Dragon, Dragon
By John Gardner
Setting Up the Vocabulary Section
in Your Reading Journal
Selection Vocabulary
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Neutral
plague (plāg)
plague (plāg)
Part of speech: Verb
Definition: continually causing trouble and suffering
Example: Even though we kept the food in closed containers, ants plagued
our picnic.
Ask: Who/What plagues you in your life?
Related words:
• plague (noun) - a very contagious disease which usually causes death (e.g.,
the Black Plague)
• plague (noun) – a large number of unpleasant things that happen at the same
time
rav·age (rav′ ij)
rav·age (rav′ ij)
Part of speech: Verb
Definition: destroy
Example: Rabbits ravaged Jon’s vegetable garden, so he built a fence around
it.
Ask: What types of natural disasters can ravage a town?
ty·rant (tī′ rənt)
ty·rant (tī′ rənt)
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: someone who uses power or authority in a cruel and unjust
manner.
Example: Our school’s soccer coach is strict, but she isn’t a tyrant.
Ask: Who are some characters in books/movies that you would consider to be
tyrants?
Related words:
• tyranny (noun) - a cruel, harsh, unjust government
• tyranny (noun) – cruel, unfair treatment
• tyrannical (adjective) – being cruel and unfair toward those who are under
your power
quest (kwest)
quest (kwest)
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: a search or pursuit made in order to get an object or accomplish a
goal
Example: The boy was on a quest to find his misplaced
homework.
Ask: What movies have you seen in which a character
was on a quest?
Related words:
• question (noun) – When asking a question, you are in search of an answer.
meek (mēk)
meek (mēk)
Part of speech: Adjective
Definition: 1. lacking self-assurance; not courageous
2. mild/gentle in speech and action
3. patient; not responding to wrongs
Example: Bob is bold and firm when he speaks with others; however, Billy is
meek.
Ask: When would it be good to behave meekly? When would it not be good?
Related words:
• meekly (adverb) – acting in the ways described above
Does your Vocabulary Notebook
page look something like this?
What kinds of predictions can you make
about the story “Dragon, Dragon” based on
these words?
plagued
ravaged
tyrant
quest
meekly
Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Folktales
Historical Fiction
Fables
Science Fiction
Myths
Fantasy
Legends
Adventure
Fairy Tales
Mystery
What are some common characteristics of
fairy tales?
Pass
the
Paper!
Reading Footnotes
p. 86
Now it happened that there lived in the kingdom a wise old
cobbler² who had a wife and three sons. The cobbler and his
family came to the king’s meeting and stood way in back by
the door, for the cobbler had a feeling that since he was
nobody important there had probably been some ….
_______________________________________________________________________________
² A cobbler is a person who makes or mends shoes.
As you read “Dragon, Dragon”…
• stop occasionally to check your understanding
of the story by retelling the main events so
far.
• take notice of the elements of a fairy tale that
the author incorporates.
Happy Reading!
Italics
• p. 93 “What?” cried the dragon,
flabbergasted. “You? You? Murder Me???”
All at once he began to laugh, pointing at the
little cobbler’s son. “He he he ho ha!” laughed
the dragon....”
The cobbler’s son was annoyed. “I do come
from the king to murder you,” he said.
Italics
p. 93 “Of course not, poor dear boy! But really,
he he, the idea of it, ha ha ha! And that
simply ridiculous poem!” Tears streamed from
the dragon’s eyes and he lay on his back
perfectly helpless with laughter.
•Why did the author use italics in the previous
paragraphs?
•What is the reader supposed to understand?
Summarize!
Check Yourself!
A smart move that we, as good readers, can make is
to stop at the end of a story and try to retell the whole story
(to ourselves or with a partner) to be sure that we
understand the story and remember it correctly.
It’s really hard to answer questions about a story that you
can’t remember or don’t understand.
If you’ve finished reading an entire story, you should be able
to retell the main ideas by using the “Somebody Wanted But
So Then Finally” framework.
Give it a try! (Use the next slide to guide your thinking as you retell “Dragon, Dragon”
with a partner.)
