Transcript Lesson Nine The Most Dangerous Game

Lesson Nine
The Most Dangerous Game
 Introduction
The text is an exerpt from the story by
Richard Comell (1893---1929), famous
American writer of short stories and
screen plays. The story describes the
most unusual adventure of Rainsford,
a world-renowned hunter, who got
stuck on a small island in the
Caribbean sea. He was held as captive
by a man named Zaroff, the exCzarist-Russian general who was
indulged in the game of man hunting
as a result of his boredom with life and
passion for fresh experience.
The Most Dangerous Game
 Introduction
When Rainsford is invited to take
part in the game, he poses himself as
a victim. In his desperate struggle
for survival, we have the most
exciting drama of the story.
Read from another angle, the story
might be taken as a fable of modern
society. Human society is nothing
but a hunting ground, ruled by the
law of the jungle, and the people are
divided into the strong and the weak,
namely, the hunters and the hunted,
who are all engaged in the
fierce struggle for survival.
 Detailed Analysis of the Text
 “ I wish to go today,” said Rainsford. He saw the dead
black eyes of the general on him, studying him. General
Zaroff’s face suddently brightened.
Rainsford sees the gereral staring at him with his cold, severe,
expressionless eyes. The general was surprised at Rainsford’s
response. He does not know whether or not he is serious.
to brighten: to become cheerful. Also brighten up. More examples.
• Julia brightened up at the thought of coming home.
• The weather brightened up and the sun started to shine again.
• He read an article in the paper, which brightened up his day.
 The general shrugged his shoulders. “As you wish, my
friend. The choice rests entirely with you. But may I
venture to suggest that you’ll find my idea of sport more
interesting than Ivan’s?
Notice how the general makes it sound like a free choice while he is,
in fact, posing a threat to Rainsford by mentioning Ivan, the slave
whose duty is to flog to death any who dares to violate his master’s
order.
to rest with sb to do sth (fml) to be sb’s responsibility to do sth; to
be up to sb to do sth.
 He nodded toward the corner to where the giant stood, his
thick arms crossed on his hogshead of a chest.
He nods toward Ivan, who is standing in the corner of the room,
whose chest is as big and thick as a barrel. Pay attention to the use
of “of” here. It connects two nouns , one modifying the other.
More examplea.:
• Sometimes we have to suffer from the fool of a doctor when we receive
medical treatment in hospital.
• The old soldier is still haunted by the memory of the nightmare of life in
the concentration camp.
•On the 60th anniversary of the victory of World War II, the old soldiers
who survived the war danced and sang with the monkey of a child.
 You’ll fine the gamne worth playing, “ the general said
enthusiastically. “Your brain against mine. Your woodcraft
against mine. Your strength and stamina against mine.
Outdoor chess! And the stake is not without value,eh?”
 Notice that the general viewed this hunting game as a contest of
intelligence, ability, knowledege, skill, experience as well as physical
endurance.
 “Ivan will supply you with hunting clothes, food, a knife …I
suggest too that you avoid the big swarmp in the southeast
corner of the island.”
Notice how considerate the general is. What he is doing now simply
shows his self-assurance and over-confidence in the coming contest,
the result of which turned out to be iornical.
 One foolish fellow tried it. The deplorable part of it was that
Lazarus followed him. He was the finest honoured in my
pack.
What the general says here shows this is not the first man-hunting
game he has ever played. Rainsford isn’t the first victim. At the same
time his evil contempt for human life is made evident in his much
sorrow for the loss of his dog instead of the life of his captive.
 Rainsford had fought his way through the bush for two
hours. “I must keep my nerve. I must keep my nerve,” he
said through tight teeth.
Against his foe, Rainsford is waging a desprrate fight , the loss of
which may well mean his death, thus he is trying to assure himself
of the necessary courage and determination required of him.
to fight one’s way: to struggle on/forward desperately..c.f. To make
one’s way; to push one’s way; to inch one’s way; to shoulder one’s
way; to elbow one’s way; to plunge one’s way, etc.
to keep one’s nerve: to keep the courage especially in a difficult and
dangerous condition
 He had not been entirely clear-headed when the chateau
gates snapped shut behind him.
Rainsford is half dazed when the gates close behind him because
everything seems so weird.. .
