Assignments:
''I
like mass entertainment. I've written mass entertainment. But it's the opposite
of art because the job of mass entertainment is to cajole, seduce and flatter
consumers--to let them know that what they thought was right is right, and that
their tastes and their immediate gratification are of the utmost concern of the
purveyor. The job of the artist, on the other hand, is to say, wait a second,
to the contrary, everything that we have thought is wrong. Let's re-examine
it.'' David Mamet as quoted by Roger Ebert at
http://www.suntimes.com/output/answ-man/sho-sunday-ebert17.html.
“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell is extremely famous and has been made into over a dozen movies and has had its plot used in countless television shows. It is a good adventure story. But, is there anything in the story that challenges what you already know or believe about life? Does the hero look and sound like a hero? Does he do anything unexpected of a hero? Does the villain seem like a villain? Does he say anything that really surprises you about the villain? Is there anything about the story that makes you rethink your beliefs about life?
What are two different ways to interpret the title?
Draw a Venn Diagram that contains the characteristics of Rainsford and Zaroff.
A Venn Diagram is a chart that contains circles that represent topics, in this case one circle would represent Rainsford and another circle would represent Zaroff. When the circles are drawn, half of each circle should overlap. In the Rainsford circle you will put the characteristics of Rainsford. When you come to a characteristic that Zaroff also has, you will write that in the half that overlaps the Zaroff circle. The characteristics that only Rainsford has you will put in the half of the circle that does not overlap Zaroff’s. Do the same for Zaroff’s characteristics.
If the conflict is between two characters, what does the diagram tell you about why there is conflict?
Study the Words to Own found at the bottom of the pages of the story. There are ten of them. I strongly recommend that you create flash cards for yourself for these words and for any other words you come across that you want to know the meaning. This will be one of the smartest steps you will ever take to higher SAT scores. More importantly, it will be one of the smartest steps you will ever take to gaining power in the real world.
What is there about the conversation between Rainsford and Whitney that foreshadows what will happen later in the story? Did these statements give you a clue about the rest of the story when you read the story? Do you think that an intelligent reader would have guessed the rest of the plot before page 17? Did you? Are you in the game yet?
At the top of the right hand column of page 16, Rainsford looks as the “sea licked greedy lips in the shadows.” Why might Rainsford see the sea as a creature with “greedy lips”? Please pay more attention to the metaphors in this story. Prepare to point a metaphor out to the class.
In what way does Zaroff’s appearance conflict with the reality of his personality and values?