The Most Dangerous Game Comprehension/Plot Test

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME Quiz

A.    Understanding what happened:

Directions for each question, please place the letter of the best answer in the space provided:

____1. The general hunts humans because he:

a. hates humanity            b. is bored with hunting animals

                        c. is afraid of other people             d. wants the island to be a secret

____2. Rainsford cannot escape because:

            a. he has given his word he won’t             b. there is no way off the island

                        c. he wants to hunt             d. he wants to kill Zaroff

____3. The general especially welcomes Rainsford because he:

            a. is writing a book             b. wants news from the U.S.

                        c. is lonely                         d. is glad to meet another great hunter

____4. If Rainsford does not join the game, he will be:

            a. sent back to New York             b. drowned at sea

                        c. tortured by Ivan                         d. locked in the cellar

____5. At the end of the story, Rainsford is:

            a. killed by the general             b. waking up in the general’s bed

                        c. eaten by the general’s dogs             d. rescued by Whitney

B.    Interpreting Meanings:

For each question, please place the letter of the best answer in the space in the space provided:

­­­­­____1. In the story, most readers would share the feelings of:

            a. Rainsford                        b. the general                         c. Ivan            

____2. The general is a strange mixture of:

            a. wisdom and foolishness            b. sensitivity and cruelty

                        c. happiness and grief            d. hope and despair

____3. During the hunt, Rainsford is:

            a. frightened but clever             b. amused by the general

                        c. calm and relaxed                         d. slow to understand the game

____4. Rainsford realizes he must:

                        a. kill or be killed                         b. hide in the swamp

                                    c. escape and seek help             d. join the general

(Continued on next page)

Page 2

           

____5. The hunt ends in one man’s death when the general:

                        a. leaps into the sea                         b. becomes too confident

                                    c. loses interest                         d. leaves his chateau

C.    Please put the following events in the correct order:

1.	a. After Rainsford lays a very intricate trail, General Zaroff still finds Rainsford’s hiding place.
2.	b. The Malay Man-catcher only slightly wounds Zaroff
3	c. The Ugandan knife trick does not kill its intended victim
4	d. Zaroff returns with Ivan and his pack of dogs
5.	e. The yacht is passing by “Ship-Trap Island”, a place with a very unsavory reputation.
6.	f. Rainsford hears a gunshot coming from the island.
7.	g. The door to the chateau opens, and a giant is standing in the door way with a gun pointing straight at Rainsford’s heart.
8.	h. Rainsford figures out that the general hunts humans.
9.	i. When Rainsford refuses to go hunting with the general, he learns that the general now plans to hunt him.
10.	j. Rainsford hears the baying of the hounds, and decides to do a desperate escape by leaping off the cliff into the jagged rocks in the sea below.
11.	k. Rainsford wakes up after a good night’s sleep in the general’s bed.
12.	l. The general turns on the light in his bedroom and finds Rainsford standing there.

Page 3

D. Vocabulary: Please match the word with its definition:

­­­

___ 1. Futile	a. with burning enthusiasm, passionate
___ 2. Lore	b. optical illusion
___ 3. Perils	c. unnoticed escape

___ 4. Mirage	d. ease or nimbleness
___ 5. Bizarre	e. dangers
___ 6. Ardent	f. endurance
___ 7. Condone	g. stories, legends, knowledge
___ 8. Eludes	h. allow
___ 9. Stamina	i. odd or unusual
___10. Agility	j. unsuccessful attempt

E. Plot Definitions: Match the term with its correct definition:

______ 1. Exposition	A. The moment when the protagonist’s fate changes for better or for worse.
______ 2. Rising Action	B. The end of the story when the plot is finally resolved.
______ 3. Climax	C. The back story or the events that have occurred before the short story, book, film or play begins. It is also the events which occur “off-stage”.
______ 4. Falling Action	D. The action or series of actions that occur after the climax.
______ 5. Resolution	E. The events that create the story and are the obstacles the protagonist encounters and by her/his efforts will try to overcome. These series of events will lead to the climax of the story.
______ 6. Plot	F. The character whose journey we follow throughout the story, and from whose viewpoint we experience the story.
______ 7. Protagonist	G. The character who opposes the protagonist in his/her journey.
______ 8. Antagonist	H. The series of events that make up the story; this includes the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and the resolution.

