Different Worlds the Mother of the Child in Question

Different Worlds The Mother of the Child in Question

Doris Lessing

While-reading

2. As you read the text:

a. Match the following colours with the following objects (several colours are used for more than one object).

b. Sum up on the distribution of colours. What do they suggest about the social environment and the life of this family, respectively?

Colour / Object
brightly coloured
many-coloured
white
blue
grey
brown
pink
red / tunic
teeth
stairs
scarf
silk
boy
jersey
sofa
collar
book
acres
curtains
piles

p.155. Prediction: Keep smiling.

Find all the instances of smiles p.150 l.13 –p.154 l.12 and write down in what way they are smiling to each other. (Use quotations.)

at Stephen / at Hassan / at Mrs Khan / at Shireen
Stephen
Hassan
Mrs Khan
Shireen

· Based on this try to make a prediction about the rest of the story.

· Will the girl go to the special school?

While-reading

7. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F) - and which cannot be answered?

T / F / ?
The father has forced Hassan to stay home from school.
The father would want the girl to go to a special school.
The mother is too proud to let the girl go to a special school.
Hassan has chosen to stay at home to defend the sister he loves.
Mrs Khan works against the oppressive English society to secure the rights of immigrants.
The social worker is exhilarated because of the love the family show towards Shireen.
The social worker is lazy since he just repeats in his report what the previous social worker had written.

Post-reading

1. Here are some fairly well-known quotations about smiles.

a. Try to match quotation and title,

b. Decide which quotation would best serve as an alternative title for the text - why/why not?

Quotation / Title
That one may smile and smile and be a villain; at least I think it may be so in Denmark
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside
And the smile on the face of the tiger
What's the use of worrying?
It never was worth while,
So, pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile.
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
There's daggers in men's smiles
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew
Man delights not me; no nor woman neither, though, by your smiling, you seem to say so. / Pack up Your Troubles - song from the First World War
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
The Tyger - poem by William Blake
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Once in Royal David's City, Christmas carol
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
An anonymous Limerick

2. To sum up:

· Write the social worker's private comments on the meeting.

· Discuss in class if the characters have made the right choice.

Here is some useful vocabulary:

I honestly feel that - I strongly believe that - I am convinced that - Without a doubt - I am positive - I am absolutely certain that - In my opinion - I personally believe/ feel/ think - What I am concerned with is - In my case - If I said that, I didn’t mean it - But the question is - That is not what I said at all - The fact of the matter is - One exception is - You are absolutely right - I agree - Rubbish - That is just not true - Sorry, I don’t follow you - I would like to comment on that - As far as I am concerned - On the other hand

You may also draw upon the introductory vocabulary lists: Growing Up and Immigration.