The People Before

Glossary:
Gallipoli (Turkey)
toi toi
Maori
Rerengawairua
(leaping place of
the spirits
pa
manuka
raupo

-scene of a costly, but unsuccessful Allied campaign in 1915

-tall grass species native to New Zealand
-name of the people living in New Zealand before the arrival of the Europeans
-northern point of the North Island of New Zealand from which the Maoris believe
the spirits of the dead depart to return to Hawaiki (the source and destination of
human life)
-a Maori village or settlement
-a flowering plant native to New Zealand
-a tall, thin wetland plant

Identify setting

Place

Time

rural New Zealand

mostly between the two

world wars / the Great
Depression

Setting
Weather conditions

Mood/atmosphere

seasonal / varied

sympathetic/nostalgic

1.
How does the author establish the setting firmly in New Zealand before the appearance of the
Maoris?
He mentions plants native to New Zealand such as manuka and toi-toi.
2.

How does the author create a nostalgic mood?

The narrator refers to formative incidents in his childhood.

Identify characters
The Narrator

Protagonist

Description:
a young boy at the start of the story
dutiful and hardworking
loyal and caring towards his younger brother
looks up to his father

The story does not have a clear antagonist. The protagonist does not appear to be facing a challenge
until the end of the story.
3.

Who are the main characters in the story? What are their main characteristics?

The narrator

He is a hardworking and obedient son who takes care of his brother and is willing to
stand up to his father to take his part. His ambition is to work on the farm. He looks up
to his father and admits to being his fathers boy. He accepts unquestioningly life as a
farmer and does not complain when his father beats him up or leaves him outside in the
cold whilst he is in the bar drinking. He understands, and often shares, his father
worries and ambitions.

The father

The father is an outspoken, opinionated and authoritative leader. He is hardworking to

the point of obsession and unable to rest. He has worked hard from a young age and is
scornful of softies people who are not prepared to pull their weight. He is unwilling
to reveal his private thoughts and only does so in unguarded moments. He is proud and
strives for independence. He says, Id bend my head to no man. The key to this
independence is land ownership.

Jim

Jim is the younger son of the family and closer to his mother than to his father. He is
rather weak physically and unable to cope with the hard work on the farm although he
does not complain. He is quiet, studious and bright. He enjoys collecting stones and
identifying plants. He is excited by the fact that Maoris once lived on their land and
listens to their stories when they come to visit. It wasnt that he didnt enjoy life; he
just had his own way of enjoying it.

4.

Who are the minor characters in the story? What is their role?

The mother

The mother has her own opinions but does not fight battles she cannot win against her
husband, yet she possesses a measure of firmness and creates a welcoming home.

Tom Taikaka

Tom is the spokesman for the Maori family and expresses the Maoris spiritual
relationship with the land. He is quietly-spoken, polite and patient, yet resolute in
carrying out his purpose. He tells Jim about Maori culture and history.

Analyze plot structure of The People Before

4.

Enter the elements of the plot into the appropriate boxes and identify the narrative structure.

5.

The narrative is mainly linear, telling the story in chronological order.

What is the nature of the main conflict at the heart of the story? Who or what does the central conflict involve?

The main conflict is one of man against man. It involves the Maoris, represented by Tom Taikaka and the old man, and the European
settlers, represented by the family.
Climax
The Maori family comes to the farm. The
old man dies and is buried in the hills.
Conflict
Falling action events
Some people are planning to visit the farm. The
father is uneasy and tries to guess their motive.

The father sells the farm, and the

family moves away.

Rising action events

The narrator helps his father and they
spend time together. Jim has
different interests from his father and
brother. The brothers find evidence
of the previous occupation of the land.
Exposition/Introduction
The father buys land and builds up a
successful dairy farm.

Resolution/Denouement
Jim says he thought about their old
farm when he was fighting in the
war. The narrator experiences a
sense of loss because he was not
able to think about the farm when
he was fighting.

Lesson 2
Identify narrative perspective / point of view
1.
What is the narrative perspective of the story? How does the narrative perspective
contribute to the narrative?

The overall narrative perspective is first person; however, throughout the story the
narrator talks about other characters. In these passages, the perspective is third person
limited.
As the narrator grows older, his understanding of events changes. The readers
perceptions mature along with the narrators.

