxtrot.  "Come Fly With Me" had the wrong tempo, but "The Best is Yet to Come" was perfect, so we danced to that song at our wedding.  My gown got in the way of some of our fancy moves, but we pulled it off and made a great memory!

My Bucket List

1. Have a home with a formal library with built-in bookshelves and a fireplace.

The ornate details are exquisite!

A spiral staircase to the second level is a must!

When I was a four-years-old, my mother was dying from breast cancer, and when she was sleeping, I was supposed to play quietly by myself.  During those hours, I learned to love books.  Even though I could not read yet, I spent hours looking at my picture books and creating my own stories to match the pictures.  As the years passed, I preferred to company of books to the company of my classmates.  My teachers would force me to go outside and play during recess.  During the summer, my new mother would force me to leave my books and go outside and get some exercise.  To this day, my books are my best friends, and I am happiest when I am surrounded by books.  I have more books than my current bookshelves can contain, and some day I hope to have an entire room devoted to my books.

These bookshelves are painfully empty!

2.  Return to Amsterdam for an extended vacation.

This is exactly how I remember it!

I did not get to see it at night.  It is so charming!

My husband and I went to Italy on our honeymoon, and we had an eight-hour layover in Amsterdam.  I thought it would be fun to visit, but I did not expect to fall in love with the charming, ancient city.  The city is filled with canals, and the architecture of the homes along these canals is charming.  I did not know what to do with our time there, so I chose to spend three hours waiting in line to visit the factory where Anne Frank hid from the Nazis during World War II.  While it was interesting, I regret that I did not make use of the time exploring the city.  I would like to go back and become better acquainted with the city.

Such a beautiful place to relax!

3.  Retire to Cortona.

Tuscany, near Cortona

The city center of Cortona

As I mentioned before, my husband and I went to Italy on our honeymoon.  I wanted to explore Tuscany, so we spent several days in an old villa in the middle of an olive grove, surrounded by fields of sunflowers.  Each day, we visited an ancient hilltop city, and our favorite city was Cortona.  The walls of Cortona date back to the Etruscan period, probably around the 6th Century B.C.  The streets are so narrow that you have to leave your car in a lot near the city walls, and walk up to the city center, or even higher to the ancient Monastery at the very top of the city.  I loved every minute we spent exploring the city; indeed, every time I turned my head, I wanted to capture the image in a photograph to frame in my home.  I loved the ancient buildings, the narrow, cobblestoned streets, and the narrower winding steps between buildings.  The food was spectacular, and the people were welcoming and accommodating, never judging us for not being able to speak Italian.  I would love to go back there, not just to visit, but to stay!

No cars can fit on these streets!

I ate here, on the porch!

Most of the streets are this steep!

I expected to see fields of grapes for wine, but instead there were fields of sunflowers!

4. Have grandchildren.

Baby clothes are so adorable!

Children's museums are great day trips!

Playscapes are fun any time of day!

This is the one item on my bucket list that I have no control over.  I did my part by procreating my own daughters, now it is on them to produce grandchildren--although not any time soon.  Ten years from now, I would love to have grandchildren to love and spoil and enjoy.   I will babysit, take them to fun places, read to them, play games with them, bake them treats, and love them to the moon and back!

Reading aloud is essential and a great bonding time as well

5. Be healthy.

Eat the rainbow of foods for good health!

Technically, this is not truly a bucket-list item, but it is essential for me to do everything else on my list.  I originally thought about saying something about getting my weight down to my "ideal weight", but I realized that I really just want to be healthy.  Both of my parents died in their mid-forties for health reasons, and I almost died in childbirth, so I have always tried to take care of myself.  Now that I have outlived them both, I am becoming even more aware of the impact that small choices I make each day have on my overall health.  I am learning that I want to quit yo-yo dieting; instead, I want to eat real food, minimize my sugar intake, exercise regularly, sleep well, minimize my stress, make healthy decisions, and live without regrets.

How I would like to look when I work out! (Haha!)

6. Write a Memoir.

A perfect place to write a Memoir!

After hearing my story, many people have encouraged me to write a memoir.  Some day, I would like to do that.  While this is a trite expression, truth is stranger than fiction!  My childhood was far from ordinary, and I have had some interesting experiences teaching in the Detroit Public Schools.  For being a quiet girl who prefers books over adventures, I have experienced a lot of dramatic moments; from being orphaned, to almost being abducted, to taking cover from gunfire, to hemorrhaging during childbirth, I have a lot to write about!

7. Learn another language.

I can identify seven of these: English, Spanish, German, Arabic, French, Hawaiian and Italian.

Actually, I would like to be multilingual.  I first desired to learn another language when I was in seventh grade.  It was during the Cold War, and I was fascinated with Russia and the secrecy of the Iron Curtain.   I wanted to learn Russian, so I checked a book out from the library and tried to learn the Russian alphabet.  I didn't get very far, and I soon decided that I was overly ambitious, so I stopped trying to learn Russian.  Ten years later, when I started working on a graduate degree, I studied Spanish for several years, but I did not have anyone with whom I could converse, so I lost much of what I learned.  This was before the Internet, and before I had the opportunity to travel, so now I have access to tools that can help me retain what I learn.  Once I finish my terminal degree, I will have the time to study languages.   

8. Read all of the books on my "Books to Read" shelves.

This is unlikely to happen because I collect books to read more quickly than I can get through them.  That said, I would love to have the time to at least put a dent in the stack.  Between my teaching workload and my dissertation, I have very little time to read for pleasure.  I look forward to the day when I can relax and read for pleasure without guilt, or read professional books and articles without the pressure of focusing on what I need to include in my paper.

It is best to read with a cat, and orange one preferably!

9.  Move to a warmer climate to finish my career.

I have lived all of my life in Michigan, and for two-thirds of the year I am miserable when I am outside because I am always cold.  Then, during the fleeting months of warmth in the summer, I am miserable when I am inside because people think that the air conditioners should be set to a frigid temperature.  Every winter, I vow to myself that some day I am going to escape from this miserable cold weather.  I am not sure where I am going to move, but it will be far south of Michigan!

I'm ready to leave this behind.

This is much better!

10. Travel the World. 

Such vivid colors!

One of the first places I want to visit is Greece.  Perhaps it is my desire for warm weather, but there is something beautifully compelling about the pictures I have seen.  The pictures of Greece that show the vivid cobalt blue sky, the whitewashed buildings with rounded roofs, and the azure blue Mediterranean Sea are stunningly beautiful.  I would love to experience that beauty firsthand.

A charming English cottage

I love British literature, and I taught it for twenty years which deepened my affinity for it.  I would love to visit England and see the homeland of some of my favorite authors.  While I'm there, I would also love to visit Ireland.  The lush green countryside is so lovely!  Then, I would love to see Scotland, the setting for Macbeth, my favorite Shakespeare play.  I also heard that you can stay at the Castle where Mary, Queen of Scots, (AKA "Bloody Mary") fled when she was                                                                                     running for her life.

A town in Germany

Germany and France are also on my list, partly because pictures I have seen look so beautiful and partly because my father's family was German, and my mother's side was half French.    The major cities, such as Paris and Berlin would be exciting to visit, but I would rather visit the smaller towns and countryside in both countries.

A lavender field in France

A street in Morocco

There are other places I would love to visit such as Turkey, Morocco, Kenya, Egypt, the Holy Land, Malta, Austria, and the list goes on.  Just like my endless reading list, my travel list is endless too!

Istanbul, Turkey