Objectives

• Analyse how Connell uses Zaroff's dialogue — specifically his 'hunting the most dangerous game' speech — to reveal the dehumanising logic of unchecked power.
• Identify and explain how narrative perspective shifts when Rainsford moves from hunter to hunted, using evidence from the jungle-trap sequence.
• Evaluate how the story's ending — Rainsford waiting in Zaroff's bedroom — complicates a simple good-versus-evil reading.
• Write a fully evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds a quotation, names a technique, and links the effect to a theme of power or survival.
• Place the story in its 1924 context, connecting Zaroff's displaced Russian aristocrat identity and post-WWI anxieties about militarism to the text's critique of predatory elitism.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: Hunter, Hunted, or Both? Close Reading Zaroff's Logic and Rainsford's Transformation

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Zaroff's Point of View: Hunting humans is justified because it allows me to engage in the ultimate sport, where intellect and skill determine survival, reflecting my appreciation for the thrill of challenge and superiority over lesser beings.

   Rainsford's Point of View: Your justification is flawed; life is not a game, and reducing it to mere sport strips away the fundamental value of human existence and the moral responsibility we have to protect it.

   Teacher input

   Model close reading on Zaroff's dinner-table speech: "Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong from the weak." Project the sentence. Think aloud: the repetition of "strong" overwhelms the sentence — "weak" feels almost like an afterthought, syntactically subordinate just as Zaroff treats his victims. The declarative mood ("Life is") frames cruelty as a law of nature, rather than a matter of personal choice. Now, contrast this with Rainsford's earlier line: "The world is made up of two classes — the hunters and the huntees." Point out to students that Rainsford starts the story echoing Zaroff's binary view — the irony here runs deeper than just a thematic contrast; it's structural as well.

   Independent task

   Students will re-read the passage from Zaroff's first full explanation of his 'new animal' ("I had to find a new animal to hunt") up to his offer of a three-day head start. They will annotate for: (1) any word or phrase that depicts humans as prey — underline and label the technique; (2) any instances where Zaroff's language conveys pleasure instead of necessity — circle these and write a one-sentence comment beside them; (3) one sentence where Rainsford's response indicates his shift in perspective from disgust to fear. Finally, students will write a structured annotation note of 80–100 words that explains what these choices collectively reveal about Zaroff's character. This note is to be submitted at the end of the period.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence naming one technique Connell uses in Zaroff's speech and one word that is the best evidence for it — then write a second sentence saying what that technique makes the reader feel about Zaroff at this moment in the story.

2. Lesson 2: Writing the Reversal: Constructing an Evidenced Paragraph on Power and Dehumanisation

   50 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Read the story's final two sentences: 'He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided.' Consider what Connell omits — there’s no account of the fight, no moral contemplation, and no sense of horror. This silence creates a chilling effect, leaving me unsettled as a reader. It suggests that the hunt has profoundly altered Rainsford, indicating a disturbing acceptance of violence and a complete transformation of his character.

   Teacher input

   Certainly! Here’s a humanized version of the provided text:

   ---

   Model the PEEL paragraph structure using the moment where the Burmese tiger pit comes into play: "One of Zaroff's best hounds and a portion of his courage died there." Let's break this down.

   Point: Connell connects the death of the hound to Zaroff's psychological decline. Evidence: We can see this through the quotation: "One of Zaroff's best hounds and a portion of his courage died there." Explain: The term 'courage' is an abstract noun that describes a man who has never truly faced danger. Its 'death' indicates that Zaroff's strength relies entirely on the weakness of his victims. Link: This reinforces the theme that predatory power becomes meaningless the moment the prey decides to fight back.

   Now, let’s write out the full model paragraph on the board, explaining each step as we go along.

   ---

   Summary of Changes Made:

   • Adjusted the wording to sound more conversational and engaging while maintaining the original meaning.
   • Improved clarity and flow by breaking down the structure into more digestible parts.
   • Kept the essential components of the PEEL structure intact.

   Independent task

   Under timed conditions of 25 minutes, students are tasked with writing a complete PEEL paragraph in response to the question: "How does Connell use the hunter-becomes-hunted reversal to explore the theme of power in 'The Most Dangerous Game'?" In their paragraphs, students need to include at least two quotations from different parts of the story (while the jungle-trap sequence and the bedroom ending are suggested, they are not mandatory); identify at least one language or structural technique using its correct terminology; and conclude with a sentence that ties their argument to the 1924 context of post-WWI anxieties regarding militarism or the predatory aristocracy. Once completed, students will submit their paragraphs for written feedback.

   Exit ticket

   Without looking at your paragraph, write the quotation you chose as your strongest piece of evidence and, in one sentence, explain exactly why that word or phrase — not the whole quotation — does the most work in your argument.

Activities

Assessment

• Do-Now (Lesson 1): checks whether students can articulate the ideological conflict between Zaroff and Rainsford before any teaching, revealing prior misconceptions about the story's moral framework.
• Annotation note (Lesson 1 independent task): checks whether students can identify dehumanising diction and label techniques correctly in Zaroff's 'new animal' speech.
• Exit ticket (Lesson 1): checks whether students can isolate a single technique and a single word as evidence, rather than paraphrasing plot.
• Do-Now (Lesson 2): checks whether students can interpret narrative silence — the missing fight scene and missing moral reflection — as a deliberate craft choice rather than an oversight.
• Exit ticket (Lesson 2): checks whether students can identify their own strongest micro-evidence within a quotation, a skill that distinguishes a Grade 8/A* response from a Grade 5/C response.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story, including where a story is set, how the action is ordered, and how the characters are introduced and developed.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Explain the function of word choice, imagery, and syntax in a literary text.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain the function of a character, including their relationship to other characters and their role in advancing the plot or developing a theme.
• Narration (NAR-1) — Explain the function of point of view and narrative perspective in a literary text.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain the function of structure and the author's choices about how to sequence events.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts, maintaining a critical style and developing an informed personal response, using textual references including quotations to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts, using references and quotations to support interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse language, form and structure, using appropriate subject terminology to show how writers shape meaning.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.

IB Lit

• Criterion A — Knowledge, understanding and interpretation: demonstrate understanding of the text and support interpretations with relevant textual evidence.
• Criterion B — Analysis and evaluation: analyse how the author's stylistic choices create meaning and effect, with reference to specific features of language and structure.