“The Most Dangerous Game” Plot and Character Analysis

Opinion Survey Answer Agree/Disagree to the following statements: ___ Hunting is a sport. ___ Animals have no feelings. ___ Hunting is evil. ___ Hunting is unfair. ___ Strength is more important than intelligence. ___ Bringing a gun to a knife fight is fair.

Reading Comprehension Check Identify the setting at the beginning of the work. Rainsford has no sympathy for __________. What happened to Rainsford when he reached for his pipe? What’s the first thing Rainsford does when he reaches shore? What does General Zaroff think “are the attributes of an ideal quarry”? What is the conflict between Rainsford and Zaroff on page 25?

Interactive Notebook 2 minutes with face partner 2 minutes with shoulder partner Compare & Contrast the main characters by completing a Venn diagram. Write details that tell how the subjects are different in the outer circles. Write details that tell how the subjects are alike where the circles overlap. Same Different Different Rainsford General Zaroff

Reading comprehension check continued: 7. Zaroff’s human quarry usually consist of ___________. 8. What are the directions (rules) for the game? (page 16) 9. What type of “collection” does Zaroff want to show Rainsford? (pg. 16) 10.What causes Rainsford to become the hunted? 11. How is Zaroff wounded? (page 20) 12. How does Rainsford trap one of Zaroff’s hounds? 13. How and where does the game end? What is meant by “I am still a beast at bay?” Who wins?

Review Foreshadowing Class Activity: Match each event in the first column with the event in the second column that it foreshadows. Whitney tells Rainsford about the evil reputation of the island. The island is called Ship-Trap Island, and sailors fear it. Zaroff tells Rainsford that he has found a new, more dangerous animal to hunt. Zaroff knows that Rainsford is a famous big game hunter. The most dangerous game that Zaroff hunts is human beings. Zaroff hunts Rainsford. Rainsford falls overboard and swims to the island. Zaroff traps ships and captures sailors, who serve as his prey.

Format for a Plot Diagram (Create a plot diagram for “The Most Dangerous Game” by using this format) Climax-- point where the protagonist changes Rising Action – 3 details that summarize the story Examples of Conflicts Man Vs. Nature Man Vs. Man Man Vs. Self Resolution -- the end of the conflict Exposition --introduces the characters, background and setting Setting: Protagonist: Antagonist: Theme: Point of View:

Plot Diagram Review: Basic Situation (Exposition) The famous hunter, Sanger Rainsford, falls overboard and swims to Ship Trap Island. Owner of the island, General Zaroff, hunts men for sport. He will hunt Rainsford.

Setting Ship Trap Island Caribbean Jungle

Protagonist-Antagonist Question: Who is facing the conflicts? This person is our protagonist! Answer: Rainsford Question: Who is causing the conflicts? This person is our antagonist! Answer: Zaroff

Rising Action-Main Events 1. Rainsford hides up a tree. Zaroff lets him escape. 2. Rainsford builds a Malay man-catcher which wounds Zaroff. 3. Rainsford builds a Burmese tiger pit. It kills one of Zaroff’s dogs.

Rising Action-Main Events 4. Rainsford builds a Ugandan knife trap. It kills Ivan. 5. Rainsford dives into the sea. 6. Zaroff goes home, believing he has won the game.

Climax Question: What is the highest point of tension and suspense in the story? Answer: Rainsford confronts Zaroff in his bedroom.

Resolution (denouement) Question: How does the story end? Answer: Rainsford sleeps in Zaroff’s bed. Rainsford has killed Zaroff.

Theme You can not understand what a situation is like for others until you truly walk in their shoes.

Point of View Who is telling the story? Is it a character in the story? If not it is a third person narrator. Can we get into the minds of all characters and know their thoughts? If so then it is an omniscient narrator. If not it is a limited narrator because we are limited to knowing one character’s thoughts. This story is told in a third-person limited point-of-view.

Activity Choice: Using what you know about plot and setting, create a map for Ship-Trap Island. You must label your map. You will be given a rubric. You must include all parts to get all possible points.

Shipwreck Island Map Rubric The map must meet the following criteria (1 point each): It is large enough to take up the whole page. It is colorful. You may use markers or colored pencils. It must include walking paths (trails). Each location is a picture, not just a square with a label on it. It is neat and visually appealing. It includes the five locations below. Each = 10 points. Jungle Death Swamp (quicksand) General Zaroff’s chateau (large cottage home) on a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by water The Caribbean Sea The channel where ships are trapped by large rocks with razor edges   Map ______ / 100

Creative Writing Create and write an alternate ending to “The Most Dangerous Game” utilizing (and identifying within your text) the following three poetic devices: simile, metaphor & imagery. Minimum: 1 page typed (double spaced) Underline your similes. Circle your metaphor and italicize your examples of imagery! Incorporate the following: Utilize the quote…He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided somewhere in your paper. 3 similes 1 metaphor 5 examples of imagery (1 example for each sense…taste, touch, smell, sight and sound)

“The Most Dangerous Game” video experience http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhhc0whITrU