The Most Dangerous Game
Richard Connell
Off there to the right - somewhere - is a large island" said Whitney. "It's rather a mystery -"
“What island is it?” Rainsford asked.
“The old charts call it Ship-Trap Island,” Whitney replied. “A suggestive name, isn’t it? Sailors have a curious dread of the place. I don’t know why. Some superstition—”
“Can’t see it,” remarked Rainsford, trying to peer through the dank tropical night that was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht.
“You’ve good eyes,” said Whitney, with a laugh, “and I’ve seen you pick off a moose moving in the brown fall bush at four hundred yards, but even you can’t see four miles or so through a moonless Caribbean night.”
Skills Focus
Literary Skills
Analyze plot structure and foreshadowing.
Reading Skills
Make predictions.
Writing Skills
Write a story sequel.
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| Vocabulary Development
receding v. used as adj.: becoming more distant.
disarming adj.: removing or lessening suspicions or fears.
prolonged v. used as adj.: extended.
imprudent adj.: unwise.
surmounted v.: overcame.
unruffled adj.: calm; not disturbed.
invariably adv.: always; without changing.
diverting adj.: entertaining.
impulse n.: sudden desire to do something.
protruding v. used as adj.: sticking out.
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Make the Connection
Quickwrite
Some of the most exciting narratives pit villain against hero in a life-or-death struggle. The tension in such stories often depends as much on the character of the bad guy or gal as on that of the hero. Write a few sentences describing a villain from a novel, story, or movie. Why does the character fascinate you?
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Literary Focus
Foreshadowing: Hints About What’s Ahead
People call them cliffhangers or nail-biters. They are stories of suspense that keep you glued to your chair. One way that writers create suspense is through foreshadowing, the use of clues that hint at later events in the story. Foreshadowing makes you curious, even anxious, to know what will happen next—it keeps you turning the pages. Once you’ve finished reading, you can piece together the clues and enjoy the story all the more. In this suspenseful tale the ominous foreshadowing will hook you early on.
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Reading Skills
Making Predictions: Matching Wits with the Writer
When you read a suspense-filled story, you make predictions about what is going to happen, often without even realizing it. A prediction is a type of inference, a guess based on evidence. Some of the things readers base predictions on include
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clues the writer plants |
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their own experience of life |
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their understanding of how stories work |
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1. Fill out a story map like the one below to review the plot of this famous chase story:
Thinking Critically
2. Did you predict the meaning of the story’s title? What is the most dangerous game?
3. To hook our curiosity, writers drop clues that foreshadow what is going to happen later in a story.
• What clues at the start of the story foreshadow danger for Rainsford?
• How does Rainsford and Whitney’s discussion about hunting at the start of the story foreshadow later developments?
• What details in the physical description of Zaroff foreshadow the truth about his nature?
4. In your opinion, what happens to Zaroff? Do you think Rainsford changes his mind about hunting by the end of the story? Explain.
5. List the unknowns Rainsford encounters in the story, and think about how he reacts to each one. What enables him to triumph in the face of the unknown?
6. Compare and contrast the characters of Rainsford and Zaroff. Fill out a Venn diagram like the one below, listing the characteristics of each man in his circle. In the shaded area, list the characteristics the two men share.
7. Think back to the villain you described in your Quickwrite. How does Zaroff compare with that evil character?
Extending and Evaluating
8. Look back at Zaroff’s arguments for hunting men (pages 24–26). What is your opinion of his comments?
9. Think about Zaroff’s civilized tastes and his favorite game. Do Zaroffs—people whose refined manners mask their true nature—exist in real life? Explain.
WRITING
The Sequel
In the morning, Rainsford awakes in Zaroff’s bed. What happens next? Write a sequel to Rainsford’s adventure. Does he stay on Ship-Trap Island and turn it into a theme park? Does he go home with a new taste for danger? You might let Rainsford tell his own story, using “I.”
G9C1_DangerousGame.PPT
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