­­Page 4

F. Plot: Determine from which part of the plot the following events occur:

1. Rainsford falls into the ocean when he loses his balance on the yacht’s railing:

            a. exposition                        b. rising action              c. falling action            

2. Rainsford is a world-renowned hunter on his way to South America to hunt jaguar:

            a. exposition                         b. rising action             c. falling action

3. The yacht is passing by a strange and forbidding island called “Ship-Trap Island”:

            a. exposition                         b. climax                        c. resolution

4. Rainsford is greeted at the door of the chateau by a giant of a man holding a gun pointed straight at Rainsford’s heart:

            

            a. rising action             b. climax             c. falling action

5. The General reveals that he is a hunter and a Cossack:

            a. exposition                         b. rising action             c. climax

6. When Rainsford refuses to go hunting for humans, the General then hints that he will hunt Rainsford:

            a. exposition                         b. climax                        c. rising action

7. Zaroff discover Rainsford’s hiding place but walks away:

            a. rising action             b. exposition                         c. falling action

8. The Malay man-catcher only wounds the general, but does not kill him:

           

            a. rising action             b. exposition                         c. climax

9. The Ugandan knife trick does not kill its intended victim:

            a. rising action             b. falling action             c. climax

(Continued on the next page)

Page 5

10. Rainsford hears the baying pack of hounds coming closer to him, in front of him lies the ocean, below jagged rocks. He leaps far out to sea:

            a. rising action             b. falling action             c. climax

11. The general turns on his  light and finds Rainsford standing in his bedroom:

           

a. rising action             b. falling action             c. climax

12. “On guard, Rainsford!” says the General just before their fight to the death

            a. rising action             b. falling action             c. climax

13. Rainsford wakes up the next morning in the general’s bed.

            a. rising action             b. falling action             c. resolution

           

September 28, 2015 - October 2, 2015 Weekly Schedule

Monday, September 28th: 

1st Period: 

BIC: Work on the "suspense section" of the "The Most Dangerous Game"
8:15:
Work on suspense, theme, and plot analysis of "The Most Dangerous Game"
Plot Analysis:
Protagonist
Antagonist
Exposition (Back Story)
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Denouement
Resolution

Questions:

1.     What is suspense?
Stephanie: Suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. Suspense is the uncertainty or anxiety we feel about what is going to happen next in a story. Suspense builds as readers approach the climax of a story. 

2.     What are techniques used by writers and film makers to create suspense?

3.     Show three specific examples how Richard Connell uses suspense to keep us guessing or wanting to know what is going to happen next.

In class discussion:
1. What were some of the techniques used by Connell to create suspense?
Taylor: "A sharp scream"
From the very beginning Connell sets up the creepy, suspenseful atmosphere of the story:
1. " Ship-Trap Island" 2. "They say it's a god forsaken place 3. Sailor have a curious dread of the island. 4. The crew on the boat were nervous and jumpy as they passed the island. 5. The air was actually poisonous. 6. "Evil is a tangible thing - with waves. 7. The night was very black. 8. (Regina) Rainsford heard gunshots when he was alone on the deck. 8. He fell overboard in the middle of the Caribbean! 9. (Regina) He had to swim to the island but the island was surrounded by rocks (Michael) 10. He heard the sound of what seemed like a wounded animal. 11. (Anselmo) Rainsford saw a chateau on the island. 12. Even the knocker looked like a gargoyle 13. When the door opened, Rainsford saw a huge giant of a man holding a revolver straight at his heart.

3rd Period: 

Showed a video about Cecil the Lion’s killing.

Open your book to page 12 and begin listing all the things you think help create suspense in the story.

1.     Isabel: This place has a bad reputation – cannibals. 2. Reyna: The tough Swede, who is the captain of the yacht, is described as having a very peculiar look in his eyes when talking about Ship-Trap Island.  Timerica: Even cannibals wouldn’t live in such a god-forsaken place.” Asiah: “A ragged fringe of wild jungle edged the shore.” 4. Rainsford hears gunshots when he is alone on the deck. 5. Ashley:  Rainsford falls into the middle of the Caribbean,  in the middle of the night, and the closest land is…..”Ship-Trap Island”. 6. Ashley and Timerica: He hears a high screaming that is filled with anguish and terror. 7. He hears another gunshot. 8. The island is surrounded by rocks. 9. He finds a chateau. 10.  Cooper: There is a gargoyle looking knocker on the door. 11. Johan – When the door is opened, a giant man is standing there with a gun pointing straight at Rainsford’s chest.

Worked on the suspense section of “The Most Dangerous Game”. Kids not focused at all. Most kids had not worked on the packet at all. It is due tomorrow without exception!

Tuesday, September 29th: 

1st Period: 

BIC:
 "The Most Dangerous Game" packet is due today
Grammar homework due today: HOLT HANDBOOK; pages 151 - 152; exercises 1 and 2; "Past Participle Verb Forms"

Go over suspense portion in the packet during BIC.
Collected the grammar homework and the HOLT HANDBOOK today. 

