The ransom of red chief

O. Henry

Biography• The so- called Orrin Henry was born at North Carolina

under the name: William Sydney. When he was fifteen he left school and later on he worked in a drug store which was owned by his uncle. Before venturing in journalism he spent ten years on different jobs, mentioning here the teller in a bank, clerk or as a book keeper. He, once was brought in front of justice because he was accused for embezzlement of funds in his capacity as a teller. His flair for writing was developed while he was completing his sentence in Ohio. He published his first short stories in 1905.

The ransom of Red Chief

• This short story was published in 1910.• It is told in first person where the narrator is one

of the kidnapper.• It is a story which includes self confidence and a

lot of nerves where a kid could make the others feel angry.

• At the end of the story we face a father who he might be self-confident or he does not care a lot for his child which it might not be possible.

• The story takes place in a village called Summit in south of Alabama.

• At this short story we can find parts that would make you laugh.

• The story treats the people’s deed in order just to gain some sums.

The Ransom of Red Chief

• Till at the title of the short story, we reveal the plot of the story. At the beginning of the short story we get a lesson that there are people who do inappropriate things but not because they are selfish or cruel but because their circumstances oblige them.

• It is a story told in first person point of view where the narrator tells what happens during all the story. The place where the short story written by the author is the calm town called Summit. He describes the town or better say, the people there as calm and poised, people who do not disturb if anything interesting might happen to them as long as there is nothing to do with them.

Characters of the story• SamOne of the kidnappersmore patient and calmcriminal• BillOne of the kidnappersimpatientcan get easily frightenedcriminalnaive

• Red chieften year-old childenergeticplayfulcuriousIntelligent• Ebenezer Dorsetonly child’s fatherrichcleverrespectedelder

Plot Structure

• Exposition: BeginningAt the beginning the narrator presents us the place where

the action has happened, the people who are involved in this story and explains us the reason why they planned this action. They are desperate because they wanted to have more money, so they thought the kidnapping would be the best and the fastest choice, but they had no idea that would be their worst step. Later he continues with the analyzing of the target and mainly at his father who they were most interested.

Rising action: Introduction of the problem of speaking

• The rising action begins when the narrator called Sam and his friend, Bill kidnapped the respectful and tight citizen’s child, and they transfer him at the mountain which was two miles from the village of Summit. The victim’s hair are red and he seem to be quiet but later on the kidnappers proved the contrary. By the actions of the kidnappers, on how they got the kid by force, they seem to be amateurs and this caused something not good at the end.

• While they were at the cave two miles from Summit, the nerves caused by the red head were on top and the person who was suffering from this was Bill who even had some fun at the same time where he and the kidnapped child played a lot.

The climax (The highest point)

• The apex of this story was when the kid goes beyond the limits when he hits Bill, one of the kidnappers at the back of his ear with a stone with the same shape as an egg and the narrator decides to write a letter to the kid’s father. The narrator had some opinions relating with the missing of the child. He was supposing that the whole village might be searching about the child because he was full of joy and familiar with everyone.

Falling action (Winding down)

• We distinguish the falling action of the short story at the moment when the narrator writes a letter containing the requests in order to have a quick deal with the child’s dad. The letter contains nervousness, impatience and desperate.• NervousnessAt the entrance of the letter he reminds to the

child’s father that it was useless to look for him.

He was worried that the child’s father might look for him and might find them but with this warning, he was thinking that the respectful man might not look for them.• ImpatienceThe money to be left at midnight tonight”Sam and Bill were so impatient and they were

eagerly waiting the child’s dad to pay their request sum and take the child.

• DesperateWe can easily catch this feeling at the end of the

letter where he types, two desperate men.

• There comes the end of the falling action where the kidnappers get a reply from the respectful “father” were he types his own demands.

Resolution (The end)

• There is an unexpected ending where the kidnappers who can never be found sent the kid with an amount of sum which was written at the counter demand of the child’s father and they both went far away from the village of summit, especially Bill.

LITERARY THEORY, CRITICISM AND HISTORYGENERAL, COMPARATIVE AND NATIONAL LITERATURE

Theory

Literary theory

History

Criticism

a) What is ‘literary scholarship’?b) What are the distinction between literary

theory, criticism and history?c) What is the relationship between literary

criticism and literary history?

a. What is oral literature?

Literary theory

• Literary theory is the study of the principles of literature

• its categories• criteria• the like

criticism

• criticism is the study of a works of art in literature

history

• literary criticism and literary history has some distinctions and they has some similarities but comparing together, there are less similarities. This less similarity is that neither criticism nor history can never be used on their own. they have merged them each other as much as to make it so connected between each other.

What is ‘literary scholarship’

• literary scholarship is the systematic study of literature.

What are the distinction between literary theory, criticism and history?

• literary theory is impossible except on the basis of a study of concrete literary works.

• on the other hand/ conversely, no criticism or history is possible without some set of questions, concepts point of references or generalizations.

What is the relationship between literary criticism and literary history?

• literary history is very important for literary criticism

• if a critic has no idea on history, he would always give poor judgment.

• you can never criticize without historical resources.

• a literary historian must be a critic if he wants to be a historian.