GOING PLACES WORKFILE

DON BOSCO SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL, EGMORE

STD 12 GOING PLACES WORKFILE

• A R Barton

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anthony Richard Henry Barton DFC was an English Royal Air Force officer who played an important part in the Battle of Britain and in the defence of Malta during the siege by the Axis powers in the Second World War. Barton was from Oakleigh Park in north London.

THEME

The theme of the story "Going Places" is the contrast between fantasy and reality, particularly through the character of Sophie. The story explores the challenges of growing up, ambition, identity, and the disparity between dreams and the harsh realities of life.

Here are some other themes in the story:

• Adolescent dreams

The story explores the dreams of teenagers and the pain of unfulfilled promises and shattered dreams.

• Hero worship

The story is about a girl who fantasizes about a great footballer and cooks up the story of meeting her.

• Family vs. Individuality

Sophie's ambition and personality are at odds with her family's expectations.

ANSWER WITH REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT:

1. “It was nothing like that, Geoff It was me spoke first. When I saw who it was, I said, “Excuse me, but aren’t you Danny Casey ?” And he looked sort of surprised. And he said, “Yes, that’s right.” And I knew it must be him because he had the accent, you know, like when they interviewed him on the television. So I asked him for an autograph for little Derek, but neither of us had any paper or a pen. So then we just talked a bit. About the clothes in Royce’s window. He seemed lonely. After all, it’s a long way from the west of Ireland. And then, just as he was going, he said, If I would care to meet him next week he would give me an autograph then. Of course, I said I would.(a) Who looked sort of surprised and why? (b) How did Sophie confirm that he was Danny Casey? (c) What did Sophie ask him and what happened then? (d) While going, what did Danny Casey ask her?

2. And afterwards you wait there alone in the arcade for a long while, standing where he stood, remembering the soft melodious voice, the shimmer of green eyes. No taller than you. No bolder then you. The prodigy. The innocent genius, the great Danny Casey. And she saw it all again, last Saturday saw him ghost past the lumbering defenders, heard the fifty thousand catch their breath as he hovored momentarily over the ball, and then the explosion of sound as he struck it crisply into the goal, the sudden thunderous eruption of exultant approbation.

(a) What was she remembering about Danny Casey? (b) What titles did she use for Danny Casey? (c) When and what did she see last Saturday? (d) What explosion could be seen at the stadium?

ANSWER IN BRIEF:

1. ‘Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing.’ Why did Sophie say so?

2. Do you think that Sophie’s meeting with Danny actually happened or it was just a part of her imagination?

3. What thoughts come to Sophie’s mind as she sit by the canal?

4. How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?

ANSWER IN DETAIL: 1. Sophie was a dreamer. This lesson, ‘Going Places’ reminds us that mere dreams will not help us to accomplish anything. What qualities, do you think, would help Sophie to realise her dreams?

2. Every teenager has a hero/heroine to admire. So many times they become role models for them. What is wrong if Sophie fantasies about Danny Casey and is ambitious in life?

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