“The Dinner Party” by Mona Gardner
Materials
1. Composition books open to a blank page.
2. Textbook open to page 32.
What's wrong with this story?
He showered her with roses but never asked
her favorite flower.
It has no PLOT!
He showered her with roses but never asked
her favorite flower.
“The Dinner Party” by Mona
Gardner
Predict the meaning of the term plot.
Example
Plot is _______.
“The Dinner Party” by Mona
Gardner
Plot is the sequence of events within a story.
During the exposition, the author introduces the setting
(time and place) and characters.
The rising action introduces the conflict (problem).
The climax is the turning point in the story or the point of
highest suspense.
The falling action eases suspense, and the main conflict
is resolved.
“The Dinner Party” by Mona
Gardner
In the resolution, all conflicts are resolved, and
the story ends.
“The Dinner Party” Prediction
Based on the story's title and after skimming
the story, predict the climax of Mona Gardner's
“The Dinner Party.” Follow the model below.
Model
After briefly analyzing Mona Gardner's “The
Dinner Party,” one may infer the story's climax will
contain ________ because ________.
“The Dinner Party” by Mona
Gardner
Create the following chart in your notes.
Plot Stage
Exposition
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Evidence
Why does the author
provide this plot section?
“The Dinner Party” by Mona
Gardner
Create the following chart in your notes.
Plot Stage
Evidence
Why does the author
provide this plot section?
Exposition
“The country is India.” (1)“A To give background
large dinner party is being
given … by a colonial official
and his wife.” (1-2)
Rising Action
“he sees a strange
expression come over the
face of the hostess.” (15-16)
Climax
The snake slithers out of the To create highest level of
room and the naturalist
suspense
slams the door. Several
people scream when they
see the snake. (37-40)
Falling Action
The tension eases once the To ease tension and begin
door slams shut. “A man has to solve the conflict
just shown us an example of
self control.” (41-47)
To build suspense
“The Dinner Party” by Mona
Gardner Discussion Questions
Respond to the questions below in complete sentences.
As you reply, provide the author and story title, restate
the question, and cite evidence with line numbers in
order to justify your response.
1. Note the story's exposition. Why does the author provide
this exposition?
2. Delineate the text's rising action. Why does Gardner
present this rising action?
3. Infer the narrative's climax. Why is this climax significant?
4. List the text's falling action. Why does the author provide
this falling action?
5. Discern the story's resolution. Why is this resolution
effective?
2. Delineate the text's rising action. Why does
Gardner present this rising action?
In “The Dinner Party,” by Mona Gardner, The
text’s rising action occurs when an argument
ensues about male versus female self-control
when it comes to fearful situations. Another
aspect of this rising action is when the American
notices the expression on the hostesses face.
Gardner presents this rising action to build
suspense. The author states in line15-16, “he
sees a strange expression come over the face
of the hostess.” Gardner uses these examples
to make the reader want more.
“The Dinner Party” by Mona
Gardner Discussion Questions II
Respond to the questions below in complete sentences.
As you reply, provide the author and story title, restate
the question, and cite evidence with line numbers in
order to justify your response.
1. Note the story's setting. Why does the setting prove
significant?
2. Infer the story's overarching conflict. Why is this conflict
resolved?
3. Discern the American's profession. Why does is his
profession significant?
4. Determine the story's mood. Why is this mood created?
5. Why does the boy's character escalate the rising action?
“The Dinner Party” by Mona Rising
Action Found Poem
Analyze “The Dinner Party” text. Extract evidence that reveals
the story's rising action, and compile this evidence into a
found poem. Also, cite line numbers for each piece of
evidence provided. Ultimately, include at least five pieces of
evidence.
Example
strange expression (15-16)
eyes widen (19)
milk in a bowl (22)
bait for a snake (23)
commotion will frighten (31)
voice so arresting (32)
stone images (37)
the cobra emerge (39)
“The Dinner Party” by Mona Rising
Action Writing Activity
Assume the character of Mrs. Wynnes. While embodying this
point-of-view, craft a narrative from a first person perspective.
Focus on retelling the rising action. In your narrative,
incorporate at least three scenarios that actually occurred
within the story.
Example
Throughout the dinner party, the colonel, with his bristly pearl
moustache, insinuated that women possess less self-control than
men (11-13). As anger rose inside my chest, as a snarling, jaggedtoothed lion, suddenly, I froze. Contorting, my face cringed like that
of a wrinkled pug (15-16). Powerfully, my jaw clenched, teeth
scraping one another (16-17). Rough sandpaper snagged the flesh
of my exposed foot, and this slithering texture could only belong to
one animal: a cobra.