TMDG

Point of View: I believe the point of view is third person because the author never refers to him or herself in the story.

Protagonist: I believe that Rainsford was the Protagonist because he is a heavily changing character in the story.

What type of character is the Protagonist? I believe that the Protagonist (Rainsford) is both Dynamic and Round, for the amount of change that the Protagonist goes through and the amount about the Protagonist's self that is said.

Antagonist: I believe that the Antagonist is General Zaroff, because he is the enemy character to the Protagonist (Rainsford)

Describe the setting: For most of the story, the mood is dark and suspenseful. It is set in the Caribbean Sea, on a fairly good sized island.

Type of Conflict: The main conflict in this story is Man vs. Man because the Protagonist and the Antagonist have plenty of physical conflicts throughout the story.

Describe the main conflict: I believe the main conflict is the conflict between General Zaroff and Rainsford. They have many physical as well as mental conflicts throughout this story. Rainsford disagrees with Zaroff when he says that killing humans is more fun then killing animals, and that it is no different. Zaroff has Rainsford in terror the majority of the story, which will change Rainsford forever.

Describe the Climax of the Story: I believe that the Climax of this Story is when Zaroff finds Rainsford in his cabin. All changes after that point would be considered the "Falling Action", when Zaroff gets killed.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? Rainsford changes a great deal over the course of this story. He changes his state of thinking, when he realizes that animals can feel fear, just like he felt when Zaroff was chasing him. He felt that what he has been doing for all of his life is a horrible act, and that he is no different then the Cape Buffalo on his wall.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme. I believe that the theme is that when placed in another persons shoes, prospective changes. I do not think "The Most Dangerous Game" relates to that theme very much, unless you have read the story. Then you can read between the lines, and decipher that the game is so dangerous because of the ability to Reason.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? The main conflict helps to illustrate the theme because the entire story Zaroff was placing terror over Rainsford, and Rainsford was feeling what it felt to be hunted. He was personally experiencing what it felt to be in the animals he has been hunting's shoes.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? The Climax of showing up in the room helps illustrate the theme because it shows that sometimes, the prey will overcome the predator. The Cape Buffalo could overcome either of those hunters at any point, and I think Rainsford was just a Cape Buffalo who got a lucky break.

Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes): Simile: “…apprehensive night crawled slowly by like a wounded snake…” This is comparing an apprehensive night to a wounded snake. “It’s like moist black velvet.” It’s is referring to the fog. This is comparing the density of the fog to moist black velvet. "...smell like incense..." This is comparing a smell to incense.

Metaphor: “The lights of the yacht became faint and ever vanishing fireflies"

Personification: “The sea rumbled and hissed."

Symbol: I believe that the knife attached to the sapling is a symbol of cunning and the ability to reason. One of the main reasons why Zaroff chose to be a human murderer was because of the ability to Reason.

Foreshadowing (give both elements): "The old charts call it Ship-Trap island. A suggestive name isn't it?" This shows that something dangerous is happening on this island. "I hunt the scum of the earth-sailor from tramp ships-lascars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels..."

Irony: It's Ironic that a prized hunter, one that has hunted almost every animal, becomes the hunted.

Imagery: "The lights of the yacht became faint and ever vanishing fireflies"

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story. I believe this story relates back to Humanity because it shows that even when we get everything we want; money, power, and doing what you love doing, you still want more. Zaroff is constantly searching for bigger game, and he looks to Humans for the ability to reason. Humanity is also reflected through the terror aspect of this short story. When we are scared, we do things that we wouldn't normally do. When adrenaline is pumping through our veins, we make quick, fight or flight decisions that we can later regret. It is easy to point out the negative aspects of humanity with stories like this, but there are some hidden positive aspects that help us go by day to day. The will to live is so strong in this story, that it overcomes the fear of the predator and he ends up killing his hunter.

