Учебное пособие к элективному курсу «Зарубежная литература. Художественная литература Великобритании XIX-XX веков». Сборник упражнений для работы с романом "Большие ожидания" Ч.Диккенса
методическая разработка по английскому языку по теме

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Учебное пособие к элективному курсу

«Зарубежная литература. Художественная литература Великобритании XIX-XX веков»

Сборник упражнений для работы с книгой Ч. Диккенса “Большие ожидания”

Составитель:

Новицкая Ирина Владимировна

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МЕТОДИЧЕСКАЯ ЗАПИСКА

Предлагаемое учебное пособие предназначено для практических занятий по курсу «Художественная литература Великобритании XIX-XX веков» в 9 - 11 классах.

Данное учебное пособие  представляет собой сборник коммуникативно-ориентированных заданий, направленных на развитие устной и письменной речи, логического и аргументированного высказывания, расширение словарного запаса учеников на основе чтения адаптированного романа  Ч. Диккенса  “Большие ожидания” (Charles Dickens Great Expectations retold by Clare West – stage 5. Oxford University Press, 2000).  

Пособие также ставит своей целью овладение учениками навыками самостоятельной работы такими как: нахождение в тексте необходимой информации, использование различных форм изложения мысли по прочитанному материалу (анализ, обобщение и др.).

Пособие рассчитано на девять языковых занятий. Восемь занятий отводятся проработке отдельных частей книги, а девятое (заключительное) занятие предполагает обсуждение произведения в целом: проблематики, главных персонажей, языка и стиля писателя, впечатления от прочитанного и т.д.

Каждый из восьми  разделов пособия имеет следующую структуру:

1. Активный словарь к соответствующей части произведения (Active vocabulary).  Предполагается,  что уже в процессе прочтения очередного отрывка произведения ученик обращает внимание на выделенный лексический материал, а затем активно использует его при обсуждении содержания данного отрывка.

2. Задания (темы и вопросы) для передачи содержания (Who or what in the chapters?  Interpret the meaning of the following lines from the text. Say who made the utterances and under what circumstances). Данные задания обеспечивают концентрацию внимания учеников на наиболее важных и значимых моментах произведения. Эти задания призваны помочь ученикам при домашней подготовке к уроку по конкретному отрывку произведения.

3. Задания для анализа (Questions and topics for analysis). Эти задания ставят своей задачей развитие навыка неподготовленной речи, давая возможность ученику высказать свое мнение, принять участие в дискуссии.

4. Креативное письмо (Writing).

Девятый  раздел представляет список вопросов для заключительного обсуждения произведения.

Составитель

ASSIGNMENT 1

(Chapters 1-2)

Active vocabulary:        

to look exhausted                                          to comfort smb by doing sth

to beg in terror        to be grateful to

to bring smb up “by hand”        to say crossly                            

look at smb with disgust        to put the handcuffs on smb

to be desperate to do sth                               to be in charge

to annoy smb to death                                   to hold apart

to be in terror of smb                                    to be curious to know sth

Who or what in the chapters:

• Lived in a small village with his sister?
• Was a gentle, kind man with fair hair?
• Ate boy’s hearts?
• Swallowed the brandy and ate food like a hunted animal?
• Was a fat middle-aged man with a mouth like a fish?
• Comforted Pip by giving him some extra gravy?

Interpret the meaning of the following:

• Nothing fell out of my pocket except a piece of old bread. He ate it in two bites, like a dog, and put me back on the gravestone.
• She was very proud of the fact she had brought me up “by hand”.
• Even the chickens must have been ashamed of those parts of their bodies when they were alive.
• I wanted to pull Mr Wopsle’s nose.
• He jumped up and began to rush about the room in a strange wild dance.

Say whose utterances these are and what provoked them. Interpret their meaning.

• Don’t cut my throat, sir!
• You’ll send me to the churchyard one day!
• I’ll find him and I’ll finish him! I’ll smash his face!
• Why are the young never grateful?
• I wondered if I had murdered him, but if so, how?
• That’s good. We can catch them before it’s dark.
• I want him to suffer more, back on the prison-ship.
• I’m glad you did. We don’t know why you are a convict, but we wouldn’t want you to die of hunger.

