Class Zone: The Language of Literature

"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell

Overview

Sanger Rainsford, an internationally famous big game hunter, is sailing on a yacht toward South America when he falls overboard. In order to survive, Rainsford swims to a nearby island. There he meets the island's owner, General Zaroff, who is also a hunter. While a guest in the general's mansion, Rainsford realizes that the quarry of General Zaroff's hunt is human. Rainsford soon finds himself the object of the general's hunt.

Issues

This story addresses

inhumane behavior by humans,
desensitization to violence,
the self-perpetuating nature of violence,
psychological and physical abuse,
succumbing to forces contrary to one's normal beliefs in times of stress.

Instructional Focus

To encourage students to identify and examine

identify examples of the inhumanity humans inflict on one another,
consider the effects of repeated exposure to violence,
identify healthful strategies for dealing with abuse,
analyze the effects of stress on one's value system,
identify appropriate methods for dealing with stress in extreme circumstances.

Activities

Oral Reading
Conduct students through an oral reading of the story. Pause to discuss the issues as they arise. Refocus the reading and continue likewise to the end.
Class Discussion
Use the following questions as springboards to solutions:

Do you agree with Rainsford when he says, "The world is made up of two classes-the hunters and the hunted"? Why/Why not? If it were, which would you be? Is that good or bad? Explain.
Zaroff says he lives for danger. What do you think about thrill seekers? Should thrill be sought if others are endangered in one's attempt to discover it?
Zaroff says God made him a hunter and that the weak were put here to give the strong pleasure. Do you agree or disagree? Can you think of instances where the strong take advantage of the weak? Explain.
In the end, it can be argued that Rainsford becomes Zaroff. Were his actions justified? What other options could he have taken?
Creative Writing
Instruct student pairs to work together to rewrite the story's ending so that Rainsford overcomes his desire to kill the general. Share endings with the class.

Personality Graphs
Have students compare themselves to a character in the story. Instruct them to chart the physical and psychological similarities and differences on a graph. Be sure students label the graph accordingly. Display the graphs for all to see, or have students present and interpret them.

Real World Connection

Have students research the effects of repeated exposure to violence and prepare a multimedia report to explain their findings. Topics can include issues such as desensitization to television and game violence (see Real World Link), the future implications of abuse on the abused/abuser, and so forth. Reports should end with students making recommendations about ways to prevent further desensitization or abuse.