8:15 - 9:11

Name of Movie	Example of Suspense	How Suspense is Resolved
Finding Nemo	Nemo is separated from his father.	Nemo winds up in a fish tank in a dentist’s office. He pretends to be dead, gets flushed down a toilet, and is reunited with his father.

Plot Graph:

Exposition: Back story. The events which have occurred before the story has begun.

Rising Action: the plot twists in the story. The events which occur in the story, which cause the suspense to increase, which leads to the climax of the story. Examples: In real life one gets on the bus to go from point A to point B, and if one makes it in one piece with no near-death experiences, then it's a good trip. One wants much of life to be that way - but that's boring in a movie, or a play, or a book. In a movie, say, the protagonist gets on the bus at point A, but when the door slides shut behind her and she turns around and sees a bunch of zombies looking at her hungrily, and they begin advancing towards her, and she tries frantically to break a window to get out, and then after repeated assaults on the glass with her backpack, she finally breaks the window, and then she tries to crawl out of the window with zombies grabbing her legs to pull her back inside, and then she finally manages to kick free of the zombies, and is now running on top of the bus with more zombies following her, and then just as the last zombie gets brained by an overhanging stop light, and she thinks she's safe, she turns around and there is a giant T-Rex zeroing in on her with its ginormous  red laser eyes, and it opens its gigantic mouth with its razor sharp teeth and it grabs her by her shirt collar and is about to swing her into its enormous maw (Climax),  it is suddenly smashed into smithereens by a nuclear bomb blast, which obliterates it, leaving her the only survivor (falling action), and the blast propels her to point B, Wilshire and Western, which is her final destination (resolution).

Climax: It is the most exciting part of the story. It is the part of the story where the protagonist’s fate changes for the better or the worst.

Protagonist: He or she is the main character in the story. He or she is the one whose story we follow. The protagonist is not always a good guy.

Examples of protagonists: 

Jaleni: Dead Pool

Anselmo: Bizarro

Jennifer: Iron Man

Jaleni: Sub Zero

Stephanie and Regina: Black Widow

Jayla: Superman

Jennifer: Captain America

Ki: Spider Man

Jasmine: The Hulk

A protagonist who is not a good guy is called an “anti-hero”.

Example:

Jalani: “The Good Fellas” were not good fellas, at all!

Antagonist: Is the person who is at cross purposes with the protagonist. He or she is against the protagonist and tries to keep her or him from accomplishing her/his goals.

Jennifer: The Joker

Regina: The Harlequin

Jalani: Scorpion

Falling Action: the action or series of action that occur after the climax.

Resolution or denouement: the tying up of loose ends. 

The students draw a Freytag plot graph. Tomorrow, graph "The Most Dangerous Game". 

3rd Period: 

Work on suspense, theme, and plot analysis of "The Most Dangerous Game"
Plot Analysis:
Protagonist
Antagonist
Exposition (Back Story)
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Denouement
Resolution

Applying Skills in “The Most Dangerous Game”

Name of Movie or Book	Example of Suspense	How the Suspense was Resolved
White Chicks	Two policemen dress up as rich girls and attend a fancy party to catch a rich crook.	The policemen, dressed up as the girls, get away with the ruse for awhile, but eventually get caught.

The Fault in Their Stars           

Hazel expects to die before her boyfriend does

But her boyfriend dies first - an example of situational irony.

“The Most Dangerous Game” Plot Notes

Plot Graph:

Exposition: Back story. The events which have occurred before the story has begun.

Examples of Exposition from “The Most Dangerous Game”:

1.     Timerica: People say that there are cannibals on an island the men are passing.

2.     Isabel: The men say the island has a bad reputation.

3.     Nicole: The island is called “Ship-Trap Island.”

4.     Jonathan: Rainsford has written books on hunting animals.

5.     Kristina and Cooper: Rainsford is a hunter and a writer.

Let’s go deeper into the text and mine some expository information (back story) about Ivan and General Zaroff:

1.     Kristina: Ivan was deaf and mute. (He was also gigantic - description)

2.     Isabel: General Zaroff was a hunter and has been hunting since he was a small child. 

3.     Cooper, Arturo, Johan: Both Zaroff and Ivan were Cossacks. Cossacks were known to be brutal. They were the favored cavalry of the Tsars.

4.     Zaroff is very rich.

6.     Zaroff reveals to Rainsford details about his childhood – he came from a very privileged background. He fled the Bolshevik Revolution with his money.

7.     Ivan was the knouter for the Tsars -  a knouter is someone who beats people. Ivan was the professional torturer for the Tsars.

Rising Action: the plot twists in the story. The events which occur in the story, which cause the suspense to increase, and leads to the climax of the story.

1.     Cooper: The first example of a rising action is when the pipe is knocked out of Rainsford’s mouth and he falls overboard.