Questions and topics for analysis:

1. Where is the scene laid? Point out words conveying the local coloring.  Why is setting so important to the novel?
2. Pip and his world as introduced in the first chapters. Who narrates the story? What is the effect achieved?
3. Pip as a young child. Comment on the feelings and problems of childhood as evoked by his narration.
4. Comment on the convict’s role in revealing Pip’s character features. Prove that Pip’s self-commentary mostly emphasizes his negative qualities. Do you agree that to understand Pip’s character, it is necessary to look beyond his self-description and consider his actions?
5. Prove that the introduction of the convict is the most important occurrence in the plot of the first chapters? How does the author create the sense that the convict will return?

Writing:

• Comment on the blending of comic and dramatic in the chapters?
• What allows the author to lessen the dramatic tension of the novel’s opening?

ASSIGNMENT 2

(Chapters 3-4)

Active vocabulary:

to be apprenticed to                    to be curious to know smth

to rebel        to encourage

a rush of (cold air)        to pass a message correctly

to make one’s fortune by        to follow the rules of (a game)

coarse (hands)        to bother to do smth

Say who/what in the chapters:

• was beautiful, and as proud as a queen?
• was wearing a wedding dress made of rich material?
• wished he could be different?
• had fishy staring eyes?
• mixed rum and water with a file?
• was covered by hundreds of insects feeding off it

Interpret the meaning of the following:

• I put my arms round Joe’s neck and cried into his shirt.
• I thought he would come back and call through the gate, ‘And sixteen?’ but he did not.
• Everything in the room was ancient and dying.
• I’m sorry to say I told a huge lie by saying , ‘No.’
• I was so offended by her behaviour towards me that tears came to my eyes.
• I was crying inside at that time, and only I know how much I cried for her later.

Say who made these utterances and under what circumstances. Discuss the motives of the speaker and the moral implication of each utterance:

• I’m afraid of not behaving right to a woman.
• She is offering the boy a great opportunity.
• So strange to him, so well-known to me; so new to him, so old to me. And so sad to us both!
• I felt that having criminal friends made me even more common than ever.
• I’ll have my revenge on him.
• I felt that kiss was almost like a coin thrown to a poor common boy, and not worth anything.
• She could have sent the message earlier, but better late than never.

Questions and topics for analysis:

1. Second important plot development – Pip learns he is to be taken to Miss Havisham. Does Pip have any sense of the importance of this event? How does Dickens convey this importance to the reader?
2. Can you find the first hint in the novel of the theme of social class and social improvement? Do you think this theme is practically important in this section of the novel? Why? What makes you think that this theme will quickly become the dominant idea? What happens with this theme with the introduction of Miss Havisham and Estella?
3. Comment on the way Dickens continues to emphasize the idea of self-development (speak about Pip, Mrs Joe, Joe). Why does the author contrast Pip’s meager knowledge with the ignorance of Joe? Do you agree that Dickens also uses this scene to develop Pip’s special relationship with Joe?
4. What raise in Pip a new consciousness of his own low birth and common bearing? Why does Pip lie to his relatives about his experience at Miss Havisham’s House? What makes Pip idealize Estella?
5. Do you agree that this section of the novel, like the earlier chapters, abounds in mystery and foreshadowing? Speak about the mysteries surrounding Miss Havisham. What does the appearance of the mysterious figure, who stirs his with the file, foreshadow? Does Dickens answer any questions at this stage of the novel? What is the effect achieved?

Writing:

• Even in the early part of the novel Dickens implies the idea of real self-development that is not connected to social advancement or education. Why does Pip fail to understand this from the very begging and spends nineteen (fifty) chapters learning the lesson? Does he have any example of such a person right in front of him?

