The Interlopers
Hector Hugh Munro (1870 – 1916); Pen Name:
Saki
Name: ____________________________________________ Period: ______ Date: _____________________
Irony
In the short story The Interlopers , the author Saki uses irony on several levels. First, let us determine what irony is and then we will apply this concept to the story.
I.
Define Irony
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A. There are three types of Irony:
1.
Verbal Irony:
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2.
Situational Irony:
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3.
Dramatic Irony:
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II.
Application of Irony
A.
What is ironic about the beech tree falling and trapping the two fueding men?
1.
2.
Type of Irony: ____________________________________________________
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The Interlopers
Hector Hugh Munro (1870 – 1916); Pen Name:
Saki
B.
Define Interloper: ________________________________________________________
1.
How is Georg an interloper?
2.
How are wolves interlopers?
3.
How are the men interlopers?
C.
The final irony
1.
What is ironic about the resolution of the story? a. b.
Type of irony: ____________________________________________________
Answer the following questions.
1.
What is the setting for this story?
2.
Ulrich and Georg both want the rights to the same piece of _______________.
3.
The two men are pinned to the ground by a ________________________________.
4.
Ulrich offers Georg a sip of ___________________________.
5.
At first, the men mistake the approaching _____________________ for rescuers.
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The Interlopers
Hector Hugh Munro (1870 – 1916); Pen Name:
Saki
Answer 6 & 7 with clearly written and detailed paragraph responses:
6. Explain the irony of the resolution between Georg and Ulrich.
7. The feud involves the “hunting rights” of the two men. How does the presence of the wolves at the end of the story add an interesting twist to the idea of “hunting rights?”
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The Interlopers
Hector Hugh Munro (1870 – 1916); Pen Name:
Saki
Understanding Conflict
Conflict is the foundation upon which a plot is built. The conflict between opposing forces determines which actions the characters will take and the sequence in which those actions will occur. Stories rarely involve a single conflict. More often, several conflicts of different types are intermingled, challenging the characters in a variety of ways. An internal conflict occurs within a character’s mind. An external conflict takes place between the characters or between characters and forces of nature. A fight-to-the-end contest between two enemies is an adventure story is an example of a physical external conflict; however, external conflicts need not be physical or violent. A quiet disagreement between two friends is also an external conflict . “The
Interlopers” is a short story, but it involves more than one type of conflict. On the lines below each type of conflict, briefly describe the story situations that illustrate the type of conflict named.
1. External Conflict/man against nature:________________________________________________
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2. External Conflict/man against man:____________________________________________________
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3. Internal Conflict/man against himself:__________________________________________________
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The Interlopers
Hector Hugh Munro (1870 – 1916); Pen Name:
Saki
Vocabulary
Define the following words and understand them when they appear in the story.
Precipitious_______________________________________________________________________
Marauders_________________________________________________________________________
Medley_____________________________________________________________________________
Condolences_______________________________________________________________________
Languor____________________________________________________________________________
Succor______________________________________________________________________________
Literary Terms
Be able to define each term and apply each term to the story.
Suspense____________________________________________________________________________
Conflict______________________________________________________________________________
Identify the conflicts in the story
________________________ vs _____________________________ Explain______________________
human nature
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_______________________ vs _____________________________ Explain ______________________
human nature
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_______________________ vs _____________________________ Explain ______________________
human nature
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Who is the protagonist in the story: _______________________________________________________
Antagonist ________________________________________ Example:_______________________________
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The Interlopers
Hector Hugh Munro (1870 – 1916); Pen Name:
Saki
Metaphor definition: ________________________________________________________________________
Examples: ____________________________________________________________________________
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Simile definition: ____________________________________________________________________________
Examples: ____________________________________________________________________________
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Describe the Mood of the story: ____________________________________________________________
Who is the Narrator: ________________________________________________________________________
From what Point of View is the story told? _______________________________________________
What is the Theme of the story? ___________________________________________________________
Questions
1. How did the Gradwitzes receive all the land that they have?
2. Why do Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym not get along?
3. What is Ulrich von Gradwitz’s wish when he wandered away from his crew?
4. What is Ulrich von Gradwitz hunting in the story?
5. What happened once Ulrich von Gradwitz and George Znaeym meet in the forest?
6. How do the two men behave once they are stuck?
7. What makes Gradwitz start to behave differently?
8. What happens to the two men at the end of the story?
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The Interlopers
Hector Hugh Munro (1870 – 1916); Pen Name:
Saki
Characterization: below give some traits of the characters and then give examples from the story that illustrate the characteristics
Character
Gradwitz
Trait/Characteristic
Stubborn. Aggressive.
Bitter. Vengeful
Example of Trait and explanation
Quote: “If only on this wild night, in this dark, lone spot, he might come across Georg Zneym.”
Gradwitz seems to be obsessed with murder.
Hector Hugh Munro (1913)
Born 18 December 1870
Akyab , Burma
Saki
Died 13 November 1916 (aged 45)
Beaumont-Hamel , France
Pen name Saki
Occupation Author, Playwright
Nationality British
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