The Landlady
By Raold Dahl
Write a story using the following
words
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Facades
Congenial
Conjured
Rapacious
Dithering
Dotty
Tantalizing
emanate
Vocabulary Draw
Choose 5 words from the story
#1 Vocabulary Word Ex. Conspicuous
#2 The definition of the word. Ex: adj.
noticeable
#3 Use the word in a sentence using
context clues. Minimum 10 words per.
Sentence Ex.: The robber looked
conspicuous wearing a ski mask in line
at the bank.
#4 Simple picture depicting the word.
facades
facades: noun fronts of buildings
original context: “the handsome white
facades were cracked and blotchy
• from neglect”
congenial
congenial adjective
agreeable; pleasant
• “ a pub would be more
congenial.. There would be
beer and darts” (63).
rapacious
rapacious adj. greedy
“The name itself conjured
up images of watery
cabbage, rapacious
landladies, …”
tantalizing
tantalizing adjective teasing by
remaining unavailable
or by withholding something desired by
someone; tempting.
“There was nothing more tantalizing than
a thing like this that lingers just
outside the borders on one’s memory”
tantalize
emanate
emanate verb come forth
“He caught a whiff of a peculiar smell
that seemed to emanate directly from
her person”
conjured
conjured- called to mind
dithering
dithering about-confused or nervous
manner
dotty
Dotty: adj. crazy
Foreshadowing
• A hint or clues of what is to come. Used to build
anticipation, add suspense, engage the reader
and prepare the reader for what may come next
• Foreshadowing can be subtle, like storm clouds
on the horizon suggesting that danger is coming,
or more direct,
such as Romeo and Juliet talking about wanting
to die rather than live without each other
foreshadowing
• A hint or clues of what is to
come
• The setting is described as, “…deadly cold and
the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his
cheeks”(62).
• This hints…
• “ the air was cold and the wind was like ice on
his cheeks”(62).
The death of Bambi's mother in Bambi.
Meaning: The death of Bambi's mother is
foreshadowed by her conversation about
the threat of Man encroaching upon the
forest.
Her death is the catalyst that propels the
story forward and drives Bambi,
determined and self-confident, to survive
into adulthood.
idiom
a saying that can’t be literally understood.
Theme comparisons
• Read this passage from The Twits by
Roald Dahl and compare and contrast the
theme, development, word choice,
character development, and/or structure,
etc. with that of The Landlady.
The Twits – Roald Dahl
"If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on
the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts
every day, every week, every year, the face gets
uglier and uglier until it looks so ugly you can
hardly bear to look at it." How do you outwit a
Twit? Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the smelliest, ugliest
people in the world. They hate everything -- except
playing mean jokes on each other, catching
innocent birds to put in their Bird Pies, and making
their caged monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, stand
on their heads all day. But the Muggle-Wumps
have had enough. They don't just want out, they
want revenge.
Answer:
Roald Dahl is a master, a coinsurer of
words. When you look at both passages
which describe his characters, you notice
this element of careful word choice and how
it helps to build a picture in the reader’s
mind. Both in The Landlady and The Twit,
he describes the characters as eerily
peculiar and strange.
How does Roald Dahl in “The
Landlady” hint a Billy Weaver’s
death?
Turn the question into a statement: Roald
Dahl in “The Landlady” hints at Billy
Weaver’s death through his use of
foreshadowing.
#2 Concrete Detail
Concrete Detail = Quote or Example from
the story Give background information
to give the quote some context. “….”
For example, the setting is described
as…
For example, when the landlady opens
the door, she…
Wrong!
• For example, “The air was deadly cold
and the wind was like a flat blade of ice
on his cheeks”(62).
• You did not give a context to this
quote.
• What is the background?
Much Better
• For example, the author describes the
weather as “deadly cold” and the wind as
“a flat blade of ice”(62).
• Now commentary: Images of murder
creep into the reader’s mind thus
foreshadowing the tragic end.
Concrete Detail Example
Raold Dahl describes the setting as
“ deadly cold and the wind was like a flat
blade of ice on his cheeks” (62).
How to blend quotes
• The landlady asks Billy to sign the
book and adds“…and we don’t want to
go breaking any laws at this stage in
the proceedings” (65).
Sentence 3 & 4 +=Commentary
• Your opinion, insight or analysis
about the concrete detail. Begin the
sentence with: This shows, This
demonstrates, This foreshadows,
• Avoid I think, I…
• One more sentence of commentary.
More concrete detail #5
In addition, : Concrete Detail (Quote or
Example from the story) Give
background information or the context)
• In addition, the landlady explains to
Billy, “But I’m always ready…on the off
chance that an acceptable young
gentleman will come along”(65). This
shows
• 6. Commentary (Your opinion, analysis
about the concrete detail.
• This shows, This demonstrates, This
foreshadows, Avoid I think, I…
• 7. One more sentence of commentary.
Final Concrete Detail
• 8. Lastly, : Concrete Detail (Quote or
Example from the story) Give
background information.
• The landlady asks Billy to sign the
book and adds “…and we don’t want to
go breaking any laws at this stage in
the proceedings” (65).
• This shows
• This foreshadows
• This illustrates, illuminates,
demonstrates…
• 9. Commentary (Your opinion, analysis
about the concrete detail. This shows,
This demonstrates, This foreshadows,
Avoid I think, I…
• 10. One more sentence of commentary.
Conclusion
• A finished feeling for the paragraph.
• “BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND
BREAKFAST. Each word was like a
large black eye staring at him…forcing
him to stay” (63).
• Commentary: Write two sentences of
your evaluation or analysis of the
above quote. Avoid “I think…”
• This shows:
• “But this dame was like a jack-in-thebox. He pressed the bell-and out she
popped!”(64). This shows
• The landlady explains, “But I’m always
ready…on the off chance that an
acceptable young gentleman will come
along”(65). This shows
• The landlady asks Billy to sign the
book and adds “…and we don’t want to
go breaking any laws at this stage in
the proceedings” (65).
• This foreshadows
• Billy suddenly recalls where he has
heard Christopher Mulholland’s name
and asks,
• “wasn’t that the name of the Eton
schoolboy who was on a walking tour
through the West Country and then all
of a sudden…”
• “Milk?” she said.
• This suggests
• After Billy realizes the dachshund is
stuffed, the landlady explains,“I stuff all
my little pets myself when they pass
away. Will you have another cup of
tea?”(69).
• This shows
• “Mr. Temple, of course, was a little
older…There wasn’t a blemish on his
body”(68).
• This shows
Verbal Irony
• Verbal irony involves a contrast between
what is said or written and what is really
meant.
• Ex. Baseball player strikes out and you
call him “slugger”.
• Ex. My friends old, slow horse is called
lightning. (misnomer)
• Ex. Billy thinks I’m such a lucky fellow
Situational irony
• Situational irony occurs when what
happens is very different than what is
expected.
• Ex. The fire station burns down.
Dramatic irony
• Dramatic irony occurs when the audience
or the reader knows something the
character does not know.
• Ex. The Diary of Anne Frank
• Ex. The shower scene in Psycho