Analyze the beginning of the story

Read the opening paragraph of the story.
My father took on that farm not long after he came back from the first war. It was
pretty well the last farm up the river. Behind our farm and up the river, there was all
kinds of wild country. Scrub and jagged black humps on the hills, bush in gullies where
fire hadnt reached; hills and more hills, deep valleys with caves and twisting rivers, and
mountains white with winter in the distance. We had the last piece of really flat land
on the river. It wasnt the first farm my fatherd taken on and it certainly wasnt to be
the last but it was the most remote. He always said that was why hed got the place
for a song. This puzzled me as a child. For Id heard, of course, of having to sing for
your supper. I wondered what words, to what tune, he was obliged to sing for the
farm; and where, and why? Had he travelled up the river, singing a strange song,
charming his way into possession of the land? It always perplexed me.

2.

How does the opening paragraph prepare the reader for what is to come?

The setting of the farm and hill country behind it is established, giving the reader a
strong sense of place.
The narrator describes his perplexity concerning the idiom for a song. As a child, he
understands the idiom literally. Later he understands its real meaning. This is a clue to
the fact that the narrators (and the readers) understanding will develop gradually as
the story unfolds.

Comprehension Questions.
3. What does the land represent to the father? What does it represent to the Maoris?
To the father the flat land by the river and the hills surrounding it are to be tamed and
mastered. They represent independence, achievement and the means of making a
living. To the Maoris, they are part of their identity and represent their history and
traditional way of life.
4. What do the narrator and his brother do on Sundays when they explore the hill country?
The narrator hunts and Jim collects stones and examines the plants.
5. What is the author hinting at when Jim finds the adzes and the human skull?
He is hinting at the fact that the area had been occupied before the European settlers
came.
6. What is the fathers attitude to the adzes? How does it contrast with Jims?
The father sees the adzes only in terms of their potential monetary value. Jim collects
them because he thinks they are interesting. When he finds out they were made by
Maoris, he is excited. Unlike his father, he is not interested in their materialistic value.
7. They were most places, werent they? What point regarding the Maoris fails to register with
the father?
He fails to realize that the land he owns was taken away from the Maoris.
8. What is the Depression? What effect does it have on the family? What effect does it have on
the father?
A depression is a period of economic inactivity when many people are poor and without
jobs. The depression referred to here took place in the 1930s and was known as the
Great Depression. The family in the story was not severely affected in comparison with
others. The children did not have new clothes and their diet was rather monotonous.
The father becomes disillusioned with the farm. It has not brought him independence in
the form of protection from the depression.
9. Why had the Maoris left? Why do they come back? What effect does their visit have on the
father?
The Maoris had left because the European settlers had driven them off the land. They
come back because the last elder to have been born on their ancestral land is dying and
he wants the younger members of the tribe to see their homeland.
The father feels threatened and ultimately loses all interest in the farm after the old
man is buried on the hill.
10. Who are the people before of the title?
At the start of the story, the people before are the farmers who owned the land
before the family. It is later revealed that the people before indicated in the title are
the Maoris who lived on the land before the European colonists came.

11. Why does Jim offer the adzes to Tom? Suggest a reason why Tom refuses to accept them.
Jim offers the adzes to Tom because he thinks they really belong to Toms people.
Tom may have refused them because since Jim has found them, they belong to him
now. Another reason may be that since the Europeans have taken his tribal lands, it was
not important if they have the adzes.
12. Why do you think the father is angered by the Maori familys leaving their dead on the land?
The land is his, and they did not ask for permission.
If they believe it is their right to leave the man there, which means they still look upon
the land as theirs.

Analyze the ending of the story

Read the final paragraphs of the story.
Funny thing, he said. Now I come to think of it, I did. I thought of the old
place you know, the old place by the river. Where, he added, and his face puckered
into a grin, where they buried that old Maori. And where I found those greenstones.
Ive still got it at home, you know, up on the mantelpiece. I seem to remember trying
to give it away once to those Maoris. Now Im glad I didnt. Its my only souvenir from
there, the only thing that makes that old place still live for me. He paused. Well,
anyway, thats what I thought about. That old place of ours.
I had a sharp pain. I felt the dismay of a long-distance runner who, coasting
confidently to victory, imagining himself well ahead of the field, finds himself
overtaken and the tape snapped at the very moment he leans forward to breast it.
For one black moment it seemed I had been robbed of something which was rightfully
mine.
I dont think Ill ever forgive him.

13.

Comment on the ending of the story.

Jim had thought about the old farm during battle. The narrator, however, had not been
able to focus on anything.
The narrator feels jealous and betrayed that despite all his hard work, he was unable to
find any strength or relief from his memories of it when he was afraid.
The narrator makes a rare use of metaphor to express his feeling of dispossession.
The final sentence shows the narrators attitude to his dispossession and by extension
the attitude of the Maori people to the Europeans who took their land.

14.

What is the ironic twist at the end of the story?

