The Trip
by Laila Lalami
Feature Menu
Introducing the Story
Literary Skills Focus:
Foreshadowing
Reading Skills Focus: Visualizing
Writing Skills Focus: Think as a
Reader/Writer
TechFocus
The Trip
by Laila Lalami
Why are dangerous journeys
sometimes necessary?
The Trip
by Laila Lalami
Click on the title to start the video.
The Trip
Introducing the Story
You’re just a few miles from the
border.
On the other side waits a better
life: money, opportunities,
freedom.
But those few miles hold many
dangers.
What would you risk to make it to the other side?
[End of Section]
The Trip
Literary Skills Focus: Foreshadowing
Writers give readers a glimpse of future events
when they use foreshadowing—hints or clues
that suggest what will happen later in the plot.
When you spot a possible
clue about a future event,
you want to keep reading
to see what happens and
what the clue means.
The Trip
Literary Skills Focus: Foreshadowing
The stragglers cautiously proceeded across the
bridge. They gripped the ragged
raggedrailings,
railings,
tentatively
stepping along
tentatively
stepping
the slippery
along the
rope
slippery
while the
rope
river
while
swirled
the
river
menacingly
swirled menacingly
below them. below them.
Which words and phrases
provide hints or clues to
a future event?
What possible future
event is this writer
foreshadowing?
The Trip
Literary Skills Focus: Foreshadowing
In “The Trip,” Laila Lalami uses foreshadowing to
create suspense and draw readers into the
story.
He looks at the Spanish coastline, closer with
every breath. The waves are inky black, except
for hints of foam here and there, glistening
white under the moon, like tombstones in a
dark cemetery.
From "The Trip" from Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami. Copyright 2005 © by Laila Lalami. Reproduced by permission of
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, a Division of Workman Publishing.
How does the writer foreshadow danger in this
excerpt from the story?
[End of Section]
The Trip
Reading Skills Focus: Visualizing
Writers use precise sensory details to help you form
a picture in your head of what is happening.
Picturing the details of a story is called visualizing.
The desert stretched
endlessly beneath the
hot sun. Jake could
see nothing but
cracked earth and
dead trees. He
wondered if he’d ever
find water.
The Trip
Reading Skills Focus: Visualizing
Visualizing can help you keep the order of events
straight because you will have a clear picture of
each scene.
Often, these details tell you something else as
well:
the feelings of the
character who
perceives them
hints that the situation
is about to change
The Trip
Reading Skills Focus: Visualizing
Listen to this passage from “The Trip.” Try to
visualize the characters and setting.
From "The Trip" from Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami. Copyright 2005 © by Laila Lalami. Reproduced by permission of Algonquin
Books of Chapel Hill, a Division of Workman Publishing.
The Trip
Reading Skills Focus: Visualizing
Into Action: As you read “The Trip,” use a chart
to record descriptive language that helps you
visualize the people and the setting in each scene.
Into Action: Visualization Chart
Scene
The boat is
approaching the
Spanish coastline.
Descriptive Language
“The waves are inky black, except for hints of
foam. . . .”
From "The Trip" from Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami. Copyright 2005 © by Laila Lalami.
Reproduced by permission of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, a Division of Workman Publishing.
[End of Section]
The Trip
Writing Skills Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer
Find It in Your Reading
As you read, look for significant
details that may hint at what
will happen later in the story.
Write down these possible
foreshadowing clues.
[End of Section]
The Trip
TechFocus
As you read, think about how
a director might use
foreshadowing in a filmed
version of the story.
How can he or she build
suspense without giving
away too much information?
[End of Section]
Vocabulary
The Trip
Vocabulary
pondered v.: thought over; considered
carefully.
destinies n.: what becomes of people or
things in the end; fates.
exudes v.: seems to radiate; oozes.
putrid adj.: foul; decaying or rotten.
prospects n.: things expected or looked
forward to; outlook for the future.
The Trip
Vocabulary
Each man pondered his
options before making a
move in the chess game.
Do people who ponder
decisions tend to act on
impulse, or do they take
their time deciding?
The Trip
Vocabulary
Maria spent a great deal of time pondering
her decision about the new car, showing us
that she _________________
a. knew exactly which car
she wanted.
b. took her friend’s advice
without question.
c. felt unsure about her
decision.
The Trip
Vocabulary
Maria spent a great deal of time pondering
her decision about the new car, showing us
that she _________________
a. knew exactly which car
she wanted.
b. took her friend’s advice
without question.
c. felt unsure about her
decision.
The Trip
Vocabulary
Because my sister Janice is a talented keyboard
player, our father feels that her destiny is to be a
musician.
The Trip
Vocabulary
Destiny often refers to the course a person’s life
takes.
Which of the following physical qualities would
most likely belong to a person destined to be a
gymnast?
a. flexible muscles
b. brown hair
c. strong fingernails
The Trip
Vocabulary
Destiny often refers to the course a person’s life
takes.
Which of the following physical qualities would
most likely belong to a person destined to be a
gymnast?
a. flexible muscles
b. brown hair
c. strong fingernails
Name some factors that affect a
person’s destiny.
The Trip
Vocabulary
People tend to exude qualities and moods.
Without using words, their bodies radiate clues.
What qualities do these athletes exude?
The Trip
Vocabulary
This athlete exudes confidence.
This athlete exudes a sense of exhaustion.
What other qualities might an athlete exude?
The Trip
Vocabulary
A putrid smell emanated from the bag of decaying
garbage.
What’s your least favorite putrid smell?
The Trip
Vocabulary
Which woman has encountered a putrid smell?
C.
A.
B.
The Trip
Vocabulary
The homeless man had few prospects for getting
himself out of his sad situation.
His outlook for the future was bleak.
The Trip
Vocabulary
Some students take advantage of the prospect of
free music lessons by joining the high school band.
In this sentence, prospect refers
to
a. a desirable outcome.
b. excellent grades.
c. a type of essay.
The Trip
Vocabulary
Some students take advantage of the prospect of
free music lessons by joining the high school band.
In this sentence, prospect refers
to
a.a desirable outcome.
b. excellent grades.
c. a type of essay.
What are some ways for people to
improve their career prospects?
The End