The Most Dangerous Game Class Assignments

Instructions Read the fictional story The Most Dangerous Game: pages from Perrine’s Literature. Complete Dialectical Journal for Fiction. – Stamp checked the following day. – Work in group to answer assigned question. (See following slide). – Each group share with class and discuss responses. – Rest of class takes notes (summarize question and main points the group discussed).

Questions on Plot and Structure: (Organized by table groups) 2) Who is the protagonist of the story? What are the conflicts? Are they physical, intellectual, moral, or emotional? Why? Is the main conflict between sharply differentiated good and evil, or is it more subtle and complex? 3) Does the plot have unity? Are all the episodes relevant to the total meaning or effect of the story? Does each incident grow logically out of the preceding incident and lead naturally to the next? Is the ending happy, unhappy, or indeterminate? Is it fairly achieved? 4) What use does the story make of chance and coincidence? Are these occurrences used to initiate, to complicate, or to resolve the story? How improbable are they? 5) How is suspense created in the story? Is the interest confined to “What happens next?” or are larger concerns involved? How important is suspense in the story? How is it developed and sustained? 6) What use does the story make of surprise? Are the surprises achieved fairly? Do they serve a significant purpose? Do they divert the reader’s attention from weakness in the story? 7) To what extent is this a “formula” story?” As you read the story, do you develop any expectations of how it might be resolved? Are these expectations met or overturned? Would you describe this story as commercial fiction or literary fiction? Support your answer.

Literary Elements Diction: choice of words the author uses for a particular effect Point of view: the narrator’s position in relation to the story being told. Imagery: representation through language of a sensory experience Sound devices: Literary writers -- especially poets -- use sound devices, such as rhyme and rhythm, to reinforce the meaning of poetry. Sound devices help readers develop strong visual images, reinforcing the mood and tone of the literary piece. The goal is to use sound devices to evoke an emotional response in readers.

Literary ElementsIdentify where the author uses these elements (with page numbers). How do these elements create suspense and establish mood? (Your analysis, what YOU think). Diction P.O.V. Imagery Sound devices Complete this chart for “The Most Dangerous Game.” See assignment in Google classroom.

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson pgs Individually read and complete dialectical journals while reading. – Use “Annotation and Dialectical Journal Steps” handout, located on the home page of my website. Pay particular attention to key details that discuss the aspects of lottery tradition.

DIDLS Breakdown DIDLS: The Key to TONE - Use DIDLS when you Mark a Passage 1. Diction - the connotation of the word choice. Is it negative? Positive? What words does the author choose? Consider his/her word choice compared to another. Why did the author choose that particular word? What are the connotations of that word choice? EXAMPLES: Laugh: guffaw, chuckle, titter, giggle, cackle, snicker, roar Self-confident: proud, conceited, egotistical, stuck-up, haughty, smug, condescending House: home, hut, shack, mansion, cabin, home, residence Old: mature, experienced, antique, relic, senior, ancient Fat: obese, plump, corpulent, portly, porky, burly, husky, full-figured 2. Imagery - vivid appeals to understanding through the senses. Use of sensory (sight, touch, taste, smell, etc.), or figures of speech that appeal to sensory experiences helps to create the author's tone. Look for metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, understatement, synecdoche, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, overstatement, symbol, irony, puns and allusions. Also look for sound devices: alliteration, repetition, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, and rhyme. EXAMPLES: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun. (playful) Simile He clasps the crag with crooked hands. (dramatic) Alliteration Smiling, the boy fell dead. (shocking) Irony 3. Details - facts that are included or those that are omitted. What details are does the author choose to include? What do they imply? What does the author choose to exclude? NOTE: Details are facts. They differ from images in that they don't have a strong sensory appeal. Details are most commonly the facts given by the author or speaker as support for the attitude or tone. The speaker's perspective shapes what details are given and which are not. EXAMPLES: The name or lack of a name of a character is a detail that an author uses in a story to help establish the tone. Does it reflect education? A particular profession? Intelligence? Is it plain? Ornate? Simple? Clear? Figurative? Poetic? Make sure you don't skip this step.

DIDLS Breakdown continued: 4. Language - the overall use of language, such as formal, clinical, jargon, slang? What is the overall impression of the language? EXAMPLES: An invitation to a wedding usually uses formal language. A Biology text uses scientific and clinical language. When I told Dad that I had goofed the exam, he blew his top. (slang) I had him on the ropes in the fourth and if one of my short rights had connected, he'd have gone down for the count. (jargon) 5. Sentence Structure - structure affects the reader's attitude. What are the sentences like? Are they simple clauses (1 clause), or are they compound (2 independent clauses), complex (1 independent clause and 1 dependent clause), or compound-complex (2 or more independent clauses + 1 or more dependent clause)? Do they have multiple phrases? Are they choppy? Flowing? Sinuous like a snake? Is there parallel construction? Is there a rhyme scheme? EXAMPLES: Parallel syntax (similarly styled phrases and sentences) creates interconnected emotions, feelings and ideas. Example-“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. Short sentences are punchy and intense often emphatic, passionate or flippant. Long sentences are distancing, reflective and more abstract suggesting greater thought. The inverted order of an interrogative sentence (question) cues the reader to a question and creates tension between speaker and listener. 6. SHIFT IN TONE: Good authors are rarely monotone. A speaker's attitude can shift on a topic. The following are some clues to watch for shifts in tone: key words (but, yet, nevertheless, however, although) punctuation (dashes, periods, colons) paragraph divisions changes in sentence length sharp contrasts in diction Use DIDLS to understand tone: Diction, Imagery, Details, Language, Syntax. What is Tone? Tone is the author’s attitude about the topic or subject. The Effect on the audience is NOT the tone, and can be easily construed and misrepresented as tone. The Effect of the text is the impression the author creates in his audience through the choices made. Hint: If the text makes you feel a certain way, check to see if that feeling/impression matches up with the author’s intent. If so, then the author’s choices effectively achieved his or her purpose. It is easier to understand tone in spoken language and harder to understand it in written language because you cannot depend on vocal or facial expressions. Why is tone important? If you do not understand the tone you will misinterpret the meaning as well. You must go through the entire DIDLS process from above to interpret the tone of the writing. Suggestion: Go to home page and locate my list of “tone” words to help you.

Some tone words: Note some more tone words can be found in the word bank on my website. angry sharp upset silly boring afraid happy hollow joyful allusive sweet vexed tired bitter dreamy restrained proud dramatic sad cold urgent joking poignant detached confused childish peaceful mocking objective vibrant frivolous audacious shocking somber giddy provocative sentimental fanciful complimentary condescending sympathetic contemptuous apologetic humorous horrific sarcastic nostalgic zealous irreverent benevolent seductive candid pitiful didactic satiric whimsical dramatic learned informative somber urgent confident mock-heroic objective diffident ironic petty factual restrained elegiac disdainful lugubrious candid pedantic indignant bantering flippant condescending patronizing facetious clinical mock-serious inflammatory benevolent burlesque detached cynical incisive allusive scornful effusive fanciful colloquial compassionate impartial insipid pretentious vibrant irreverent sentimental moralistic complimentary contemptuous sympathetic taunting angry turgid sardonic contentious insolent concerned

How does Shirley Jackson create suspense in “The Lottery?” Using DIDLS DIDLS: The Key to TONE Use DIDLS when you mark a passage. Example from text:Analysis-Describe how these elements affect the story and/ or create suspense. Diction Imagery Details Language: Sentence Structure- Structure affects the readers attitude. Shift in tone: Good authors are rarely monotone.