Lesson Nine The Most Dangerous Game Introduction The text is an exerpt from the stor

y by Richard Comell (1893---1929), famous American writer of short stories and screen plays. The story describes the most unusual adventure of Rainsford, a world-renowned hunter, who got stuck on a small island in the Caribbean sea. He was held as captive by a man named Zaroff, the ex-Czarist-Russian general who was indulged in the game of man hunting as a result of his boredom with life and passion for fresh experience.

The Most Dangerous Game Introduction

When Rainsford is invited to take part in the game, he poses himself as a victim. In his desperate struggle for survival, we have the most exciting drama of the story.

Read from another angle, the story might be taken as a fable of modern society. Human society is nothing but a hunting ground, ruled by the law of the jungle, and the people are divided into the strong and the weak, namely, the hunters and the hunted, who are all engaged in the fierce struggle for survival.

Detailed Analysis of the Text“ I wish to go today,” said Rainsford. He saw the dead black eyes

of the general on him, studying him. General Zaroff’s face suddently brightened.

Rainsford sees the gereral staring at him with his cold, severe, expressionless eyes. The general was surprised at Rainsford’s response. He does not know whether or not he is serious.

to brighten: to become cheerful. Also brighten up. More examples.

• Julia brightened up at the thought of coming home. • The weather brightened up and the sun started to shine a

gain. • He read an article in the paper, which brightened up his da

y.

The general shrugged his shoulders. “As you wish, my friend. The choice rests entirely with you. But may I venture to suggest that you’ll find my idea of sport more interesting than Ivan’s?

Notice how the general makes it sound like a free choice while he is, in fact, posing a threat to Rainsford by mentioning Ivan, the slave whose duty is to flog to death any who dares to violate his master’s order.

to rest with sb to do sth (fml) to be sb’s responsibility to do sth; to be up to sb to do sth.

He nodded toward the corner to where the giant stood, his thick arms crossed on his hogshead of a chest.

He nods toward Ivan, who is standing in the corner of the room, whose chest is as big and thick as a barrel. Pay attention to the use of “of” here. It connects two nouns , one modifying the other.

More examplea.:• Sometimes we have to suffer from the fool of a docto

r when we receive medical treatment in hospital. • The old soldier is still haunted by the memory of the

nightmare of life in the concentration camp. •On the 60th anniversary of the victory of World War II,

the old soldiers who survived the war danced and sang with the monkey of a child.

You’ll fine the gamne worth playing, “ the general said enthusiastically. “Your brain against mine. Your woodcraft against mine. Your strength and stamina against mine. Outdoor chess! And the stake is not without value,eh?”

Notice that the general viewed this hunting game as a contest of intelligence, ability, knowledege, skill, experience as well as physical endurance.

“Ivan will supply you with hunting clothes, food, a knife …I suggest too that you avoid the big swarmp in the southeast corner of the island.”

Notice how considerate the general is. What he is doing now simply shows his self-assurance and over-confidence in the coming contest, the result of which turned out to be iornical.

One foolish fellow tried it. The deplorable part of it was that Lazarus followed him. He was the finest honoured in my pack.

What the general says here shows this is not the first man-hunting game he has ever played. Rainsford isn’t the first victim. At the same time his evil contempt for human life is made evident in his much sorrow for the loss of his dog instead of the life of his captive.

Rainsford had fought his way through the bush for two hours. “I must keep my nerve. I must keep my nerve,” he said through tight teeth.

Against his foe, Rainsford is waging a desprrate fight , the loss of which may well mean his death, thus he is trying to assure himself of the necessary courage and determination required of him.

to fight one’s way: to struggle on/forward desperately..c.f. To make one’s way; to push one’s way; to inch one’s way; to shoulder one’s way; to elbow one’s way; to plunge one’s way, etc.

to keep one’s nerve: to keep the courage especially in a difficult and dangerous condition

He had not been entirely clear-headed when the chateau gates snapped shut behind him.

Rainsford is half dazed when the gates close behind him because everything seems so weird.. .

To snap shut: to be shut with a snap ( a sudden loud sound) similar expressions: to roar past; to bang shut; to pop open;

to rattle past,etc .He plunged along, spurred by a sharp feeling of panic.

