“The Most Dangerous Game”

Notes and

Pre-Reading

Warm Up Your Brain!September 17, 2012

Journal #10

Choose one of the following topics to respond to—or if you’re feeling really smart , respond to both.

• Do you believe that fear is a necessary emotion for survival? Explain.

• What do you believe is more reliable, instinct or logic? Explain.

“The Most Dangerous Game”by Richard Connell

Literary Analysis: Conflict

Conflict

• Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces.

Internal v. External• In an internal conflict, a

character grapples with his or her own opposing feelings, beliefs, needs, or desires.

• In an external conflict, a character clashes with an outside force—for example another character, society, or nature.

Conflict

• Conflict drives the plot of most stories. • Its solution usually occurs near the end of the

story, in the resolution.• When a story’s conflict is left unresolved, the

character may have an epiphany, or sudden flash of insight that changes his or her feelings about the conflict.

Reading Skill: Make Inference

• Inferences are logical assumptions about information or ideas that are not directly stated in a piece of writing.

• When you make inferences, you use details as clues to develop ideas about unstated information and concepts in the text .

• To make inferences as you read a story, for example, ask questions such as these about characters’ feelings and behavior:

1.) What does this detail show about the reason for a character’s actions or words?2.) What does this passage say about the character’s unstated feelings?

“The Most Dangerous Game”Story Vocabulary (pg. 212)

• Palpable• Indolently• Naïve• Scruples• Grotesque• Futile

Word study: The Latin suffix –esque which forms adjectives, means “in the style or manner of.”

Directions:

• Define each of the vocabulary words listed.

• Identify the part of speech (i.e, noun, verb, adjective, etc.)

• Copy the sentence provided in the book, AND create 1 sentence of your own.

Palpable

• Palpable – 1. readily or plainly seen, heard, perceived;

obvious; evident.Synonym: plain, obvious

Ex: a palpable lie2. Capable of being touched or felt; tangible.Synonym: material

Indolent

• Indolent – having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion; disliking work or effort; lazy; idle.

Synonyms: slow; inactive; sluggish; torpid

Naive

• Naïve - having or showing lack of experience; judgment or information.

Synonyms: gullible; trusting; unsophisticated; unsuspecting; inexperienced; credulous.

Scruples

• Scruple - A moral or ethical consideration or standard that acts as a retraining force or inhibits certain actions.

Synonym: restraint

2. Scruple - A unit of weight; a very small portion or amount.

Grotesque

• Grotesque – odd or unnatural in shape, appearance, or character; fantastically ugly or absurd; bizarre.

Synonyms: distorted, deformed, monstrous

Futile

• Futile - Incapable of producing any results, not successful.

Synonyms: ineffective; useless; pointless