ASSIGNMENT 3

(Chapters 5-6)

Active vocabulary:

to challenge smb to do smth        a murder trial

to drop unconsciously                                a feeble witness

to accuse smb of smth        to be aware of

to keep smth a secret        to speak to smb in private

to persuade smb         to gasp

Say who/what in the chapters:

• studied as hard as he could educating himself?
• was a big, strong and lazy man?
• was deliberately making herself angry?
• was the strongest man in the village?
• was abroad receiving education?
• had been hit violently on the back of the head with a heavy weapon?
• was the most sensible of the girls?
• smiled cruelly at her cousin, who was looking rather ill?

Interpret the meaning of the following:

• He had to challenge Orlick to fight.
• We heard the gun firing several times.
• The attacker could have been either Orlick, or the stranger who had shown me the file.
• Biddy came to live with us.
• I was so excited by my good luck that I forgot what I owed to Joe.
• Mr Jaggers clearly thought Joe was a fool for refusing money.
• At least I need never think about my convict again.
• He had certainly kept his opinion very secret.
• On Saturday morning I was in such a hurry that I only said goodbye to my family.

Say who made these utterances and under what circumstances. Discuss the motives of the speaker and the moral implication of each utterance:

• Her name isn’t Estavisham, as far as I know, Pip.
• If you were my wife, I’d hold you tight round the neck until you couldn’t breathe!
• You are looking for Estella, aren’t you?
• It’s not a T, it’s Orlick’s hammer!
• She may not be worth the trouble, Pip.
• This young man has great expectations.
• They are all right for here, but when I receive my fortune, I’ll want him to meet important people, and behave correctly.

Questions and topics for analysis:

1. Comment on the symbolism in the mysterious attack of Pip’s sister. Who had the motives to attack Mrs Joe? Can you guess the attacker? What are the proofs? Which effect did the event produce upon Mrs Joe? What does the fight between Joe and Orlick emphasize?
2. Prove that themes of guilt and innocence run powerfully through this section? Do you agree that Pip’s mind wavers between right and wrong, between his desire to be good and his stark sense of evil?
3. An opportunity for Pip. Who do you think decided to make Pip’s fortune by helping him to become a gentleman? Why did he/she do that? What were the conditions? Comment on the way Pip accepted the chance of his life.
4. Compare the way Joe, Biddy, Pumblechook accepted the news of Pip’s leaving for London. Who do you think was sincere? How can you explain the alteration in Pumplechook’s attitude to Pip? Comment on the way Pip bid farewell to his family.

Writing: Write about the emotional key of the chapter entitled ‘Great Expectations’. Does the ending of the chapter sound highly optimistic? Why? What is the aim achieved?

ASSIGNMENT 4

(Chapters 7-8)

Active vocabulary:

tiny        to share the profits

to hold on to one’s sleeve        to collect money

to contradict         to be available        

to influence smb against smb        complicated (about people)

to order smb straight out (of the house)        to nod one’s head

Say who\what in the chapters:

• had a mouth that looked like a post-box, and gave the impression of smiling all the time;
• made an excellent impression on Pip;
• hated Miss Havisham for inheriting most of the Havisham fortune;
• was always a most kind and helpful teacher;
• accepted any little presents from clients, especially if it was cash;
• was stronger, cleverer and most complicated than anyone else in London;
•  was completely  deaf, but liked to see people nod at him;
• seemed to be washing away his clients and his work, like dirt;

Interpret the meaning of the following:

• I was shocked by the dirt and blood everywhere.
• The day came, but the man did not. He wrote a letter -.
• I realized that Herbert must be very poor. And although he seemed full of hope for the future.
• They know he wouldn’t rest until he had seen them hanged. He is a great man, Mr Pip.
• When we arrived at the office, nobody could have guessed that he had a home, or an aged parent, or any interests at all outside his work.
• But somehow Mr Jaggers made us all show the worst side of our characters, and encouraged Drummle, who we all disliked, to annoy us.

Say who made these utterances and under what circumstances. Discuss the motives of the speaker and the moral implication of each utterance:

• Sorry for you, and him. I’m on the other side.
• Its quiet position makes you think of the country. I quite agree.
• They don’t pay me much, but I’m looking about me for a good opportunity. Then I’ll make my fortune.
• We fire the gun at nine o’clock every evening. And behind the house – I call it the Castle – I keep animals, and grow my own vegetables.
• It should be kept by the nation for the public to visit after my son’s death.
• The office is one thing, and private life is another.