Fiction Summary
Then
So
But
Wanted
Somebody
Finally
Sequence & Cause/Effect
Teacher: See
information in “Notes”
section of this slide for
resource/practice
information regarding
sequence and
cause/effect.
Stylistic Elements in Fairy Tales
What are some common characteristics of
fairy tales in “Dragon, Dragon”?
Stylistic Element: Threes
•What stories/fairytales can you think of that have three
of something (e.g., “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”)?
•Why do you think so many stories are based upon the
use/structure of threes?
It takes three things to establish a pattern.
Three characters provide a nice balance (big,
medium, small; oldest, middle, youngest).
Three events/wishes/attempts to solve a problem
are just enough to build suspense and round out the
action.
Stylistic Element: Threes
•People remember things in threes better.
Documents/Speeches: “…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Advertisements: “Location, location, location!”
Procedures: “Stop, drop, and roll.”
Sayings: “Live, love, and laugh;” “Blood, sweat, and tears”
Organizations: Executive, Judicial, Legislative branches of
government
How did the author of “Dragon,
Dragon” use the stylistic element of
threes to develop the story?
3.
2.
1.
Purpose of Repetition
p. 89
“When and if you come to the dragon’s lair, recite
the following poem.
Dragon, dragon, how do you do?
I’ve come from the king to murder you.
Say it very loudly and firmly, and the dragon will
fall, God willing, at your feet.”
“How curious!” said the eldest son. And he
thought to himself, “The old man is not as wise as
I thought.”
Purpose of Repetition
p. 91
“When and if you come to the dragon’s lair, recite
the following poem.
Dragon, dragon, how do you do?
I’ve come from the king to murder you.
Say it very loudly and firmly, and the dragon will
fall, God willing, at your feet.”
“What an odd thing to say!” thought the middle
son. “The old man is not as wise as I thought.”
Purpose of Repetition
p. 93
“When and if you come to the dragon’s lair, recite the following
poem.
Dragon, dragon, how do you do?
I’ve come from the king to murder you.
Say it very loudly and firmly, and the dragon will fall, God
willing, at your feet.”
“Are you certain?” asked the youngest son uneasily.
“As certain as one can ever be in these matters,” said
the wise old cobbler.
And so the youngest son set forth on his quest.
Purpose of Repetition
p. 93
As loudly and firmly as he could manage, the youngest son
cried –
Dragon, dragon, how do you do?
I’ve come from the king to murder you.
“What?” cried the dragon, flabbergasted. “You? You? Murder
Me???” And all at once he began to laugh . . . . and then he lay
dead.
Purpose of Repetition
p. 93
The two older brothers crawled out and thanked their
younger brother for saving their lives. “We have
learned our lesson,” they said.
THINK/PAIR/SHARE:
What lesson about life did the brothers learn?
How does the use of the repeated lines/events in the story
develop that theme (message about life)?
Purpose of Repetition
p. 93
The two older brothers crawled out and thanked their
younger brother for saving their lives. “We have
learned our lesson,” they said.
THINK/PAIR/SHARE:
What lesson about life did the brothers learn?
How does the use of the repeated lines/events in the story
develop that theme (message about life)?
Inference
Inference
Let’s apply the inference skills that we practiced
with comic strips to our fairy tales.
In “Dragon, Dragon,” the author never directly
states that the cobbler is a practical man.
However, we can make that inference based on
how the cobbler acted and what the cobbler
said.
“Dragon, Dragon” Inference
The four statements below all sound like inferences. However, only one of
them can be supported with clues from the text.
• Talk with a partner and see if you agree.
• Show your partner clues from the text that support your thinking.
• Explain why you believe that the incorrect answers can’t be supported.
A The cobbler probably liked his youngest son the best.
B The reader can tell that the cobbler was a practical man.
C The wizard most likely never made any more mistakes after his wizard’s
book was returned.
D The reader can conclude that the oldest and middle brothers were envious
of the younger brother’s success.
“Dragon, Dragon” Inference
A The cobbler probably liked his youngest son the best.
