Rainsford outwits the crazy general

Kjell Forland
Mr. Anderson
English
10/25/11

Rainsford outwits the crazy general

What would you do if you were getting hunted by a crazy general? Would you stay calm? We are sometimes placed in a dangerous situation; learning to stay calm could be the answer. In the story “The Most Dangerous Game” its readers will read about what Rainsford thought, how he spoke and how he reacts and stays calm even with Zaroff the crazy general giving him the scare of his life.

When Rainsford got stranded on the Island, he walked towards the lights and thought “A mirage?” He thinks what an unreal and strange place. At the door he thinks Zaroff is studying him in an odd way. When Zaroff says”I hunts men.” Rainsford thinks he must be joking. He’s thinking that he must get out of this odd place. The mirage he thought he saw is real alright, but the air around it has a feeling of unreality.

As he meets the giant at the door he says boldly, “I’m no robber, my name is Sanger Raindfor from New York City.”(Connel, Eserver) He tries to remain calm and not seem scared. At the table Rainsford and Zaroff visit about hunting. “A new animal?” he says to Zaroff. He listens to Zaroff talk of hunting an animal that can reason. “No animal can reason” states Ranisford. Then he realizes what Zaroff means and says “But you can’t mean—“ He tells him that killing men is murder. He calmly tells Zaroff he wants to leave the Island. When Zaroff tells him he is to be hunted, he tells himself “I must keep my nerve, I must keep my nerve.” After escaping he finds his way into Zaroff room. He tells Zaroff “I am still a beast at bay, get ready.”

Rainsford decides he must remain calm so he has full control of his actions . When Zaroff is near he must hold his breath and remain still, in doing this he is showing he’s in control. Calmly and carefully he sets a trap that will slow Zaroff. What should he do next? He straightens himself and uses his hands to set more traps. As he sees Ivan and the dogs he turns and runs. He skillfully builds a trap that he learned when he was in the army. Next he runs off towards the rumbling sea. As the whirling water swirls twenty feet below, Rainsford hesitates, then jumps into the cold water. Safe at last.
When reading Rainsfords thoughts, his spoken words, and his actions you can see why he had to stay calm. He thought Zaroff was telling a grisly joke when talking about hunting men. He tells himself “nerve, nerve.” When faced with his unreal incident he must escape the hunter or die. So you can see that by staying calm Rainsford was able to be the winner. Next time you’re in a difficult situation try staying calm, like Rainsford.




Prewrite

Characters: Sanger Rainsford, General Zaroff, & Ivan.

Setting: An Island

Conflict: Rainsford must remain calm so he can outsmart Zaroff so he can escape.

Thesis: In Rainsfords thoughts, his words and in his actions you can see he is trying to remain


Work cited List
Connel, Richard. “The Most Dangerous Game” Elements of Literature: Third Course, Austin:
Holt. Rinehart and Winston, 200.
calm.