Rendezvous

Study Questions for Rendezvous by David Ransom ­­­­­­__________

1)    Write a short summary of the short story Rendezvous.

The story is about a guy named Payton and a girl named Kim. Payton is driving in his car while he hears very loud drums. Kim is running away from her parents. In the end of the story Payton picks Kim up.

2)    What genre is the text?

It is a short story.

3)    How does the author build suspense?

Some flashbacks, the drums and the sax, the tattoo        

You may want to consider:

Choice of words

General language use

Sentence structure
there is a lot of short sentences. Like: “God but it is cold”, “Hitchhiker”, “They deserve to be”

Structure of the text as a whole

Content:

4)    Why has Payton been visiting a priest and going to funerals? (lines 10-26, p. 52)

He has killed five persons.

5)    What happens at the end? (give arguments for your claims)

We may think that he kills Kim, because we know he has been visiting funerals and a priest and the priest wants him to go to the police. So a serial killer   

Content (continued):

6)    Make a thorough character sketch of Payton and Kim.
Payton: He has long dirty hair (p. 51 l. 7) He has a cobra tattoo on his left bicep (p. 51 l 9) He has a can of Budweiser so he may be a little drunk (p. 51 l. 3) He is driving (p. 51 l. 2)

Kim: She wears a backpack because she is running away (p. 51 l. 17) She wants to teach her parents a lesson. She is 15 years old.    

Content (continued further ;-))

7)    What could be the symbolic meaning of the drums?

When the drums are on he wants to kill.    

8)    And of the tattoo?

The tattoo on his bicep symbolizes the devil on his shoulder.

9)    What are the themes of the text?

Growing up, killing, violence, drinking,

Emil and Mads-Lucas :) 

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