ANTON CHEKHOV Born in Taganrog, Russia on January 29th, 1860. Graduated Moscow University on 1879. Wrote daily short, humorous sketches to support and pay his tuition fees. He also worked as a physician throughout his literary career. In 1886, he wrote the most popular newspaper for The New York Times, “Novoye Vremya” His first book was “V Sumerkakh”. That book won him The Pushkin Prize. “The Bet” was written in 1889. Died in Badenweiler, Germany on July 15th, 1904 at the age of 44. He was considered to be the greatest short-story writers of world literature history.

Questions 1.How does Chekhov convey the banker’s feeling of anxiety in the opening paragraph? 2. Why do you think that Chekhov chose to explain the origin of the bet in the form of a flashback? How does his use of flashbacks make this story more suspenseful? 3. How does the lawyer’s behavior change from year to year during his imprisonment? How would you explain each of these changes? 4. After being imprisoned for 15 years. Would the lawyer still argue that, “Any sort of life’s better than none at all.”? Explain. 5. Considering the banker’s assumption that the lawyer is “Probably asleep dreaming of all those millions,” what is ironic, or surprising, about the lawyer’s note? 6. Considering the description of the lawyer’s behavior during his imprisonment, how would you explain the content of his note? 7. After reading the lawyer’s note, why does the banker kiss the lawyer’s head and leave, “The lodge weeping”? Why does the banker feel contempt for himself? 8. What is the theme or main point of this story? How is the theme conveyed?

Answers 1. He understood that, “Great majority of the guests had been against it.” 2A. Because he seems to be asking, “How can that prove that Death penalty is any better or worse than life imprisonment?” B. To ensure his confinement was strictly solitary, the agreement compelled the lawyer to serve a term of 15 years in prison. 3A. He suffered dreadfully form loneliness and boredom. B. Loneliness: He depressed of being alone. Boredom: If he’s bored, he’ll experience pain. 4. No. The lawyer fled, but the banker didn’t see him. Instead, he was informed by the watchmen. 5. With a clear conscience, and with God as my witness, I declare that I despise freedom, life, health and everything that those books of yours call the blessings of this world. 6. Since the lawyer suffered from boredom and loneliness, he may have dreamed those millions. (including: Read books, writing etc.) 7A. This is because of the lawyer’s feeling from his note. B. Because the lawyer had regarded. 8A. It was a dark, autumn night as the banker was pacing his study, reminiscing about the party he had given 15 autumn years ago. B. The banker thinks that capital punishment is more moral and humane than imprisonment.

MLA Work Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Chekhov (Anton Chekhov’s biography) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Anton_Chekhov_1889.png (Picture of Anton Chekhov) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bet_(short_story) (The Bet)

Multiple Choice 1. How does the banker reveal his personality with his comments and actions from the party? A: He believed death penalty should be replaced everywhere with life imprisonment. B: He agrees with his guests that he never tasted capitol punishment or life imprisonment. C: He thinks capital punishment is more moral and humane than imprisonment. D: He answered his opinion that the death penalty and life imprisonment are equally immoral. Answer: D. “Immoral” means, to violate legal principles. Death penalty and imprisonment can result if you are immoral. 2. When the banker imagines the lawyer’s note, how can he project into his own feelings? A: He feels sorry about the man in the lodge. B: He felt tears in his eyes. C: He was informed that the lawyer flees. D: He locked the renunciation sheet in his fireproof safe. Answer: B. He was weeping with tears in his eyes probably because of how the lawyer suffered, but the note shows how he did millions of things for just 15 years.

“The Bet” Anton Chekhov (capital punishment)

Capital Punishment Capital punishment is a life and death issue. Sometimes it’s called the death penalty, it is the execution of the people who have been found guilty to the capital crime.

The Opposing side of Capital Punishment Some people oppose to capital punishment because of the death penalty in the U.S is expensive and wasteful program with no clear benefits. They also believe that people should die the natural way and should not die a slow and painful death.

The Supporting side of Capital Punishment Most people support capital punishment because if there is no fear of punishment then the murderers will continue on even more than they are today. They believe murderer should not get to live on tax payers dollars when they should die for their horrible crime they committed.

How capital punishment was brought up in the short story “the Bet” In the short story “The Bet” the guests at the party the banker was hosting fell into a discussion of capital punishment; the banker argued that capital punishment is more humane than life imprisonment, while the young lawyer disagreed, saying that he would choose life in prison rather than death.

Work site "www.gale.com/world." capital punishment. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sep 2011. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/topic/actionWin?limiter=&showDisambiguation=&displayGroups=&query=&prodId=OVIC&userGroupName=&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=GALE%7C00000000LVVL&scanId=&display-query=&mode=view>.

Written by Anton Chekhov Summarized by Jarrett Lefler “The Bet” Written by Anton Chekhov Summarized by Jarrett Lefler

Episode One The banker is very worried. He remembers the party he held fifteen years ago…

Episode Two The partygoers get into a discussion about life sentences and executions. A lawyer says that a life sentence is the better of the two. The banker and the lawyer make a bet over whether or not the lawyer could survive fifteen years of imprisonment. The lawyer is locked in the shed in the banker’s back yard.

Episode Three The lawyer is allowed whatever he wants within the shed’s confines, but can only communicate through written notes. The lawyer has strange habits throughout the years. In the first year he refused wine and tobacco and got some books. In the second, he did very little. Then he read a lot, ranging from Shakespeare to the Bible.

Episode Four The banker is in trouble. Fifteen years of gambling has left him very much in debt. The banker decides to kill the lawyer so that he will not have to pay the wager and go bankrupt.

Episode Five The banker goes into the shed to find the lawyer sitting very still, looking almost like a corpse. The lawyer is asleep, and the banker is happy because now killing him will be easy. Before killing the lawyer, the banker finds a note that says that the lawyer’s studies have made him decide that he doesn’t like the outside world and will forfeit the bet. My dear Gaoler! Tomorrow at twelve o’clock I regain my freedom and the right to mix with people again. But before I leave this room and see the sun again there’s some things I feel I should tell you.

Episode Six The banker is thankful and leaves the shed without killing the lawyer. The next morning, the watchmen tell the banker that the lawyer has escaped. The banker goes to the shed and sees that, indeed, the lawyer did leave, forfeiting the bet.

Pop Quiz!! What did the lawyer refuse in the first years? A) Tobacco B) Wine C) Books D) A + B The answer is: D

Pop Quiz!! How long was the lawyer locked in the shed? A) 5 Years B) 10 Years C) 15 Years D) 20 Years The answer is: C

My Fake Wall http://www.myfakewall.com/w/the+Lawyer

Questions The Bet

Questions How long was the lawyer in jail for? A. 24 years B. 2 days C. 15 years D. He got bailed out C. 15 years

Who’s the protagonist? B. The Lawyer A. The Banker B. The Lawyer C. The Guard D. All The Above B. The Lawyer