“The Smallest Dragonboy”
Genre: Science Fiction
Anne McCaffrey,
1926-2011
Objectives
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Character Traits
Character Types
Motivation
Inferences
Anne McCaffrey
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Anne McCaffrey:
Shortly after its publication, Anne's son Todd was spotted reading The White
Dragon while working as a doorman to a high school function. The conversation he
had went something like this:
“Is it any good?”
Todd: “Yes, but there are a lot of typos.”
Stranger: “Are you going to tell the publisher?”
Todd: “No, the author.”
Stranger: “How would you dare?”
Todd: “She's my mother!”
All writers-even
published writers-have
their work proofread by
others. 
Literary Terms-Characters
Notes
Dynamic
Characters:
A character who grows/changes
during the course of a story.
Static
Characters:
A character who remains the same during the
course of a story.
Protagonist:
Main character of the story. Often
the hero/heroine.
Antagonist:
Character in conflict with the protagonist.
Often portrayed as the villain
Literary Terms
Inference:
Motivation:
Notes
An inference is an educated guess, a
conclusion you make based on
evidence.
Motivation is the reason that
explains a character’s thoughts,
feelings, actions, or speech.
Inference:
An inference is an educated guess, a
conclusion you make based on
evidence.
Example: When the sappy commercial came on
about cats, little Sally started to sob, “ Fluffy! Oh,
Fluffy.”
We can infer from Sally’s reaction that she misses
her own cat, and her cat is probably dead.
Motivation:
Motivation is the reason that
explains a character’s thoughts,
feelings, actions, or speech.
If Mandy works hard and gets good grades, it could be for a
variety of reasons. Maybe she is motivated because she wants
to do well. Perhaps she is motivated by her parents’
expectations. It could be that she receives $20.00 for each good
grade.
The reason that she does what she is doing is her motivation.
Vocabulary
Telepathic:
Impression:
Notes
Able to communicate mentally. (Dragons and
riders communicate through their thoughts.)
To bond or connect-to imprint
(Dragons and riders bond for life.)
Candidate:
Future-possibly-dragonriders. They are in
training and waiting to be chosen by a dragon.
Hatching
Ground:
Where the dragon eggs are, awaiting their
hatching. (The candidates take care of the
area and hope to spend time with the
dragons.)
Synopsis
On the planet of Pern, there is a dangerous red star.
At certain intervals the red star rains down deadly
red threads; these threads are plantlike spores
which devour everything in their path. If the Thread
makes it to Pern soil, it will destroy everything in its
path.
To protect the planet, dragonriders and their
dragons ride through the skies, breathing fire at the
spores and burning them to ashes. These dragon
riders live in special areas called Weyrs, where they
train to protect the planet.
Synopsis
When dragons are born, they choose their own rider from
candidates. Once they have Impressed on their rider, it is a
bond that lasts a lifetime.
To be chosen is considered a great honor, but not everyone
will be chosen.
At the start of this story, Keevan is a young candidate in his
first year as a candidate. He longs desperately for his own
dragon and a chance to prove that his small size does not
make him less a dragonrider.
Dragons Background
Green: Green dragons were more numerous, small,
and fast.
Blue: Blue dragons are slightly larger than green
dragons.
Brown: Brown dragons are larger fighting dragons.
Bronze: Bronze dragons are rare, and are larger than
the other colors, except for the queen.
These are
examples from
other stories
about Pern. In
our story, the
largest and
most important
dragons are the
bronze ones.
There is one dynamic character in this
story. Name that character. What makes
this character dynamic?
There are many static characters in this
story. Name one. What makes the
character static?
Identify the protagonist in the story. How do
we know this is the protagonist?
Identify the main antagonist in the story. How
do we know this is the antagonist?
Inferences
Pg. 148: “Just as he knew many other things that his
foster mother told him he ought not to know, Keevan
knew that Beterli, the most senior of the boys, set that
spanking pace just to embarrass him, the smallest
dragonboy.”
What can we infer about Keevan
based on this excerpt? What can we
infer about Beterli?
Inferences
Pg. 150 “That particular egg was the one Beterli had
marked as his own, and no other candidate dared, on
pain of being beaten by Beterli at his first opportunity
to approach it.”
What does this suggest about
Beterli’s character?
Inferences
Pg. 150 “And naturally, Beterli, who’d been
presented at eight Impressions already and
was the biggest of the candidates had chosen
it.”
What can we infer about Beterli
from his having been presented
at eight Impressions?
Inferences
Pg. 151 “You’d better make sure a dragon
sees you this time, Beterli,” Keevan
replied. “You’re almost overage, aren’t
you?”
What can we infer about Keevan’s
taunting of Beterli? What might
happen when a potential dragon-rider
is overage?
Inferences
Pgs. 153-154 “With a sinking heart, Keevan
knew what the news must be, and he could
only stare with intense desolation at the older
boy.”
What inference does Keevan
make? What does he base his
inference on? Is it correct?
Inferences
Pg. 157 “Gingerly, he took a step. The broken
leg dragged. It hurt in spite of the
numbweed, but what was pain to a
dragonman?”
Why does Keevan deny or ignore
the pain in his leg?
Inferences
Pg. 158 “Never seen anything like it,” the Weyrleader was saying.
“Only thirty-nine riders chosen. And the bronze trying to leave the
Hatching Ground without making Impression.”
“A case in point of what I said last night,” the Weyrleader replied,
“when a hatchling makes no choice because the right boy isn’t there.”
“There’s only Beterli and K’last’s young one missing. And there’s a full
wing of likely boys to choose from…”
“None acceptable, apparently. Where is the creature going?”
What does the dragon’s refusal to
choose a rider suggest about him?
Motivations
Pg. 149 “People were always calling him “babe” and
shooing him away for being too small or too young for
this or that. Keevan was constantly working, twice as
hard as any other boy his age, to prove himself capable.”
What motivates Keevan to work so hard?
Motivations
What motivates Beterli to treat
Keevan the way that he does? How
does this affect Beterli in the end?
Motivations
Why don’t Lessa and Mende tell
Keevan that the Impression is about to
begin? What motivates them to keep
the information from Keevan?
Motivations
What is a possible reason that the
bronze baby dragon chooses Keevan?
What might motivate the dragon to
choose Keevan over the other
dragonriders?
Reading Check Pg. 162
A. What does Keevan want as the story
opens?
B. How are dragonriders chosen?
C. Why does Keevan think he might be kept
from the Impression?
Reading Check Pg. 162
D. How does the bully Beterli try to ruin
Keevan’s chances on Hatching Day?
E. Describe Keevan’s struggles to reach the
Hatching Ground.
F. What happens to Keevan just when he is
most discouraged?
Thinking Critically Pg. 162
2. Make a chart showing the conflicts that Keevan faces.
Which conflict do you think is the hardest for him?
External Conflicts
Internal Conflicts
Thinking Critically Pg. 162
4. Why does K’van reject the help Lessa
offers him at the end of the story? What
inference can you make about K’van from
his action?
Thinking Critically Pg. 162
5. List the women in the story. Do you think
they have powerful positions in Pern society, or
do only men hold power? Explain. If you were
writing about Pern, what roles and
responsibilities would you give to men and
women?
Reader’s Comprehension
1.Who is the smallest dragonboy?
2. Why are the dragons needed in Pern?
3. What is the event everyone is waiting for?
4. Explain what an Impression is.
5. Describe what happens to Beterli after his fight
with Keevan.