The narrator finds that his apparent connection with the farm, embodied in his
memories, is not as strong as the more spiritual and seemingly effortless bond enjoyed
by his brother.
Lesson 3

1.
What is the central theme of the story? Justify your answer. Is the theme explicit or
implicit? (Students answers may vary but will likely be similar to the given responses.)

2.

The central theme is the right to call land ones own. It is expressed through the
relationship of people with the place they live. For the Maori family, the land is integral
to their sense of self whereas to the narrators family is something to be controlled and
exploited. The author explores different arguments to justify land ownership.
The theme is implicit.
Write a theme statement for the central theme.

3.

A spiritual or long-term relationship with the land is more important than simply owning
it.
The place where a person lives forms part of his identity.
Land does not belong to people; people belong to the land.
Identify other themes presented in this short story.

The theme of family relationships is also explored in the story through the attitudes of
the different characters to members of their families.
The theme of displacement is explored through the Europeans eviction of the Maoris
from their ancestral lands, through the familys moving from farm to farm, and through
the narrators feeling of being robbed at the end of the story.

Identify and interpret symbols

4.

Identify symbols in the story and suggest an interpretation.

the farm
the adzes
the burning of the forest
the old Maoris return to the
hill
the father

This represents the white mans colonization of New

Zealand
These represent the Maoris who used to live on the
hill.
This represents the Europeans destruction of the
Maori way of life.
This represents the ties which bind the Maoris to their
ancestral lands and way of life.
The European settlers

Analyze diction and tone

Choice of words (diction) conveys the attitudes of the author and characters in the story.
5.
Give an example of a word from the story which shows the authors or a characters
attitude. Explain the effect and suggest an alternative neutral word.

6.

The best way was to hack them down. The word hack highlights the ferocity of the
action. It could be replaced by remove them.
his tight tamed acres... The word tamed shows that the father considers that he
has changed the nature of the land by the force of his will. It could be replaced by
farmed.
Identify the tone and register of the story.

7.

The overall tone of the story is nostalgic and confidential. For most of the story, the
author is relating events from a time in his life when he felt fulfilled and confident.
The register of the story is informal. The author uses contractions and colloquialisms
such as yarning.
What is the genre of The People Before?

The People Before is an example of postcolonial literature.

8.

Identify instances of irony in the story

Sample answers. Students may find other examples

Jim has a closer attachment to the farm than the narrator who worked so hard on it.
Tom Taikaka, who has never been to the area, knows more about the land than the
family who own it.
The father says education is should be a priority for his sons, but his demands on them
and the fact that he pulls the narrator out of school to help him with the farm show that
education is not his top priority.
The fathers belief that he could maintain his independence through his ownership of
the land and the farm turns out to be illusory: Hed given his best to the land, and yet
his best still wasnt good enough.

9.
How do the contrasts in the story brought out through the irony add to the readers
understanding?
They oblige the reader to reassess previously held assumptions, ideas or events.
Identify foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is the use of hints or clues by a writer to indicate events that will occur later in
the story.
10.

Give examples of foreshadowing from the story.

we werent the first people on that particular stretch of land.
the original people had been gone twenty years theyd given up, or been ruined by
the land.
Then I saw he wasnt looking at the bones, but at a human skull propped on a ledge of
the cave.

Identify suspense
Suspense is a feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work.
An author creates suspense to maintain the attention of his or her reader. This technique is
often used in conjunction with dramatic irony and foreshadowing.
11.

Give examples of the use of suspense in the story.

The boys find a human skull in a cave. No explanation for its presence is offered at that
point in the story, so the reader is left to conjecture its significance.
The mother receives a telephone call from someone who says he is coming to look
around. The fathers anxiety about the visit and his failure to find a reasonable
explanation for it creates suspense.

Identify personification
Personification is a figurative use of language which attributes human qualities to ideas or
things.
12.

Give examples of personification from the story.

bearded caves
shadows dancing
land itself had heaped some final indignity upon him

Most of the story uses literal language. The examples of personification appear in the passages
describing the hill country behind the farm.

Mings biggest prey

Identify setting
Place

Time

Acapulco, Mexico

contemporary

a sailboat / a villa

events take place during one day

Setting
Weather conditions

Mood/atmosphere

warm and sunny

tense / suspenseful

Identify characters

Protagonist
Ming

Antagonist
Teddie

Description:
a cat
egotistical and jealous
strongly attached to his mistress
Description:
Elaines boyfriend
dishonest and untrustworthy
cruel to Ming

2.

Describe the main characters in the story.

Ming

Ming is the title character. He wants nothing more than to live with Elaine and to be the focus
of her attention. His chief concerns are his comfort and food. He projects an attitude of
superiority to all those around him.