2.     Paola: When Rainsford is in the ocean.

3.     Cooper: When Rainsford is in the tree and General Zaroff is at the base of the tree, looking up, up, up until his gaze stops just below where Rainsford is hiding, and then Zaroff smiles and walks away.

4.     Asiah: When Rainsford steps into the quicksand.

Climax: It is the most exciting part of the story. It is the part of the story where the protagonist’s fate changes for the better or the worst.

Protagonist: He or she is the main character in the story. . He or she is the one whose story we follow.He or she may not always be a good person. 

A protagonist who is morally ambiguous is called an "Anti-hero."

Go through the short story and create a Freytag pyramid.

Wednesday, September 30^th:

BIC:

Break into groups of three and you are going to create a short scene, or a rap, or a dance with a song using two of the vocabulary words:

Futile – failure; unsuccessful; pointless

Bizarre – weird

Agility – graceful, able to change directions quickly and easily,

Mirage – an illusion, an optical illusion, something that looks real but is not real because it is an optical illusion

Ardent – passionate (adjective, which means it goes before a noun)

Elude – to escape notice

Condone – to allow; to allow something to happen by not doing anything to stop it; to overlook

Perils - danger

Lore – stories surrounding an occupation, or an institution, or a location.

The tragic story of Toby is part of Hollywood High School lore.

According to lore and legend, uttering the name “MacBeth” brings bad luck in the theatre. 

Groups:

Jayla, Arath, Dalicia: bizarre, futile

Ki, Regina, Eric, Jayla:  agility, ardent

Stephanie, Jasmine, Natalie: mirage, lore

Michael, Anselmo, Angie: elude, perils

Go through  “The Most Dangerous Game”, find examples of the rising action (or obstacles to Rainsford’s safety) and write them in your writer’s notes. 

Rising Action:

The first example of rising action in “The Most Dangerous Game” is the gun shot Rainsford hears while he is still on board the yacht.

2^nd example:

Ki: Rainsford falls off the boat in the middle of the Caribbean in the middle of the night.

3^rd example:

Regina: He has to swim to the closest island, “Ship-Trap Island”, which is surrounded by sharp rocks!!!!

4^th example:

Anselmo: “The wake of the speeding yacht slapped Rainsford in the face and made him gag.”

5^th example:

Dalicia:

Rainsford found a strange chateau in the middle of “Ship-Trap Island”.

6^th example:

Dalicia: Rainsford saw a very tall man in the door of the chateau holding a revolver straight at Rainsford’s heart!!!!!

7^th example:

Regina: Rainsford heard a high pitched scream from the darkness filled with anguish and terror.

8^th example:

Angie: Rainsford figures out that the General hunts humans!!!!!!

9^th example:

Rainsford figures out that the General wants to hunt him!!!!!!!!

10^th example:

If Rainsford refuses to be hunted by the General then he will be beaten to death by Ivan!

11^th example:

Rainsford lays out an extremely difficult trail and then hides behind the heavy foliage high up in a tree, but the General stops at the base of the tree and raises his gaze up, up, up to just below where Rainsford is lying, stops, smiles and walks away.

12^th example:

Michael and Anselmo: When the Malay man-catcher only wounds the general, not kills him

12^th example:

13^th example:

3rd Period: 

Students went through "The Most Dangerous Game" to find twelve examples of  rising actions, write them down and turn in for credit.
Discussion 
Went over climax. Find the climax in "The Most Dangerous Game"
Discussion
Went over falling action and resolution
Discusson

Thursday, October 1st: 

BIC

1^st Period:

“The Most Dangerous Game” test

3^rd Period:

“The Most Dangerous Game” test 

Friday, October 2nd: 

Go over the concept of theme.

Periods 1 and  3:

BIC:

As you are watching the following videos, please try to answer these questions:

1.     What is the name of the video you are watching?

“How Wolves Change Rivers”

2.     Who or what organization produced the film?

“Sustainable Human”, “Greater Yellowstone Coalition”

3.     What is the topic of the film?

How wolves change rivers, and the environment, etc.

How wolves change the ecosystem

4.     What is the thesis, the main argument, or claim the film is making?

Regina: Do not take out one animal.

The ecosystem is very delicate. Removing one species of animal may seriously affect the environment in surprising ways.

5.     What is evidence is given in the video to support the thesis?

Wolves were removed from the Yellowstone area seventy years ago. The deer population exploded, and overgrazed the grasslands, reducing grasses, plants and trees, which affected other animal species which needed the plant life for survival.

After wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone, the deer population left the area. Deer are herbivores, which means they subsist on grass and plants. After the deer left the area, the trees and the grass grew back.

