The Lady or the Tiger by Frank R

The Lady, or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton Feature Menu Introducing the Story Literary Focus: Ambiguity Reading Skills: Making Inferences About Motivation

The Lady, or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton

The Lady, or the Tiger? Introducing the Story The first requisite of civilization. . . is that of justice. —Sigmund Freud

The Lady, or the Tiger? Introducing the Story In this tale, a king holds public trials of subjects accused of crimes. Their guilt or innocence is determined by chance—by having them open one of two doors and reveal what’s behind it. • A beautiful lady means innocence. • A ferocious tiger means guilt. [End of Section]

The Lady, or the Tiger? Literary Focus: Ambiguity is the quality that allows something to be interpreted in several ways. Ambiguity in a story • allows for conflicting interpretations • adds complexity • makes the story seem more like real life

The Lady, or the Tiger? Literary Focus: Ambiguity The ambiguous ending of “The Lady, or the Tiger? ” may make the story linger in your mind for days or weeks. • You may find yourself returning to the story again and again, answering the questions it poses differently each time. [End of Section]

The Lady, or the Tiger? Reading Skills: Making Inferences About Motivation When you read an ambiguous story, you may need to make inferences, or educated guesses, about the characters’ motivation. Think about • what the narrator tells you about the characters • what the characters do or say • what you know about the way people act and think

The Lady, or the Tiger? Reading Skills: Making Inferences About Motivation As you read “The Lady, or the Tiger? ” pay close attention to the king’s daughter. • Think about how her motives relate to other characters. • Make inferences about the reasons for her behavior. [End of Section]