To snap shut: to be shut with a snap ( a sudden loud sound)
similar expressions: to roar past; to bang shut; to pop open; to rattle
past,etc
 .He plunged along, spurred by a sharp feeling of panic.
He rushed forward because he was terribly seized by the fear
of being captured or killed as a game being hunted.
to plung: to move suddenly and quickly.
• The car swerved and plunged through the guardrail.
• The skydiver plunged to his death from 8000 feet.
• The waterfal plunges off the cliff to the river below.
to be spurred on: to be driven ; to be pushed forward; to be stimulated.
 But Now he had got a grip on himself, had stopped, and was
taking stock of himself and the situation.
He had been able to composee himself and stopped rushing forward
blindly. He began to look around and see what situation he was in
and what advantages he was standing.
To get/keep a grip on : to start or continue to control one”s.emotions
when one is very upset or fear-stricken.
to take stock of : to assesss; to make an appraisal of; to seize up (the
situation)
 He saw that straight flight was futile; inevitably it would
bring him face to face with the sea.
He knows that he cannot escape General Zaroff by simply running
straight ahead because he is on a small island.
straight flight: the act of fleeing in one direction. Here it may also
be understood as the fleeing without using brains. Rainsford began
to realize the importance of using intelligence in this contest.
 He executed a series of intricate loops; he doubled on his
trail again and again.
He performs a series of complicated loops; He moves round and round,
covering the same trail again and again so as to confuse his pursuer.
to excute: to perform a difficult act or movement.
loop: a shape produced by a cure crossing itself; a path or trail shaped
roughly like this.
 Night found him legweary, with hands and face lashed by
the branches, on a thickly wooded ridge.
When night falls, he is too tired to walk. Notice that the
subject in the sentence is impersonal. More examples:
•
The new semester found him fresh and energetic.
• The 20th century witnessed a great change in China.
• The city saw the hideous massacre of civilians by the
Japanese invaders.
 He knew that would be insane to blunder on through the
dark, even if he had the strength.
He knew that it would be silly to continue running blindly in the
dark.
to blunder on: to go on blindly without thinking. More examples
with blunder.
• They turned a cover and blundered into a group of soldiers.
• He blundered about in the darkness.
• Without any thinking, he blundered out the truth.
 …he climbed up into the crotch, and stritching out on one
of the broad limbs, after a fashion, rested.
He climbed up a tree and rested for a moment, although it is not
very comfortable.
After a fashion: If you do sth atter a fashion, you can do it but not
very well.
• Three weeks passed, the little apprentice was making iron wares
after a fashion.
 As an amateur golfer, he plays the game after a fashion.
 The night crawled slowly like a wounded snake, and sleep
did not visit Rainsford although the silence of a dead world
was on the jungle.
Night fell slowly. Rainsford was still wide awake although it iwas
very quiet in the jungle. Notice the use of simile here.
The night is compared to a crawling snake, slow but dangerous
 Toward morning when a dingy gray was vanishing the sky,
the cry of some startled bird focused Rainsford’s attention
in that direction.Something was coming through the bush, slowly,
carefully. By the same winding way Rainsford had come.
He flattened himself down on the limb, and through a
screen of leaves, saw it was a man.
Notice how the author skillfully builds up the tension. First, the cry
of a startled bird, then something moving by the same winding way,
then the sight of a man, finally the realization of who the man is.
 Rainsford’s impulse was to hurl himself down like a
panther, but he saw that the gerneral’s right hand held
something metallic--- a small automatic pistol.
Rainsford’s first reaction is to jump upon General Zaroff and take
his chances, but then he is checked by the sight of the postol in the
general’s right hand.
 The general’s eyes were now travelling inch by inch up the
tree. Rainsford froze there, every muscle tensed for a
spring. But the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before
they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread
over his face.
Why do the general’s eyes move so slowly up the tree? And why do
his sharp eyes suddenly stop before they reaches the limb where
Rainsford is lying?Perhaps his eyes are not so sharp after? Then
why does he smile if he has failed?
Every musle: “muscle” is used here as a xountable noun.
to tense for a spring: to become tense in preparation for a jump.
 Very deliberately he blew a smoke ring into the air, and
then turned and walded carelessly away.
Deliberately: slowly and unhurriedly.
Why does the general walk away carelessly? It is clear that he has
discovered Rainsford’s hiding place. He does not want to finish the
game then and there because he wants to keep Raonsford for more
fun.
