Rikki- Tikki- Tavi

Rudyard Kipling

Background

Mongooses, which live in Africa, Asia, and southern Europe, come in more than forty varieties. They can be small ( a little over a foot long) or as large (as long as four feet). Mongooses usually feed on insects, lizards, frogs, eggs, and fruit. As the title character in “Rikki-Tikki-tavi” illustrates, mongooses are known for their ability to fight snakes. They kill the snakes by breaking the snake’s spine at the back of the neck with their teeth. They move very quickly, and they have a high tolerance for snake venom.

Connecting to the literature

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THINK -PAIR –SHARE

Rikki – Tikki- Tavi is a classic story. One of the elements that make it a classic is that Kipling uses real animals but augments their authentic animal characteristics and behavior with human qualities. Real animals do not talk to one another, and they do not understand concepts such as bravery or evil. Define personification.

Rikki- Tikki- Tavi Which statement do you agree with the most?

Animals and people have a natural desire to protect and love their children.

Sometimes animals exhibit behavior we admire in people, such as bravery and intelligence.

Some animals can help parents keep their children safe from harm.

Notes

Plot is the sequence of events in which each event results from a previous one and causes the next.

The exposition introduces the setting, characters, and basic situation.

The rising action always introduces a conflict. A conflict may occur when 2 or more characters have different and opposite goals.

The climax is the turning point of the story,

The falling action is the part of the story when the conflict lessens.

Resolution is the story’s conclusion.