Genesis and Catastrophe

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

Genesis and Catastrophe

Lesson goals

- Students will engage in critical thinking and discussion, exploring the deeper meanings and themes in the story.

- By the end of this lesson, students will be able to analyze the short story "Genesis and Catastrophe" by Roald Dahl and discuss its themes, characters, and literary elements.

Please read this carefully and think about what is happening here

What do you think just happened in that preview of Genesis and Catastrophe?

Keep this in mind: Genesis means the beginning, something new and pure, like the birth of a child, and catastrophe means disaster, something terrible, a mistake, the end of something.
Why did Roald Dahl use these words as his title?

Let's read the text together. 

Mark words you are not familiair with. 

Genesis and Catastrophe audio

But first

Take some time to look up the unknown words 

What happened in the story?

How are the characters described? Focus on Klara, Alois and the doctor

What are the rising action, climax and the falling action in this story?

What is so ironic about the end of the story when it says: Oh God, be merciful unto him now." ?

How is the title a foreshadow (a warning or indication of a future event) of the story?

Why is the story so ironic, considering that it started of very sad?

Do the assignments of the handelingsdeel!