Questions and topics for analysis:

1. Gather as much information as possible about London and the state of things there. Account for Pip’s first impression of the city. Speak about the people and things that struck Pip in London.
2. Miss Havisham’s sad story.
3. Speak about Herbert Pocket and his expectations. Compare them with Pip’s.
4. Give a character sketch of Mr Jaggers. Do you believe him to be an honest and fair man?
5. Speak about Mr Wemmick and his aged parent.

Writing:

Minor characters in Dickens’ novel (Mr Pumblechook, Mr Wemmick, the Aged parent, Mr Wopsle). Say why they are called minor. What do they have in common? What is different about them?  Dwell on their place in the novel. What is the effect produced by their presence?

ASSINGMENT 5

(Chapters 9-11)

Active vocabulary:

to confess                                                                          burial

to melt out of one’s heart        to improve one’s character

God bless you!        to start up in business

planned right down to the smallest details        official opinion

Say who\what in the chapters:

• didn’t look forward to seeing Joe at all
• became an actor
• wanted to be in the right place
• was sent to Australia for life
• wasn’t working for Joe any longer
• had become so beautiful that Pip felt very distant from her
• felt he had to express his feelings to someone
• was sitting in the front room, wrapped in a black cloak
• was carried slowly out of the house and through the village  

Interpret the meaning of the following:

• Breakfast was a painful experience for me.
• The boy had helped him, you see. Fed him, and kept his secret.
• Now that we were adults, she seemed to accept me as a friend.
• Herbert tried to look hopeful about his future, but this time he couldn’t even manage his usual cheerful smile.
• And that evening I thought how unkind Biddy was to me.
• In London I did some serious thinking. I could see that my character had not improved since I had heard about my expectations.

Say who made these utterances and under what circumstances. Discuss the motives of the speaker and the moral implication of each utterance:

• I hope you will not refuse to see him, even though you are a gentleman now.
• If I hadn’t considered him common, he wouldn’t have been so clumsy.
• Wouldn’t have had the pleasure of breakfast with two gentlemen. But I had to come.
• I must warn you that I have no heart. I can never fall in love.
• I have great expectations, I know. But all that depends on one person! And I still don’t know how much I will receive or when.
• Couldn’t you possibly forget about her?
• I only hoped I was a part of that plan.
• I can earn my own money.
• Never too soon, sir, and never too often, Pip.
• Choose one of the six London bridges and throw your money over it.

Questions and topics for analysis:

1. Joe visits Pip in London. Speak about Pip’s fears, tell how he felt at breakfast, say why Joe came to see Pip and say how he behaved.
2. Pip meets two convicts in the coach. Account for his reaction. Say who Magwitch is.
3. Pip at Miss Havisham’s. Dwell on the changes in the relationship between Pip and Estella.
4. Pip and Herbert talk about love. Which way did Herbert’s story influence Pip? Why do you think Dickens gives Pip an opportunity to communicate with a person like Herbert? What is Herbert supposed to change in Pip?
5. Pip attends a burial. Comment on his feelings. Do you agree with Pip that Biddy was unkind and unjust to him?
6. Pip does some serious thinking. What do you think provoked it and why? Was he sincere in his willing to help Herbert to start up in business?

Writing:

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Biddy understood Pip better than anyone else in the story. Give your reasons.

ASSIGNMENT 6

(Chapters 12-13)

Active vocabulary:

to give false looks and smiles                                    to keep smb out of sight                                

to be hit by a disaster                                                     to get involved with

to make sense of smb’s life

Say who\what in the chapters:

• had an endless stream of admirers
• was stupid and nobody liked him
• made a lot of money
• was hiding in a dark corner and ran away immediately
• could live with the fear of death
• always got the profits but never the blame
• had a fierce and violent character
• was dying

Interpret the meaning of the following:

• I heard a heavy footstep on the stairs.

