Rikki – Tikki – Tavi

Vocabulary Introduction

Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling, the

author of this story,

was born in India

in1865 to British

parents, but he moved

to England when he

was six years old and

lived away from his

parents for many

years.

Though it was common

for English parents

living in India or

elsewhere to send their

children back to school

in England, Kipling

hated this part of his

life.

Rudyard Kipling

Early on, Kipling

worked as a journalist

and also published

stories and poems. In

1892, Kipling married

an American, Caroline

Balestier.

They lived in various

places over the years,

including America,

England, and South

Africa. During this time,

Kipling continued to

write and became

very famous all over

the world.

The setting is in the

country of India during

the 1880’s when the

British ruled the area.

We are here

India is over

here

During this time-

period families

lived in airy one-

story homes called

bungalows. It was

not uncommon to

find snakes,

insects, or wild

animals near or

even inside the

bungalow.

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

is a mongoose.

Mongooses live in

southern Asia,

Africa, and southern

Europe, as well in

Puerto Rico and

some Caribbean

and Hawaiian

islands, where they

are an introduced

species.

Mongoose

Mongooses are

rather small,

agile, weasel-

like carnivores

native to Africa,

southern

Europe, and

Asia.

Woodlands,

Thick forests; in

dry acacia

brush, mountain

scrub,

abandoned

termite mounds.

Diet

Carnivore

Wild: beetles,

crabs,

earthworms, fallen

fruit,

grasshoppers,

ground birds &

their eggs,

millipedes, reptile

eggs, rodents,

scorpions, slugs,

snails, snakes &

termites

Besides the mongoose

the cobra snake is a

creature that is very

common in India. It is

poisonous and can

grow to about 16

inches in length.

The mongoose and the

cobra are natural

enemies.

Rudyard Kipling

“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” takes

place in India, where

Kipling was born. In

1907, Kipling was the

first English writer to

win the Nobel Prize in

literature, the highest

award given for

literature. Kipling died

in 1936 in London.

Why do we need to

know about the author

before we begin to

read?

Animals of India

Black Panther and Himalayan Black

Bear

Red Fox and the tiger

How are the animals of India different from the

ones in Texas?

Why?

Facts about India

The population is 1,065,070,607 ( as of July 2004)

The area is 3,287,000 sq km.

The speak Urdu or Hindi and English sometimes.

Their currency is counted in Rupees.

The have their own Hollywood but it is called “Bollywood”.

revive – verb - to bring back to life

or consciousness; resuscitate

cower - verb

crouch or curl up

consolation – noun – 1. The

act of consoling; 2. The state

of being consoled

scuttle – verb - to run or move

with short hurried movements

cunning - adj. - a

clear way meant

to trick or deceive

restless – adj. –

not able to be still

fledgling – noun - a young bird

cultivated – adj. -

developed for

human use

scornful – adj. -

with great dislike

mournful – adj. -

expressing

sorrow or grief

valiant - adj.- brave

and determined

gait – noun - way of

walking or running

immensely – adv.

- enormously

Characterization

What is a Static

Character? (Flat)

When we read be

looking for the

characters in the story

who stay the same

throughout.

What is a Dynamic

Character? (Round)

When we read be

looking for the

characters who

change as the story

moves along.

Prediction noun

Something foretold or predicted; a prophecy

Idiom noun

A speech form or an expression of a given language

that cannot be understood from the individual meanings

of its words.

Personification noun

A non-human object or being having human-like characteristics

Conflict

Internal:

In literature and drama, a struggle which takes place within the individual characters mind

External:

In literature, a struggle between two or more characters due to some outside force

Theme noun

The subject matter of a conversation, discussion, story, etc.

The Theme of Rikki-tikki-tavi is:

“Don’t give into fear”

Perseverance

Be thinking while we

read about which

character is showing

perseverance, how he

or she is showing it,

and why?