What were some of the things Smiley liked to bet on?
In this story, Jim Smiley is the most compulsive gambler you could ever hope to meet. So I would say that what he is willing to do is to bet on just about anything. One of the things he likes to bet on is his jumping frog. He has it trained to jump really well and he thinks it can beat anyone else’s frog.
Why do you think Jim Smiley likes gambling so much?
Obviously, as a gambler, Smiley’s biggest fault was being reckless. He was so excited about having a stranger bet with him against his frog that he left Dan’l Webster alone with the stranger while he went to catch a frog for the stranger to use in the contest.
How did the stranger beat Jim Smiley in the bet?
How did the stranger beat Jim Smiley in the bet? He put a spoonful of quail shot in the frog’s mouth when Jim was not looking.
Is Leonidas W Smiley real?
Smiley is a myth; that my friend never knew such a personage; and that he only conjectured that if I asked old Wheeler about him, it would remind him of his infamous Jim Smiley, and he would go to work and bore me to death with some exasperating reminiscence of him as long and as tedious as it should be useless to me.
Why does Smiley get angry?
Why does Smiley get angry? He realizes that the reason his frog could not jump as high was because the man weighed down the frog with quail shot.
Why does Jim Smiley lose the frog jumping contest?
When a stranger passes through town, Smiley is eager to challenge the man to a frog-jumping competition. The stranger accepts, but when Smiley isn’t looking, he fills Webster with quail-shot to weigh him down, causing Webster to lose the competition and thereby earning the stranger Smiley’s 40 dollars.
Why was smiley so proud of his frog?
The first reason Smiley is proud of his frog is because his frog is an amazing jumper. Readers are told that the frog is “so gifted” and that the frog’s strong suit is jumping on level ground. He could cover a great distance in a very short amount of time, and other animals of his breed are slower in those conditions.
How does the story of Jim Smiley take an ironic twist?
The main irony in “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is that Jim Smiley is outfoxed by the stranger. According to Simon Wheeler: Smiley was monstrous proud of his frog, and well he might be, for fellers that had traveled and been everywheres, all said he laid over any frog that ever they see.
What can you infer about Jim Smiley?
What can you infer about Jim Smiley based on each of the following examples? You can infer that Smiley likes to win bets. Wheeler describes Smiley as a bull pup, which is amusing because of Smiley’s daring attitude.
How did Frog use the smiley plan?
How did Smiley train the frog? He trained the frog to catch flies by tapping him from behind.
How does the narrator hear the story of the Jumping Frog quizlet?
How does the narrator hear the story of the jumping frog? The narrator hears the story from old Simon Wheeler. What is Smiley always willing to do? Smiley is always willing to take a bet.
How does the narrator feel about Wheeler and his tall tale?
So, he tells us that Wheeler was incredibly boring and told stories that no one cared about. The narrator finds this “exquisitely absurd.” At the end of the narration, the narrator is so irritated and anxious to leave that he snaps at Wheeler and leaves him right in the middle of another story.
What was Smiley’s weakness?
Jim Smiley’s weakness is a gambling addiction.
What was Jim Smiley weakness?
Jim Smiley Although we don’t get the story from Jim Smiley’s point of view, his supposed actions drive the story. We admire Jim because he’s like most of us: he has a weakness, in this case for gambling (he’s very human), but he’s generally a good guy who just wants to have a bit of fun.
Why does the narrator decide to leave Wheeler when he does?
The narrator seeks out Simon Wheeler because the narrator’s friend back East requested that the narrator find Simon and ask him about another guy, named Leonidas W. Smiley.
What is ironic about Smiley’s losing the bet?
Smiley thinks he is sure to win the bet he makes with the stranger, especially since Smiley goes out and personally catches a frog for the stranger to bet on. The irony is that the stranger is not such a sucker as he appears to be. Smiley loses forty dollars. This is a typical story of a trickster out-tricked.
Why does the dog finally lose a bet?
How did Jim Smiley’s dog finally lose a fight? He was matched up against the fiercest fighting dog in all of Calaveras County. He was matched up against a dog with no hind legs. He got sick, and Jim made him fight anyway.
What does the stranger do to Jim’s frog?
When he knows he has a frog that can beat any other frog, he starts betting. He names the frog Dan’l Webster. Smiley bets a stranger that his frog can beat any other frog. The stranger takes the challenge, so Smiley goes off and catches a frog in the marsh for the stranger.
Why does Jim Smiley lose his bet?
The stranger does not have a frog, so Smiley goes off to the swamp to procure another and, while he is gone, the stranger feeds Dan’l Webster some “quail shot” to make him heavier and, therefore, unable to jump high. The stranger’s ploy works: Dan’l Webster cannot jump at all and Smiley loses the bet.
Why didn’t Dan L Webster jump as well at the end of the story?
That left Dan’l alone with the stranger, who “got the frog out and prized his mouth open and took a teaspoon and filled him full of quail shot–filled him pretty near up to his chin.” Loaded as he was with lead pellets, Dan’l was unable to jump; he just “hysted up his shoulders–so–like a Frenchman.” Smiley had to pay …