“Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl

QUICK WRITE Based on the title alone, what do you think this story is going to be about? Make some predictions in a thoughtful response in your comp book for the next three minutes.

ORIGIN OF THE TITLE Lamb to the Slaughter MEANING In an unconcerned manner – unaware of any impending catastrophe ORIGIN From the Bible Jeremiah 11:19 “But I was a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; And I did not know that they had devised plots against me…”

Excerpt from a 1950s Home Economics Textbook Compiled by Ms. Leslie Blankship Columbus, Ohio ❖ Have dinner ready: Plan ahead even the night before to have a delicious meal on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

Excerpt, continued ❖ Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-wary people…his boring day may need a lift.

Excerpt, continued ❖ Clear away the clutter: Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

Excerpt, continued ❖ Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

Excerpt, continued ❖ Minimize all noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quite. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him. ❖ Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

Excerpt, continued ❖ Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax-unwind. ❖ Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

Excerpt, continued ❖ Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax. ❖ The goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit. Source:

Irony ❖ Situational ❖ When the outcome is opposite of what is expected. ❖ Ex. Oz is a small, old man ❖ Dramatic ❖ Where the audience knows something that a character does not ❖ Ex. When the character runs into the house during a scary movie, only to find the killer waiting

After your read… Be sure to take notes in yourspiral! 1. GIST: 1-2 sentences! Summarize the gist of the short story 2. QUESTIONS: Write 2 questions you have

SETTING The setting implies Mary bought into a rather typical version of middle class happiness in the 1950s.

DARK HUMOR Dark humor is the use of the grotesque, morbid, or absurd for darkly comic purposes.

DARK HUMOR ❖ The image of the cheerful housewife suddenly smashing her husband ’ s skull with the frozen joint of meat intended for his dinner is itself darkly humorous for its unexpectedness and the grotesque incongruity of the murder weapon. ❖ There is a morbid but funny double meaning, too, in Mary ’ s response to her grocer ’ s question about meat: “ I ’ ve got meat, thanks. I got a nice leg of lamb from the freezer. ”

DARK HUMOR ❖ She did indeed get a leg of lamb from the freezer, and after she used it as a club, she found herself with a rather large portion of dead meat on her living- room floor. ❖ Also darkly funny is the grocer ’ s question about what she plans to give her husband “ afterwards, ” that is, for dessert. From Mary ’ s point of view, Patrick has already gotten his “ just desserts, ” and there will be no more “ afterwards ” for him!

DARK HUMOR ❖ The ultimate example of dark humor in “ Lamb to the Slaughter ” is, of course, the spectacle of the policemen and detectives sitting around the Maloney kitchen table, speculating about the murder weapon while they unwittingly devour it.

SYMBOLS ❖ The frozen leg of lamb is also symbolic and indeed constitutes the central symbol of the story. The piece of meat is already a token of violence: an animal traditionally viewed as meek and gentle slaughtered for carnivorous consumption.

SYMBOLS Raise your hand if you can think of another meaning for the symbol of a lamb.

SYMBOLS ❖ The notion of a lamb, moreover, resonates with biblical symbols, such as the scapegoat mentioned in Leviticus, the ram that substitutes for Isaac in the tale of Abraham and Isaac, or Jesus himself, “ the Lamb of God. ” ❖ But Dahl ’ s story reverses the connotation of these biblical images.

Choose a theme from the other column and develop a Spider Map with supporting evidence from the story. Explain your choice of quotes with thoughtful analysis and be sure to identify stylistic elements. THEMES BETRAYAL IDENTITY LOVE & PASSION JUSTICE & INJUSTICE

BEFORE YOU LEAVE… ❖ 1. What is dark humor? ❖ 2. Does Dahl use dark humor or symbols more effectively in “Lamb to the Slaughter”? Explain your choice.

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