T: “The Bet”
A: Anton Chekhov
N: Russian
G: short story
Short Story
Fictional work usually less than 40 pages
 Deals with a single conflict and theme

Fiction
Stories that are made up
 Not true
 Usually written in prose

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.
Flashback

A scene that interrupts the present action
of the plot to flash backward and tell what
happened at an earlier time.
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.

 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).
•
motivation: the reason or reasons
behind a character’s action. (The
reason why a character does
something.)
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
Clock Activities

Find a partner for each of the assigned
times: 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00
Pre-reading Activities:
12:00-Create a sentence using
each vocabulary word.
 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/shortstories/UBooks/Bet.shtml

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)
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:
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.
 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.”

Write a Part 8 to the work. What comes
of the lawyer? What comes of the
banker?