Teddie Teddie is Elaines boyfriend. He has a strong dislike of Ming and is jealous of the attention Elaine
gives him. He is unscrupulous and has no qualms about disposing of Ming in any way he can.

3.

Describe the minor/supporting characters in the story.

Elaine Elaine owns Ming, the cat. She dotes on it and spoils it. She owns a fashion boutique and is
comfortably-off.
Concha Concha is Elaines live-in maid. She likes Ming and is kind to him.

Analyze plot structure of Mings Biggest Prey

4.

Enter the elements of the plot into the appropriate boxes and identify the narrative structure.

5.

As the events of the plot unfold, additional information is supplied through flashbacks and digressions. The conflict unfolds as a series of escalating
events alternating with periods of apparent calm.
What is the nature of the main conflict at the heart of the story?

The main conflict is one of man against man. The word man is used in a universal sense and can refer to a woman or an animal as well as a man.

Climax
Teddie tries to throw Ming from the terrace. Ming causes
him to overbalance and fall from the terrace

Conflict

Falling action events

Teddie tries to throw Ming overboard. Teddie

steals Elaines necklace.

Teddie dies from the fall. The

ambulance men take his body away.

Rising action events

Ming suffers sunstroke. Elaine and
Teddie quarrel.

Exposition/Introduction
Ming is thrown out of the cabin by
Teddie. Ming dozes on the deck of
the boat and muses on his past and
present.

Resolution/Denouement
Elaine returns home with her
necklace. She turns to Ming for
comfort.

Lesson 2
1.

What is the narrative perspective of the story?

The narrative perspective is third person limited.

2.
This story is told from the point of view of the cat, Ming. How does the author convey
the cats perspective of the world?

3.

Her description uses smell, touch, sound, and sight imagery as well as cat-sense.
What effect does telling the story from the cats perspective have?

The reader is encouraged to consider the possibility of other, non-human points of view.
It raises the questions of consciousness, will and motive in animals.

Analyze the beginning of the play

Read the opening paragraph of the play.
Ming was resting comfortably on the foot of his mistress bunk, when the man
picked him up by the back of the neck, stuck him out on the deck and closed the cabin
door. Mings blue eyes widened in shock and brief anger, then nearly closed again
because of the brilliant sunlight. It was not the first time Ming had been thrust out of the
cabin rudely, and Ming realized that the man did it when his mistress, Elaine, was not
looking.

4.

How does the opening paragraph prepare the reader for what is to come?

The three characters, Ming, Elaine and Teddie are introduced and their relationships are
outlined.
The nature of the ongoing conflict is clearly illustrated.

Comprehension Questions.
13. How has Elaine acquired Ming?
She has bought him from a pet shop in New York.
14. Suggest a reason why Ming did not like people.
Apart from Elaine and Concha, he has found people rude and annoying.
People do not consider his feelings and they are unkind to him.
Teddie has been actively hostile and aggressive towards him.

15. How does Ming show his disdain for Teddie?

He lets his tongue slip out of his mouth because he knows it annoys him.
16. How does Teddie show his duplicity in his dealings with Ming?
He tries to hurt Ming when Elaine is not present.
When he is with Elaine he feigns fondness for Ming.
He pretends to Elaine not to be involved in the accidents that befall Ming.
17. How does Elaine show her affection for Ming?
She cares for him as a mother would care for her child.
She allows him to sleep on her bed.
She feeds him the same food as she herself eats.
She keeps him with her at all times for fear someone will try to steal him or hurt
him.
After Teddie dies, she turns to Ming for comfort.
18. Ming realizes that Teddie wants to throw him from the terrace and there was nothing
easier for Ming than to elude him, especially as Teddie was drunk. Why then does
Ming attack him?
Teddie hits Ming with a chair.
Hatred for Teddie overcomes Ming.
19. How are the human characters emotions depicted
The human characters emotions are depicted through their tone of voice and
gestures as picked up by the cat.
20. How is the readers sympathy for Ming aroused?
He appears to be at the mercy of circumstances. He has no control over the
people with whom he must come into contact.
He is unable to complain about the abuse he suffers.
21. In what ways are the human characters shown to be similar to cats?
The humans have a hedonistic life-style and are self-absorbed.
22. What feline attributes does Ming have? Why are these attributes highlighted?
He is graceful, languid, self-reliant, self-centered. He enjoys hunting.
Mings feline attributes are highlighted in order to portray Ming realistically as a
cat. The reader is always reminded that Ming is a cat.

Analyze the ending of the story.

