Name: Grade 7
Elements of “Duffy’s Jacket” Short Story
Main Characters:
Andrew:
His characteristics:
Sarcastic: about what the others do.
Anxious: once he knows about the sentinel.
Pessimistic: he thinks that Duffy will never be normal event if the mothers try to do man-stuff from time to time.
Unassuming: he thought that Duffy is stupid
Duffy:
His characteristics:
Smart: he said that they will be trapped if they go upstairs
Confused: he forgets things all the time
Unpredictable: he doesn’t seem smart but actually he is smart
Other characters
Elise:
Active/dynamic: She planned for camping excited she says that camping is charming when there are spiders and mice in the house.
Communicative: she talks to the family about the woods and lodges they pass by on their driveway.
Andrew’s mother:
Active/dynamic: She planned for camping.
thoughtful/understanding: she thinks that Duffy is scatterbrained for he’s too busy being brilliant to remember everyday things (she knew he’s not stupid).
Sensitive: she admires the leaves.
Marie:
Young: she’s the youngest of them all.
Delicate: she’s scared whenever her brother talks about the sentinel.
The plot of “Duffy’s Jacket” Short Story
The exposition/ the beginning of the story: The mothers – who are sisters - decide to go camping.
Rising Actions:
Duffy forgets his case and they become late to go back and bring it.
Elise borrows a friend’s cabin in woods.
They find out that the cabin is a big house.
They fumigate and clean the house.
Andrew finds scrawled words about a sentinel and becomes anxious about that.
The mothers leave the kids at the house to get some stuff.
The climax/the highest point in the story: The kids hear scratch sound on the door.
Falling Actions
Duffy finds out that the scratch sound is not from the branches of the trees; it’s from a sentinel.
They try to hide so the sentinel doesn’t find them.
Resolution/the end: The sentinel finds them and gives Duffy his jacket.
The Theme of “Duffy’s Jacket” Short Story
People are not always the way they seem to be.
Being aware of your own responsibilities is important.
Not thinking of troubles as too big troubles and remembering that there are bigger troubles in life than the ones we have is better for us to go on in life.
Name: Grade 8
Elements of “Antaeus” Short Story
Main Character:
T.J
His characteristics:
Stocky and robust kid.
His voice is sissy.
He talks in a different way of any of his acquaintances.
He has pale blue eyes.
He is determined.
He is connected to nature and earth from which he draws emotional strength.
He is a great leader who inspires his gang.
He is not used to authority unlike his acquaintances who are familiar with it.
Other characters
Charley, Blackie and the narrator who is a character in the story.
They are puzzled in the beginning.
They are supporting as a great team who supports his leader.
They are hardworking ones.
They are creating a relationship with earth.
The plot of “Antaeus” Short Story
The exposition/ the beginning of the story: when T.J moves from south to north to the building where he meets the gang.
Rising Actions:
He meets the boys and they take him to their secret place – on the roof – which makes him one of their gang.
He thinks of having earth and plants and starts convincing the boys to help him doing that.
They manage to get dirt/earth to the roof and plant grass.
They are about to have the row of the watermelon.
Three men find out what they did on the roof of the building.
The climax/the highest point in the story:
The man who is the owner of the building orders to remove all what the gang did away.
Falling Actions
T.J decides to remove it himself so they don’t touch his earth.
The boys help him doing that.
They scoop and throw the earth out of the roof.
T.J went to the areaway where they threw their earth.
He disappears towards the street.
He is not found for two weeks.
Resolution/the end:
The Nashville police catches him when he was heading south home.
The other boys of the gang don’t climb to the roof ever again.
The Theme of “Antaeus” Short Story
Being determined and hardworking inspires people to support you.
Nature and earth give unbelievable emotional strength to people.
Regarding the others’ authority gives you a chance to legally achieve your goal without risking it.
Name: Grade 7
Elements of “Rikki-tikki-tavi” Short Story
Main Character:
Rikki-tikki-tavi
His characteristics:
A Valiant, a snake killer, a little beast and a curious animal. He looks like a little cat and a weasel (he’s a mongoose).
Other characters
Darzee and his wife (the tailor birds): helpful, talkative and singing birds.
Chachandra (the muskrat): too scared to talk or move.
Nag and Nagaina (the cobras): evil but not brave enough to fight Rikki.
Teddy, his father & mother: kind and caring.
Karait( the snake): small, brown and fast snake that challenges Rikki who eventually defeats him.
The plot of “Rikki-tikki-tavi” Short Story
The exposition/ the beginning of the story:
When Rikki is washed-out by the flood.
Rising Actions:
Teddy finds him unconscious. Teddy and his family keep Rikki and take care of him.
Rikki tries to know all the places in the bungalow and out in the garden.
In the garden he meets Darzee and his wife who tells Rikki that they’re sad for they got their eggs eaten by Nag.
Rikki meets Nag and talks to him about what he did.
Nagaina tries to kill Rikki as she was hiding behind the grass.
Darzee or his wife tells Rikki that Nagaina is there and he jumps away avoiding her.
Nag gets angry from Darzee and tries to reach his nest yet it was high on the tree so he couldn’t.
Nag and Nagaina disappear.
Rikki fights Karait and kills him.
Rikki meets Chachundra and talks to him.
Rikki hears Nag and Nagaina planning to get rid of the family to be the king and queen of the garden and have room for their babies that will hatch soon.
Rikki fights Nag into the bathroom where he waited for the father to kill him.
The noise awakens the family and the father shoots Nag who was already killed by Rikki.
Darzee spends the time singing for Rikki the valiant.
Rikki tries to stop him to help him as he was busy -minded with Nagaina and her eggs.
Darzee’s wife helps Rikki by pretending to have a broken wing to have Nagaina following her.
Rikki bites all Nagaina’s eggs and once there were only three ones that are still not bitten; he hears Darzee’s wife cry.
Darzee’s wife tells him that Nagaina is in the balcony attacking the family.
Rikki gets rid of two eggs, takes one with him and go to the balcony.
He shows Nagaina the egg and tells her that he is Nag’s killer not the man.
Nagaina tries to take the egg and go away but Rikki tries to fight her so he kills her but Nagaina manages to take her egg away and go to her hole.
Rikki follows her and Darzee’s wife tries to stop her with her wing.
The climax/the highest point in the story:
Rikki’s teeth clenched on her tail with his teeth and he goes down the hole with her.
Falling Action
Darzee sings a mournful song that almost announces Rikki’s death.
Rikki goes out the hole and asks Darzee to announce Nagaina’s death.
Resolution/the end:
All the animals in the garden celebrate that.
Teddy and his family feel proud of Rikki and take care of him.
The Theme of “Rikki-tikki-tavi” Short Story
You indirectly get what you give whether it’s bad or good.
The size is not the only source of strength.
All creatures try to survive.