To fully understand someone, you must first put yourself in their shoes. There are things you will never truly understand until you experience them yourself, like true failure or even being haunted by an unavoidable threat. Richard Connell emphasizes this theme in his short story, "The Most Dangerous Game," by having a hunter named Sanger Rainsford experience what it feels like to be the prey instead of the predator. Initially set on a yacht in the Caribbean, Rainsford accidentally throws himself into the sea after hearing gunshots in the distance. While maintaining a certain coolness and with no other choice left, Rainsford arrives on the coast of a nearby island, where he finds General Zaroff, a Cossack hunter who is insanely passionate to the point of even hunting humans. Faced with the constant terror of pain and death, Rainsford must survive General Zaroff's twisted game for three days until midnight. In doing so, Rainsford is forced to reconsider his position on what a hunted animal feels like. Using foreshadowing, irony and metaphors, Connel is able to reveal that holding on to one's ideals does not get you anywhere. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, Conel uses foreshadowing, the use of hints that hint at future events, to warn readers of how Rainsford's arrogance will get him into trouble. The foreshadowing allows the reader to infer what is in store for Rainsford as he refuses to accept what his teammate has to say. Whitney talks to Rainsford about the superstition surrounding Trap Island and how great sport hunting is. However, do not forget to consider hunting from the opposite side. Rainsford, on the other hand, completely ignores the so-called prey philosophy. He states, “Don't talk nonsense, Whitney,” Rainsford said. “You're a big game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares what a jaguar feels?” Rainsford also goes on to state that the "Trapship Island" superstition is "pure imagination." Although Whitney is wary of the hostile presence of evil in the air, Rainsford fails to recognize any meaning in what she has to say. Furthermore, he is oblivious to the warning behind the infamous name "Ship Trap Island", which is reasonably the most obvious form of foreshadowing in the entire story. The peculiar name foretells Rainsford's predicament as he is stranded on a remote island with no escape. While Rainsford's pride as a hunter continues to cloud his judgment, foreshadowing allows readers to sense the danger coming. Foreshadowing the root of Rainsford's problems, the irony highlights the inconsistency between Rainsford's beliefs and actions. Another literary device that shows how contemplating things has value is irony, which occurs when expectations about something differ from reality. In this particular case, the irony of the situation demonstrates how Rainsford was wrong in rushing to judge prey as weak during exposure. “Nonsense,” Rainsford laughed. “This heat is making you weak, Whitney. Be realistic. The world is made up of two classes: hunters and hunters. Fortunately, you and I are hunters. Rainsford calls himself a hunter and tells Whitney that a jaguar can't sense anything emotionally. He states that such trivial things should not be pondered, especially when they relate to prey, which we can assume Rainsford regards as weak and inferior. Later in the story, however, Rainsford is treated like prey.