 The pent-up air burst hotly from Rainsford’s lungs.
the pent-up air: the air he had held in his lungs while the
general was right under the tree. It probably comes from the phrasal
verb”to pen up”, which means to restrict or to shut animals in a
small enclosed area.
 …he must have uncanny powers; only by the merest
chance had the Cossack failed to see his quarry.
Rainsford’s first thought is terrible. He now realizes that the general
has incredible or even supernatural powers, and he has had a very
narrow escape only by the merest chance.
the merest : It is used when something small and unimportant has a big
effect.
failed to see his quarry: did not see the person or animal he was hunting
or chasing.
 Rainsford’s second thought was even more terrible. It sent a
shelter of cold horror through his whole being.
Rainsford’s second thought is even more terrible. It makes him tremble
all over.
 “I’ll not lose my nerve. I will not.”
It shows that Rainsford is slowy losing his nerve. He is trying
desperately not to let this happen.
 The job was soon finished, and he threw himself down
behind a fallen log a hundred feet away.
Notice that the author is concealing the details of the job from the
readers for suspense.
 Following the trail with the sureness of a bloodhound came
the general.
Inverted sentence. The normal order should be: The general came
following the trail with the sureness of a bloodhound.
bloodhound: a large hunting dog with a very deep sense of smell.
 So intent was the Cossack on his stalking that he was upon
the thing Rainsford had made before he saw it.
The normal order should be: The Cossack was so intent on hos
stalking that he was upon the thing Rainsford had make before he
saw it.
to be intent on sth. /doing : to be determined to do or achieve sth esp.
sth that may cause damage. e. g.
• She wss intent on having her way. She would seldom listen to other
questions.
• He was quite intent on getting that position, by hook or by crook.
• Despite the complication of the international situation, the Chinese
government is steadfastly intent on the development of economy.
 He sensed the danger and leaped back with the agility of
an ape.
to sense the danger: to feel that there’s danger although there is not
proof.
with the agility of an age: with the quickness of a monkey.
to be agile: to be able to move quickly and easily.
 …but for his alertness, he must have been smashed
beneath it.
If it had not been for his alertness, he would certainly have been
crushed to death.
 “Rainsford”, called the general, “If you are within sound of
my voice, as I suppose you are, let me congratulate you.
Not many men know how to make a Malay man-catcher.
You are proving interesting, Mr. Rainsford.
The general knew the trick. He wants to show his appreciation for
Rainsford’s effort. But he still does not give up his condescending
tone because he is still confident that he is the better hunter.
 When the general had gone, Rainsford took up his flight
again.
On the general’s going, Rainsford began his running again.
take up: to continue an activity that you have started.
More sentences with different meanings of “take up”
• One won’t believe that the world champion took up tennis
at the age of 5. ( to become interested in an activity and spend time
doing it. )
• He moved overseas with his family to take up the bank position. ( to
start a new job)
• The jury selection took up the first week of the trial. (to use time or
space)
 …he climbed out and from hard saplings cut stakes and
sharpened them to a fine point.
…he climbed out of the pit and cut stakes from young hard-wood
trees and sharpened them.
sapling: a young tree Other similar expressions with –ing,
which indicate derogatory meaning.
seedling, duckling, weakling, foundling
Stake: Here it means a pointed piece of wood. Other uses of stake:
• His life is at stake. ( in danger)
• Many innocent women were burnt at the stake in Salem wichcraft
trial. (the post to which a person was tied)
• Once people have property of their own, they will have a stake in
the social stability. (a part; a share)
• The stakes in this political gamble were very high.(money risked)
 A blie gap showed between the trees dead ahead.
Rainsford got a glimpse of the sea through the trees ahead.
Notice the idiomatic expressions with “dead”
to be dead serious; to be dead drunk; be dead certain; to be dead
silent
 The general made one of the deepest bows. “I see,” he said.
“Splendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds.
The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On guard,
Rainsford…”
Notic that there is something amusing about the way the conflict is
finally resovlved. It was like a duel between knights in the Middle
Ages, in which they fought hard but fair.
 He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided.
Quite unexpectedly, Rainsford became the winner.
Notice that the author tells about the result in an inexplicit way,
leaving much room for imagination on the part of the reader.