1. Short Story Unit

2.  All of these stories will involve a protagonist facing some sort of challenge or monster.  Monsters can take many forms such as nature, other individuals, societal obstacles, and sometimes we are our own worst enemy.  All of these stories are narratives.

3.  With each story, we will be focusing on plot structure and at least one literary device that the author uses to make his or her story successful.  At the end of the unit there will be a test on your knowledge of these stories and plot elements as well as a close reading response.

4.  Written by Richard Connell Jr.  American author  Published in Collier’s Weekly in 1924  Father was a newspaper editor and congressman.  Reflected the leisure of wealth in the 1920’s

5.  Literary Focus: Conflict: See Short Story Elements Handout Connotation: the emotional or cultural associations implied by a word. This is different than a word’s denotation or dictionary definition.

6.  Take the word shark. Its denotation is a marine carnivorous fish with large teeth. What do we associate with the word shark?  DANGER! This is a connotation.

7.  The choice of words often reveals a writer’s attitude toward a subject.  Examples:  The boy seemed very youthful.  The boy seemed very immature.  The city was bustling with people during the holiday.  The city was mobbed with people during the holiday.

8.  Which words have a more positive connotation?  Every October the old maple (paints, litters) the lawn with its falling leaves.  The girl ran (courageously, recklessly) into the flaming barn to save her colt.  We walked at a (leisurely, sluggish) pace.

9.  Which words have a more positive connotation?  refreshing – chilly  plain – natural  clever – sly  snob – cultured  cop – officer  skinny – slender

10.  Why do you think that real estate advertisers use the word home more frequently than house?

11.  The glass has shattered.  The glass has cracked.  Both words mean “broken,” but have different connotations. Cracked is less severe than shattered. Shattered implies being broken violently into many pieces and beyond repair. Cracked implies it’s not completely destroyed.