Lamb to the Slaughter PDF - Past Paper

Lamb to the slaughter Activity 1 1) Read from the beginning to the line that begins “Hullo Darling” What do we learn about Mary Maloney based on this beginning? Answer: - 6 months pregnant; housewife - Waiting for husband -> reference to being a housewife - Keep the house clean + co...

Lamb to the slaughter Activity 1 1) Read from the beginning to the line that begins “Hullo Darling” What do we learn about Mary Maloney based on this beginning? Answer: - 6 months pregnant; housewife - Waiting for husband -> reference to being a housewife - Keep the house clean + cooks ➔ Prepares for husband to come home - Seems lonely - Looking forward to seeing her husband 2) Read from the paragraph that begins “Hullo darling “to the paragraph that reads, “What is it, darling? What’s matter? What else do we learn about Mary and her relationship with her husband? - Mary is submissive - Her husband replies using short answer - Husband is distant, doesn’t care that much about the convo 3) Read from the paragraph that begins “He had become absolutely motionless “to the paragraph that reads, “I’ll get the supper…” What do you think Patrick told Mary 4) Start reading at the line that begins “When she walked across the room…” Stop reading when you get to the paragraph that starts “It was extraordinary now…” Summarise what happened in this part of the story. Did what happen surprise you/ Why? 5) Read from the paragraph that begins “It was extraordinary now” all the way to the line that states “Be right over”, the man said. Why did Mary go to the grocer? - She went to get an alibi 6) Read from the paragraph that begins “The car came very quickly” to the paragraph that begins “After a while”. Stop before reading the paragraph that starts “After a while”. Who did the detectives first suspect? How do you know? - The first suspect was Mary, closest person to him - Asked many questions - Went to the grocer toc heck her alibi 7) Read the rest of the story What happened in the end? -they ate the leg of lamb, thereby destroying the evidence -irony -> they say that the evidence should be right under their noses Activity 2 Introduction: Mary is wating for husband to come home Patrick comes home and begins talking to his wife Rising Action: Patrick tells Mary something Mary goes to the freezer, gets the lamb. Mary hits Patrick and kills him. Mary goes to the grocer to create an alibi. She returns home, finds her husband, calls the police. Detectives come, question her, and search the house. Climax: The detectives notice the lamb is in the oven. (This is the turning point and the moment of greatest tension because the reader knows she may be found out at this point) Falling action: Mary tells the police officers discuss the murder weapon while they eat. Resolution: One of the officers says that the murder weapon is “probably right under our very noses” Mary giggles. Activity 3: How does Mary feel Text evidence about her husband at the “When the clock hit ten to beginning of the story? five, she began to listen” - Very good, waits “Took his coat and hung it” patiently for him “She loved to luxuriate in - Tires to talk with his presence” him as much as “I’ll get she cried” possible - -very submissive How do the detectives Text evidence and the grocer view Mary Grocer said she acted Maloney quite normal… - The grocer says Impossible that she is the she could not murderer. be the culprit Cops ask questions about due to her good what she was doing before mood finding her husband, - The detectives proceed to check alibi and find her are become more friendly suspect at first even accepting drinks. but then her alibi checked out How does the perspective in this story create suspense and irony? In the end, the perspective creates suspense, because the story only follows Mary’s thoughts and feelings. The reader is left to wonder if the detectives will find the murder weapon in the oven. The perspective creates dramatic irony. The reader knows something that the detectives do not. Dramatic irony creates the suspense. Activity 4 Situational irony: reader/watcher expects one thing to happen and something entirely different happens Verbal irony: when somebody says the opposite of what he/she means o -> sarcasm Dramatic irony: reader/audience knows something that one or more characters do not know Verbal: The title of the story is an example of verbal irony. The lamb in the story is not going to the slaughter. Instead, the lamb is doing the slaughtering Dramatic: The reader is aware that Mary is the murderer and that the weapon is the lamb, but the detectives are not aware Situational: Mary giggles at the end at the situational irony of it all. The murder weapon is right under their noses! People would never