Theme 2.10
Watch the clip “How to Read a Book”:
1. What types of reading does the speaker differentiate?
2. What type of reading do you prefer and have to do?
3. Why is it important to read a book which is above your level?
4. Write a short essay “The books I prefer”
Module 3 Theme 3.1
Read some facts about the author of the extract from the novel “The Passionate Year”, J. Hilton.
J
Born in Leigh, James Hilton was the son of John Hilton, the headmaster of Chapel End School in Walthamstow. He was educated at Leys School, Cambridge.
Hilton wrote his two most remembered books, Lost Horizon and Goodbye, Mr. Chips while living in a rather ordinary semi-detached house on Oak Hill Gardens, Woodford Green. The house still stands, with a blue plaque marking Hilton's residence.
He was married twice, first to Alice Brown and later to Galina Kopineck. Both marriages ended in divorce. He died in Long Beach, California from liver cancer.
The theme of Hilton’s novels often focuses on school life and, though in various genres including detectives (see e.g. Murder at School), he is rather persistent in addressing their topical issues. Another school novel which has been filmed 4 times since its publishing is Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939, 1969,1984, 2002).
Hilton's father, headmaster of Chapel End School in Walthamstow, was one of the inspirations for the character of Mr. Chipping in Goodbye, Mr. Chips. Hilton was born in Wilkinson Street, Leigh, and there is a teacher in Goodbye, Mr. Chips called Mr. Wilkinson. The setting for Goodbye, Mr. Chips is believed to have been based on the Leys School, Cambridge, where James Hilton was a pupil. Chipping is also likely to have been based on William Henry Balgarnie, one of the masters of the school who was in charge of the Leys Fortnightly, where Hilton's first short stories and essays were published. The book Goodbye, Mr. Chips became a best seller. Hilton first sent the material to The Atlantic and the magazine printed it as an article in April, 1934. It was then proposed to be printed as a book. On June 8 it was published as a book. Four months later it appeared as a book in England.
Use the full version of the book “Goodbye Mr. Chips”.
Additional assignment.
Watch the film “Detachment” (see in the DVD attached) and answer the following questions:
What ‘real life’ school experience do people share during the titles? Are they mainly positive or negative? How do they estimate teacher’s profession?
How long is Henry Barthes going to substitute the permanent teacher?
What characteristic did the children in his classroom receive from the Principal Carol Dearden?
How did Henry calm down the Afro-American boy? Fill in the gaps in his speech to him:
That bag…it doesn’t have any_______. It’s empty. I don’t gave any ________you can hurt either. OK? I _______you’re angry. I used to be very angry too. I ____it. You’ve no ________to be angry with me because I’m one of a ___ people that’s here trying to give you an________. Now I wonna ask you to just sit down and do your___. And I‘ll give you a piece of paper. How is____?
How does Henry explain to Meredith his sending the rebellious boy Marcus from the classroom? Does he really care what children tell to him?
How is pupils’ aggression treated at school? Do you believe they are right?
What is the peers’ attitude to each other? Comment on the scene with raising money for a late teacher.
Why do you think the teachers’ protesting speech (with the answering machine) is paralleled with Hitler’s speech? What does it symbolize for you?
How does Henry explain what is ‘doublethink’? What is a ‘marketing holocaust’ for him? How can we preserve our minds in Henry’s opinion? Doesn’t it look the key message of the film? Why? Why not?
Why do you think Meredith made a picture of a teacher faceless and the classroom empty?
Do you feel that an empty school (without parents) where Henry feels quite at home and Meredith’s picture stand for the same thing?
How does Henry formulate a teacher’s mission when Meredith dies? Why does he consider himself hollow for the moment?
Does the author leave a hope to the educator in the movie? Where does it abide?
Are the challenges for teachers-women (“Up the Down Staircase”, “Notes on a Scandal”) the same as that of the teachers-men (“The Passionate Year”, “Goodbye, Mr. Chips”)? Make up a chart, finding common and different features in a) teachers (attitude to work, pupils, general motivation, peer relationship, set-up); b) pupils (the same aspects); c) technologies.