Because the grass grew back, there was less soil erosion.

Less soil erosion changed the direction and flow of the river.

Another result of the deer leaving the area is that other animals were then allowed to thrive. The wolves also killed the coyotes, which allowed mice, rabbits and beavers to come back into the area. Because of the beavers building dams, this allowed muskrats, otters, water fowls such as ducks, and fish to come into the Yellowstone area. The other species of animals were beavers, foxes, weasels, mice, rabbits, bears, coyotes, and birds, and many other species.

6.     What conclusion can be drawn from the film?

To even out the population of each species too much can really hurt the environment.

7.     Do  you agree with the film’s claims?  Why or why not. Please give specific reasons to support your opinion.

Trophic Cascade:

The effect that the top predator has on the food chain.

Video by CNN:  Report by University of New York on Dolphins:

What did the experiment with the mirror show about dolphin intelligence?

Why did the researchers draw a dot on the dolphin?

What reaction did the dolphin have when it saw its reflection in the mirror?

What does this say about dolphin intelligence?

Why did the researchers put an “X” on the side of the elephant’s head?

What reaction did the elephant have to the “x” on the side of its head?

What does this tell us about elephant intelligence?

 

Theme:

Theme is the main idea around which a writer builds a story, or a director builds a film or a play. The theme is a truth or an idea that the writer wishes to illustrate. She creates a story that tests the idea, or what she believes is a universal  truth, through the development of  plot and characters. As we follow the plot and the characters, the idea or universal truth is revealed and its validity tested.

A theme is always expressed as a sentence.  Love, or hate or any other single word cannot be a theme.  Love or hate are topics or subjects, not themes. A theme must express a central idea or truth about a topic or idea. For example, love is not the theme of Romeo and Juliet; love is, however, a topic the play deals with. One possible theme for Romeo and Juliet might be ignorant violent adults will destroy their children through their ignorance and violence,  or another theme for Romeo and Juliet might be reckless heedless love will destroy the young.

At the beginning of the story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, Rainsford and Whitney, a fellow hunter on the yacht, are discussing hunting and animals.

Rainsford expresses his disdain for animals:

“Great sport, hunting.”

“The best sport in the world,” agreed Rainsford.

“Not for the animal,” amended Whitney. “Not for the jaguar.”

“Don’t talk rot, Whitney,” said Rainsford….”Who cares how a jaguar feels?...They have no understanding!”

“I rather think they understand one thing – fear! The fear of pain and the fear of death.” (Whitney)

“Nonsense!” laughed Rainsford…”The world is made up of two classes – the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are the hunters.”

Richard Connell, the writer of “The Most Dangerous Game”, sets up the theme at the very beginning of the story - that animals have no feelings or thoughts, or instincts, which was the prevailing scientific thought at the time regarding animals. The theme is immediately stated by the protagonist, Sanger Rainsford, who believes that animals have no feelings, and therefore,  it is perfectly fine that he hunts them. He proudly proclaims himself a member of the hunting class. Connell sets up this theme and immediately tests it by having Rainsford, through a series of events, becoming the hunted. 

Throughout the story, Connell uses animal imagery to describe Rainsford. Skim the short story, see if you can find them, and write them down.

By the end of the story, how has the central idea that animals have no feelings been tested? Was Rainsford, at the beginning of the story,  right all along? Has Rainsford’s ordeal changed him so that he has a better appreciation for the rights of animals,  and by extension,  those who belong to the class of the hunted?

Go through exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement in "The Most Dangerous Game" 

Go through the short story and create a Freytag pyramid. 

Test on "The Most Dangerous Game" on Wednesday, September 30th

Essay assigned on "The Most Dangerous Game" on Thursday, October 1st.

 

September 21, 2015 - September 25, 2015

Monday, September 21^st:

1^st Period:

BIC

8:15

Go to library for library orientation

Take test over library rules/protocols

Turn in test for credit.

3^{rd Period}:

Go to library for orientation

Take test over library rules/protocols
Turn in test for credit. 

Tuesday, September 22^nd: 

 First Period: 

BIC

Work on the vocabulary part of “The Most Dangerous Game” vocabulary packet. If you are finished with the sentences, then go to the last page of the packet and work on the grammar portion. This deals with adjectives.

Adjectives: Underline the adjectives in the sentences 1 – 4. On the fifth sentence write your own sentence using colorful and dramatic adjectives. On the last page, revise the paragraph using highly descriptive adjectives.

“The Most Dangerous Game” page

Please get out your notes on the short story and a pen. 

Reading Notes: 

Anselmo: “To strike a tartar.” To get more than one bargained for.

What are the rules of the game:

Dalicia: Rule #1: Rainsford gives his prisoner three hours head start.