Read the final paragraphs of the story.
Then suddenly the house was empty. Everyone had gone, even Concha. Ming
drank a little water from his bowl in the kitchen, then went to his mistress bed, curled
against the slope of the pillows, and fell fast asleep. He was awakened by the rr-r-r of
an unfamiliar car. Then the front door opened, and he recognized the step of Elaine
and then Concha. Ming stayed where he was. Elaine and Concha talked softly for a
few minutes. Then Elaine came into the bedroom. The lamp was still on. Ming
watched her slowly open the box on her dressing-table, and into it she let fall the
white necklace that made a little clatter. Then she closed the box. She began to
unbutton her shirt, but before she had finished, she flung herself on the bed and
stroked Mings head lifted his left paw and pressed it gently so that the claws came
forth.
Oh Ming Ming, she said.
Ming recognized the tones of love.

15.

Comment on the ending of the story.

Mings self-reliant nature is shown by his unconcern at being left alone in the house and
at the subsequent return of Elaine and Concha.
Elaines returning of the necklace to the box shows she has learnt that Teddie was
stealing from her.
Elaine says Mings name in tones of love. Now that Ming has disposed of his rival, he
is the focus of all Elaines attention.

Lesson 3
Identify theme
1.
What is the central theme of the story? Justify your answer. Is the theme explicit or
implicit? (Students answers may vary but will likely be similar to the given responses.)

2.

The central theme of the story is love. Ming loves his mistress, and his mistress loves
him.
The theme is implicit.
Write a theme statement for the central theme.

3.

People who are attached to their pets direct as much love towards them as they do
towards other people.
Identify other themes presented in this short story.

The power of jealousy is explored in the story. Teddie is jealous of Ming because of the
care and attention that Elaine lavishes on him.
The extent to which morality binds humans is also a theme which the story deals with.
Teddie breaks human laws and ethics when he steals the necklace and attempts to kill
Ming. Ming is not human and not bound by human morality. Therefore, he needs no
justification for his actions.

Appearance and reality: On the surface, the life that the privileged, well-off people lead is
depicted as sophisticated, beautiful and enjoyable, but it is at the same time empty and
hedonistic. Elaine and the other humans have a comfortable, easy lifestyle represented
by the villa, boat and parties, whilst underneath, it is a mesh of violence, cruelty and lies
represented by the tormenting of Ming, Teddies duplicity and the lack of consideration
of the party-goers.
Identify and interpret symbols
4.

Identify symbols in the story and suggest an interpretation.

Teddies habitual cruelty to

Ming.

the gourmet food that Ming

eats
Mings preference for the coil
of rope at the center point of
the boat

This represents peoples unethical treatment of animals.

It also represents the unscrupulous way people act
towards their rivals in love.
This represents Elaines treatment of Ming as a human
being.
This represents Mings self-centered view of life.

5.

What does the use of symbols add to the story?

The use of symbols allows the reader to make connections between the events of the
story and the wider universal themes it conveys.

Analyze diction and tone

6.
The authors choice of words (diction) conveys her attitude towards characters and
events in the story. Give an example of a word from the story which shows the authors
attitude and explain its effect.

Mings name is constantly repeated. The pronoun he is used only sparingly even
where it would be appropriate. The word cat is notable for its absence. The fact that
Ming is a cat is conveyed through the narrative point of view.
Teddie is usually dismissively referred to as the man, implying that he is not significant
enough to be named.
Elaine is referred to by her name or as mistress. The latter implies a relationship other
than owner and owned or owner and slave/servant. In addition, the word mistress
connotes lover. This illustrates Mings view of his relationship with Elaine.

Identify the tone of the story

7.

What is the overall tone of the story?

The overall tone is critical of Teddies actions and sympathetic to Mings plight.
Analyze sentence structure
8.
Identify prominent features of the sentence structure of the story and explain their
likely effect.
Simple, often short sentences

Now Ming and his mistress were quarrelling. Ming could

tell from the tone. Elaine was staying with Ming, sitting on
the edge of the bunk. Ming at last heard the splash that
meant Teddie had dived into the water.
Short, simple sentences give a broken, choppy feeling to
the narrative reminiscent of the quick movements of a cat
whose attention is attracted by sounds and movements.

9.

What genre is Mings Biggest Prey?

Mings Biggest Prey is crime fiction.

Identify techniques
Sensory Description
10.
The story is told from a cats point of view. Give examples of sensory detail used by the
author use to depict the cats perceptions.

There were laughs, yelps, stomps of bare feet on wooden boards.

and then the smell of all of them mounted the steps, the smell of
tobacco, sweat, and the familiar smell of blood.
feeling the heat sink into his fur.
touch
And Elaines sandaled feet were beside Ming.
sight
cat sense Ming went back into the bedroom, and at once was aware of the
mans presence, though there was no light on and Ming could not see
him.
sound
smell

Anthropomorphism
11.
In addition to feline attributes, Ming is also given human attributes not normally
associated with animals. Give examples and explain their effect

Ming hoped he stayed there, hoped he drowned, hoped he never came back.
But Ming sensed that Teddie took it as a hostile gesture of some kind, which was why
Ming did it deliberately to Teddie
And hatred ran in his veins.
The effect of these human attributes is to convey a sense of the animals will and
consciousness.

