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Historical and cultural influences on literature in 20th century america
Plot summary of The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell
How richard connell expresses himself in writing the most dangerous game
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From Mark Twain to Amy Tan, American authors have refined the narrative form beyond what the Greeks and subsequent practitioners of the literary form have achieved. One of the most anthologized American narratives--"The Most Dangerous Game"--provides evidence of the American talent for incorporating narrative conventions, multiple conflict types, and language that achieves symbolic purpose. Thus, readers of this Richard classic are given a lesson in perfect narrative form.
Clearly, the author provides evidence of a sinister plot line in the exposition phase of the story. In the beginning of the story the author Richard Edward Connell, Jr. introduces the protagonist character named Rainsford and through the mood of the story there is evidence that can conclude he is going to have trouble on Shipwreck Island. For instance, the shift between the yacht and the jungle setting plays a role in creating this sinister mood. Since Rainsford along with Whitney and the ship’s crew are on a yacht surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and the sound of gunshots are heard by Rainsford can imply that he can anticipate trouble. In addition, he falls off the yacht which is surrounded by darkness therefore; his only hope for survival is the island. The island which seems to be inhabitable and the fact that footprints are around suggest that he might get into some kind of trouble on the island. Secondly, the introduction of the Russian antagonist character General Zaroff in a American story set in the 20th century builds up the perception that there is a sinister plot. Especially, since in the 20th century Americans sent 12,000 American troops to Russia to fight on the side of the Czars against the Red Army. Interestingly, the American forces in Russia su...
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...tise in the literary form. As a result, his expertise explains why he received the O. Henry Award in both 1923 and 1924 for his stories "A Friend of Napoleon" and "The Most Dangerous Game". Furthermore, this would explain why this story has never been out of print since its original publication. Moreover, his expertise of flawlessly integrating all the elements can be used as a guide for future authors that would like to achieve success when using the narrative arc.
Works Cited
Gay, Bob. "The Library." The Most Dangerous Game (2007). The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. .
Prince, R.C. "The Russian Revolution." Web log post. Rationalrevolution.net. Rationalrevolution.net, Mar.-Apr. 2003. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. .
Moss, W., 2014. A History of Russia Volume 2: Since 1855. 1st ed. London, England: Anthem Press London, pp.112-113.
In this essay the two masterful short stories, The Interlopers and The Most Dangerous Game, will be analyzed. The purpose of the analysis will be to determine similarities and differences between the two. The powerful messages and ironic comedy create interesting elements in both stories. The most prominent differences between the two short stories are the setting and the language style.
The author of “The Most Dangerous Game” is Richard Connell. Richard Connell is an American author and journalist, who wrote a lot of short stories and few novels. His short stories appeared in the Saturday Evening Post and Collier's Weekly. While he was still in high school, Richard Connell was hired as the city editor for sixteen dollars a week. He studied college at Georgetown University, while working as a secretary for his father, who had been elected to Congress. After his father’s death, he moved to Harvard, and started writing for two college newspapers. After graduating, he transferred to New York, but he also left a brief stint in the army during World War |. After that, he moved to Los Angeles and began to write screenplays for major Hollywood movie studios. Richard Connell’s most famous story is “The Most Dangerous Game”, which is still widely read, even nowadays. It has inspired many movies and it’s probably the most frequently anthologized American story.
As the sweltering, hot sun signified the start of a scorching afternoon, a young boy lay in the fields harvesting vegetables for another family. He had been enslaved to perform chores around the house for the family, and was only given very few privileges. While his stomach throbbed with pangs of hunger, he continued cooking meals for them. After the family indulged in the cozy heat from the fireplace, he was the one to clean the ashes. Despite his whole body feeling sore from all the rigorous work he completed, the young boy had been left alone to suffer. As months passed by, he desired independence. He wanted to cook his own food, make his own fire, harvest his own plants and earn money. The lad soon discovered that he needed faith and courage to break away from his restricted environment. When put in a suppressive situation, every person has the aspiration to escape the injustice. This is what Harrison Bergeron and Sanger Rainsford do to liberate themselves from the external forces that govern their lives. Harrison, the main character of “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut, is a strong, fourteen year old boy whose talents have been concealed by the government. Growing up in an environment where equality has restricted people’s thinking, Harrison endeavors to change society’s views. Rainsford, the main character of “The Most Dangerous Game” written by Richard Connell, is a skilled hunter who believes that animals were made to be hunted; he has no sympathy for them. Stranded on island with a killer chasing him, he learns to make rational choices. While both Harrison and Ranisford are courageous characters, Rainsford’s prudence enables him to overpower his enemy, whereas Harrison’s impulsive nature results in him being ...
