Mr. Know-All

• Cambridge 4
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4,5

Welcome to English class

Please take a seat and log in to this LessonUp.

Goals:  get to know more about the importance of the elements in a short story.

I have read Mr. Know-All, by William Somerset-Maugham.

Yes

No

I have answered the Guiding Questions to Mr. Know-All.

Yes

No

Partly

About air travel

Before World War II, air travel was restricted to the very rich. Besides this, air travel was still hazardous.

By the end of the 1940's, air travel was becoming cheaper and safer. After the 1950's and 1960's, air travel took off.

Read the story

Take 10 minutes to read the story (again).

What, do you think, is the theme of this story?

Setting

Mr. Know-All takes place on a passenger ship sailing from San Francisco to Yokohama (Japan), shortly after 1918.

Why is this important to the story?

It's an enclosed environment. The narrator cannot avoid Mr. Kelada.

"Accomodation was very hard to get and you had to put up with whatever the agents chose to offer you."  World War 1 just ended.

Point Of View

The POV of this story is First Person.

What does this do to your feelings about the narrator?

It's an enclosed environment. The narrator cannot avoid Mr. Kelada.

Because of the amount of people travelling after WW1, people could not be specific about their compartments at sea. One had to put up with whatever offered you.

Characterisation

Who are the characters?

How are they described?

Answer on the next slides.

It's an enclosed environment. The narrator cannot avoid Mr. Kelada.

Because of the amount of people travelling after WW1, people could not be specific about their compartments at sea. One had to put up with whatever offered you.

How is Mr. Kelada described? What type of person is he?

What type of man is the narrator?

The Levant

A region in the Middle East

It's an enclosed environment. The narrator cannot avoid Mr. Kelada.

Because of the amount of people travelling after WW1, people could not be specific about their compartments at sea. One had to put up with whatever offered you.

Exposition

We learn about the narrator's prejudices and predicaments, about the behaviour of Mr. Kelada.

Mood: calm and at times humurous

It's an enclosed environment. The narrator cannot avoid Mr. Kelada.

Because of the amount of people travelling after WW1, people could not be specific about their compartments at sea. One had to put up with whatever offered you.

Rising action

Mr. Kelada and Mr. Ramsay have a heated argument about cultured pearls.

At least something that Mr. Ramsay said stung him [Mr. Kelada], for he thumped the table and shouted.

Mood: tense

It's an enclosed environment. The narrator cannot avoid Mr. Kelada.

Because of the amount of people travelling after WW1, people could not be specific about their compartments at sea. One had to put up with whatever offered you.

What part of the text incorporates the climax?

He was about to speak. Suddenly he caught sight of Mrs. Ramsay's face. It was so white that she looked as though se were about to faint. [...]. You could almost see the effort he was making over himself.

"I was mistaken", he said.

Falling action

Mr. Kelada takes the fall to protect Mrs. Ramsay.

He was laughed at the entire rest of the evening.

Mood: amused

It's an enclosed environment. The narrator cannot avoid Mr. Kelada.

Because of the amount of people travelling after WW1, people could not be specific about their compartments at sea. One had to put up with whatever offered you.

Resolution/Denouement

The reader learns the truth about the character of Mr. Kelada. The pearls were real.

Mr. Kelada protected Mrs. Ramsay.

At that moment I did not entirely dislike Mr. Kelada.

It's an enclosed environment. The narrator cannot avoid Mr. Kelada.

Because of the amount of people travelling after WW1, people could not be specific about their compartments at sea. One had to put up with whatever offered you.

What do you think the writer wants the reader to learn from this story?

Don't judge another person until you get to know them better.

How did this lesson help you in understanding the elements of a short story?

😒🙁😐🙂😃

Tomorrow's lesson

Same as today, but about "The Story of an Hour".

Make sure you've read it and studied the guiding questions.

It's an enclosed environment. The narrator cannot avoid Mr. Kelada.

Because of the amount of people travelling after WW1, people could not be specific about their compartments at sea. One had to put up with whatever offered you.