Centre
READING
Mintlaw Academy
Name
Text
No.
“Lamb to the Slaughter”
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Critical Response
Poetry
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Prose
by
Roald Dahl
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Imaginative Response

Drama
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
Media
Task
Give an account of a short story which in your opinion has a
gripping beginning, an interesting main character, a tensionfilled plot and a surprising ending.
First Draft:
Skill Demonstrated – My Evaluation Targets
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Foundation
General
Credit
Show Knowledge of Text
Provide Analysis of Main Concerns
Show Personal Insight/Reaction
Show Awareness of Technique/Genre
Use Critical Language
Use Quotations
Write Accurately
Redraft:
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

Done Well
Could Improve
Final Grade for Redraft
My Targets:
My Targets:
1
2
3
4
5
6
Section 1 - Opening Section:
For this section of your critical evaluation you must include the following in your
paragraph(s):
1. State the title and author of the story.
2. Give a brief summary of what the story is about. You should mention:
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the setting at the beginning of the story (where and when the story takes
place)
Mary’s consideration and thoughtfulness
Patrick’s shocking announcement
the murder
the alibi
the visit by the detectives
the disposal of the evidence
3. Using detailed evidence/examples from “Lamb to the Slaughter” describe
some of the features of the story that appealed to you:
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an imaginative plot
a mysterious or thrilling storyline
a vivid setting – in other words, the time and place of the story are realistic
or convincing
an effective beginning that makes you want to read on
interesting characters
turning points that surprised you
an unexpected ending
4. Make clear how you feel about the main characters at different points in the
story:
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Mary Maloney – Do you sympathise with her or are you appalled by her
crime?
Patrick Maloney – Can we accept what he has done to Mary? Does he deserve
what happens to him? What do you think of him?
Sergeant Noonan and the other Policemen – How did you react to them
eating the evidence? How will they behave if they find out what they have
done?
Section 2 – Setting the Scene:
For this section of your critical evaluation you should use the notes and
quotations that you gathered when looking at the way Mary Maloney appears at
the beginning of the story.
1. Describe Mary’s character points from the beginning of the story and use
some of the quotations you found as supporting evidence.
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She
She
She
She
is
is
is
is
a good housewife
a very calm, quiet person
devoted to her husband
very kind and considerate
2. Use your notes on “Feeling” to help write sentences describing the way you
feel about Mary at the beginning of the story. Once again, use evidence from
the story to support your comments:
For example:
At the beginning of the story I felt sorry for Mary because . . .
Section 3 – Mary Maloney’ s Reaction to the Devastating News:
1. Describe what Mary is like after her husband says he is leaving her. Once
again, use some of the quotations you found as supporting evidence. Look
back at the work sheet that you used to help you with these character
points.
For example:
 She is stunned
 She does not want to believe it
2. Use your notes on “Feeling” to help write sentences describing the way you
feel about Mary in the second half of the story. Once again, use evidence
from the story to support your comments:
For example:
After her husband breaks the news to her I felt sorry for Mary because . . .
Section 4 – The Build-up of Tension in the Story:
In this section you should describe the ways in which Roald Dahl makes the
reader wonder what is going to happen next at different points in the story.
Using quotations as evidence to help you, describe how tension and suspense are
created in the following parts of the story:
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the quiet, calm and mysterious setting at the beginning of the story
the tension as Patrick makes his shocking announcement
the suspense created as we wonder how Mary will react to her husband’s
news
the mystery and tension created as we wonder why Mary is going to Sam the
grocer’s
the visit by the detectives – will Mary get away with murder?
Section 5 – The Surprise Ending:
In this section you should describe the ways in which Roald Dahl surprises the
reader with an unexpected ending.
Using quotations as evidence to help you, describe how the humour is created at
the end of the story:
the use of irony on the two occasions when the detectives do not realise
that the murder weapon is right under their noses:
 “Get the weapon, and you’ve got the man.”
 “Probably right under our very noses.”
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the humorous ending in which Mary cleverly disposes of the evidence
Section 6 – Conclusion:
In this section you should sum up your overall feelings about the story:
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Mention that one of the main themes of the story is revenge.
Do you think Mary was right or wrong to commit this crime?
Do you think her revenge is justified?
What else could she have done in her situation?
What do you think will and/or should happen to Mary next?