Tindall, G.B. & Shi, D.E. (2010). America a narrative history 8th edition. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. p.205-212.
While most of Europe had develop strong central governments and weakened the power of the nobles, Russia had lagged behind the times and still had serfs as late as 1861. The economic development that followed the emancipation of peasants in the rest of Europe created strong industrial and tax bases in those nations. Russian monarchs had attempted some level of reforms to address this inequality for almost a century before, and were indeed on their way to “economic maturity” (32) on par with the rest of Europe. But they overextended themselves and the crushing defeats of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 and the First World War in 1917 lost them the necessary support from their subjects and created “high prices and scarcity” which were by far “the most obvious factors in the general tension”
The conflict of good and evil presents itself in “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Child by Tiger” in two completely different ways. One story being commercial fiction and the other being literary fiction, there are many ways of viewing variables such as good versus evil, realistic versus unrealistic stories and moral significance. The stories have different voices and are meant for different audiences, but in viewing the overall moral importance of both fictional works, the story with a greater moral significance is “The Child by Tiger”.
The Russian revolution of February 1917 was a momentous event in the course of Russian history. The causes of the revolution were very critical and even today historians debate on what was the primary cause of the revolution. The revolution began in Petrograd as “a workers’ revolt” in response to bread shortages. It removed Russia from the war and brought about the transformation of the Russian Empire into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, replacing Russia’s monarchy with the world’s first Communist state. The revolution opened the door for Russia to fully enter the industrial age. Before 1917, Russia was a mostly agrarian nation. The Russian working class had been for many years fed up with the ways they had to live and work and it was only a matter of time before they had to take a stand. Peasants worked many hours for low wages and no land, which caused many families to lose their lives. Some would argue that World War I led to the intense downfall of Russia, while others believe that the main cause was the peasant unrest because of harsh living conditions. Although World War I cost Russia many resources and much land, the primary cause of the Russian Revolution was the peasant unrest due to living conditions because even before the war began in Russia there were outbreaks from peasants due to the lack of food and land that were only going to get worse with time.
The Most Dangerous Game is a story of conflict. This is demonstrated throughout the pages of this gruesome tale. The story begins in the middle of blood-warm waters of the unforgiving Caribbean Sea. Two friends, Sager Rainsford and Whitney, are traveling to Rio de Janeiro to hunt the biggest cat in that region, the jaguar. Like most humans, Rainsford and Whitney pride themselves on being the hunters instead of the hunted. Though they differ because Whitney feels that the jaguar has feelings, and Rainsford believes it does not, this is the first look at conflict. Rainsford cold-hearted feelings for animals shows that he does not care about the creatures that he hunts, but is only into hunting for the sport of it.
The most dangerous game began as a sport for one man. His name is Sanger Rainsford. In Richard Connell’s story “The Most Dangerous Game,” Sanger Rainsford, an avid hunter, is lost at sea, stranded on “Ship-Trap” Island-every sailor’s worst nightmare. Rainsford goes through a series of events that prove to be life-altering. Even though Sanger Rainsford went through many trials and tribulations, he never lost his intelligence, composure, or his bravery.
Korb, Rena. "The Most Dangerous Game." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 155-169. Short Stories for Students. Gale. Web. 20 Jan. 2010.
1) Adams, Arthur E. The Russian Revolution and Bolshevik Victory: Why and How? Boston: D.C. Heath and Company, 1960.
Riasanovsky, Nicholas V., and Mark D. Steinberg. A History of Russia. 7th ed. Oxford: Oxford, 2005. Print.
“The Most Dangerous Game” gives a reader a sense that there is a fun game being played, that might be dangerous to the people who play it. In the story, it turns out that the game is not a fun game, but it turns out to be a game between life and death. General Zaroff tells Rainsford, “[y]ou’ll find this game worth playing…the stake is not without value” (18). By saying this, the value that is at stake is the life of the individual that it involves. Anything that involves risking a life is not a game to most people, which makes it ironic how Zaroff calls it simply a game. Also, the word game is used to describe the size of an animal that is being hunted. Richard Connell titles the game in this story as “The Most Dangerous” (8). Richard uses verbal irony when he writes this title. If someone is hunting the most dangerous game, then that hunter’s life is in the most danger when he hunts that
Exploring the October revolution and the establishment of communism, Richard Pipes concludes that the origin of communism can be traced back to the distant past in Russia’s history. Pipes states that Russia had entered a period of crisis after the governments of the 19th century undertook a limited attempt at capitalisation, not trying to change the underlying patrimonial structures of Russian society. (Pipes, 1964)