• This might be how I think the cobbler should feel since the youngest son is the
only one who listened to his father, BUT… There are NO CLUES in the text
that support the idea that the father liked his youngest son the best.
C The wizard most likely never made any more mistakes after his wizard’s book
was returned.
• We don’t know that for sure, based on clues in the story. The fact that the
wizard was old and forgetful is actually good reason to believe that he might
make a mistake again, despite the return of this book.
D The reader can conclude that the oldest and middle brothers were envious of
the younger brother’s success.
• We as readers may think that would be a natural reaction of the brothers. WE
may have felt that way if we were in the oldest and middle brothers’ places.
HOWEVER, that is just our opinion. There are NO CLUES in the text to support
this statement.
“Dragon, Dragon” Inference
B The reader can tell that the cobbler was a practical man.
Even though the word “practical” was never used in the story to describe the cobbler, we can make
that inference by examining how the author acted and what he said. For example:
p. 86 “…the cobbler had a feeling that since he was nobody important there had probably been
some mistake, and no doubt the king had intended the meeting for everyone in the kingdom
except for his family and him.”
p. 87 “’…It’s all very well to talk about it – but how are you going to do it?’”
p. 87 “Meanwhile the cobbler stood with his hands in his pockets, sighing at the waste of time.
‘About the dragon . . .’ he began.”
p. 88 “’It’s not enough,’ said the cobbler. ‘…How would an ordinary person support [the
princess]? Also, what about those of us that are already married?’”
p. 88 “’It’s a good enough kingdom…, but it’s too much responsibility.’”
p. 92 (After his youngest son asks him if he’s certain that saying the poem will help kill the
dragon) “’As certain as one can ever be in these matters,’ said the wise old cobbler.”
Importance to a Story
THINK/PAIR/SHARE:
Have you ever…
Have you ever made a quick trip to the kitchen for a snack or had
some other interruption while watching a TV show or movie,
only to return to the show to realize that you had missed
something really important? Without the knowledge of that
particular missed scene or piece of dialogue, the rest of the
show/movie didn’t make sense.
THINK/PAIR/SHARE:
Have you ever…
Or perhaps you don’t realize until you get to the end of the
movie that something that happened earlier (a scene, a line of
dialogue, a clue in the setting) was actually an important clue
that the writer/director included to help you begin to figure out
the storyline.
THINK/PAIR/SHARE:
Have you ever…
Or maybe you find yourself yelling at the TV, “Don’t go to the
woods!” because you know that if the character does go there,
something bad will happen. You know that that particular
setting will be a source of problems for the character.
Important to the Story
An author’s (or movie director’s) decisions to include certain
events, descriptions, or dialogue is always purposeful.
Sometimes a specific part of a story is important for reasons
such as:
• it helps the reader understand something about the character
(e.g., the character’s emotions, traits, or changes)
• it helps the reader understand something about the main
problem/goal in the story – or perhaps it helps create or
provide circumstances for the problem to occur
• it helps the reader understand how the characters are trying
to solve the problem/reach the goal and reach a resolution
Important to the Story
THINK/PAIR/SHARE:
• Refer to your plot chart and/or your literature
book to help you remember the important
events in “Dragon, Dragon.”
What do you think is an important setting, event,
or line/lines of dialogue in the story?
Write it on an index card, and write the reason
why it is important on the back of the card. (Each
person should have their own index card.)
Important to the Story
THINK/PAIR/SHARE:
• When your teacher gives the signal, walk
around the room and show the front of your
card to one other student at a time.
• Do others agree that your chosen
setting/dialogue/event is important to
“Dragon, Dragon”?
Do you both agree why it is important?
Author’s Purpose
What’s the Purpose?
The author probably wrote this
selection to…
Think about the
theme(s) of the story!
•entertain the reader with a humorous story about ___.
•demonstrate that ____________________________.
•share a story about ___________________________.
•illustrate how _________________________________.
•tell about ____________________________________.
•compare ____________________________________.
•warn readers about ____________________________.