One of the worst movies ever created is based on one of my favorite short stories, “The Most Dangerous Game.” And when I say one of the worst movies, I mean one of the best movies. It’s so bad it’s good.
Today’s literary quote comes from this story.
Sanger Rainsford thinks he’s pretty cool as he rides his yacht to go hunt in South America. In response to a fellow hunter’s observation that animals experience emotions like fear, Sanger Rainsford responds, “Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes–the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters.”
Now I suppose Rainsford is right. It is better to be the hunter than the hunted. Rainsford discovers first hand what it’s like to be the hunted.
Literary Classroom Application
Is ship trap island jinxed? Does Rainsford jinx himself? Regardless, I think we can all appreciate the ironic situation Rainsford finds himself in.
In addition, Rainsford’s statement might lead to an ethical discussion about hunting.
Emotional Intelligence Time
Although I’m not sure the importance of showing empathy to animals in the wild, but it’s something Rainsford now has. This reminds me of one of my favorite novels, Ender’s Game. What makes Ender such a fierce warrior, despite being only 10 years old, is his ability to empathize with his opponent, to understand exactly what his opponent is thinking or feeling, to love his opponent…right in the instant he kills them.
Now I would hope we don’t try to empathize with others so we can kill them more effectively, but the emotional skill of empathy would solve a lot of what ails our schools and our society. Check out the short stories for teaching empathy lesson plans in the show notes.
Links
- “The Most Dangerous Game” Podcast Episode
- “Most Dangerous Game” Blog Post
- Short Stories for Teaching Empathy Lesson Plans
- Short Story Catalog at ELACOMMONCORELESSONPLANS.com
- Poetry Collections at ELACommonCoreLessonPlans.com
Last Updated on May 30, 2022 by Trenton Lorcher
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