Name:
“The Most Dangerous Game” Short Answer Example
Literary Elements Study: Foils
What is a foil?
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What is the purpose of a foil?
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What are some examples of foils in literature and other
media?
Characters
Foil Traits
What is the purpose of the foil characters in The Most Dangerous Game? Provide evidence from
the text to support your answer.
Assertion (Must explain how General Zaroff serves as a foil to Rainsford):
By providing two characters with such opposing viewpoints on the value of
human life, Richard Connell is reinforcing the idea that all life matters.
Evidence #1 from the text (Must be a direct quote proving your assertion AND showing
RAINSFORD’S character trait):
“The world is made up of two classes- the hunters and the huntees… I’m a hunter, not a
murderer.”
Explanation (put the quote into context):
Rainsford is explaining to General Zaroff why he refuses to hunt humans, even though he
enjoys the sport of hunting itself.
Evidence #2 from the text (Must be a direct quote proving your assertion AND showing
ZAROFF’S character trait):
“I refuse to believe that so modern and civilized a young man as you seem to harbor romantic
ideas about the value of human life... The weak of the world were put here to give the strong
pleasure… I hunt the scum of the earth”
explanation (put the quote into context):
General Zaroff is explaining why he feels justified in hunting those humans who he sees as
being inferior to himself.
Connection (Must appropriately connect assertion to evidence. No summary or literal
answers should be here. This is where you explain WHY the foil is important to the story as a
whole. What does it add and why is it there?):
How are foils used in The Most Dangerous Game?
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General Zaroff’s views on hunting humans very closely mirror the way that Rainsford felt
about hunting jaguars at the beginning of the story. However, after his experience with a man
who places as much value on human life as he previously placed on the lives of animals,
Rainsford learns that all life should be treated with respect.
So, how do I put that answer in the box? Try transferring the sentences exactly as they are written on the planning page first.
By providing two characters with such opposing viewpoints on the value of human life, Richard Conell is reinforcing
the idea that all life matters. “The world is made up of two classes- the hunters and the huntees…I am a hunter, not
not a murderer.” Rainsford is explaining to General Zaroff why he refuses to hunt humans, even though he enjoys the
sport of hunting itself. “I refuse to believe that so modern and civilized a young man as you seem to harbor romantic
ideas about the value of human life... The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure… I hunt the
scum of the earth.” General Zaroff is explaining why he feels justified in hunting those humans who he sees as being
inferior to himself. General Zaroff’s views on hunting humans very closely mirror the way that Rainsford felt about
hunting jaguars at the beginning of the story. However, after his experience with a man who places as much value on
human life as he previously placed on the lives of animals, Rainsford learns that all life should be treated with respect.
See how some of those sentences don’t flow well together? You may need to make some slight adjustments to make your answer read smoothly and
eliminate any repetitive ideas or phrases.
By providing two characters with such opposing viewpoints on the value of human life, Richard Conell is reinforcing
the idea that all life matters. General Zaroff’s views on hunting humans very closely mirror the way that Rainsford
felt about hunting jaguars at the beginning of the story when he said “The world is made up of two classes- the
hunters and the huntees.” But even though he considered himself to be better than the animals he was hunting,
Rainsford still refused to hunt humans, because he was “a hunter, not a murderer.” General Zaroff points out that he
feels justified in hunting those humans who he sees as being inferior to himself because “the weak of the world were
put here to give the strong pleasure” and mocking Rainsford for his “romantic ideas about the value of human life.”
After his experience with a man who places as much value on human life as he previously placed on the lives of
animals, both Rainsford and the reader learn that all life should be treated with respect.