1a. What do Zenta and Tokubei note is unusual about the girl at the inn?
2a. When Zenta first notices the vase in the alcove, how does the host respond? What does he say? What is the tone of his voice?
3a. While Tokubei and the host are arguing about whether he should send for money, what does Zenta decide to do, and how does the host respond?
4a. What words, behaviors, and gestures of Tokubei demonstrate his attitudes about money?
5a. Evaluate the motives of the innkeeper for playing the trick on Tokubei and Zenta. Why do you think he made up such a scheme? Do you think the innkeeper felt he was justified in trying to swindle the two travelers? Do you think he felt guilty? Explain your answers?
1b. Why do you suppose the girl, and later the old woman, makes no effort to hide her left hand?
2b. Why does he reply this way? Why does he use this tone of voice?
3b. Why does a faint, rueful smile appear momentarily on the host's lips?
4b. How do these attitudes affect his response when he learns about the hoax?
5b. In "The Inn of Lost Time," you learn the truth about the swindle and about the supposed lost fifty years by the end of the story. Therefore, you can look at the reasons behind the strange chain of events and at the motives of the people responsible for creating such a mystery. In the poem, "The Listeners," you are left to come to your own conclusions about what is causing the mysterious scene. How does each type of ending affect you?
Frame Story. After reading the entire frame story, go back and examine the frame—the opening and closing. Compare the opening frame with the inner story. What similarities and differences do you see? What similarities do you find strange or surprising? What purpose does the opening frame serve? Look at the closing frame. What purpose does it serve?
Foreshadowing. Zenta foreshadows that something bad may happen by warning that he is not proud of the part he played in the story he tells. What purpose does the foreshadowing serve? How did it affect your interest in the story? How did it help you predict what would happen?
Irony of Situation. Reread or skim the story and note the places where you are surprised by a situation. In the graphic organizer below, list what you expected in one column and what really happens in another column.
Looking at the entries that come from Zenta's tale, determine which of the highlighted entries in Column 1 (things you thought would happen) might have actually happened if Zenta or Tokubei had made a different choice. Next, examine the entries you listed in column 2 (things that actually happened). Think about how each event leads to the next, setting Zenta and Tokubei up for the final irony of situation. How might the chain of events have differed if the two men had made different choices? Did the men have any control over the last irony of situation, in which they were tricked? Why, or why not?
1. Imagine you are Tokubei. Write a formal message to your chief clerk asking him to send you the money to pay the priestess. Explain who you are and what has happened so the clerk will respond to the message.
2. Imagine you family has just spent the night in an expensive hotel that had run down, seedy rooms and poor service. Write a letter of complaint to the hotel's management, outlining your bad experience and requesting a refund.
3. As a tour guide or escort for young travelers visiting another country, you have been asked to inform parents of the group's travel plans. Write a three-day itinerary for the trip, outlining a schedule for each day. Include where you are staying and what activities are planned.
Using Metaphors. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken or written about as if it were another. This figure of speech invites the reader to make a comparison between the two things. When Zenta first approaches the inn, he passes a bamboo grove. What metaphors does he use to describe the grove? Why does he describe the grove in this way? Why would the narrator choose these metaphors? What comparison does this metaphor invite readers to make? Write a sentence including a metaphor for each of the following items, describing the item in words that could sound appetizing to a reader.
Example corn on the cob The rows of golden pearls glistened with butter.
1. fresh strawberries
2. chocolate cake
3. hot pepperoni pizza
4. warm bread
5. ripe tomato slices
6. juicy green grapes
7. macaroni and cheese
8. bubble gum
9. hot fudge sundae
10. cookie dough ice cream
Researching: Research samurai at the library. What can you find out about their lifestyle and beliefs? Gather biographical information on one particular samurai and report about his life to your class.
Samurai's name:
Description of physical characteristics and character traits:
Birthplace and birthdate:
Significant events in childhood:
Training as a samurai:
Events in life as a samurai:
Sources of information:
Synonyms. A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Read the Language Arts Survey 1.20, "Learning Synonyms, Antonyms, and Homonyms." Write a synonym for each word below and use the new word in a sentence. You may use a dictionary or a thesaurus if necessary.
1. desolate
2. decrepit
3. poignant
4. rueful
5. despised
6. ravenous
7. tantalizing
8. vigorous
9. idle
10. dingy