Foreshadowing
12.

Give an example of foreshadowing from the story.

And sometimes Teddie, when Elaine was not near, muttered something which Ming
knew was a threat. This foreshadows Teddies increasingly hostile actions against
Ming.

13.

How does the author create suspense in the story?

The author tells the story from a limited perspective so the reader only knows what the
cats know, for example, when Teddie creeps up behind Ming on the boat. Strangely,
there was no sound from the man behind him. The hair on Mings neck prickled, and
Ming glanced over his right shoulder.
The suspense is built up unevenly rather as a single escalation. In between the climactic
events are periods of relative calm, so the reader is constantly being led to believe that
the danger has passed only to discover a new one approaching.

Flashback
14.

Identify flashback in the story and explain its purpose.

The flashback takes place as Ming is dozing on the cabin roof. Its purpose is to provide
background to the current events (the reasons for Mings animosity towards and fear of
people) and characters and to prepare the reader for the events to come.

Irony
Give one example of irony from the story. (Students may identify different examples.)
Teddie tries to dispose of Ming by throwing him from the boat and the terrace. However, it is
in fact Ming who succeeds in throwing the man from the terrace and killing him.

Games at Twilight
Identify setting

Time

Place
the garden of a house in India

the afternoon and evening of one

day

Setting
Weather conditions
stiflingly hot

1.

Mood/atmosphere
threatening / despairing

What role does the heat play in the story?

The heat at the opening of the story creates a sense of oppression and danger.

Give examples of words which contribute to the sense of hostility and gloom.
Danger: maniacal, trampling, battle formation, fierce, looting, horrors, dark, prey, spooky,
muffled, screams, etc.

2.

Gloom: dejectedly, weeping, misery, lugubrious, dying, despairingly, melancholy, mournfully,

funereal, graves, etc.

Identify characters

Ravi

Protagonist

3.

Description:
a young boy
short

Who/what is the antagonist?

Raghu is the antagonist. He represents a life that is full of challenges. Raghu and Ravis strife
depicts the struggle to achieve and to be noted for something significant in an
environment/society where only the the fittest survive.

2.

Describe the main character in the story.

4.

Ravi is one of the younger children in the story. He is a rather nervous boy and easily becomes
anxious. His life is uneventful and as one of the middle children he feels unimportant and
lacking a role.

Describe the minor/supporting characters in the story.

Raghu is a strong and aggressive boy. He is one of the older children.

Mira is the oldest girl. She is described as motherly, but her actions indicate that she is bossy
rather than maternal.
The mother runs the house and cares for the children but is a rather distant figure. She is
practical rather than warm.

Analyze plot structure of Games at Twilight

5.

Enter the elements of the plot into the appropriate boxes

6.

What is the nature of the main conflict at the heart of the story?

The main conflict is one of man against society. Man is constantly under pressure from his need to be recognized and valued.
Climax
Ravi hides in the shed. He is scared but
decides to stay there so he can win the game.
Falling action events
Conflict
Raghu approaches Ravis hiding place. Ravi
considers changing his hiding place.

Ravi realizes that he has to leave the shed to win

the game. When he does, he sees that the
children have completely forgotten him and
started another game.

Rising action events

The children run into the garden and
begin a game of hide-and-seek.
Manu is quickly caught.

Exposition/Introduction
The children are bored of being
inside and beg their mother to let
them play outside.

Resolution/Denouement
Ravi does not join the new game.
He lies face down on the grass in
despair.

Lesson 2
Identify narrative perspective / point of view
1.

What is the narrative perspective of the story?

At the beginning of the story, the narrative perspective is omniscient. As the plot
progresses, it focuses on Ravi, and the perspective changes to third person limited.

Read the opening paragraphs of the story.

It was still too hot to play outdoors. They had had their tea, they had been
washed and had their hair brushed, and after the long day of confinement in the
house that was not cool but at least a protection from the sun, the children strained
to get out. Their faces were red and bloated with the effort, but their mother would
not open the door, everything was still curtained and shuttered in a way that stifled
the children, made them feel that their lungs were stuffed with cotton wool and their
noses with dust and if they didnt burst into the light and see the sun and feel the air,
they would choke.
Please, ma, please, they begged. Well play in the verandah and porch we
wont go a step out of the porch.
You will, I know you will, and then
No we wont, we wont, we wont, they wailed so horrendously that she
actually let down the bolt to the front door so that they burst out like seeds from a
crackling over-ripe pod into the veranda, with such wild, maniacal yells that she
retreated to her bath and the shower of talcum powder and the fresh sari that were
to help her face the summer evening.

