I feel that students should have a basic understanding of the genius of this great writer who has been called by many the father of the short story. Generally, students like de Maupassant s stories, so we read another. Another de Maupassant story that I have found most successful is The Vendetta . This is the story of a mother whose sole purpose is to revenge the murder of her son. She undertakes this in a most brutal way, by training her dog to kill.
Many students are able to relate to the idea of vengeance.
The training of the dog is so revolting that students cannot help being fascinated. It is through these stories that I concentrate on vocabulary skills. I feel that one of the true reasons for learning a foreign language is to improve English. I start by showing students the number of French words we use in the English language, i.e., bon voyage, boulevard, grand, petite, camouflage, chaise lounge, coup d etat. Students enjoy looking up the definitions of these French words in the English dictionary.