expect a pregnant woman to kill somebody Activity 5 How is Mary’s characterization like the How is Mary’s characterization like the animal symbolism of a lamb in the animal symbolism of a wolf at the end of beginning of the story? the story? Innocence, weakness, being submissive, Dangerous, deadly, dominant, cunning, harmless clever, powerful At the beginning of the story. How does At the end of the story, a basic the author use imagery (sight, sound etc) understanding of the text shows a to create the mood scene where the character vs character conflict, However, husband comes home from work? on a deeper level, how does character vs society play a role? How does the author’s tone contribute to this? Describe the mood and the elements that Explain the tone towards the conflict contribute to it here: here: The sound imagery helps create a The author’s tone is that of shameless peaceful mood at first (peace and quiet vengeance. Though she has killed her after a long of day of work), but then as husband, Mary is portrayed as the the sounds build but the talking doesn’t, heroine of this story slaying the it gets tense and uneasy “women’s” place narrative  Gender- Beauty- Stereotypes Task 1 - Exercise - Makeup - Surgery - Haircut - Clothing Our society puts too much emphasis on appearance Con: Gender transparency ➔ Society is becoming more open-minded ➔ Focus on inner values ➔ Outer beauty -> temporary Pro: - Beauty attracts likes/ approval on social media - Fitting into beauty standards facilitates life - People are bullied for their looks - People resort to cosmetic surgeries - Increased chances of getting hired - Beauty pageants Western Beauty ideals are becoming more inclusive Con: - Genetic limitations Pro: - Movie/Media are becoming more inclusive (-> e.g. Black Panther) - Diversity promotes inclusion ➔ Trendy to look unique - Mutual empowerment Women feel more pressure to live up to beauty ideals than men Pro: Suffer from discriminatory comments of young age “cannot climb up a tree” In some cultures, worth depends on beauty standards Con: Men also have to look like the ideal type Men are discouraged from seeking help + showing is seen as weak Wealth influences the perception of men Cosmetic surgery is great because it can give people a new outlook on life Pro: - Helps reduce insecurities and boosts self-confidence - opportunities for disabled people - minimising health issues Con: - natural beauty is erased (-> altered ethnicity) (e.g after accidents) - raises beauty standards to an unachievable point - dangerous -> health issues(risky) - temporary solution - lead to addiction(pricy) What are the consequences of the quest for beauty - distorted self-image] - unhappiness/anxiety (depression) - addiction/eating disorders - low self-worth; seeking validation online - Snapchat dysmorphia In your words, explain what Snapchat filter offer that plastic surgeries don’t Snapchat filters allow people to fix their “imperfections” instantaneously. In fact, they can look the way they want in an instant and believe that cosmetic surgery can create the same results. However, this is not realistic. Pink for a Girl, Blue for a Boy text Activity 2: Comprehension Questions 1) llustrate to what extent gender still seems to matter today and what the consequences of these so-called “unspoken assumptions” are. In spite of several voices challenging gender-specific upbringing, it is apparent that raising one’s children according to social norms still plays a vital role, as manifested by the up-and-coming trend of gender reveal parties in the US. The baby’s sex is typically disclosed by attributing traditional gender-specific colors (i.e. blue for a boy and pink for a girl) to it before birth. In fact, people have preconceived ideas about specific genders. For example, they tend to alter their behavior by purchasing “gender-specific” clothes or toys, or by adjusting their way of speaking depending on the baby’s sex. As a result, people inevitably mold the child’s behavior and physical appearance in the long run, whether deliberately or unknowingly. At the same time, most children naturally adopt these same behaviors, which ultimately leads to the belief that gender-specific upbringing is the norm, as well as an integral part of a child’s DNA. 2) Fill in the chart with the missing information. (Use a separate worksheet)  3) Why did the Swedish parents decide to raise their child gender-neutral? Opposed to a gender-specific style of upbringing, denouncing it as both restrictive and obsolete, the Swedish parents wanted their child to grow up more freely and be able to have more opportunities in life. In other words, they rejected the idea of putting their baby into a traditional gender-specific box since they considered these labels to be cruel and unfair, hindering their child from exploiting its full potential. 