"Lamb to the Slaughter"
What is the real reason Mary goes to the grocery store?
She needs to create an alibi
Describe Sanger Rainsford. What does he do for a living?
He is a professional hunter and believes animals have no feeling
Which point of view does Rylant use in her story? How do you know?
third person omniscient - narrator tells what the two characters are thinking and feeling - reader is not limited to one character
Describe the main character in Flowers, Myop. How do we know this?
10 year old African American girl. Curious, light-hearted, likes to explore. We know this through her actions
What was wrong with Doodle when he was born?
Weak heart and body. Nothing wrong with his mind.
The reader can best infer Mary kills her husband because
He is leaving her
How does Rainsford end up on Ship Trap Island?
He hears a sound and falls off his yacht, at night, and no one hears him. He must swim to shore.
At the beginning of the story, how does the girl feel about her new home?
She doesn't like it; she is not happy that her family moved
What does Myop discover? How does this reveal the antagonist in "Flowers"?
The remains of an African American man who has been lynched. This reveals hate and prejudice as the antagonist in Flowers.
Describe a time when the narrator was cruel to Doodle. What motivated the narrator's cruel actions?
He made Doodle touch his own coffin or narrator would not carry Doodle out of the barn. He was motivated by his anger/embarrassment that Doodle had a disability.
At the end of the story, when the police are eating the leg of cooked lamb, what type(s) of irony is the author employing?
dramatic and situational irony
Who is General Zaroff? What is important to General Zaroff?
He hunts for a living and lives for the hunt. He values the challenge of the hunt; does not value life.
What stops the girl and boy from talking to each other in the story?
Shy and a bit of embarrassment
In "The Necklace" the reader only has access to Mathilde's point of view. This is called
third person limited point of view
What is the only thing that Doodle asks of his brother?
He asks his brother not to leave him alone.
What is the best evidence that Mary is NOT just a cold-blooded murderer?
She killed Patrick on impulse; it wasn't pre-planned
Describe the primary conflict between Rainsford and Zaroff.
Zaroff decides to hunt Rainsford. Rainsford must survive.
What is the setting of the story?
Cincinnati, Ohio
What type of irony is shown at the end of "The Necklace" when Mathilde replaced a crystal necklace with a far more expensive diamond necklace?
situational irony
What/who does the Scarlet Ibis symbolize in the story? How do you know?
Doodle - both out of place, sensitive, alone - know because of the circumstances of their deaths and how they both don't fit in - and the narrator refers to Doodle as his "fallen scarlet ibis"
Mary Maloney could be described as a dynamic character. Name one other character from any short story that could be described this way
Myop, Rainsford
How does Rainsford survive the game and defeat Zaroff?
He dives off a cliff and swims to Zaroff's mansion where he waits for him. Zaroff believes that Rainsford dove off the cliff and died.
What is the theme (central idea) from the story?
Take a chance, even if you are shy
What is Mathilde's primary motivation to borrow her friend's necklace and how does Mathilde repay the debt of the lost necklace?
She wants to appear wealthy at the ball and feel wealthy for a moment. She repays the debt by saving money, arguing with grocers, and does her own chores.
What is the main conflict faced by the narrator in "The Scarlet Ibis"?
Narrator and his struggles with his own pride and cruelty.