1. Short Story Unit: Plot & Structure
AP English Literature

2. August 31 Agenda
Background on Graham Greene, London Blitz, & Christopher Wren
Discuss Graham Greene’s “The Destructors”
Essay test: “The Child By Tiger” & “The Destructors”
Homework: review stories up to this point

3. Contextual Information, “The Destructors”
Boy against ruined background:
Image of St. Paul’s Cathedral during Blitz:
People sleeping in subway stations during Blitz:
Winston Churchill image: chill.html
Sir Christopher Wren ( ) Astronomy professor, became Britain’s main architect to rebuild after 1666 Great Fire in London: supervised all work on palaces and rebuilt 51 churches often using the old foundations to save $ (
St. Paul’s Cathedral:

4. Destructors discussion ?’s p. 124
Raise your hand if you’d like to begin discussion on a question. After the first response we’ll take follow up and clarification from other students.
Listen carefully to each other and check interpretations against the story. Offer text- based responses to each question.

5. Essay test (40 min.)
Essay Topic: In serious fiction, no act of violence exists for its own sake.
In both “The Child by Tiger” and “The Destructors,” the central event of the plot is a violent action or actions that might make the headlines on the evening news.
In a well-organized essay, explain how the author of one of these stories gives significance to this action(s) – makes it reveal a general truth about human experience.
Do not summarize the plot but do refer to details of the text in support of your argument. Write about only one story.
Timer link:

6. Homework
Review stories up to this point. Make sure your story cards are in excellent shape and that you have several entries in your vocabulary bank.