1. The Ledge Emma Lomax, Maria Nash, Caitlin Hogue, Katie Marx, Hadley Magre, Lauryn Grady

2. BASIC INFORMATION (1) Title: The Ledge Author: Stephen King Setting: Cressner’s penthouse apartment Point of View: 1 st person (Stan’s point of view)

3. BASIC INFORMATION (2) Name of Protagonist and a descriptor with major traits: Stan Norris: He’s loyal, because in the beginning of the story he refuses the money that Cressner offers him because he loves Marcia and would do anything for her (even walk out on the 5-inch ledge outside of Cressner’s penthouse). He’s determined to protect Marcia from Cressner and will go to extreme lengths to accomplish this. Names of other characters and a descriptor for each: Marcia- Cressner’s wife, Stan’s lover, impulsive, has an affair with Stan after getting two tennis lessons from him (also shows how unhappy she was with Cressner, and how desperate she was for real love). Cressner- Marcia’s husband, arrogant, shows no signs that he thinks Stan will make it across the ledge in the beginning of the story and thinks he’ll fall off. He’s very wealthy and has no problem with displaying his wealth; he’s a coward. Tony – Cressner’s hit man who does his dirty work; surprised that Stan goes after him

4. PLOT SUMMARY 1.Norris had an affair with Cressner's wife, so to get revenge, Cressner blackmails Norris and bets him to do one of the two option: - Walk on the ledge of Cressner's tall building and have the risk of falling to his death. - Go to jail for the heroin that Cressner has planted in Norris's car. 2.If Norris succeeds, he's promised to receive 20,000 dollars and keep his wife, but risks falling to his death. 3.After 3 hours, Norris walks around the ledge successfully. 4.Once Norris makes it back to the office, Cressner's assistant, Tony, points a gun to his head. 5.Cressner confesses that he killed his wife, and that he was going to kill Norris the whole time, proving that he cheated the bet. 6.Out of his anger, Norris manages to grab the gun out of Tony's hand and now has the power to kill Cressner. 7.Norris gives Cressner a taste of his own medicine, and gives Cressner the same bet: either walk the ledge or take a bullet to the head.

5. MAIN CONFLICT Between Cressner and Stan Norris Cressner's wife has an affair with Stan Norris Cressner wants to punish Stan and give him a minimal chance of survival Cressner believes that if he can't have his wife, no one can (even though he doesn’t really love her) Resolved when Stan wins the bet and challenges Cressner to do the same, and decides to kill Cressner no matter what

6. SIDE CONFLICT Internal conflict of Cressner He goes back in forth in deciding what he is going to do to Stan He wants Stan dead but doesn’t want to be directly responsible, so his assistant tries to kill him Stan overcomes Cressner in the end so Cressner doesn’t get what he wanted

7. THEME The theme is “Never go back on your word.” This is because a major reoccurring theme in this story is promises and lying. If Cressner had kept his promise, then everyone would have gone on with their lives, but because of the fact that he broke his word, he lost his own life.

8. IMPORTANT LITERARY ELEMENTS (1) Use of Dialogue Norris uses Cressner’s words when describing the bet, adding to the irony and suspense of the story. Dialogue, especially at the beginning, is short and to the point to show the immediate danger and the urgency of the situation Foreshadowing Marcia warns Stan about the craftiness of her husband. Cressner lied about having a coat and then says that he lies about a lot of things, which should have tipped off Stan that it was an empty bet.

9. IMPORTANT LITERARY ELEMENTS (2) Characterization Cressner uses his wealth to his advantage so that he can be a horrible person, but also hires others to do his dirty work. In this way, he does not have to feel completely responsible. Norris is a passionate and courageous person, and though he is the protagonist he is not completely moral. He was cheating with a woman he knew was married and does not think twice about his idea to kill Cressner (who deserves it). Irony Norris uses Cressner’s own game against him, with every intention of killing him just as Cressner planned on killing Norris even if he made it around the ledge. Description King uses a lot of description when Norris is on the ledge. This serves to emphasize why Cressner would be so reluctant to try and attempt it. These literary elements are important because they leave a sense of suspense for the reader.

10. QUOTE 1 "You have won three things, Mr. Norris. You have the first two. You can pick up the third at the county morgue." This passage is one of the many examples of King's twisted humor through his writing. The protagonist received what he was promised but not in the way that was expected.

11. QUOTE 2 "If you fell that far, you would have plenty of time to realize just what was happening, to see the wind blowing your clothes as the earth pulled you back faster and faster. You'd have time to scream a long, long scream. And the sound you made when it hit the pavement would be like the sound of an overripe watermelon." This passage exposes King's descriptive writing techniques. He is literally describing how a person would fall to their death, and he has no problem making this image very graphic.

12. QUOTE 3 "My legs were rubbery. The tendons in my ankles were humming like high voltage wires. I have never felt so mortal." This passage builds on the suspense in the story, because the reader still has no idea whether the protagonist is going to make it across the ledge or not.

13. SONG https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4vmc4vpeaQ

14. GAME Choose the best answer for the definition of the word from the story using the information you have learned about “The Ledge.”

15. Vulgar- A - lacking sophistication or good taste B- extremely grotesque; unnatural C - Lacking love or warmth D - unattractively large or bloated

16. Piker - A - A man who works a machine line B - A member of a gang who dies a violent death C- A gambler who makes small bets D - A fish common in the Ohio River

17. Verve-A- A lyrical note that reverberates deeply B - vigor and spirit or enthusiasm C - a lack of energy and enthusiasm D - extreme luck of draw

18. Fillip - A - A flick of the finger; snapping B - A young boy; usually of poor working class C - a drum common in the Caribbean D - A type of nail typically used in the construction of skyscrapers

19. Welsh-A - A person originating from the Netherlands B - to make up a story; usually to cover for a third party C- to embarrass someone in front of a large gathering; particularly in the presence of peers D - to break one’s word

20. Sardonic - A- Small oily fish within the herring family B - Grimly mocking or cynical C - devoid of love; cold D - Mysterious in action and speak

21. Whetted - A - to sharpen a blade B - to cover and/or saturate with liquid C - to be appeased or to complete D - to discover by accident or mishap

22. Pallid - A - A ceremonious cloth piece hung over the roof of a coffin B - Full of despair; devoid of hope C - paleness; typically because of poor health D - a lie concocted to cover an even bigger deceit