The Truth about Pyecraft

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English Language I FICHA DE LECTURA N° 2

The Truth about Pyecraft by H. G. Wells

Bersano, Natalia Dalla Costa, Natalia Morchio, María José

2015

I. PRE-READING ACTIVITIES A. Answer the following questions: 1. Who was Herbert George Wells? Find out about the author‟s life as a writer. 2. When was the story written? 3. Read the title of the story. Can you predict what the story is going to be about? 4. What words do you expect to find in the story? 5. What comes to your mind when you think about the name of the main character? 6. Read the extracts below. Which characters do you think they describe? A. “I suppose I am slender, slender to what some people would call lean, and I suppose I am rather dark, still — I am not ashamed of having a Hindu great-grandmother...” B. “…he came, a great rolling front of chins and abdomina, towards me, and grunted and sat down in a chair close by me and wheezed for a space (…) he talked he kept stopping the waiters one by one as they went by, and telling them about the matches in that thin, fluty voice he has.”

II. WHILE-READING ACTIVITIES CHARACTERS A. Who are the characters in the story? Complete the charts with their physical description. Physical description

 ………………………………………………………………………..  ………………………………………………………………………..

Character:  ………………………………………………………………………..  ………………………………………………………………………..  ……………………………………………………………………….. .  ……………………………………………………………………….. .  ………………………………………………………………………..

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Physical description

 ………………………………………………………………………...  ………………………………………………………………………...

Character:

 ………………………………………………………………………...  ………………………………………………………………………...  ………………………………………………………………………...  ………………………………………………………………………...

 ………………………………………………………………………... B. Find out more about the characters in the story and fill in the empty spaces.

He had an obsession with his own fatness.

………………………… ………………………… …………………………

PYECRAFT

………………………… ………………………… …………………………

………………………… ………………………… ………………………

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He disliked Pyecraft.

………………………… ………………………… …………………………

FORMALYN

………………………… ………………………… …………………………

………………………… ………………………… …………………………

C. There are many references to fatness in the story. What do characters think about it? 1. Write down all the remarks Formalyn makes about Pyecraft‟s fatness.  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………

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2. Write down what Pyecraft says about his own fatness.  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………

WHO said WHAT, to WHOM and WHAT ABOUT? A. Fill in the table below. WHAT

WHO

TO WHOM

WHAT ABOUT

“You ought to be a good cricketer.” “I expect you take no more exercise than I do, and eat no less”. “Who told you about my greatgrandmother‟s recipes?” “Now the cat‟s out the bag.” “So far as I can make it out this is a recipe for Loss of Weight.” “To the best of my ability, I will do you a translation.” “For heaven‟s sake come, Pyecraft.” “Tell the house keeper to go away.”

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“It‟s that prescription.” “What the goodness am I to do?” “I don‟t think you can count on that.” “You committed the sin of euphemism. You called it, not fat, which is just and simple, but Weight." “Instead of being a prisoner here you may go abroad again, Pyecraft! You may travel.” “The secret‟s keeping, eh? If anyone knew of it, I should be so ashamed.”

WHAT is he like? A. Tick the characteristics that describe Pyecraft and Formalyn in the short story. Justify your choice.

CHARACTERISTICS

PYECRAFT

FORMALYN

OBSESSIVE NAIVE IMPATIENT INSENSITIVEINCONSIDERATE ANXIOUS COLD OVERWHELMED DETERMINED 6

PERSISTENT SENSITIVE ANNOYED EMBARASSED

SETTING A. The characters in the story meet at a London club. What do you know about London clubs in the late nineteenth century? Find information and be ready to share it with your classmates.

LONDON CLUB

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

B. Write down all you can learn about a London club in the story.  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………  ……………………………………………………………………………

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PLOT What is the story about? What are the main events in the story? Write a summary. ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................

THEME What is the theme of the story? ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................

NARRATOR Who tells the story? ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................

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III. FOCUS ON LANGUAGE A. Find expressions in the story with the same meaning as those below. Part 1

Part 2

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

1. Stuck him fast 2. Waved his arms about 3. The wrong way up 4. A taste of liquid 5. Fit of rage 6. Very rudely 7. I explained 8. To tell his secret to 9. Was too strong for me 10. Hardly anything

Meet by chance Occasionally A very unlikely possibility The highest achievement A place where fish are kept Instructions for making food or drink Cover (somebody) so that (he) can‟t breathe 8. Dangerous chance 9. Accept a sensible argument 10. As well as I can

B. Use one of these expressions to complete each sentence below: not, nothing, never, no 1. He sits …………………… a dozen yards away. 2. I am …………………… ashamed of my Hindu great-grandmother. 3. I do …………………… want casual strangers to see through me at a glance to her. 4. You probably take …………………… more exercise than I do, and probably eat …………………… less. 5. He fancied he ate …………………… 6. I could …………………… go into the smoking-room but he would come rolling towards me. 7. He has just gonged, …………………… doubt to order another buttered teacake! 8. I did …………………… know much about the recipes. 9. I‟m …………………… absolutely sure. 10. “…………………… matter,” he said, and took it. 11. “…………………… a word against my great-grandmother,” I said. C. Find out the meaning of these idioms that appear in the story: "the cat’s out of the bag" "He blackened his blood in Pyecraft’s interest." 9

IV. POST-READING ACTIVITIES A. Answer these questions. Part 1 1. Where did Formalyn and Pyecraft first meet? 2. Why was Pyecraft interested in meeting Formalyn? 3. What was Formalyn‟s opinion about Pyecraft? Why did he dislike him? 4. How did Pyecraft know Formalyn was partly Indian? 5. Did Pyecraft eat little in order to get thin? How do you know? 6. Why did Pyecraft talk about his fatness to his new friend? 7. Was Formalyn trying to persuade Pyecraft to try the new recipe? How do you know? 8. Why was Formalyn nervous about giving Pyecraft one of his great-grandmother‟s recipes? 9. What were the reasons that made him lend Pyecraft the recipe? 10. Why did Pyecraft stare at the recipe when he got it? 11. What was the treaty that he kept? 12. When did the medicine start to take effect? 13. What strange things did Formalyn expect to see when he opened the door? Part 2 1. What did Formalyn see when he opened the door of Pyecraft‟s room? 2. Why did Pyecraft say “Shut the door”? 3. What did Formalyn think Pyecraft was doing? 4. “That prescription,” he said. “Too successful.” What did Pyecraft mean? 5. What two sins did Formalyn consider Pyecraft had committed? 6. How did Formalyn adapt Pyecraft‟s flat?

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7. What

arrangements

did

Formalyn

make for Pyecraft to sleep? 8. How was Pyecraft going to eat? 9. How

did

all

these

arrangements

become unnecessary? 10. Why should Pyecraft take off his clothes in case of shipwreck? 11. Did

Pyecraft

learn

from

his

unpleasant experience? How do you know?

B. Topics for discussion. 1. What do you think about Pyecraft‟s method to lose weight? Do you agree or disagree? Why? 2. Why did Formalyn decide to tell “the truth about Pyecraft”? 3. What‟s Pyecraft‟s opinion about Indian medicine? Do you think that Pyecraft looked down on Eastern medicine? 4. Did Pyecraft learn from his unpleasant experience? Why (not)? 5. How would you finish these unfinished sentences in the text? Almost as though he knew that I might…(33-4) In the East, I‟ve been told…(41-2) I heard about…(52) My father was near making me promise…(54) Suppose – suppose there did happen to be one…(57-8) Even the smell of „em…(59-60) Yet even if Pyecraft got poisoned…(68) Then one day in the cloakroom he said, “Your great-grandmother…” (95-6) 11