QUESTIONS: Answer the following questions. /32

1. What is meant by “He lived a year in a minute”? /2

I think what is meant by this phrase is that he was so frightened, that time moved slowly. The adrenaline in his veins was making his heart beat faster, making him move and think faster.

2. What is meant by “I am still a beast at bay”? /2

I think what is meant by "I am still a beast at bay" is that in a real hunting situation, if the hunter fails to hunt the pray, the pray then has a chance to strike back. A Cape Buffalo wouldn't just let him go if Rainsford had failed, and he still felt as if he was still being chased by this hunter.

3. In which sea has Connell set Ship-Trap island? /1

The island, "Ship-Trap Island" was set in the Caribbean Sea.

4. How is Zaroff able to finance his life style? /2

Zaroff was able to finance his life style because he stated at the beginning of the story that he invested heavily in American securities.

5. If Rainsford wins the hunt, what does Zaroff promise him? /1

If Rainsford wins the hunt, Zaroff promises him his freedom back into the real world. If Rainsford fails to win the hunt, he will be killed.

6. What happened to Lazarus? /2

Lazarus was Zaroff's prize dog who is killed in the Death Swamp.

7. Where does Rainsford spend the first night of his hunt? /1

Rainsford spends his first night in up in a tree, safe from wandering eyes.

8. How many acres did Zaroff’s father have in the Crimea? /1

Zaroff's father owned 1/4 of a million acres of land in Crimea.

9. Why does Zarroff suggest Rainsford wear moccasins? /1

Zaroff suggested that Rainsford wore moccasins is because they leave very little tracks, and that he needs as much help as he can get.

10. What caused Rainsford to believe Zaroff knew he was hiding in the tree? Do you think he was right? Give reasons. /3

Rainsford believed that Zaroff knew he was hiding in the tree because of the smile on his face when he left. Rainsford had thought that maybe Zaroff wanted to get more out of the game, and not to end it in a single day. I believe that he was correct, because winning a fun game early makes the game no fun.

11. How does Zaroff stock his island with “game”? /2

Zaroff stocks his island with the game by making the channel look like it's deep enough to drive a boat through, while in fact it's quite shallow and boats crash often. He uses the crew from the ship to stock the island.

12. What happened to General Zaroff at the end of the story? /2

General Zaroff was killed at the end of the story because Rainsford was still a "beast at bay". He still felt as if he was being chased and it was not going to be over until one of them was dead. It is confirmed at the end of the story that Rainsford killed General Zaroff when the author says, "Rainsford never slept in a better bed".

13. Inspite of being hurt, Zaroff congratulates Rainsford on his “Malay mancatcher,” why? /2

Zaroff congratulated Rainsford because he is making the game fun for General Zaroff. He is glad that Rainsford isn't going to be an easy catch, which is what all other animals have become for him.

14. How do we know Rainsford is an exceptionally fit man? /2

We know Rainsford was an exceptionally fit man because when he fell off his yacht he was able to swim to the island.

15. Discuss the state of mind of Rainsford before he lands on the island versus that after he meets the General. What is different? (Especially about how he perceives animal feelings.)/5

Before Rainsford landed on the island, he thought that animals didn't have feelings, so he thought that killing them for fun is perfectly acceptable. He believes that they do not have the ability to feel true terror. Killing a human however, would be cold-blooded murder, because they do have the ability to feel fear, and they can reason. That is one of the main reasons why Zaroff hunts them. After he meets the General, I bet now that he knows how an Animal feels when he is being hunted, I bet he will not hunt much anymore.

16. How does Connell inspire fear without obvious bloodshed/grotesqueness. /3

The author inspires fear without all the bloodshed because with the suspense of knowing that anything can happen next, and that it could all be over in a blink-of-an-eye, it creates a fear-like chemical in your brain. You can feel the mood in the story when he is hiding from Zaroff in the tree. Completion 5/5 Effort 4/5 Content 4/5 Questions 32/32 Total 45/47