1a. How does Mr. Fuller respond to the news that a green mamba has entered his living room? What does he do? How does he act?
2a. How do the children and Mrs. Fuller respond when they realize the dog is still in the house? What are they each thinking and feeling?
3a. How does the snake-man talk to the snake? What tone and volume does he use? What does he say?
4a. What words and phrases does the narrator use to describe the green mamba and its actions? What words and phrases does he use to describe the snake-man and his actions?
5a. How effective is the snake-man's method of dealing with the green mamba? How else might he handle the situation?
1b. Based on Mr. Fuller's actions and reactions, how do you think he feels about the snake?
2b. What role does the dog play in this story?
3b. How would you say the snake-man feels about the snake? How does he treat the snake? What is his attitude toward the snake?
4b. In your own words, summarize the narrator's characterization of both the green mamba and the snake-man.
5b. What would the snake-man tell the guests in Mona Gardner's story, "The Dinner Party"? How are the responses of the hostess and of the American to the cobra similar to those of the snake-man? How are they different?
Suspense. Examine how Roald Dahl builds suspense in "The Green Mamba." Compare with your classmates your experience as you read the story. In what ways did you question what would happen next? Were you shocked or sickened by the action? Were you attracted to the danger? When did you first begin to feel a little anxious, and why? Note the points in the story where you felt the suspense increase. At what point in the story did you feel the most suspense—the most fear about what would happen next?
Characterization. Look at the list you made that shows the characterization of the snake-man. In a small group, discuss which things on the list added to the suspense you felt as you read the story. Which concrete details were used to develop characterization? Make characterization lists for other characters—Mr. Fuller, the narrator, Mrs. Fuller, the children, and the green mamba. Compare and contrast the characterizations. Which are the most concrete? Which characters are described most fully? How are the reactions of each character to the snake similar? How are they different? How do the reactions of the characters add to the story's suspense?
1. Imagine that you are the narrator of this story. Write a letter home describing the encounter you had with the green mamba while visiting a friend in Tanganyika.
2. Write a paragraph describing something that happened recently, such as a party you went to, a movie you saw, a game you played, or a trip you went on. Use as many concrete words as possible in your description.
3. Write a short story about something scary that once happened. As you write, try to stretch the story out and build suspense as much as you can. Use concrete descriptions of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch. Show the reactions of your characters as each new concrete experience builds upon the previous ones.
Connotation and Denotation. A denotation of a word is its dictionary definition. A connotation of a word is all the associations it has in addition to its literal meaning. Read the Language Arts Survey 1.24, "Connotation and Denotation." Write the denotation of each of the words below; then write whether the word's connotation is positive or negative. Give a brief explanation for your choice.
Example confident denotation: believing in one's abilities connotation: positive (self-assured; certain)
1. denotation:
2. connotation:
3. denotation:
4. connotation:
5. denotation:
6. connotation:
7. denotation:
8. connotation:
9. denotation:
10. connotation:
Understanding Dialect. Dialect (a version of language spoken by people of a particular place, time, or group) is an important part of Zora Neale Hurston's story "How the Snake Got Poison." Hurston tells this folk tale in the African American dialect of the South. Read the story aloud or listen to an audiotape. How does dialect add to the story? Translate the first few paragraphs of the story into standard English and read it aloud. Which version do you find the most interesting to listen to? Why?
Researching Poisonous Snakes. Using the library or the Internet, look up information on the green mamba, the black mamba, the cobra, the puff adder, or another poisonous snake. Research the snake's physical description, habitat, diet, and population status (is it endangered?). Try to answer most of the following questions about the snake. Where does it live? Is it extremely venomous? What does it eat? Does its venom have medical uses? Report your findings to the class. Use a graphic organizer like the one below to record the information you find as you research.
Type of Snake:
Other Names:
Length:
Weight:
Habitat:
Diet:
Population Status:
Venom:
Other Interesting Facts:
Indirect Objects. If a sentence has a direct object completing the action of the verb, it is sometimes received by someone or something. This receiver is called the indirect object.
Example The man showed us the snake. What is the action? (the verb) showed Who showed? (the subject) The man The man showed what? (the direct object) snake
To find the indirect object, check to see if the direct object has a receiver. Who got the direct object? In this sentence we ask, "The man showed the snake to whom?" The answer is us. Identify the verb, the subject, the direct object, and the indirect object for each of the sentences that follow. If the sentence has no direct or indirect object, indicate that as well. For more information, see the Language Arts Survey 3.20, "Completers for Action Verbs: Direct and Indirect Objects."
1. The snake gave the children a fright.
2. The snake-man came quickly.
3. A deadly cobra bit my leg.
4. It gave me poison.
5. Snake venom actually heals many people each year.
6. Antivenins give people relief from snake bites.
7. Some snakebites are not poisonous.
8. The snake-man showed the man the snake.
9. He asked the snake-man many questions.
