The story is about a princess who is jealous of her lover's interest in another woman. When he is brought before the king, who is known to make rash decisions, she is given the choice to decide his fate. She can choose for him to be thrown to a tiger or sent behind a door to be with the woman. The outcome will determine if her lover lives or dies, based on her choice.

1. The Lady, or the Tiger?
By Frank R. Stockton

2. Warm Up – 9/2/2015
Choices
 List 3 choices you’ve had to make in life (serious ones).
What was the effect of each?
 Which choice was the most difficult to make? Why?
 Which one affected your life the most? Explain.
 How did you decide in the above situation? Give details.

3. Define (from 7th
grade)
 Character:
 the person(s), animal(s), object(s) the story is about; major and minor
 Characterization:
 the personality traits the character has; how they behave in the story;
what motivates them to do the things they do
 Setting:
 the time and location
 Plot:
 a summary; the series of events in the story
 Theme:
 the lesson about life learned by the reader or the character
 Conflict:
 a problem in the story

4. The Barbarian King
 Based on the first three paragraphs,
how would you characterize the king?
What kind of a person is he? (Give at
least 3 adjectives/descriptions)
 Provide evidence from the story for
each trait you assign him. What in the
story makes you think he is ____?
 Example: The word “excitable” makes it
seem that the king is easily angered and
makes decisions hastily.

5. Is the judgment
fair?
1. How does the king decide whether the
prisoner is “innocent” or “guilty”?
2. Define “fair”?
3. Do you think criminal trials should be
public?
4. Is this fair? Why or why not? Give specific
details.
5. Would you rather be punished under this
system or the US judicial system? Explain
your answer with details.
 BE READY TO SHARE ANSWERS.

6. Turn to page 250 in Expert
21 Volume 2
 Work with a partner (after we have read the excerpt
together):
 to characterize the princess (what is she like? what
evidence do we have?) (2-3 descriptions with evidence for
each)
 identify the theme (based on the story so far, what lesson
about life will the story try to teach us?),
 identify consequences of her actions

7. What evidence is there for the
princess to be considered…
 Jealous
 Brutal/Cruel
 Passionate/Emotional
 Loyal
 Loving

8. Conflict
 What conflict does each of the three
main characters (king, princess and her
boyfriend) find themselves in? (Each
can have multiple struggles)
 The boy admits he loves the princess -
he is clearly guilty. Why does the king
still insist on the trial by fate? What
does the king get out of it?

9. Agree or Disagree?
 The Death Penalty is a fair way to convict criminals.
 It is better to follow the ways of the past than to evolve
with new ideas.
 Jealousy is the most dangerous kind of motivation.
 If we are in positions of power, we should use that power
to get what we want, no matter what.
 Love is the strongest emotion.
 People prefer order to chaos.

10. Characterize the Princess
 Based on information on page 250, make a list of
the princess’s actions and then write several words
about the type of person who behaves that way.
 Why might the princess be tempted to send the
man towards the tiger? How about towards the
lady?

11. The Man
 Do you think he is afraid to die?
 He clearly waits for the princess to give him a signal?
What does this reveal about the man? What about what
he knows about the princess?
 How does the man view his relationship with the
princess? Is the princess as confident in their love?
 Imagine the man’s thoughts as he approaches the door.
Which door do you think he hopes to open?

12. “She had lost him, but
who should have him?”
The Lady?
Reasons:
If she chose the lady, what does it tell
you about the princess?
The Tiger?
Reasons:
If she chose the tiger, what kind of a
person does she prove herself to be?

13. Main Ideas - what does
the story teach us about…
 Justice vs. Chance
 Jealousy vs. Selflessness/Love
 Barbarism/Cruelty vs.
Civilization/Kindness (what in the story
symbolizes each?) Do people prefer
order/laws or chaos and selfishness?

14. Human Nature
 Do you think the story shows authentic human emotion
and human nature?
 Do you know people like the princess or the king?
Details.
 Are humans essentially good or selfish? Explain.