• He raised my hands to his lips and kissed them.
• Suddenly I realized the awful truth.
• I could never forgive myself for that.
• How do I know where his money comes from?
• Compeyson is the man who pretended to be in love with her.
• In the end we were both arrested for several crimes.

Say who made these utterances and under what circumstances. Discuss the motives of the speaker and the moral implication of each utterance:

• If I smile at him, it’s because it means nothing to me.
• I don’t wish to be your friend. Will you have a drink before you leave?
• It was a hard life, but I made a lot of money.
• Yes, Pip, dear boy, I made a gentleman of you!
• My feelings were horribly confused.
• All I want is to stand and look at you dear boy.
• If you destroy his idea, his life will be worthless.
• In prison and out of prison. That’s been my life, more or less.
• You broke her heart, you know you did!
• He must have escaped, like me. So I hunted him and smashed his face.

Questions and topics for analysis:

1. Abel Magwitch visits Pip in London. Dwell on the circumstances of Magwitch’s arrival. Account for Pip’s reaction and the way he received the guest.
2. Pip discovers the truth. What thoughts and regrets did the discovery provoke? Why do you think Pip didn’t want to accept Magwitch’s money?
3. Speak on Pip’s state of mind while living with Magwitch. Was he glad to know that Magwitch was his second father? Why? Was it of any importance for Pip what would happen to Magwitch in the future? How can you prove it?
4. Speak of Abel Magwitch’s past and present. Explain why Magwitch hated Compeyson. Say why it was of importance for Magwitch to make of Pip an educated gentleman.

Writing:

Do you agree that Pip needed Herbert Pocket more than Herbert needed Pip? Prove your point.

ASSIGNMENT 7

(Chapters 14-16)

Active vocabulary:

to cut smb to the heart        clever arguing

to encourage smb in his/her mistake        to clean the wounds

to love smb long and dearly        to leave smb in the care of

to stare at smb with a mixture of pity and guilt

Say who\what in the chapters:

• knew that he should never be rich, or important
• were not selfish or greedy, were generous and honest
• couldn’t continue the payments
• couldn’t marry a man who expected her to love him
• lived with her old father in a house on the river
• was looking over Pip’s shoulder
• was suspected of killing her three-year-old daughter
• lay on the table, covered with a white sheet, half conscious
• was in great pain

Interpret the meaning of the following:

• Inside, in Wemmick’s writing, it said: “DON’T GO HOME”.
• I knew Magwitch was in great danger.
• Her house looked darker than ever, and I realized how lonely she was without Estella.
• I should never have brought up Estella like that, or allowed you to be hurt!
• Suddenly a great flame lit the room.
• But even he, the great Jaggers, did not know that Magwitch was Estella’s father.

Say who made these utterances and under what circumstances. Discuss the motives of the speaker and the moral implication of each utterance:

• I must tell you that I am as unhappy as you ever wanted me to be.
• Why should I be kind to anybody after all I’ve suffered?
• You are in every line I’ve read, in every view I’ve seen? In every dream I’ve dreamt.
• You don’t know what may happen to him. Don’t let anything happen to his cash.
• Well, Pip! Our friend Drummle has won a great prize!
• He may, or he may not. But she is certainly more intelligent tan him. We shall see.
• If, one day, you can write under my name “I forgive her”, please do it.

Questions and topics for analysis:

1. Pip visits Estella and Miss Havisham again. Dwell on Estella’s plans for the nearest future. Say if there is any alteration in Miss Havisham’s attitude towards Pip. Account for Pip’s reaction to the news that Estella is marrying Drummle? Is he sincere in forgiving Estella for her indifference towards him?
2. Magwitch in great danger. Comment on the circumstances of the whole matter. Speak about the plan of saving Magwitch.
3. Estella’s interesting background.

Writing:

Comment on the symbolic meaning of the flame that lit Miss Havisham’s room. Is it natural that Pip should come to her rescue? Why?