Taylor: Rule #2: Rainsford gives them a hunting knife and a supply of food.

Anselmo: Rule #3: The hunt lasts for three days.

Arath: Rule #4: If the General catches the prisoner within the three days,  he dies.

Regina: Rule #5: If the prisoner wins then he will be placed on a boat and allowed to leave the island.

What happens if a prisoner refuses to be hunted?

Regina and Anselmo: The prisoner is handed over to Ivan, who will torture him. Ivan was a professional torturer of the Russian Czar or Tsar.

Foreshadowing: There are dogs – many HUGE dogs – down in the courtyard below Rainsford’s bedroom window.

Now the General wants to show Rainsford his heads!?

What did the general invite Rainsford to do the first night of his visit?

On the second night what did the general “invite” Rainsford to do?

What was the agreement if Rainsford won?

What was the General’s condition Rainsford refused to agree to? 

Vocabulary:

Opiate: anything which soothes or calms 

Ennui: boredom

Chablis: is a white wine

Stopped reading at the bottom of the left column on page 18. “….Crimson sash about his waist.

Period 3:

Your “Most Dangerous Game” packet will be due on Friday, September 25^th.

Open your book to page 22. Please get out your pen and writing notes. 

The Most Dangerous Game Reading Review:

Read pages 16 - 17 and write a description of Rainsford, Ivan and the General.

Rainsford: He is a renowned hunter and the author of many hunting books. 

How did the General know who Rainsford was? 

Ashley: He overheard Rainsford introduce himself to Ivan.  

The General: The general owns the island. The General is named Zaroff. He is Russian. He is old. He is handsome – for an old man. Is he rich – yes! Very rich!!!!

Ivan: he is the General’s assistant.

Ashley: The General is a very rich Cossack and owns the island.

Jonathan: Ivan is deaf and mute.

Johan: Ivan is huge!!!!

Asiah: He is a Cossack! 

Cossacks were noted horsemen and fierce fighters. They were known for their brutality. They were the soldiers used by the Czars to terrorize the people of Russia. Both Ivan and General Zaroff are Cossacks. 

Review:

Ashley: Whitney left Rainsford alone on the deck of the yacht. Rainsford heard gunshots coming from a creepy island with a notorious reputation called “Ship-Trap Island”. 

Asiah and Nicole: Rainsford was smoking a pipe late at night on the deck of a yacht on his way to South America to hunt jaguars. 

He and Whitney, a fellow hunter,  are discussing the unsavory reputation of a nearby island, called "Ship-Trap Island". Whitney eventually retires to his cabin, leaving Rainsford alone on deck. Suddenly, Rainsford hears gunshots. He gets up and climbs on top of the railing to get a better view. A rope from the yacht swings out and knocks the pipe out of his mouth. When he tries to grab the pipe, he loses his balance and falls into the deep waters of the Caribbean in the middle of the night. Rainsford sees the lights grow dim on the yacht as it sails on into the darkness without him. The closest island is "Ship-Trap Island" - the island with the unsavory reputation! 

Reread page 22 and write down the rules of the general’s game:

Cooper: Rule Number One: The prisoner is given food, hunting gear and a knife. The General has a gun.

Ashley: Rule Number Two: He gives the prisoner a three hour headstart.

Tyrone: Rule Number Three: If the General finds the prisoner within three days, the General wins. If he doesn’t find the prisoner, then the prisoner wins.”

What happens if the prisoner refuses to play the game?

Jonathan: The prisoner is turned over to Ivan!!!!!!

 Ivan is HUGE!!!!!! Ivan was the chief torturer for the Czar.   

The prisoner has to make a choice – run for your life in the jungle or be chased by the General!!! Or be beaten to death by Ivan!!!!

Wednesday,  September 23rd: 

No school today.

 

Thursday, September 24th: 

1st Period: 

 BIC: Work on your “The Most Dangerous Game” packet: the vocabulary and the grammar/adjective parts of the packet.

8:15:

Start reading “The Most Dangerous Game”

Vocabulary:

Uncanny: unusual; suggesting unusual, almost supernatural powers.

Quarry: prey

Precariously: in an unstable manner

Bough: (pronounced like bow) is a large tree branch

Reread what we  read and then write in your own words what has just happened.

From “Rainsford had fought his way through the bush for two hours….” to “…the Cossack failed to see his quarry.”

Reread what we just read and then write in your own words what has just happened. You may also draw a picture of it to help you visualize it:

From “He slid down from the tree…..” to “…I shall be back….”

What is this device called?

The Malay Man-Catcher !

What was occurring in France during 1913 and 1917?

