8 inside a narrow container. The security guard got rolled up and kind of … crushed … and ground into a ball. It must have broken his back. Or his neck. He probably died right then. Scratch ran away. I never saw anyone move so fast in my life. I did not run. I stood. I saw my skateboard a few feet away and picked it up. I stared at the dark spot on the ground where the security guard lay. I took a few steps forward. I felt like I should do something, like I should try to help. The last car of the train passed by. (From: Blake Nelson, Paranoid Park; adapted and abridged) Your reaction a) What do you think of the story? How does it make you feel? b) Open your letter now and reread it. Do you feel differently about taking risks? Narrative technique: Perspective a) Alex is the first-person narrator of the story. What effect does this have on how the story is told? b) With a partner, discuss whether a third-person narrator could have told the story just as well as Alex. Underline examples in the text to make your point. Questions on crime The following question words are helpful for analysing crime stories. Skim the story once again and complete the grid below. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Turning point a) When did Alex’s real troubles begin? b) Identify the turning point in the text. Discussion a) Who could Alex blame for what went wrong? Explain. b) What – if anything – did Alex do that was actually illegal? c) Weigh the pros and cons of Alex’s options. What would you do in a situation like that? 6 7 8 9 Tip The turning point is an important event in a story that marks a big change in the plot. Here the line of the story changes dramatically. T 10 90 95 102 Crime and suspense Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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