Literary Devices
“The razor waited patiently in the barber’s hand.”
Personification
Name all of the conflicts in “On the Sidewalk Bleeding ” Identify the type of conflict for each.
Character vs Self, Society, & Character
What does Mary Maloney use to kill her husband?
Lamb leg
Why does the narrator decide to kill the old man?
He becomes obsessed with the old man’s pale blue eye, which he describes as a vulture’s eye.
What is characterization? What are the different types?
The way a writer develops and reveals a character’s personality, traits, thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. Indirect/Direct
“The barber’s conscience was a battlefield.”
Metaphor
what does Andy’s purple Royals jacket symbolize in the story?
His identity, pride, and sense of belonging to the gang.
What type of irony is shown when the police officers eat the murder weapon while searching for it?
Situational irony, because the audience knows the murder weapon is right in front of them, but the officers do not.
What does the old man’s eye symbolize to the narrator?
It symbolizes the narrator’s fear, obsession, and growing paranoia.
What is the difference between mood and tone?
Mood is how the reader feels, while tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject.
“Norma’s decision was a beautiful disaster.”
Oxymoron
Put the people who come across Andy in the order they encounter him in the story.
Drunk man, Freddie and Angela, Old lady, Laura, The cop
How does Mary change from the beginning to the end of the story?
She changes from a loving, seemingly devoted wife into a calculated murderer who carefully hides her crime.
What type of narrator tells the story, and how does this affect the reader’s understanding of events?
The story uses a first-person, unreliable narrator. The reader experiences the events through the narrator’s perspective but cannot fully trust his version of what happened.
What type of foreshadowing gives the reader a dark or unsettling feeling that something bad is going to happen?
Foreboding.
“The button tempted Norma like forbidden fruit.”
2
Allusion/Simile
How does the ending reinforce the story’s message about identity and appearances?
Andy dies before receiving the help he needs, showing the tragic consequences of judging people by appearances and failing to recognize their humanity.
How does the title Lamb to the Slaughter connect to both Mary and the murder weapon?
The title suggests innocence and sacrifice. Mary initially appears gentle and harmless, like a lamb, while the frozen leg of lamb becomes the weapon used to kill Patrick.
How does the narrator’s behaviour reveal the internal conflict he experiences after committing the murder?
He believes he has committed the perfect crime, but his guilt and paranoia grow until he imagines hearing the old man’s heartbeat and confesses.
“People should never judge a book by its cover.”
“The barber told himself, ‘What a peaceful way to spend the afternoon,’ while preparing to shave Captain Torres.”
Verbal Irony
What two types of characters is Andy based on his role in the story and his personality?
dynamic and round
Explain how Roald Dahl uses dramatic irony in the ending to create dark humour.
The police officers unknowingly eat the murder weapon while discussing how it must be nearby. The reader knows the truth, but the officers do not, creating dramatic irony and dark humour.
Explain how Edgar Allan Poe uses dramatic irony and the narrator’s unreliable perspective to develop the story’s ending.
The narrator insists that he is sane and that his crime was carefully planned, but his increasingly irrational behaviour suggests otherwise. The reader recognizes that his confidence is misplaced, and his belief that he hears the heartbeat leads him to confess to the murder.
What are the three types of third-person narration, and what is the main difference between each?
Third-Person Limited: Focuses on the thoughts and feelings of one character.
Third-Person Omniscient: Knows the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters.
Third-Person Objective: Shows only actions and dialogue without revealing thoughts or feelings.