Jasmine: World War One

Rainsford was a soldier in the U.S. Army. During World War 1, trenches were used throughout Europe.  A trench is a long and deep ditch that can stretch for miles. Soldiers would live and fight in the trenches for weeks, if not months on end, and would frequently die in the trenches.  Rainsford’s digging the trenches in World War 1 was not as difficult and emotionally nerve wracking as digging the man-catcher on Ship-Trap Island.

Reread what we just read and then write in your own words what has just happened. You may also draw a picture to help you visualize it. Reread from:

 “Rainsford had dug himself in in France….” to “Thank you for a most amusing evening.”

What is this device called?

The Burmese Tiger Pit!

Period 3:

Page 23

1.    What was the creepy thing Rainsford discovered when he got up in the middle of the night?  Nicole: The door is locked!

2.    When Rainsford looked out his window what did he see in the courtyard many stories below?  Tyler: Dogs

3.    What did Rainsford hear at dawn? Kristina: He heard a pistol shot.

Vocabulary:

Ennui: boredom

Sloop: a small boat

Crimson: blood red

Uncanny: most unusual, suggestive of supernatural powers; eerie, creepy

Reread what we just read: From “’General, I wish to leave this island at once…’” to “a cocked revolver thrust in the crimson sash of his waist. Page 23 to page 24. Then answer the following questions:

1.     When does Rainsford figure out that the General means to hunt him? Catherin and Ashley:   “’You will find my idea of sport more diverting than Ivan’s?”

2.     What is the condition that must be met for Rainsford to win? Jaynice: If the general does not find Rainsford by the third midnight then he will not be killed.

3.     What does the General say he will do if Rainsford wins? Jaynice: The general says that he will have Rainsford  put on a sloop and taken to the main land.

4.     What is the condition Rainsford must follow if he is allowed to leave the island? Reyna: The condition is that Rainsford must never speak about what the General is doing on the island – which is KILLING PEOPLE FOR SPORT!!!!!

5.     Does Rainsford agree to the condition? Asiah: He does not agree with the conditions!

6.     Who was Lazarus? Paola: The General’s favorite dog!

7.     What happened to him? Kimberly: The dog fell into the quicksand and died!

8.     What is strange about the General’s feelings about Lazarus? Johan: The general obviously loved his dog far more than his fellow humans!

Read from page 24 to page 26; read from “’I’ll leave a trail for him to follow!’” to “Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.”

Answer the following questions:

1.     What did Rainsford do to elude the General?

2.     Was it successful?

3.     What did Rainsford see the General do?

4.     What terrifying thing did Rainsford realize?

5.    Do you think Rainsford has changed his mind about animals - that they have only instincts?

Friday, September 25^th:

BIC:

Holt Handbook; pages 151 – 152;

Exercises 1 and 2;

Exercise 1: If the word is in the present tense, then write the past form of the verb; if the word is in the past form then write the past participle form of the verb.

Example:

Do – did

Saw – have seen

Exercise 2: Write the sentence with the correct verb form.

Example: Mai’s parents told her about their journey in a boat from South Viet Nam to Malaysia.

The title should be “Holt Handbook; pages 151 – 152”.

The grammar homework will be due on Tuesday, September 29^th.

Read “The Most Dangerous Game”

Please answer the following questions:

1.     What sound did Rainsford hear that made him know that he had new things to learn about fear?

2.     What were the two possible alternatives Rainsford considered? What is the third alternative he came up with?

3.     What trick did Rainsford come up with? What was it called? Describe it.

4.     What happened as a result of this new trick of Rainsford?

5.     What were the two things bothering the general at dinner?

6.     Why was his reaction to one of his losses so strange?

7.     What is the surprise awaiting the general when he turns on his light?

8.     How does the story end?

9.     Do you think the survivor will continue hunting? Why or why not?

Vocabulary:

Repas: meal

Repast: meal

What do you think Rainsford will do now? Do you think he will give up hunting? Do you think he will release the prisoners? Do you think that he will take over the island and continue what the General was doing?

The packet for “The Most Dangerous Game” and the grammar homework, HOLT HANDBOOK; pages 151 – 152, exercises 1 and 2 will be due on Tuesday, September 29^th. 

Period 3:

Read “The Most Dangerous Game”; page 26 from “I will not lose my nerve!” (Dialogue between the third and the fourth paragraph in the left hand column.)

Vocabulary:

Precariously: unsteadily, in an unstable manner (adverb because it ends in ly)

Agility: the athletic ability to change directions quickly and easily

Bough: a large tree branch (pronounced like bow)

Tangible: the attribute of being easily detected by the senses.