4) Why have Kathy Witterick and David Stocker decided to raise their children gender-neutral? Kathy Witterick and David Stocker have decided not to disclose the sex of their baby (Storm) to stress the importance of freedom and choice in a world with gender roles setting boundaries for males and females, hoping that our society will become more progressive as regards raising children in a gender-neutral fashion. Indeed, the parents are striving to dismantle the gender-conforming expectations imposed by society so as to give children more freedom when forming their own personality. At the same time, they are hoping to spark discussions about broader issues including gender-based bullying. 5) How did the public react to gender-neutral upbringing? In Canada, the home of Kathy Witterick and Davis Stocker was besieged by news outlets after their decision to raise Storm in a gender-neutral way. Moreover, they received abusive letters through the mail and some passers-by even shouted insults from cars. In the UK, when Beck Laxton decided against revealing the gender of her child, Sasha, to her motherand-toddler group, she was also similarly derided and unjustly branded as crazy for not knowing whether her baby was a boy or a girl. However, columnist Heather Mallicjk (Toronto, Canada) showed support because children can excel as “intellectual adventurers.” In fact, she justifies her stance by claiming that they will eventually conform to social norms and become blue-collar workers, besides voting for the Conservative party. She also suggests that gender-neutral children will go through a rebellious teenage phase and oppose their parents’ lax parenting style either way at some point, before indefinitely conforming to social norms. 6) How do children react to boys being raised as gender-neutral children? There have been mixed reactions to boys being raised as gender-neutral. Jazz, who prefers to wear dresses and whose favorite color is pink, has been ridiculed for his unconventional choices. However, a number of friends still decided to go to his fairy- themed birthday party. 7) What criticism is leveled at parents who raise their children in a gender-neutral manner? Provide specific examples. Catherine Porter asserts that children cannot escape gender differences, as manifested by her own son, Noah, who identifies himself as a boy and whose friends are boys. She does not oppose boys displaying traditionally female character traits per se, but depriving children of essential guidelines on how to behave and react is irresponsible. For Noah, being a boy is just one thing that defines him, but children (e.g. Storm) whose gender is not clearly defined may get caught up in endless discussions. Lorraine Candy acknowledged the fact that her boy, Henry, preferred to wear girls’ clothes and that he ran an imaginary boutique and a hairdressing salon. However, she felt compelled to put a stop to his unusual behavior when he was five by making him wear boys’ clothes. She says that all children must part of a peer group in order to feel validated and safe. This in turn will then bolster their confidence and personal growth because if he continued acting in a feminine way, he’d be made fun of and thus suffer. 8) What was Beck Laxton’s decision with regard to raising her child? How does she justify it? Beck did not want anybody but her close family to know about the gender of Sasha for five years to shield him from any harmful gender-based stereotyping. She herself refused to know the sex of her baby at birth in order to react to it in an unbiased way. She also believes that by determining what children can wear and play with, we essentially shape their personality & skills without giving them a say in it. For example, girls made to wear intricate and impractical dresses are less likely to master climbing skills due to their unsuitable clothes. Therefore, Beck decided to go against the grain and adopt a gender-neutral parenting style so as to make people reflect on and potentially question conventional gender-specific upbringing. 9) How did it affect Beck’s child? How did the people around her react? Sasha was free to choose his clothes right from the outset and has worn girls’ and boys’ clothes ever since, besides opting for a blouse from the girls’ uniform list to school, which shows that he isn’t really bothered either way. In fact, Beck only wanted her son to fulfil his potential and to foster healthy interpersonal relationships. However, when she decided against revealing the gender of her child to her mother-and-toddler group, she was disparaged and unjustly branded as crazy for not knowing whether her baby was a boy or a girl.