By the Waters of Babylon I
author of this story
Stephen Vincent Benet
why John is treated differently than his brothers by his father
He is going to be a priest
the motif of the story
fire and burning
author of this story
Richard Connell
what Rainsford tells his friend Whitney early in the story that will come back to haunt him at the end of the story
"Who cares how a jaguar feels?"
the metaphor and allusion used to refer to Rainsford and General Zaroff during the game
Zaroff is the cat, and Rainsford is the mouse
setting of this story
the area of New York that has been devastated by a nuclear bomb
why John's people refer to those who perished in the Great Burning "gods"
They could do magical things like make light and fly in the air
According to John and his father, why the gods perished
"They ate knowledge too fast"
setting of the story
Ship-Trap Island somewhere on the Caribbean Sea
Rainsford's opinion about the most challenging game to hunt
the cape buffalo
Two strategies Rainsford uses during the hunt
the Malay mancatcher
the Burmese tiger pit
protagonists
John and his father
signs that move John to go east on his journey
an eagle flew east; he saw 3 deer going east; he kills a panther with one arrow
"My heart was cold as a frog and my knees like water"
similes to describe John's fear as he prepares to cross the river
protagonist of the story
Rainsford
what the most challenging game to hunt must possess, according to General Zaroff
courage, cunning, with the ability to reason
Who is dead at the end of the story
Ivan, one of the dogs, and General Zaroff
John's Tribe
the Hill People
the river John crosses
Ou-dis-sun
"It was a squirrel's heap of winter nuts"
A metaphor to describe how he could not use his knowledge to give him courage to cross the river
antagonist of the story
General Zaroff
rules of the "game"
the hunted receives food and a hunting knife
he gets a three-hour start
if he manages to elude General Zaroff after 3 days, he wins the game
examples of irony in the story
- Rainsford's statement "Who cares about the jaguar feels?" because he was hunted like the jaguar
- The refined, wealthy, sophisticated General Zaroff is a cold-blooded murderer
what is forbidden
to touch metal unless you are a priest or son of a priest; to go east; to go into the Place of the Gods
John's profound realization as a result of his journey
they weren't gods; they were men
the irony of John's quest
He made a great discovery, but he had to break laws to do so
3 examples of foreshadowing that occur early in the story
the yacht's crew get nervous as they sail past Ship-Trap Island
Rainsford hears 3 gunshots while he's on the yacht
He hears screaming as he swims to the shore
what happens if a man refuses to play the "game"
He will be turned over to Ivan, who will use his whip
The double meaning of the title
The human being is the most dangerous game
The hunting on the island is called a "game"