Transcript EDML177RoaldDahl

Roald Dahl
Sophia Smith-Savedoff
Sydney Morton
Hannah Kast
Biography
Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916 in Llandaff,
South Wales. He passed away on November 23, 1990 in
Oxford, England.
When Roald was four years old his father past away and he
was sent to a boarding school in England. Roald attended
numerous boarding schools due to his mischievous behavior.
After secondary education, Roald refused an offer from his
mother to attend Oxford or Cambridge University because he
wanted to start his career.
Becoming an Author
Roald followed his career as a business man
to a series of different countries including
Egypt, where he suffered a severe head
injury in a plane accident.
Roald was sent to Washington, D.C. to
recover and start a new job, which is where
he began writing for the Saturday Evening
Post.
Roald Dahl wrote his first children's novel,
The Gremlins, in 1943.
Well Known Titles
George’s Marvelous Medicine
James and the Giant Peach
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Matilda
The Witches
The BFG
The Book of Ghost Stories
Influences
English boarding schools with harsh discipline
(and even abuse) lead to stories of heroic children
and evil adults
At one of his schools, Cadbury Co. would have
boys test chocolates—a favorite with Dahl.
Chocolate makes a recurring appearance
in many of his novels.
Criticisms
• two dimensional
characters
• problematic portrayal of
adults
• accusations of ageism,
sexism and racism
• grotesque and violen
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http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/f
all98/royer.html
Roald Dahl on
Reading and Writing:
“If
you are going to get anywhere in life you have to
read a lot of books.”
“Writing is all propaganda, in a sense. You can get at
greediness and selfishness by making them look
ridiculous. The greatest attribute of a human being is
kindness, and all the other qualities like bravery, and
perseverance are secondary to that.”
Roald Dahl on Writing for
Children
"I only write about things that are exciting or funny.
Children know I’m on their side.”
“If you want to remember what it’s like to live in a child’s
world, you’ve got to get down on your hands and knees
and live like that for a week. You’ll find you have to look
up at all these… giants around you who are always
telling you what to do and what not to do.”
http://www.jubileebooks.co.uk/jubilee/magazine/authors/roald_dahl/roald_dahl.
asp
Dahl's Writing Reviewed
“Roald Dahl… addressed his child readers over the heads and behind the
backs of disapproving adults, and they loved him for it. He reveled in the
vulgar and disgusting, drawing delighted cries of “yuck” with his graphic
descriptions of food caught in the beard of Mr Twit.”
The Independent
“Dahl books, strong on plot and instilled with a tremendous sense of
mischief, insist on seeing the world through children’s eyes, and often
portray adults as silly, uncomprehending or insensitive; no wonder kids love
them.”
Sainsbury’s - The Magazine
http://www.jubileebooks.co.uk/jubilee/magazine/authors/roald_dahl/roald_d
ahl.asp
Resources for Teachers
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http://www.roalddahl.com/
Roald Dahl’s website, includes biography,
photos, interviews, books and more
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http://www.webenglishteacher.com/dahl.
html
Includes links to biographic information and
lesson plans for individual books
More Resources
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http://litplans.com/authors/Roald_
Dahl.html
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Links to literature plans for Roald Dahl’s well
known books
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http://www.emints.org/ethemes/re
sources/S00001656.shtml
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Database of literature plans and biographical
information- separates by book
Final Teacher Resources
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http://www.roalddahlfans.com/teac
hers.php
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Collection of literature plans, separated by
books and short stories
The BFG
Young Sophie is snatched by a Big Friendly
Giant, and taken away in the middle of the
night. The BFG collects dreams and is
responsible for blowing them into people’s
heads while they sleep. But there are other
giants who snatch children out of their beds
and eat them. Sophie and the BFG devise a
plan to bring this to the attention of the
Queen of England and enlist her help in
stopping the child-eating giants.
James and the Giant Peach.
 “When James accidentally drops some
magic crystals by the old peach tree,
strange things start to happen. The
peach at the top of the tree begins to
grow, and before long it’s as big as a
house. Then James discovers a secret
entranceway into the fruit, and when he
crawls inside, he meets a bunch of
oversized friends-Grasshopper,
Centipede, Ladybug, and more. After
years of feeling like an outsider in his
aunts’ house, James has finally found a
place where he belongs. With a snip of
the stem, the peach starts rolling away,
and the adventure begins!”
Matlida
Matilda is the story of a
precocious young girl who
loves reading. Her teacher,
Miss Honey, is the only
adult who appreciates her
strengths. Matilda’s parents
tell her to watch more TV,
and the school principle,
Miss Trunchbull, is
incredibly mean to all the
students. Matilda’s life
becomes interesting,
however, when she realizes
she has magic powers…