Background Information:

Rainsford was a soldier in the U.S. Army. During World War 1, trenches were used throughout Europe.  A trench is a long and deep ditch that can stretch for miles. Soldiers would live and fight in the trenches for weeks, if not months on end, and would frequently die in the trenches.  Rainsford’s digging the trenches as a soldier in World War 1 was not as difficult and emotionally nerve wracking as digging the man-catcher on Ship-Trap Island.

 Read from page 26 (“I will not lose my nerve….”) to page 27 (Thank you for a most enjoyable evening!” Please answer the following questions:

1.     Describe the “Malay Mancatcher”. 

2.     What happened with General Zaroff and the Malay Mancatcher?

3.     What gave Rainsford the idea for the Burmese Tiger Pit?

4.     Describe the Burmese Tiger Pit.

5.     What happened at the Burmese Tiger Pit?

Read from page 27, from the fourth paragraph on the left side of the column to the end of the story.

Vocabulary:

Repast: meal

Please answer the following questions:

1.     What sound did Rainsford hear that made him know that he had new things to learn about fear? Kristina: It was a distant sound, faint and wavering. It was the sound of a pack of ravenous vicious hounds.

2.     What were the two possible alternatives Rainsford considered? What is the third alternative he came up with? Ashley: Stay where he was, which was suicide, or flee, which was postponing the inevitable. The third alternative was the Uganda knife trick.

3.     What trick did Rainsford come up with? What was it called? Describe it. Tyron: A knife is tied to a springy young sapling and tied back to another tree with some grapevine. This is a knife trick he learned in Uganda.

4.     What happened as a result of this new trick of Rainsford? Arturo and Johan: The Uganda knife trick killed Ivan.

5.     What were the two things bothering the general at dinner? Jonathan: How was he going to replace Ivan, and that the American had not really played the game fairly.

6.     Why was the general’s reaction to one of his losses so strange? Timerica: General Zaroff didn’t seem that upset over the death of Ivan.

7.     What is the surprise awaiting the general when he turns on his light?

8.     How does the story end?

9.     Do you think the survivor will continue hunting? Why or why not?

What do you think Rainsford will do now? Do you think he will give up hunting? Do you think he will release the prisoners? Do you think that he will take over the island and continue what the General was doing?

Do you think Rainsford will still agree with what he said at the beginning of the story:  that animals have no feelings, and that the world is divided into two classes – the hunter and the hunted?

Questions:

1.     What is suspense?

2.     What are techniques used by writers and film makers to create suspense?

3.     Show three specific examples how Richard Connell uses suspense to keep us guessing or wanting to know what is going to happen next.

Theme:

Theme is the main idea around which a writer builds a story, or a director builds a film or a play. The theme is a truth or an idea that the writer wishes to illustrate. She creates a story that tests the idea, or what she believes is a universal  truth, through the development of  plot and characters. As we follow the plot and the characters, the idea or universal truth is revealed and its validity tested.

A theme is always expressed as a sentence.  Love, or hate or any other single word cannot be a theme.  Love or hate are topics or subjects, not themes. A theme must express a central idea or truth about a topic or idea. For example, love is not the theme of Romeo and Juliet; love is, however, a topic the play deals with. One possible theme for Romeo and Juliet might be ignorant violent adults will destroy their children through their ignorance and violence,  or another theme for Romeo and Juliet might be reckless heedless love will destroy the young.

At the beginning of the story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, Rainsford and Whitney, a fellow hunter on the yacht, are discussing hunting and animals.

Rainsford expresses his disdain for animals:

“Great sport, hunting.”

“The best sport in the world,” agreed Rainsford.

“Not for the animal,” amended Whitney. “Not for the jaguar.”

“Don’t talk rot, Whitney,” said Rainsford….”Who cares how a jaguar feels?...They have no understanding!”

“I rather think they understand one thing – fear! The fear of pain and the fear of death.” (Whitney)

“Nonsense!” laughed Rainsford…”The world is made up of two classes – the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are the hunters.”

Richard Connell, the writer of “The Most Dangerous Game”, sets up the theme at the very beginning of the story - that animals have no feelings or thoughts, or instincts, which was the prevailing scientific thought at the time regarding animals. The theme is immediately stated by the protagonist, Sanger Rainsford, who believes that animals have no feelings, and therefore,  it is perfectly fine that he hunts them. He proudly proclaims himself a member of the hunting class. Connell sets up this theme and immediately tests it by having Rainsford, through a series of events, becoming the hunted. 

Throughout the story, Connell uses animal imagery to describe Rainsford. Skim the short story, see if you can find them, and write them down.

By the end of the story, how has the central idea that animals have no feelings been tested? Was Rainsford, at the beginning of the story,  right all along? Has Rainsford’s ordeal changed him so that he has a better appreciation for the rights of animals,  and by extension,  those who belong to the class of the hunted?