ASSIGNMENT 8

(CHAPTERS 17-19)

Active vocabulary:

delivered by hand                                                                to be fit enough for

determined to fight                                                             to steer smth (a boat)

Say who\what in the chapters:

• was felt that he was looking into his own grave
• suspected some wicked plot
• was waiting wrapped in a dark cloak
• was found dead several days later
• was moved to the prison-hospital
• was arrested for breaking into Pumblechook’s house
• wanted to ask Biddy to marry him
• left the forge and started a new life, working as a clerk for Clarrikers
• her husband was had been too cruel to her

Interpret the meaning of the following:

• While helping my old friend, I would be losing him at the same time.
• I knew that when he finished the bottle, my life would end.
• When he left us alone, we discussed the information in whispers.
• The huge ship hit our tine boat with a great crash.
• Magwitch’s thick wallet was handed over to the police, and Wemmick was quite annoyed with me about it.
• When I was getting better, he told me some of the local news.
• There, sitting by the fire next to Joe, in my old place, was – Pip!

Say who made these utterances and under what circumstances.

• I’ll burn your body in the kiln.
• But looking into the future, well, that’s like looking for the bottom of the river, isn’t it? Can’t be done.
• Let’s have a wedding!
• To me he was an unfortunate man, who had at least some goodness in him. I could not leave him now.
• She is alive. She is a lady and very beautiful. And I love her!
• I couldn’t love him more than I do.
• Tell me you forgive me for not being grateful, and not being good.
• It’s strange. After so many years, we meet by chance, here, where we first met!

Questions and topics for analysis:

1. Pip is close to death. Account for Orlick’s reasons to hate Pip. Do you think them serious enough?
2. The end of Magwitch story. How can you comment on the way Magwitch accepted his punishment? Explain why Pip turned out to be Magwitch’s devoted friend?  Why do you think Magwitch looked so calm and satisfied lying in his death bed?
3. Speak about the two weddings. Comment on Joe and Biddy’s decision to get married.
4. Speak of Pip’s life after Magwitch’s death.

Writing:

“We walked, hand in hand, out of the old garden. As the morning mist had risen long ago when I first left the forge, so the evening mist was rising now, and in the clear moonlight I saw no shadow of another separation from her.”

Do you like the ending of the novel or would you have preferred a different one? Don’t you think the following finals would suit better to purpose? Account for your decision.

• Pip meets Estella again at the old house, but she is still as cold and distant as ever, and they say goodbye for the last time.
• Pip never sees Estella again, and remains single all his life.
• Joe dies. Pip marries Biddy, and becomes a good father to Joe’s children.

ASSIGNMENT 9

General discussion of the novel

1. What significance does the novel’s title, Great Expectations, have for the story? In what ways does Pip have “great expectations”?

2. Speak about the setting of the book. What does Dickens create using setting? What is the effect achieved?

3. What are the main themes in the novel?

4. Discuss Pip as both a narrator and a character. How are different aspects of his personality revealed by his telling of his story and by his participation in the story itself?

5. What role does social class play in Great Expectations? What lessons does Pip learn from his experience as a wealthy gentleman? How is the theme of social class central to the novel?

6. Throughout the novel, Pip is plagued by powerful feelings of guilt and shame, and everywhere he goes he tends to encounter symbols of justice—handcuffs, gallows, prisons, and courtrooms. What is the role of guilt in the novel? What does it mean to be “innocent”?

7. For much of Great Expectations, Pip seems to believe in a stark division between good and evil, and he tends to classify people and situations as belonging to one extreme or the other: for instance, despite their respective complexities, he believes that Estella is good and the convict is evil. Yet, both socially and morally, Pip himself is often caught between extremes; his own situation rarely matches up to his moral vision. What is the role of moral extremes in this novel? What does it mean to be ambiguous or caught between extremes?

8. Discuss the character of Miss Havisham. What themes does she embody? What experiences have made her as she is? Is she a believable character? How does she relate to Pip and Estella?

9. Think about the novel’s two endings - the “official” version in which Pip and Estella are reunited in the garden and the earlier version in which they merely speak briefly on the street and go their separate ways. Which version do you prefer? Which version seems more true to the thematic development of the novel? Why?