Literary Elements and Devices-HL
DRAMA: The Curse of King Tut, pages 9-15
February 2017
®
THE LANGUAGE ARTS MAGAZINE
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Literary Elements and Devices
Identifying the basic elements of a literary work can help you understand it better.
Use this activity to help you understand The Curse of King Tut.
See Scope’s “Glossary of Literary Terms” for definitions of the words that appear in bold.
Section 1: Characters
1. For the characters of Lord Carnarvon, Howard Carter, and one other character of your choice: (1) decide
whether the character is major or minor; (2) briefly describe the character, including his or her appearance,
personality, and background; and (3) decide whether the character is static or dynamic, then explain why.
Character
Major or
Minor
n
Lord
Carnarvon
Howard
Carter
major
n
Static or
Dynamic
n
n
dynamic
n
n
major
n
n
major
n
minor
I think so because . . .
static
minor
minor
Character
of your
choice:
Description
static
n
dynamic
n
static
n
dynamic
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Literary Elements and Devices-HL
DRAMA: The Curse of King Tut, pages 9-15
February 2017
2. Compare Howard Carter’s view of the curse to the other characters’ views of the curse.
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3. Describe Georges Bénédite. How might his death have seemed to support the existence of the curse?
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Section 2: Setting
4. A. Where and when does the story take place? ________________________________________________________
B. What does the reader learn from the photos and captions about this place and time?
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Section 3: Literary Devices
5. A symbol is an object, a setting, an event, an animal, or a person that represents something else. What symbol
appears throughout the play? What does it represent?
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©2017 BY SCHOLASTIC INC. TEACHERS MAY PROJECT OR MAKE COPIES OF THIS PAGE TO DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS.
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Literary Elements and Devices-HL
DRAMA: The Curse of King Tut, pages 9-15
February 2017
Section 4: Text Structure
6. Consider the dialogue between the doctor and Lady Evelyn Herbert in Scene 1. What purpose does it serve in
the play?
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7. Author Spencer Kayden could have concluded the play with Ahmed Gerigar’s words in the market at the end
of Scene 6. Instead, she concludes with those of Angela and Tony. What does this final scene add to the story?
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Section 5: Genre
8. The genre of this play is historical fiction. Historical fiction often includes real people and events from the
past in combination with characters and events that the author invents. To write a work of historical fiction,
an author must do a lot of research so that he or she can accurately portray the time period of the story and
bring it to life for the reader.
Briefly explain what you think author Spencer Kayden needed to research to write The Curse of King Tut. Then
describe something in the play that you think she invented. Explain what makes you think she invented it.
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©2017 BY SCHOLASTIC INC. TEACHERS MAY PROJECT OR MAKE COPIES OF THIS PAGE TO DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS.
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