2.

How do the opening paragraphs prepare the reader for what is to come?

The intense and passionate nature of the children is established through their desperate
need to escape the house.
The childrens need to play outside indicates that the plot will revolve around their play.
The difference between the childrens fervent desire to play outside and the mothers
need for relaxation and quiet conveys their fundamentally different approach to life.

Comprehension Questions.
3. List the decisions made by the different characters in the story.

The mother decides to let the children out of the house despite the heat outside
because they beg her so insistently.
The children choose the seeker in the game by using a choosing game to prevent an
argument.
Manu is unable to decide quickly enough where to hide. As a result, Raghu catches him
easily.
Ravi decides to hide in the shed despite his horror of the place to avoid being caught by
Raghu.
Ravi considers leaving the shed, but his vacillating costs him his victory.

4. What does the reader find out about the family during the course of the story?

There are many children in the family: Ravis brothers, sisters and his cousins.
The family is well-off and employs a gardener and chauffeur.
The large house is set in spacious grounds which also contain a garage and a large shed.

5. Describe the garden.

A long, wide drive leads from the gate up to the house. On one side of the house are a
garage and a shed separated from the house by a yard. In front of the house is a broad
lawn surrounded by flower beds and trees and shrubs.

6. What incident prompts Ravi to stay in the shed a little while longer after he has
considered rejoining the game?

He hears shouts and screams as Raghu catches one of the girls.

7. Suggest a reason why Ravi waits so long in the shed before emerging to claim victory.

He is savoring the anticipation of defeating Raghu and the surprise of the other children.

8. Suggest a reason why the thought of winning the game of hide-and-seek is so tempting
to Ravi.

The older children usually win the games.

His life is uneventful in general: defeating Raghu would be thrilling beyond
imagination.

9. What is the significance of twilight?

It is a time of mystery, neither day nor night. Shadows stretch across the yard and
garden adding to the enigmatic mood. The half-light changes the way things look. The
childrens faces are pale and triangular and the trees and bushes around them stood
inky and sepulchral.
It also shows just how much time has passed while Ravi is hiding in the shed.

10. Suggest a reason why the children do not remember that Ravi has not been found.

He is one of the younger and (to the other children) less important members of the
family.
They are busy enjoying their games.

11. How do the animals and birds in the story react to the heat of the day?

The birds sit listlessly in the trees.

The squirrels lie on the damp ground under the garden tap.
The dog lies motionless in the shade of the veranda.

12. Comment on how time is handled in the story.

Time appears to pass at different speeds depending on the situation at hand:

-Time passes slowly as Raghu approaches and Ravi thinks of a place to hide.
-Time passes quickly as Ravi waits in the shed and thinks about his victory.

Read the final paragraph of the play.

The game proceeded. Two pairs of arms reached up and met in an arc. The children
trooped under it again and again in a lugubrious circle, ducking their heads and
intoning
The grass is green,
The rose is red;
Remember me
When I am dead, dead, dead, dead
And the arc of thin arms trembled in the twilight, and the heads were bowed
so sadly, and their feet tramped to that melancholy refrain so mournfully, so
helplessly, that Ravi could not bear it. He would not follow them, he would not be
included in this funereal game. He had wanted victory and triumph not a funeral.
But he had been forgotten and he would not join them now. The ignominy of being
forgotten how could he face it? He felt his heart go heavy and ache inside him
unbearably. He lay down full length on the damp grass, crushing his face into it, no
longer crying, silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance.

3.

Comment on the ending of the play.

The game the children play at the end of the story contrasts strongly with the game of
hide-and-seek they play when they first come out of the house. It is one of the
legitimate games they play when they are being watched by the adults.
The final game of the story and Ravis bleak despair in the final sentences contrast with
the childrens high spirits as they play out on the lawn. They emphasize the seriousness
of life and its disappointments.
The final gloomy sentence leaves the reader with a sense of the futility of human
endeavor.

Lesson 3

1.
What is the central theme of the story? Justify your answer. Is the theme explicit or
implicit? (Students answers may vary but will likely be similar to the given responses.)

2.

The central theme of the story is the fundamental need of a human to feel significant.
Ravi is one of the middle children. He is neither old enough to impose himself on the
other children, nor is he conspicuous for being the youngest. He tries to gain distinction
by eluding Raghu and winning the game of hide-and-seek. When he finds the other
children have forgotten all about him, he is crushed and understands that he is
inconsequential.
Write a theme statement for the central theme.

