1. “Three Skeleton Key” by George G. Toudouze
My Most Terrifying Experience?
“Three Skeleton Key”
by George G. Toudouze

2. Purpose for Reading
Define and locate specific literary devices used in the story.
Recognize the importance of setting, foreshadowing, and onomatopoeia in creating suspense and atmosphere.
Use the technique of foreshadowing to predict the outcome.

3. About the Author George C. Toudouze Born 1877 in France
Playwright, essayist, and illustrator
Worked on history of French Navy
Always interested in the sea

4. Literary Terms
Allusion
Suspense
Foreshadowing
Onomatopoeia

5. Allusion
Definition: a reference in one literary work to a character or theme found in another literary work
Example: My homework was a Herculean task.

6. Suspense
Definition: The uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what will happen next.
Example: When Rikki-Tikki-Tavi follows Nagaina down the snake hole, the reader worries about the outcome.

7. Foreshadowing
Definition: A method used to build suspense by providing hints of what is to come.
Example: If a character is about to dive into the ocean and someone remarks that sharks have been seen nearby, the reader suspects sharks will appear again.

8. Onomatopoeia
Definition: A literary device for which the sound of a word echoes the sound it represents.
Examples: knock, crash, whistle, plop, crack, bow-wow, roar, whoosh, snap, crackle, pop...

9. Read “Three Skeleton Key”
Look for the author’s use of
Atmosphere
Suspense
Foreshadowing
Onomatopoeia
Stop to make predictions

10. Creative Extensions What was your most terrifying experience?
Choose one of the following methods:
Write a one or two-page journal entry.
Illustrate your most terrifying experience and explain.
Prepare and present a one-minute monologue.

11. More Creative Ideas
Access internet sites containing examples of literary terms.
Perform the CBS radio broadcast of “Three Skeleton Key”.
Read other stories about haunted lighthouses.
Access maps of French Guiana and the surrounding islands.

12. Credits
By Janet Lewis, Elaine Carpenter, Bobbie Johnson, and John Mantooth.
c. 1999