The Most Dangerous Game Plot Plot is the

“The Most Dangerous Game”

Plot • Plot is the sequence of events in a story. • A literary plot has five elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

Conflict • Most plots develop around a conflict or struggle between two or more forces in a story. • External Conflict is the battle between a character and an outside force – nature, society, fate, or another character. • Internal Conflict is the battle within the mind of a character who is torn between different courses of action.

• Exposition • The beginning of the story • The author gives background information about the story and introduces the story’s characters and setting. • The exposition also introduces the main conflict. • Rising Action • The series of events that lead up to the climax

Climax • The story’s most dramatic and revealing moment. • It usually comes near the end of a story • Satisfies the reader’s curiosity about what happens. Falling Action • The falling action follows the climax • Describes the results of the climax. Resolution • Comes at the end of the falling action. • Here, the author tells or suggests the outcome of the conflict.

Setting • Setting is a story’s time and place. • It includes simple attributes, like the location, the climate, and the time of year. • Setting may also include more complex attributes, such the historical context of the story and the ideas, customs, values, and beliefs of a particular time and place.

Foreshadowing • When the author gives clues about something that will happen later in the story.

The Most Dangerous Game Meet the Author: • Author’s name: Richard Connell • He was born in 1893 and died in 1949. • Connell fought in World War I. • The first movie based on The Most Dangerous Game was made in 1933. The second was filmed in the 1980’s. More recently, the story was adapted for an episode of The Simpsons.

Literature Preview • The protagonist in this story says, “The world is made up of two classes – the hunters and the huntees. ” As you read the story, think about that quotation and the following questions: • What might the character mean by that quote? • Into which class would you place yourself? • What would happen if the two classes changed places?

Building Background • Years ago, before many species of large game became endangered, hunting for trophies was considered a great sport for “gentlemen and kings. ” • Hunters would hire guides to take them into jungles, across grasslands, or the other wild places where they could stalk and shoot game. • These adventurers were primarily interested in what they viewed as the “sport. ” They were not hunting for food, and usually kept only the animals’ heads, which they mounted on the walls of their homes and hunting lodges.

Free Write: • What animal do you think is the most dangerous animal in the world and why? What do you know about this animal? (Where are they from? What do they eat? Are they hunted? Etc. ) 4 sentences minimum

Cossacks • A group of East Slavic people with some Turkish mixing, known for their horsemanship and military skill. • A child was taught the warrior-ways from birth. • Riding horses by the age of 3. • As children, Cossack males would stage mock military battles complete with horses and sabers. The army chief would praise the children who showed bravery during these battles. • The Russian government used the Cossacks to expand Russia’s empire and protect her frontier. (500 years) • Political and societal problems arose for the Cossacks after the Russian Czar was deposed in the Bolshevik Rebellion in 1917

As you read this story, notice how often you come across references to death and evil. Suspense • Suspense is a feeling of curiosity, uncertainty, or even dread about what is going to happen next in a story. • Writers heighten the level of suspense by creating situations that threaten the central character and by raising questions in the readers’ minds about what will happen in a conflict.

Reading Strategy • When you make a prediction, you make an educated guess about what is likely to happen in a story. • The guess is educated because you combine clues in the text with your own knowledge. • Verifying predictions is checking to see whether the predictions you made turned out to be correct.

Imperative – absolutely necessary. The swimmer knew it was imperative to reach shore quickly.

Condone- to excuse or overlook an offense

Discern- to detect or recognize

Tangible/palpable- capable of being touched or felt

Zealous- very eager, enthusiastic

Yacht-large boat used for racing or pleasure

Superstition-fear of the unknown and faith in magic or luck

Doggedly-determined, without giving up

Flounder-to move awkwardly, with difficulty

Mirage-figment of the imagination

Menacing-dangerous or threatening

The End