Directions: Choose either “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell OR “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe and answer the questions below. Click HERE to review the rubric.%0D%0A%0D%0A %0D%0AParagraph 1: %0D%0A%0D%0AWhich story did you choose? Why did you choose this story? Include the title AND author in your response and examples from the story to support your reasoning.%0D%0A%0D%0AParagraph 2: (Choose 1)%0D%0A%0D%0AIf you chose “The Most Dangerous Game” what does General Zaroff hunt and why? What happens to him at the end? Explain using examples from the story as evidence. %0D%0A%0D%0AIf you chose “The Cask of Amontillado” why does Montresor murder Fortunato? How does he murder him? Explain using examples from the story as evidence.%0D%0A%0D%0AParagraph 3:%0D%0A%0D%0AHuman nature is how people think, feel, and act. This unit included stories that focused on the darker side of human nature. In your opinion, why did the characters behave as they did? Do you feel they were justified in their actions? Why or why not? What do these stories tell us about people in general?

Answer 1

I chose "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell for this assignment. I decided on this story because of its thrilling and suspenseful plot that keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end. In the story, General Zaroff hunts humans on his private island, Ship-Trap Island, because he believes that hunting animals has become too easy and boring for him. He seeks the ultimate challenge and finds it in hunting humans. At the end of the story, Zaroff meets his demise when Rainsford, the protagonist, outsmarts him and turns the tables on the General, making him the hunted instead of the hunter.

In my opinion, the characters in both "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Cask of Amontillado" behave the way they do due to their own twisted sense of morality and justification for their actions. General Zaroff justifies his hunting of humans as a way to satisfy his desires for the ultimate thrill, while Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado" justifies his murder of Fortunato as revenge for a perceived insult. While their actions are morally reprehensible, it is clear that they both believe that they are justified in their behavior.

These stories tell us that people are capable of committing heinous acts when driven by their own hidden desires and motivations. It shows the darker side of human nature and the lengths to which individuals will go to satisfy their own desires, regardless of the consequences. Ultimately, these stories serve as cautionary tales about the dangers of unchecked ambition, revenge, and cruelty.