Mood/Tone
In literature, mood is communicated subtly through the use of imagery, conflict, etc.; and explicitly through omniscient narration or dialogue.
Mood evokes emotional responses in readers, it helps to establish an emotional connection between a piece of literature and its audience.
Give an example from the text where the author uses a hyperbole. (Hint: Look at the 1st paragraph)
"But the air was deadly cold..." (line 8, paragraph 1)
Give another word for rapacious. (Check line 90 for context).
Greedy, ravenous, gluttonous
Who is the main character in "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl?
Billy Weaver
What is the difference between mood and tone?
While tone signifies an author's point of view, the mood of a piece of writing is the atmosphere of a piece and the overall feeling it conveys to the reader.
Mood: (sometimes called atmosphere) the overall feeling of the work.
Tone: the way feelings are expressed.
Define the term: Oxymoron
Give an example of an oxymoron from the text.
Oxymoron: A figure of speech where apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. (The words are opposites).
"Terribly nice" (Line 160)
(Hint: check line #81)
Congenial
What are the names of the two other men in the guestbook?
Christopher Mulholland & Gregory W. Temple
What is the mood of "The Landlady"?
Sample answers: ominous, suspicious, surprising, suspenseful, etc.
Give an example where the author uses personification.
"But the notice in your window just happened to catch my eye" (Lines 142-143).
Because...
The notice is given human characteristics (caught his eye). Think of it literally.
How does the author describe the hands of the Landlady?
"white, quickly moving hands, and red finger-nails" (Lines 354-355).
There are two uses of allusion in the text. List one.
"...like Dempsey and Tunney, for example, or Churchill and Roosevelt” (Lines 342-343).
What is the tone of "The Landlady"?
There are different answers to this question depending on where in the story you look! I will accept any examples!
Comforting (when Billy first enters the Bed & Breakfast)
Creepy/Unsettling (Towards the end of the story)
Give 2 examples from the text where the author uses idioms.
"Now, the fact that the landlady appeared to be slightly off her rocker…" (Lines 250-252).
"In one ear and out the other…" (Lines 328-329).
Idiom: a phrase that people say that is commonly accepted as having a different meaning that the individual words may lead you to believe (Doesn't mean exactly what it says).
Think about the connotation (feeling) of the word conjure (Line 89) in addition to the denotation (definition). Why do you think the author chose conjure instead of another synonym like created or brought to mind in its place?
Roald Dahl uses the world "conjure" instead of a more commonplace verb because he is adding to the unsettling tone of the text. This word also carries a negative connotation, which may refer to the summoning of a spirit.
What is the "law of the land" that the Landlady makes Billy abide before going to bed?
What is the overall message/theme of "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl?
Think of the mood/tone of the story! Also, think about the character qualities of the Landlady at first, and what you end up learning about her!
The overall theme of "The Landlady" is that you can't judge a book by its cover. You could also say that Dahl is telling the reader that danger lurks everywhere, even in the most innocuous settings.
Give three examples of where the author uses similes in the text.
(There are actually 5 examples of this! +200 points to the team who can give all five.)
Give an example from the text where Roald Dohl uses diction to describe the environment that the main character is experiencing.
(There are many correct answers to this question)
“deadly cold, and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheek” (Line 1).
"The room itself, so far as he could see in the half-darkness, was filled with pleasant furniture" (Lines 71-72).
etc.
How does Roald Dahl in “The Landlady” foreshadow Billy Weaver’s death? Give an example from the text.
The author describes the weather as "deadly cold" and the wind as a "flat blade of ice" (Line 62). Images of death creep into the reader's mind, thus foreshadowing a tragic end.
The rent at the Bed and Breakfast is ridiculously cheap, and there are no other hats, coats, or walking sticks in the hallway (Lines 167-169). This adds an element of mystery and foreshadows a sinister end to Billy's stay.
Billy Weaver recognized the names of Mr. Temple and Mulholland in the guest book. He questions if they were famous because he faintly remembers them from the newspaper (Lines 275-303). The reader can guess that Billy recognized them from a missing persons ad, thus foreshadowing that Billy may be subjected to the same fate.
The tea that is served to Billy tastes peculiar, "like bitter almonds" (Line 478-479). This foreshadows that the landlady is poisoning him through the tea.