1. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Profs. Chittenden / Rodríguez

2. About the Author Richard Matheson: 1936-2013
American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known as the author of I Am Legend, a 1954 horror novel. He also wrote 16 episodes of The Twilight Zone.

3. Vocabulary Words
Foraging: search for something, especially food among a collection of things.
Disseminate: spread or disperse.
Moldering: to crumble or decay of natural processes or make something do this.
Lank: limp and straight; lifeless; dull; thin; floppy.
Uncanny: strange or mysterious, especially in an unsetting way.
Cajole: to persuade somebody to do something by flattery or gentle bur persistent argument.
Gleaned: to obtain information in small amounts over a period of time.

4. Vocabulary Reverence: deep respect for someone or something.
Negligible: so unimportant or small that it is not worth considering; insignificant.
Stultify: to make, or cause to appear, foolish or ridiculous.
Spasmodic: occurring or done in brief, irregular bursts.
Inveterate: fixed habit, especially a bad one.
Enigma: mystery; something not easily explained or understood.
Legend: story handed down for generations, unlikely to be true.
Nadir: the lowest possible point.

5. Vocabulary Desultory: aimlessly passing from one thing to another.
Inexplicable: unable to be explained.
Irretrievably: impossible to repair or fix.
Cachet: quality that attracts attention.
Maudlin: overly or tearfully sentimental, especially because affected by alcohol.
Reveries: daydream, a state of idle and pleasant contemplation.
Negate: prove something is false.

6. Vocabulary
Gleaned: to obtain information in small amounts over a period of time.
Grisly: gruesomely unpleasant, or creating a sense of horror.
Groveling: to crawl or lie face down on the ground in humility or fear.
Foraging: searching for food and supplies among a collection of things.
Curt: terse, using few words.
Listless: inactive.
Virulently: extremely poisonous.
Debauch: a period of indulgence in immoral behavior.

7. Chapters 1-5 What is Robert’s last name? What has infected mankind?
What happens to people infected?
What is the protagonist’s mission in chapter 1?
What is Robert thinking about replacing in chapter 1?
On what street does Robert live?
How old is Robert? How does he look?
What is part of his daily routine?

8. Chapters 1-5
How does Neville deal with his dissatisfaction and frustration over his current life?
What is wrong with Robert in chapter 4 when he wakes up?
How is the sky described throughout the chapter?
What is the new method of killing vampires that Neville discovers?
Identify who Virginia and Kathy are in relation to Neville?
Describe the vampires’ attack in chapter 5? What happens after Robert realizes that the vampires are basically immune to his latest weapon?

9. Chapters 6-14 As part 2 opens, how much time has passed?
Describe the changes Neville made to his house?
What symptoms did victims of the plague suffer from?
Where did Virginia and Robert consider sending Kathy?
Explain the experimental process Neville uses to test the effectiveness of both garlic and the crucifix on vampires. What are his results?
What seems to be Robert’s purpose in life?

10. Chapters 6-14
How are vampires of I Am Legend similar to and different from our common conceptions?
Based on the information about Virginia, what symptoms did victims of the plague suffer from?
Describe Robert’s experiments on the female vampire. Why does he only choose females?
Describe the two ways of vampiric deaths.

11. Chapters 6-14 Describe Ben Cortman before he became ill.
Compare and contrast Neville’s reaction to the death of Virginia to the death of Kathy.
What happens after Robert buried Virginia?
In chapter 12, go back re-read the last two paragraphs. What were Neville’s religious beliefs before the plague? After the plague?
Explain what happens between Robert and the dog.
In chapter 14, what event does Robert recall during the final days of the plague? Describe the revival.

12. Chapters 15-16 What is Robert’s new hobby in chapter 15?
Who does Robert meet in chapter 15?
What is Robert now worried about?
How does he manage to bring his guest into the house?
What is her reaction to the garlic?

13. Chapters 17-18 What suspicions does Robert have about Ruth?
Explain Robert’s latest theory on the cross?
Why do bullets have no effect on vampires?
Why is Neville immune to the disease?
How does Neville kill now the vampires?
Describe Robert’s experience when Virginia came back to visit him after he buried her?
What happens as Robert looks at Ruth’s blood sample?

14. Chapters 19-21 What does the letter reveal about Ruth?
What warning does Ruth offer Neville?
What new realization does Neville gain about the vampiris bacillus?
What decision had Neville made before the new group of vampires arrived?
What happens to Ben Cortman?
Why does Neville change his mind about the “decision” he had made?
What does the last line of the story mean? How is this true?

15. I Am Legend Bloom Ball
You are about to create a Bloom Ball based on the novel “I Am Legend” written by Richard Matheson. Do research in the novel in order to answer the questions that follow. You will have class time to work on your circles. Your Bloom Ball will be graded according to the grading rubric.

16. Bloom Ball 1. Write information about the author.
2. Write a paragraph describing how is this novel different from other you have read.
3. Draw a picture of the setting. Include title and major landforms.
4. Characterization: write a short description of each one the main characters in the novel.
5. Draw a picture of the main character.
6. List three problems faced by Robert Neville in the novel.

17. Bloom Ball
7. Design a cover for the novel including the title and author.
8. Write seven new vocabulary words you learned, along with their definitions.
9. Write a poem about the novel.
10. Explain, is the title “I Am Legend” related to the novel.
11. Write a different ending for the novel.
12. Write a short summary of I Am Legend.

18. Rubric
Bloom Ball Rubric for “I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson
Your grade for this project will be based on content and presentation. Content will determine if you have all the information required in your Bloom Ball, and presentation will include the neatness and attention to detail that you’ve put into it.

19. Rubric _____/4 Title and information about the author
_____/4 Drawing and details of the setting
_____/4 Drawing of the main character
_____/4 Characterization of main character
_____/4 Characterization of secondary characters in the novel
_____/ 4 Three conflicts faced by the main character
_____/4 Different cover design for the novel “I Am Legend”

20. Rubric _____/4 Includes 7 or more challenging vocabulary words
_____/4 Poem about the novel including figurative language
_____/4 Contrast the novel with others read
_____/4 Summary of “I Am Legend”
_____/4 Background is exceptionally attractive
_____/4 No grammatical errors
_____/4 Overall appearance

21. Pattern