Roald Dahl Important Concepts Mood the feeling the reader gets based on the writers words and use of imagery You can think of mood as the atmosphere that is created Foreshadowing a technique authors use to signal the reader that something is going to happen ID: 328194
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Slide1
The Landlady
Roald
Dahl Slide2
Important Concepts
Mood
: the feeling the reader gets based on the writer’s words and use of imagery. You can think of mood as the
atmosphere
that is created.
Foreshadowing
: a technique authors use to signal the reader that something is going to happen.
Irony
: when the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what is expected
Setting
: time and place Slide3
Vocabulary
Compelling:
evoking
interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.
Congenial:
(
of a person) pleasant because of a personality, qualities, or interests that are similar to one's own.Slide4
Vocabulary
Chrysanthemum:
a
popular plant of the daisy family, having brightly colored ornamental flowers and existing in many cultivated varieties
.
Dithering:
to be indecisiveSlide5
Vocabulary
Façade:
the
face of a building, especially the principal front that looks onto a street or open space; an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality.Slide6
Vocabulary
Rapacious:
to be aggressively greedy or grasping
.
Swanky:
stylishly
luxurious and expensive.Slide7
Comprehension Questions
1. For what reason is Billy in Bath?
Billy is in Bath on business. He has never been to Bath before. Slide8
Comprehension Questions
2. What
characteristics of the house make Billy feel it would be a good place to stay?
Billy notes that the house has pleasant furniture, such as a baby-grand piano, a big sofa, and several plump armchairs. He spots a parrot and a sleeping dog, and believes animals to be a good sign when looking for a place to stay.
He ultimately decides the house would be more comfortable than The Bell and Dragon. Slide9
Comprehension Questions
3. What was unusual about the way the landlady responded to the doorbell?
The narrator emphasizes the speed at which the landlady answers the door, which might suggest
s
he
is up to something
. Perhaps the landlady was watching Billy as he observed the house.
We get a sinister vibe from the landlady and Billy
senses something strange. Slide10
Comprehension Questions
4. Why does the landlady seem like she can be trusted?
Billy assumes the landlady can be trusted because she is very nice and too old to cause him any harm.
Billy notes the landlady is “not only harmless […] but she was also quite obviously a kind and generous soul” (line 250-253)Slide11
Comprehension Questions
5. What are the first signs that the landlady is very odd?
It is strange when she answers
the door before
Billy even
took his finger off of the bell, even though he heard the bell ringing far away in a back room.
The
landlady says the room is “all ready” for him even though he is just “wondering” about
a room
.
Slide12
Comprehension Questions
6. What do you think the landlady means when she says, “I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away?”
At first, we believe the landlady performs taxidermy on her pets, but as we read further, it is hinted that the landlady has also performed taxidermy on her guests. Slide13
Comprehension Questions
7. What do you think happens to Billy after the story ends? Do you think he realizes what will happen? Explain.
Billy notices a “peculiar smell” (line 392) coming from the landlady and relates the smell to the corridors of a hospital” (line 397)
Billy notes the tea “tasted faintly of bitter almonds,” which suggests it might contain cyanide. Slide14
Comprehension Questions
8. Based on Billy’s view of old ladies explain why the ending of the story is ironic.
Billy notes that the landlady “appeared slightly off her rocker [but this] didn’t worry Billy in the least.” In reality, Billy should be very worried.
Billy goes as far as to call her “not harmless” and a “kind and generous soul,” when we know she is clearly not kind.
Billy would never expect the landlady to stuff “acceptable young gentlemen,” but as we can assume, that is what happens. Slide15
Foreshadowing & Mood
Billy is like a fly that has flown into a spider’s web, though neither he nor the reader is aware of it at first.
T
he tension increases rapidly; we know something is going to happen, probably something terrible, but we don’t know what.
This tension in a story is called
suspense
. Slide16
Foreshadowing & Mood
Q: What clues can you find early in the story that foreshadow the peculiar situation Billy is in?
Something about this sign is ominous.
"Each word was like a large, black eye staring at him through the glass, ... holding him, compelling him, forcing him..
.” (line 104-107)
alludes
to the fact that he doesn't seem to have a choice, but is being driven to the house.
“There were no other hats or coats in the hall” (line 167) – no evidence of any other living people around Slide17
Foreshadowing & Mood
…Continued…
“You see, it isn't very often that I have the pleasure of taking a visitor into my little
nest”
(lines 172-173). The
words ‘little nest’
compare her to an insect, a
wasp
or spider.
“Everyone has to do that because it's the law of the land and we don't want to go breaking any laws at this stage in the proceedings do we?”
(lines 241-244). This line suggests she’ll be breaking the law at some point.Slide18
Foreshadowing & Mood
Q: At what point in the story are you (the reader) fairly certain that Billy is in danger? Explain what words, phrases, or images the writer used to give you this feeling.
The landlady describes the
other boys
in detail: “trifle shorter than you, teeth weren’t as white, wasn’t a blemish on his body, skin was like a baby’s.”
At
this point in the story we have no evidence that Billy suspects his fate, but the reader may be wondering if Billy might be stuffed when she says that, “...I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away. Will you have another cup of tea?”
Slide19
Foreshadowing & Mood
…Continued…
The landlady also “looked up at him out of the corner of her eyes and gave him another gentle little smile” when she said her only other guests were Billy.
Some possible examples would be the "stuffed" animals in the living room, the suspicious smell of the tea the landlady served, etc.Slide20
Pre-Writing Task
“The Landlady”
is a chilling tale that teaches the reader that when something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
On your evidence sheet, provide
examples from the text that demonstrate how
Roald
Dahl creates suspense and a sense of
something sinister as
he drives the reader to discover the moral of this tale.