T: “The Bet” A: Anton Chekhov N: Russian G: short story

1. T: “The Bet” A: Anton ChekhovN: Russian G: short story

2. Short Story • Fictional work usually less than 40 pages • Deals with a single conflict and theme

3. Fiction • Stories that are made up • Not true • Usually written in prose

4. En Media Res • Latin for “in the middle of things” • when the story starts in the middle of events, flashes back, then picks back up in real time • example: • The Odyssey starts when Odysseus is almost home after twenty years away; he tells of his adventures, then goes home and takes care of things there.

5. Flashback • A scene that interrupts the present action of the plot to flash backward and tell what happened at an earlier time.

6. Types of characters • Dynamic character- changes as the result of the story’s event. • Static character- does not change in the story. • Round character- has many different character traits, which may contradict one another. (Like a real person) • Flat character- has only one or two traits.

7. conflict: struggle or clash between opposing characters or opposing forces. -internal conflict: a struggle within a character’s own mind. -external conflict: a character struggles against an outside force (another character, nature, or society).

8. motivation: the reason or reasons behind a character’s action. (The reason why a character does something.)

9. Copy the following vocabulary: 1) A priori- (adj) not based on prior study or examination 2) Frivolous- (adj) self-indulgently carefree; unconcerned about or lacking any serious purpose 3) Compulsory- (adj) required; mandatory 4) Confinement- (n) the state of being enclosed with boundaries 5) Foes- (n) enemies 6) Zealously- (adv) passionately; ardently; eagerly 7) Indiscriminately- (adv) not discriminating; haphazardly

10. Clock Activities • Find a partner for each of the assigned times: 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00

11. Pre-reading Activities: 12:00-Create a sentence using each vocabulary word.

12. 3:00- How do you think a long period of isolation would affect you? Do you think you could survive complete isolation? What things would you have to have in order to get through complete solitude? (4-5 sentences/proofread!) • View selections from Cast Away. Discuss the effects of isolation on the main character. • Begin reading “The Bet.” http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Bet.shtml

13. During Reading Activities: • 6:00- List the terms of the bet. What can/can’t he do? What can/can’t he have? (section 2)

14. During Reading Activities: 9:00 – List what the lawyer did for each of the following years (sections 3 & 4): • 1st year: • 2nd year: • 5th year: • 6th – 10th years: • After the 10th year: • Last two years:

15. After Reading Questions: 1) Do you think the lawyer is right that the "death sentence and the life sentence are equally immoral"? Why or why not? 2) Do you agree with the lawyer that “to live anyhow is better than not at all”? 3) Would you have taken the bet for 1 year? 5 years? 15 years? Why or why not? 4) Why does the narrator call the bet "wild" and "senseless"? 5) The lawyer writes that he has experienced all kinds of things in books: love, hunting, mountain climbing, storms, miracles, religions, wars, etc. Is reading about something the same as experiencing it? Which is better and why 6) A paragraph in the second half of the story begins, "It was dark and cold in the garden. Rain was falling. A damp cutting wind was racing about the garden, howling and giving the trees no rest." How does this language and atmosphere relate to what is going on in the story? 7) Who won the bet? Explain your answer.

16. Review the following literary terms: en media res, flashback, conflict, motivation, dynamic character, static character, flat character, round character, and situational irony. Find examples of each from “The Bet.”

17. Write a Part 8 to the work. What comes of the lawyer? What comes of the banker?