O. Henry - The Ransom of Red Chief Flashcards
self-interest; selfishness
egotism
to seal off a wound or incision by burning it or freezing it, usually with hot iron, electricity, or chemicals
cauterize
without restraint; without control
incontinently
sculpture in which the figures project only slightly from the background
bas-relief
too great, powerful, or beautiful to be described or expressed
ineffable
insisting on immediate attention or obedience
peremptory
exaggeration for poetic or imaginative effect
hyperbole
landowners of the middle class
yeomanry
inclinations; tendencies
proclivities
wicked and cruel
dastardly
the series of incidents in a plot that build toward the climax
rising action
edible; appetizing
palatable
the presence of a discrepancy
irony
marked by a lack of respect or rudeness
impudent
sharing an edge or boundary; touching
contiguous
The story is told in ___ point of view.
first person
Who narrates the story?
Sam
The opening sentence, “It looked like a good thing: but wait till I tell you” presents a kind of ___.
foreshadowing
“There was a town down there, as flat as a flannel-cake, and called Summit, of course.”
irony
“No fear of it,” says I. “He don’t seem to be much of a home body. But we’ve got to fix up some plan about the ransom. There don’t seem to be much excitement around Summit on account of his disappearance.”
Why is there little excitement around Summit on account of his disappearance?
Because he is such an irritant, nobody misses him.
Where does Sam hide when he plans to retrieve the written answers from the messenger at half-past eight?
up in a tree
“We selected for our victim the only child of a prominent citizen named Ebenezer Dorset. The father was respectable and tight, a mortgage fancier and a stern, upright collection-plate passer and forecloser. The kid was a boy of ten, with bas-relief freckles, and hair the colour of the cover of the magazine you buy at the news-stand when you want to catch a train. Bill and me figured that Ebenezer would melt down for a ransom of two thousand dollars to a cent.”
sarcasm
“Perhaps,” says I to myself, “it has not yet been discovered that the wolves have borne away the tender lambkin from the fold. Heaven help the wolves!”
Which devices are present here?
metaphor, metonymy, irony
“Be he’s gone” - continues Bill - “gone home. I showed him the road to Summit and kicked him about eight feet nearer there at one kick …”
“Then you might turn around,” says I, “and have a look behind you.”
Bill turns and sees the boy, and loses his complexion and sits down plump on the round and begins to pluck aimlessly at grass and little sticks.
crisis
