ENGLISH 20-1: SHORT STORIES UNIT

Bluffing by Gail Helgason

Key terms: connotation, suspense, foreshadowing, point of view, characterization, setting, perspective,
nonverbal language, understatement
Pre-Reading: Before reading the story, Bluffing, define bluffing in your own words and give 2
examples from real life. (Think-Pair-Share)
Group Questions and Activities:
1. Skim the story and identify 3 specific lines that foreshadow some aspect of the storys conclusion.
(Foreshadowing is a plot technique in which a writer plants clues or subtle indications about
events that will happen later in the narrative.)
2. What two main verb tenses does the author, Gail Helgason, use to tell her story? Why is verb
tense an important part of the storys structure?
3. Find 2 examples of understatement in the story (Understatement is when the author/ narrator
declines to describe in detail what is seen or felt.) Would the story be more effective if the author
provided more detail in these sections? Why or why not?
4. What was your first impression of Gabriella? Liam? Did your impressions of each character
change? If so, how and why? If not, what details from the later parts of the story support you
early impressions?
5. How does the title of the story relate to the final scene? Does it help us understand any other parts
of the story?
6. What is the essential conflict in this story? Is it presented neutrally? Discuss.
Individual Portfolio Assignment: Monologue
A monologue is an expression of the inner thoughts and feelings of a character. Typically monologues are
presented in a theatre, with the actor alone on stage, voicing his/her innermost feelings in front of an
audience. Your monologue must be written for either Liam or Gabriella; it needs to be written as though
they would say the words, so it must be consistent with the characteristics revealed in the story. It should
reveals either Gabriellas or Liams feelings at the end of the story; these feelings can be both general
(about the events) and specifically about their relationship.
ASSIGNMENT: You are expected to write a 2-page (double-spaced, 12pt. font, 1 margins)
monologue. You are writing the words that would be on the mind of EITHER Liam OR Gabriella
at the close of the story.
The key elements to a good monologue are the use of voice (emotion, tone, personality) and a focus on the
personal thoughts and feelings of the character.