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GRADE 9: Literature, Short Story Worksheet

LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER by ROALD DAHL

Study these notes in conjunction with a thorough reading of the prescribed text. Answer ALL of the following questions in your workbook. Do your best and pay special attention to mark allocation as you will be tested on this work.

SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The phrase 'like a lamb

to the slaughter' actually has a long and distinguished history in biblical and English literature, and you might've even read it yourself somewhere. If so, you recognized that it's generally used to describe a situation into which a person blindly enters without any knowledge of the inherent danger. The same could be said for certain folks in Roald Dahl's short story 'Lamb to the Slaughter.' The story's title also works as a dark double entendre, a word or phrase used in a way that conveys two meanings, of its eventual outcome.

MARY MALONEY: is the model 1950s

housewife. Dutiful even to a fault, she takes pleasure in providing her husband with a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere to come home to. She loves Patrick and his company and wants nothing more than to share a happy life together with him.

However, when her unwavering and

devoted service is thrown away for no apparent reason, something breaks in her brain.

PATRICK MALONEY: isn't alive for

most of the story, so we don't learn too much about him personally. However, we

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can gather enough on his character by his sudden and unwarranted decision to leave his wife and unborn child. He appears to struggle with the choice and even seems too ashamed to look her directly in the eye when he tells her. He also attempts to smooth the situation over by assuring Mary that he'll send her money and see that she's taken care of. Ultimately, though, Patrick is simply a selfish man worried only about his reputation on the force and is in no way concerned with Mary's emotional needs or unwavering faithfulness.

JACK NOONAN: and the

other police investigators are colleagues of Patrick's and friends of the family, which severely impairs their judgment during the investtigation. Given their fondness for Mary, they overlook several important issues, such as there being no sign of forced entry or the fact that she continues to cook supper immediately after her husband's death.

THE FACTS:

The story opens on Mary Maloney, who's waiting patiently but eagerly for her husband, a police officer, to get home from work. When he finally does arrive, Patrick Maloney silently takes the drink his wife has prepared for him, and even makes his own stronger second one.

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It's Thursday, and the couple usually dines

out on those evenings, but Mary recognizes Patrick may be too tired, so she offers to prepare dinner, despite her advanced pregnancy. Patrick seems agitated by his wife's insistence on being useful and asks her instead to listen to what he has to say.

He proceeds to tell her, though he never

states it explicitly, that he's planning on leaving her.

In a total state of shock, Mary continues to

go about making dinner, heedless to Patrick saying that he's going out. Coming to the first piece of meat in the basement freezer, a leg of lamb, she takes it upstairs for dinner.

She finds Patrick facing away from her in

the den, and without a single thought, clubs him in the back of the head with the leg of lamb, killing him instantly. Suddenly realizing the severity of her crime, Mary quickly goes about covering it up. She puts the lamb in the oven and goes to the local grocer to buy vegetables to complete the dinner. After returning home and 'finding' her husband dead, she calls the police, who are also friends of the family. They arrive promptly and investigate. Tired and confused from their investigation, Mary pleads tearfully with the detectives to let her finish the dinner she was preparing. Out of pity for the new widow, they concede. While enjoying the lamb, the men discuss the case, each of them convinced that the murder weapon, which has yet to be found, is 'probably right under (their) noses.'

THEY SAID:

Look up the following words from the story and copy the definitions in your workbook. Tranquil Translucent Placid Punctually Gravel Content

Amber Bewildered Dazed Occurred Cellar Penalty

Peculiar Frantic Grief Doubled up Welled Precinct

Grocer Briefly Congealed Muttering Corpse Slopped

Departed Chink Blunt Premises Luxuriate Administered Trifle Exasperated Nip Consoling Hospitality Mantle Find SYNONYMS for the following: tranquil, peculiar, briefly, weary, departed, supper, discovered, dead, glanced, rehearsed, ridiculous, gently, frightened, motionless, weary.

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Short questions:

1. told? (1)

2. told? (1)

3. How is the room that Mary waits in described in the opening of the story? (2)

4. How are the curtains arranged? (1)

5. How many table lamps are described in the room? (1)

6. What beverage is sitting out as Mary waits for her husband? (2)

7.

Long questions:

1. 1. Read the opening paragraphs. What are your first impressions of the main

character, Mary Maloney? Think about the room she is in and its atmosphere, her mood, and her attitude towards her husband. (3)

2. What is the first sign of conflict between Mary Maloney and her husband? How does

Mary respond? Quote from the text. (3)

3. Can you guess what Mr Maloney says to Mary? Does it matter, why or why not? (3)

4. At the climax of the story, Mary kills her husband with a most surprising murder

weapon. What is it? (1)

5. Why are we so surprised and shocked when Mary kills her husband? Did you suspect

what would happen? Why or why not? (3)

6. In most murder mysteries, the murders are carefully planned beforehand. Here, all the

planning happens afterwards. Why does Mary go shopping after killing Patrick? (2)

7. What kind of murder weapon do the police look for? (1)

8. What makes this the perfect murder? (3)

9. Do you think the title of the story works well? (Think about its different possible

meanings.) (2)quotesdbs_dbs46.pdfusesText_46

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