3.

Everyone needs to feel s/he has the respect and consideration of those around her/him.
Identify other themes presented in this short story.

Another theme explored in the story is facing up to ones fears. When Ravi determines
not to be caught by Raghu, he enters the shed, despite his fear of the dark, the stench,
and the animals that might be living there. Young Manu, on the other hand, is
overpowered by his fear and is easily caught.

The theme of the passing of time is also explored. In the shed, Ravi loses track of time,
indicated only by the gathering dusk. The childrens game of The grass is green, the
rose is red is an incongruous reminder that life is short and childhood is quickly over.
A persons life is like an afternoon in the larger scheme of things. Ravi spent the
afternoon in the shed rather than playing with the other children only to realize that his
long-awaited victory was just an illusion.
Identify and interpret symbols
4.

Identify symbols in the story and suggest an interpretation.

the furniture in the shed

the roughness of the
childrens play
the heat of the day
the funeral game

Analyze tone

This represents wasted lives.

This represents the aggressive nature of human beings.
This represents the challenges of life.
This represents death.

5.
The authors choice of words (diction) conveys her attitude towards the events,
characters and ideas explored in the story. Read paragraph 4 on page 306 and identify words
which show the authors attitude.

Ravi had never cared to enter such a dark and depressing mortuary of defunct household goods
seething with such unspeakable and alarming animal life but, as Raghus whistling grew angrier and
sharper and his crashing and storming in the hedge wilder, Ravi suddenly slipped off the flower pot and
through the crack and was gone. He chuckled aloud with astonishment at his own temerity so that
Raghu came out of the hedge, stood silent with his hands on his hips, listening, and finally shouted I
heard you! Im coming! Got you and came charging round the garage only to find the upturned
flower pot, the yellow dust, the crawling of white ants in a mud-hill against the closed shed door
nothing. Snarling, he bent to pick up a stick and went off, whacking it against the garage and shed walls
as if to beat out his prey.

Words such as depressing, mortuary and unspeakable set a tone of gloom and
horror. They convey Ravis fear of entering the shed.
Angrier, snarling and prey set an aggressive tone. They illustrate Raghus
belligerent character.

Identify Techniques

Metaphor and simile

6.
Find examples of metaphor and simile in paragraph 5 page 304 and explain their
significance.

They faced the afternoon. It was too hot. Too bright. The white walls of the veranda
glared stridently in the sun. The bougainvillea hung about it, purple and magenta, in livid
balloons. The garden outside was like a tray made of beaten brass, flattened out on the red
gravel and the stony soil in all shades of metal aluminum, tin, copper and brass. No life
stirred at this arid time of day the birds still drooped, like dead fruit, in the papery tents of the
trees; some squirrels lay limp on the wet earth under the garden tap. The outdoor dog lay
stretched as if dead on the veranda mat, his paws and ears and tail all reaching out like dying
travelers in search of water. He rolled his eyes at the children two white marbles rolling in
the purple sockets, begging for sympathy and attempted to lift his tail in a wag but could not.
It only twitched and lay still.

Simile: The garden outside was like a tray made of beaten brass conveys the glare of
the garden in the blazing sun.
Simile: the birds still drooped, like dead fruit conveys an impression of lifelessness.
Metaphor: papery tents of the trees describes the trees as tents which give
shelter from the sun but devoid of moisture.
Metaphor: two white marbles rolling in the purple sockets describes the dogs
eyes as hard and glassy-looking.

Foreshadowing
7.

Identify an example of foreshadowing.

The children beg their mother to allow them outside and promise not to leave the shade
of the veranda. She answers: You will, I know you will, and then . This foreshadows
trouble which arises from the childrens wild games.

Suspense
8.

Show how suspense is created in the story.

The description of the childrens confinement in the house during the heat of the day,
using words such as stifled, stuffed and choke, conveys the idea of imprisonment
from which they must escape.
The threatening description of Raghus approach encourages the reader to believe that
Ravi will be caught like Manu. Shifting the narrative perspective at this point causes the
reader to empathize with Ravi.

Irony and satire

9.

Give examples of irony from the story. (Students may identify different examples.)

10.

When Ravi is hiding in the shed, he is relieved when he realizes that the sound he hears
is Raghu. It made him feel protected. Ravi is hiding from the aggressive Raghu, yet he
feels safe when he hears him.
Ravi has hidden so successfully that Raghu fails to find him, and in the excitement of the
game Ravi is forgotten. What should have been a glorious victory for Ravi as he gains
the white pillar and yells Den turns into a humiliating defeat.

What genre does the story belong to?

The story belongs to the genre of realistic fiction.