6. Father & Son

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Father & Son

VWO 4 Literature

Before we start

Let's see what you remember from previous story.

Connect the descriptions to the relationship

Charlie and his father.

Charlie and his mother.

Charlie's father and Charlie's mother.

not (very) good

bad

good

What is the setting of I, Spy?

What is going to happen to Charlie's father.

1. He will be probably thrown in jail.
2. He will probably be deported to Germany.
3. He will probably be executed.
4. He will probably get a fine.

Let's continue

Father & Son
by Bernard MacLaverty

Let's read the text together

1. There is something special about the way in which this story is presented.

1a. In what way does it look different from most stories?

1b. What other art form(s)
uses the same method?

1c. Who are the narrators
in the first two paragraphs?

1d. What is the advantage of having more than one narrator?

Discuss in pairs or groups of three.

Explanation

You get a more objective story as it is told from multiple perspectives.

1e. MacLaverty hasn't given the characters names. Why do you think he did that?

Discuss in pairs or groups of three.

1e. MacLaverty hasn't given the characters names. Why do you think he did that?

1. to keep the story more general
2. this way it is easier to relate to the story
3. the names are not important in this story
4. all answers are correct

2. Throughout the story there are attempts at communication.

2a. Find an example of
dialogue in this story.

Possible answers

• “Wake up, son … Shit!” (ll. 16-20)
• “You should be in your bed ... What about?” (ll. 35 - 48)
  
• “About… my hand shakes.” (ll. 57 - 61)
  
• “Why don’t you … where I am.” (ll. 79-80)
  
• “I let you… not this again.” (ll. 88-89)
  
• “I had to … you were dead.” (ll. 96 - 104)
  
• “Well I’m not...your mouth out.” (ll. 113 - 122)
  
• “Why do you … fucking business.” (ll. 139 - 142)

2b. What do the dialogues in this story tell you about the relationship between the father and the son?

1. it is not very good
2. it is not too bad
3. they are both working hard on improving it

Why is not good?

They do not understand each other or their motives.

2c. Who is the narrator talking to in the first paragraph?

1. son to the father
2. father to the son
3. son to himself
4. father to himself

2c. Who is the narrator talking to in the second paragraph?

1. son to the father
2. father to the son
3. son to himself
4. father to himself

2d. Who is the narrator talking to in lines 105 to 122?

1. son to the father
2. father to the son
3. son to himself
4. father to himself

However...

He doesn't say it out loud; he is thinking this!

2e. It is only in one or two places that MacLaverty does not talk through his characters. Try and find where.

Discuss in pairs of groups of three.

Possible answers

• “The front door shudders as he leaves.“ (l. 24)
  
  
• “The boy shrugs and sits down. He takes up the paper between him and his father.“ (l. 37-38)
  
  
• “The boy had taken up the paper. He turns the pages noisily, crackling like fire.“ (l. 97-98)
  
  
• “He bundles the paper … at the closed door.“(l. 119-121)

3. The boy has been away from home for some years.

3a. Where has he been?

3b. How did his father hear about him?

1. He read about him in the papers.
2. He saw him on the news.
3. A doctor called him.
4. All answers are correct.

Explanation (don't write this down)

Quotes from the text:

• I pulled you away from death once 
• your hand shook when you got home 
• I fed you soup from a spoon when your own hand would have spilled it. 
• I had to collect you like a dog 
• The doctor had to burn what was on you 
• I made you have your girl’s hair cut.

3c. In what condition did they find the son?

3d. "I have not touched the stuff since I came back." What is this stuff?

4. The father and son both react differently to the world surrounding them.

4a&b: connect the words to the correct person

Father

Son

drugs

scared

reckless

gun

bad friends

sleeps during the day

hatchet next to bed

Valium

loud radio

won't easily answer the door

4a. How does the father react?

He is scared / anxious.

• undresses at night
  
• scared of his own shadow
  
• takes Valium
  
• won’t answer the door without checking who it is first
  
• radio loud enough to drown out noises,
  
• sleeps with pillow over his head
  
• has a hatchet next to his bed

4a. How does the son react?

He is reckless.

• sleeps during the day
  
• ran away from home
  
• used drugs
  
• has bad friends
  
• has a gun

5. The son gets killed.

5a. How do we know this?
Find examples in the text.

Hints from the text

• There is a bang (l. 154)
  
• blood spilling from his nose (l. 161)
  
• limp head (l. 164)
  
• a hole that should not be there. At the base of his nostril. (l. 164-165)

5b. What may be the reason
that the son gets killed?

We don't really know

Possible reasons:

• He was a terrorist (IRA)
• He was an arms dealer
• He was a drug dealer

6. Let's take a look at the setting of the story.

6a. What is the setting
of the story?

What is the setting of this story?

Belfast, Northern Ireland

At night

During the Troubles (1960 - 1998: not in the text)

6b. Change the time of this story to World War I. Is this story still logical?

Class discussion

Yes

In April 1916 Irish Republicans launched the Easter Rising against British rule, so their fight for independence (and therefore civil war) was also present during WWI

6c. What does this tell us about war and conflict situations?

Class discussion

It tells us that...

No matter which war or conflict you are in, it can always lead to disastrous results:

• gassing in Dulce Est Decorum Est
• aftermath of Does it Matter
• the dead in Flanders’ Fields
• Charlie’s father in I, Spy
• the son in this story

7. There are basically no women in the story.

7a. What has happened to the mother?

1. She ran away to an unknown place.
2. She has died.
3. Nothing, she is at work. That's why she isn't there.
4. She moved to London.

7b. If the mother had been present in the story, what might have been the effect on the relationship between the father and the son?

Class discussion

The mother

Might have been the binding element between them.

In other words: their relationship might have been better.

I think I understand this story well enough for the test.

Yes

No

Continue

If you have answered yes, focus on your week task.

If you have answered no, please let me know what you do not understand (yet).