He rushed forward because he was terribly seized by the fear of being captured or killed as a game being hunted.

to plung: to move suddenly and quickly.• The car swerved and plunged through the guardrail. • The skydiver plunged to his death from 8000 feet. • The waterfal plunges off the cliff to the river below. to be spurred on: to be driven ; to be pushed forward; to b

e stimulated. But Now he had got a grip on himself, had stopped, and was takin

g stock of himself and the situation.

He had been able to composee himself and stopped rushing forward blindly. He began to look around and see what situation he was in and what advantages he was standing.

To get/keep a grip on : to start or continue to control one”s.emotions when one is very upset or fear-stricken.

to take stock of : to assesss; to make an appraisal of; to seize up (the situation)

He saw that straight flight was futile; inevitably it would bring him face to face with the sea.

He knows that he cannot escape General Zaroff by simply running straight ahead because he is on a small island.

straight flight: the act of fleeing in one direction. Here it may also be understood as the fleeing without using brains. Rainsford began to realize the importance of using intelligence in this contest.

He executed a series of intricate loops; he doubled on his trail again and again.

He performs a series of complicated loops; He moves round and round, covering the same trail again and again so as to confuse his pursuer.

to excute: to perform a difficult act or movement. loop: a shape produced by a cure crossing itself; a path or

trail shaped roughly like this. Night found him legweary, with hands and face lashed by the bra

nches, on a thickly wooded ridge.

When night falls, he is too tired to walk. Notice that the subject in the sentence is impersonal. More examples:

• The new semester found him fresh and energetic. • The 20th century witnessed a great change in China.• The city saw the hideous massacre of civilians by the Japanese in

vaders.

He knew that would be insane to blunder on through the dark, even if he had the strength.

He knew that it would be silly to continue running blindly in the dark.

to blunder on: to go on blindly without thinking. More examples with blunder.

• They turned a cover and blundered into a group of soldiers.

• He blundered about in the darkness. • Without any thinking, he blundered out the truth. …he climbed up into the crotch, and stritching out on one of the

broad limbs, after a fashion, rested.

He climbed up a tree and rested for a moment, although it is not very comfortable.

After a fashion: If you do sth atter a fashion, you can do it but not very well.

• Three weeks passed, the little apprentice was making iron wares after a fashion.

As an amateur golfer, he plays the game after a fashion. The night crawled slowly like a wounded snake, and sleep did not vi

sit Rainsford although the silence of a dead world was on the jungle.

Night fell slowly. Rainsford was still wide awake although it iwas very quiet in the jungle. Notice the use of simile here.

The night is compared to a crawling snake, slow but dangerous

Toward morning when a dingy gray was vanishing the sky, the cry of some startled bird focused Rainsford’s attention in that direction.Something was coming through the bush, slowly,

carefully. By the same winding way Rainsford had come. He flattened himself down on the limb, and through a screen of leaves, saw it was a man.

Notice how the author skillfully builds up the tension. First, the cry of a startled bird, then something moving by the same winding way, then the sight of a man, finally the realization of who the man is.

Rainsford’s impulse was to hurl himself down like a panther, but he saw that the gerneral’s right hand held something metallic--- a small automatic pistol.

Rainsford’s first reaction is to jump upon General Zaroff and take his chances, but then he is checked by the sight of the postol in the general’s right hand.

The general’s eyes were now travelling inch by inch up the tree. Rainsford froze there, every muscle tensed for a spring. But the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread over his face.

Why do the general’s eyes move so slowly up the tree? And why do his sharp eyes suddenly stop before they reaches the limb where Rainsford is lying?Perhaps his eyes are not so sharp after? Then why does he smile if he has failed?

Every musle: “muscle” is used here as a xountable noun.

to tense for a spring: to become tense in preparation for a jump.

Very deliberately he blew a smoke ring into the air, and then turned and walded carelessly away.

Deliberately: slowly and unhurriedly. Why does the general walk away carelessly? It is clear that

he has discovered Rainsford’s hiding place. He does not want to finish the game then and there because he wants to keep Raonsford for more fun.

