An author can make your stomach tighten before anything happens. Find the clues that do it.
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Students will learn what suspense and foreshadowing are, predict at clues while reading W. W. Jacobs's The Monkey's Paw, and keep a log of clues, what each predicts, and whether it came true.
Suspense is the uncertainty or anxiety we feel about what will happen next. Foreshadowing is the use of clues to suggest events that will happen later. The two work together: the clues are how the author builds the suspense.
The strongest clues here are the fakir's purpose (that those who interfered with fate did so to their sorrow), the first owner's third wish being for death, the paw twisting like a snake, and Mr. White's line about recognizing his son only by his clothing.
Students name a scary moment as a clue. A clue points ahead, and a scary moment is where the story arrives, so ask what it tells the reader about later. Another slip is grading a prediction before the ending; the log's last column is filled in after the story.
Note for the parent: this is a ghost story with a death in it, and the final scene is meant to be frightening.
Stop at the two stop points and have the student write his own prediction before reading the writer's. Afterward, work through the log together, one clue at a time, by asking what it predicted and whether it came true.
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Before You Start
The words this lesson uses. Tap a card to see what it means, then come back to them whenever a question uses one.
Part One
Questions about the story you just read. Pick your answer straight off, or press Find it in the story if you would rather hunt for the sentence first.
Part Two
The word cards are at the top of this page. Look back at them as often as you need, then answer.