The Monkey’s Paw
by W. W. Jacobs
“Be careful what you wish for, you may receive it.”
The Monkey’s Paw
• Fairy Tale/Short Story Elements
• Plot
– Conflict
– Exposition
– Rising Action
– Climax
– Falling Action
– Resolution
The Monkey’s Paw
• Conflict is essential to the plot to add tension,
create depth for characters, and hold the
reader’s attention
• Plot Devices
– Foreshadowing adds tension and suspense
• Details that hint at upcoming events
– Flashback provides background information
• An interruption in the plot to describe a past event
The Monkey’s Paw
• Predictions
– Your logical ideas about what you think will
happen next in the story.
• To make predictions, you must:
– Pay attention to story details
– Use your prior knowledge and personal
experiences
The Monkey’s Paw
• Types of Personal Connections for
Predictions:
1. Text to Text
2. Text to Media
3. Text to World
4. Text to Self
The Monkey’s Paw
• Text to Text
–We use knowledge of other stories
or novels with similar plots to help
us predict the outcome of the
story.
The Monkey’s Paw
• Text to Media
–Use cultural knowledge and
experiences with movies,
television, music, video games, and
other tangible media to help us
connect to the story.
The Monkey’s Paw
• Text to World
–Use knowledge of current events and
news in the political, social, economic,
and environmental world to help us
identify key issues in the story.
The Monkey’s Paw
• Text to Self
–Use knowledge of human nature and
our personal life experiences (as well
as those of our friends and family) to
help us predict how characters will
behave in the story.
The Monkey’s Paw
• Big Question: Is There a Difference Between Reality
and Truth?
• Think about a disagreement you have had with
someone in the past where you had opposite
opinions, but each of you believed your argument
was the truth.
• How can we verify the truth?
The Monkey’s Paw
• Think about your answers to the
previous question as you read
through the text.
• Look for explanations the characters
offer to explain the truth behind the
events in “The Monkey’s Paw.”
The Monkey’s Paw
• Key Vocabulary (p.30)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Grave
Maligned
Credulity
Furtively
Apathy
Oppressive
The Monkey’s Paw
• Author: William Wymark Jacobs
– Born September 8th, 1863
– Civil clerk in the Post Office Savings Bank of
London in 1879
– Published first short story in 1885
– Majority of work was humorous in tone
– “The Monkey’s Paw” (1902) is his most macabre
and horrifying tale, and the most popular
– Died September 1st, 1943
The Monkey’s Paw
• Historical context
– The English East India Company settled in India by
1611 and exported tea and textiles to England. The
English quickly became fascinated with Indian culture.
Elephants, tigers, and monkeys were great novelties.
Rajahs had outrageous wealth and many wives, fakirs
did astonishing feats such as lying on beds of nails,
and many people wore exotic clothing and jewelry.
There were ornate temples and artwork, new foods,
and unfamiliar beliefs along with dreadful diseases,
poisonous snakes, and mysterious cults.
The Monkey’s Paw
• Do you agree or disagree with the following
statements and why?
1. One should be content with his or her life as it is.
2. People should not play games with fate.
3. You should never be afraid to be the master of
your destiny.
4. Nothing is ever truly free.
• ***Honors: Read “The Monkey’s Paw” (p.30-42) for
homework. Write down important words/details
that influence the mood of the story.
The Monkey’s Paw