The pent-up air burst hotly from Rainsford’s lungs.

the pent-up air: the air he had held in his lungs while the general was right under the tree. It probably comes from the phrasal verb”to pen up”, which means to restrict or to shut animals in a small enclosed area.

…he must have uncanny powers; only by the merest chance had the Cossack failed to see his quarry.

Rainsford’s first thought is terrible. He now realizes that the general has incredible or even supernatural powers, and he has had a very narrow escape only by the merest chance.

the merest : It is used when something small and unimportant has a big effect.

failed to see his quarry: did not see the person or animal he was hunting or chasing.

Rainsford’s second thought was even more terrible. It sent a shelter of cold horror through his whole being.

Rainsford’s second thought is even more terrible. It makes him tremble all over.

“I’ll not lose my nerve. I will not.”

It shows that Rainsford is slowy losing his nerve. He is trying desperately not to let this happen.

The job was soon finished, and he threw himself down behind a fallen log a hundred feet away.

Notice that the author is concealing the details of the job from the readers for suspense.

Following the trail with the sureness of a bloodhound came the general.

Inverted sentence. The normal order should be: The general came following the trail with the sureness of a bloodhound.

bloodhound: a large hunting dog with a very deep sense of smell.

So intent was the Cossack on his stalking that he was upon the thing Rainsford had made before he saw it.

The normal order should be: The Cossack was so intent on hos stalking that he was upon the thing Rainsford had make before he saw it.

to be intent on sth. /doing : to be determined to do or achieve sth esp. sth that may cause damage. e. g.

• She wss intent on having her way. She would seldom listen to other questions.

• He was quite intent on getting that position, by hook or by crook.

• Despite the complication of the international situation, the Chinese government is steadfastly intent on the development of economy.

He sensed the danger and leaped back with the agility of an ape.

to sense the danger: to feel that there’s danger although there is not proof.

with the agility of an age: with the quickness of a monkey.

to be agile: to be able to move quickly and easily. …but for his alertness, he must have been smashed beneath it.

If it had not been for his alertness, he would certainly have been crushed to death.

“Rainsford”, called the general, “If you are within sound of my voice, as I suppose you are, let me congratulate you. Not many men know how to make a Malay man-catcher. You are proving interesting, Mr. Rainsford.

The general knew the trick. He wants to show his appreciation for Rainsford’s effort. But he still does not give up his condescending tone because he is still confident that he is the better hunter.

When the general had gone, Rainsford took up his flight again.

On the general’s going, Rainsford began his running again.

take up: to continue an activity that you have started. More sentences with different meanings of “take up”• One won’t believe that the world champion took up

tennis at the age of 5. ( to become interested in an activity

and spend time doing it. )

• He moved overseas with his family to take up the bank position. ( to start a new job)

• The jury selection took up the first week of the trial. (to use time or space)

…he climbed out and from hard saplings cut stakes and sharpened them to a fine point.

…he climbed out of the pit and cut stakes from young hard-wood trees and sharpened them.

sapling: a young tree Other similar expressions with –ing, which indicate derogatory meaning. seedling, duckling, weakling, foundling Stake: Here it means a pointed piece of wood. Other uses of stake:• His life is at stake. ( in danger)• Many innocent women were burnt at the stake in Salem wichcraf

t trial. (the post to which a person was tied)

• Once people have property of their own, they will have a stake in the social stability. (a part; a share)

• The stakes in this political gamble were very high.(money risked)

A blie gap showed between the trees dead ahead.

Rainsford got a glimpse of the sea through the trees ahead.

Notice the idiomatic expressions with “dead” to be dead serious; to be dead drunk; be dead cert

ain; to be dead silent The general made one of the deepest bows. “I see,” he said.

“Splendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On guard, Rainsford…”

Notic that there is something amusing about the way the conflict is finally resovlved. It was like a duel between knights in the Middle Ages, in which they fought hard but fair.

He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided.

Quite unexpectedly, Rainsford became the winner.

Notice that the author tells about the result in an inexplicit way, leaving much room for imagination on the part of the reader.