Background
Who wrote "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street"?
Rod Serling
What literary device names the atmosphere or emotional feeling created in a reader by a story.
Mood
What FIRST startles the people on Maple Street?
A loud roar and flash of light when something flies overhead.
Which character attempts to keep the peace and keep people calm?
Steve Brand
What is a theme?
The life lesson of a story; What the author wants you to learn by reading the story; etc. (teacher discretion)
What show did "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" first appear on?
The Twilight Zone
When an author hints at upcoming events, it is called ______________.
foreshadowing
What does Tommy say that scares the residents of Maple Street and where does he get his ideas?
He claims that aliens are invading; His ideas came from a comic book
Which character inputs fanciful ideas into the minds of other residents, which leads to paranoia on Maple Street?
Tommy
What are the five parts of a proper thematic statement?
Restate the question (use the word "theme"); Title; Author; universal language (no "I, me, my, you" or specific story details); relevant lesson
What era in American history caused the author to write "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"?
The Red Scare; McCarthyism
"For a moment, their fear almost turns their walk into a wild stampede..."
What type of figurative language is used in the passage above?
Metaphor (comparing how they begin to rush towards Goodman to a stampede of wild animals)
What two things occur during the play which make Les Goodman seem guilty or suspicious?
His car turns on by itself and his house lights flicker.
Which character decides to leave Maple Street to investigate before paranoia takes hold of the residents?
Pete Van Horn
Fear
What were potential consequences of being labeled a communist during the Red Scare?
Answers may vary (teacher discretion)
"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow---between science and superstition. And it lies between the pit of a man's fears and the summit of his knowledge."
What mood is created in the passage above?
Eerie; Mysterious; etc. (teacher discretion)
What is the setting (time and place) of this teleplay?
A normal neighborhood during the 1950s; A small-town-America suburban neighborhood called Maple Street during the 1950s and in late summer (September) as the evening is starting (6:43 PM).
Who is the first character to start pointing fingers and contributes to the accusations against Les Goodman?
Woman One
What is Rod Serling attempting to say about human nature and their ability to feel fear through this teleplay?
That fear can cause people to turn on one another or change their behavior (act irrationally)
What aspect of human nature was Rod Serling attempting to comment on through his teleplay "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"?
Mob Mentality (accept other answers about fear causing irrational behaviors)
Which line most clearly foreshadows the events to come on Maple Street?
A) "STEVE: Well, I guess what we'd better do then is to run a check of the neighborhood and see which ones of us are really human."
B) "WOMAN ONE: Well if that's the case, Les Goodman, explain why---"
C) "PETE VAN HORN: I'll cut through the backyard... See if the power's still on on Floral Street."
A) "STEVE: Well, I guess what we'd better do then is to run a check of the neighborhood and see which ones of us are really human."
What is a type of conflict in this play? Explain.
Man vs. Man (the neighbors are suspicious of and accuse each other); Man vs. Self (the residents of Maple Street struggle with their fear)
Which character, other than Steve Brand, attempted to leave Maple Street but was stopped by Tommy?
Charlie
Give a specific example of a moment in the teleplay when fear causes characters to act irrationally.
Answers may vary (teacher discretion)