English 9 Mrs. M. Alexander

Pre-Reading--True or False? ● Hunting is a sport. ● Animals have no feelings. ● Hunting is evil. ● Hunting is unfair. ● Animals have emotions. ● Strength is more important than intelligence. ● Bringing a gun to a knife fight is fair.

Pre-Reading--Predictions huntingisland reasongame ship survival dangerous mansion dogs

About the Author Born in Poughkeepsie, New York on October 17, He had followed his father into newspaper work by reporting on baseball games (reportedly receiving 10 cents per story). By age 16, he had advanced to city editor of the paper and, upon graduation from high school, entered Georgetown University. He later moved over to Harvard, where he became the editor of The Harvard Lampoon. Connell moved to New York City after his graduation and accepted a job as a newspaper reporter at the New York American. He served in the army during WWI, where he did some editing of his camp newspaper and even served for a year in France. Upon his return from the war, he married Louise Herrick Fox in Connell was a popular author during this period of his life, writing over 300 short stories and several novels. He received the O. Henry Award in both 1923 and 1924 for his stories "A Friend of Napoleon" and "The Most Dangerous Game", but, aside from these early honors, never attained any real critical success with his work. He received two Academy Award nominations, including one for his scripting credit on Meet John Doe. He succumbed to a heart attack on November 22, 1949 and died at his home in Beverly Hills. "The Most Dangerous Game" originally appeared in the January 19, 1924 issue of Colliers, has been the basis for at least 8 films and, according to most sources, has never been out of print since its original publication.

Background Natural selection conceived of as a struggle for life in which only those organisms best adapted to existing conditions are able to survive and reproduce. a 19th-century concept of human society, inspired by the principle of natural selection, postulating that those who are eliminated in the struggle for existence are the unfit. Aspect of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution

Ship-Trap Island The setting is ambiguous—an isolated island essential to the plot but not adequately explained The date is uncertain, but the story spans 4 days The setting is both hostile and friendly It is both natural and man-made

Let’s Test Your Knowledge!!! What do you know about the following? Irony Internal and External Conflict Pun Suspense Allusions Motifs Static, Flat, and Dynamic Characters Theme

Characters Which are round? Flat? Static? Dynamic? Protagonist = Rainsford Antagonists= Zaroff and Ivan Minor character = Whitney

Types of Conflict in “The Most Dangerous Game” Person vs. Person physical moral Person vs. Nature physical Person vs. Self emotional

Title and Point-of-View Title What is the play on words? How does the title contribute to the effect of the story? Third person limited point of view is used Find evidence for this Why is it more effective than omniscient?

Literary Elements Irony: Examples include Rainsford turning from hunter to hunted back to hunter, Zaroff passing up several winning opportunities, and Rainsford's surprise at the end. Pun: What is the Most Dangerous Game? Game in the title of the story refers to the animal/person being hunted; it also refers to the sport of hunting, specifically Zaroff's version of the sport. Suspense: Connell uses dangerous action, pacing, and foreshadowing to create suspense. Motifs: Darkness and the color red

Literary Elements Foreshadowing: Ship Trap Island and Whitney and Rainsford's conversation at the beginning of the story are two obvious examples of foreshadowing. Hunting: Some students hunt; others oppose it. Sounds like a good time for a debate. Allusions: To 2 nd Amendment--Zaroff governs Ship Trap Island, owns several guns, and strips Rainsford's right to possess a gun. Zaroff's advantage is superior. Conflict: The Most Dangerous Game contains a classic man v. man conflict.

Important Quotes—Why? “The world is made up of two classes—the hunters and the hunted.” “ ‘Mirage,’ thought Rainsford. But it was no mirage, he found, when he opened the tall spiked iron gate.” “ ‘I live for danger…” “ ‘Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if need be, taken by the strong.” “ I have played the fox, now I must play the cat of the fable.” “There is no greater bore than perfection.”

Themes