Informative Writing Introduction

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(one or two words)

Things do not always go the way you think they will. That is definitely the case in the story “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry. When two “desperate” criminals kidnap the only son of Ebenezer Dorset, they think they are going to make some easy money, but the results of their crime are both surprising and funny. The contrast between what is expected to happen and what really does happen is called irony. O. Henry uses irony “The Ransom of Red Chief” to create a surprising, funny story.

Multiple Choice

How does this first sentence grab the reader’s interest?

Things do not always go the way you think they will.

• It summarizes the story’s plot.

• It makes a compelling statement.

• It gives the title of the story.

Multiple Choice

What is the main thing the writer wants people to know about “The Ransom of Red Chief"?

O. Henry uses irony “The Ransom of Red Chief” to create a surprising, funny story.

• how the author effectively uses irony in the story

• how the character of Red Chief contrasts with that of the criminals

• why the story features a ransom

Readers typically make predictions about the characters in a story and what might happen to them. For example, in this story we find out that two criminals are going to kidnap a little boy, so naturally we think that the criminals will be the villains and the little boy will be frightened and helpless. We also expect that the boy’s father will be really worried and will do everything he can to bring his child home again. But O. Henry uses situational irony to turn these predictions upside down. Situational irony is when the events of a story are not what a reader expects them to be, and that is definitely the case here.

Multiple Choice

In the following sentence, which is an example of specialized language?

But O. Henry uses situational irony to turn these predictions upside down. 

• upside down

• situational irony

• predictions

The boy, Johnny, who calls himself “Red Chief, the terror of the plains,” is not at all upset to be kidnapped. In fact, “that boy seemed to be having the time of his life.” The two criminals are soon at his mercy, especially Bill, whose “spirit was broken” after Red Chief almost scalped him. Furthermore, the townspeople do not seem upset that Red Chief is missing. Sam spies on the village expecting to see “sturdy yeomanry of the village armed with scythes and pitchforks beating the countryside for the dastardly kidnappers.” What he sees instead is just a peaceful sleeping village. Even the “distracted parents” are not very concerned. In response to the kidnappers’ ransom note, Red Chief’s father says he will take the boy off their hands if they pay him $250. And he tells them that they had better come at night to avoid upsetting the neighbors who “believe [the boy] is lost, and I couldn’t be responsible for what they would do to anybody they saw bringing him back.”

Multiple Choice

What is the value of using quotations in the paragraph above?

• They provide important details about the story’s setting.

• They help describe the story’s characters.

• They support the writer’s claim about O. Henry’s use of verbal irony.

O. Henry also uses verbal irony in the story to go against expectations. Verbal irony occurs when someone uses words that have the opposite meaning of their literal meaning. For example, we find out that the town Summit—a word that “the peak of a high mountain”—is actually “as flat as a flannel-cake.” O. Henry also uses this technique when Sam describes the boy as a “tender lambkin” and Bill and himself as “wolves,” then exclaims, “Heaven help the wolves!”

Multiple Choice

How does this sentence reflect a formal style?

Furthermore, the townspeople do not seem upset that Red Chief is missing.

• It lacks contractions.

• It contains the word Furthermore

• It includes slang.

Finally, O. Henry includes dramatic irony, which is when the reader knows something that one or more of the characters do not know. For example, when Bill thinks he has sent Red Chief home, he tells Sam, “I tried to be faithful . . . but there came a limit.” He is sorry to lose the ransom money but relieved to have gotten rid of the boy. However, the reader knows from the previous paragraph that “behind him was the kid, stepping softly like a scout, with a broad grin on his face.” The dramatic irony makes us laugh because we know that Bill is in for more trouble.

O. Henry does a great job in “The Ransom of Red Chief” of going against readers’ expectations. The ironic twists leave us feeling truly sorry for the criminals, even as we laugh at them and the hilarious things the “tender lambkin” puts them through.