Luck - Mark Twain

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

Objectives: 

-To achieve a better understanding of the short story by learning literary devices and terms (e.g., imagery, symbolism, protagonist, antagonist, setting) used for analyzing stories.

-To learn how to analyze the relationship between characters, and events in the story using these literary devices.

Reading strategies you will use: 

- Making predictions, drawing conclusions, making generalizations about what you have read.

(utilizing background knowledge, looking for the main ideas, making notes, highlighting or underlining specific information, answering questions)

At the end of the lesson I can:

- Evaluate and analyze a fictional character that I have read about in a short story.

- Select evidence from the text to support my evaluation. 

- Answer open questions about literary terms. 

Before Reading Exercise: 

Look at the title of the short story. Give in your own words what does the title mean to you. Make a Mindmap. (Total time: 5 minutes)

Luck

During Reading Exercise:  Listening + Reading Exercise:

                                                                    Plan:

- Watch, read, and listen to the video "Luck". After the video, there will be vocabulary and multiple-choice exercises. 

- Also, make notes during the listening + reading video, also writing down unfamiliar vocabulary words. 

After reading: multiple-choice and open questions

Who is the protagonist in the story?

1. the clergyman
2. Arthur Scoresby
3. Mark Twain
4. Donald Trump

What was the clergyman's job before he became a man of the church?

1. football player
2. An instructor in the military school at Woolwich
3. soldier
4. farmer

How many years ago did the clergyman meet young Arthur Scoresby?

1. 4
2. 10
3. 20
4. 40

Which school subject does the clergyman say will expose Arthur Scoresby and cause him to fail?

1. English
2. Science
3. Math
4. History

In which war does Arthur Scoresby serve?

1. World War I
2. Civil War
3. Crimea War
4. Boer War

The clergyman compares himself to Dr. Frankenstein in paragraph 11. What is the symbolism of Frankenstein in "Luck"?

In looking at the title "Luck", name the irony in the story in comparison to Scoresby's life and personality.

What is the irony between Scoresby and the clergyman?

Final question:

In "Luck", Twain uses satire to enlighten people about the truth that ordinary human beings can become successful by chance, and their extraordinary accomplishments are not deserving of such heroic status just because of the luck they may have encountered.

During your lifetime, in which ways have you probably fallen into the same trap as the narrator?