Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 6 Advanced

Teachers Notes

Man from the South

and Other Stories by Roald Dahl

Man from the South and Other Stories

Summary
This is a collection of seven short stories by Roald Dahl. Although the stories are not connected to one another they are linked in the way that the author invites us to take a wry, fresh look at human nature. Man from the South An old man makes a bet that a young mans lighter can light ten times in a row. If it does, the young man will win a Cadillac; and if not, the old man will chop off the young mans little finger. In the end the bet is stopped by the old mans wife who, we see, is missing most of her fingers. Beware of the Dog A pilot in World War II (1939-45) is shot down and wakes up in hospital. The nurse pretends he is in England, but he soon realizes he is in France and is a prisoner of the Germans. The Landlady A young man tries to find lodgings in a town. He goes to a deserted guesthouse. The landlady seems kind at first, but it turns out that she takes in young men, drugs them, then kills and stuffs them for her collection. The Vicars Pleasure An antiques dealer dresses up as a vicar and visits country houses where he tricks people into parting with their antiques for little money. One day he finds a very valuable chest and pretends he only wants the legs and will use the rest for firewood. The owners obligingly saw off the legs and chop up the chest. Pig A young man is brought up away from the world by his aunt. He is a vegetarian and is writing a cookbook. His aunt dies and the young innocent man goes to New York where he eats pork and likes it. Everyone in the city tricks him and the young man is eventually murdered in a slaughterhouse like a pig. An African Story A pilot writes down a story he heard before he died. An old man lives on a small farm with his helper, Judson, whom he hates. When Judson kills the mans dog he decides to get revenge. A snake is stealing the cows milk and the old man tricks Judson into trying to catch it. The snake kills Judson as the old man watches happily. Champion of the World Two poachers drug hundreds of pheasants with sleeping pills. They hide most of them in a pram so the owner of the pheasants cant see them, but in the morning as the pram is being delivered to them the pheasants wake up and fly away.

About the author

Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916. He was a fighter pilot in World War II. In 1940 his plane crashed and this became the subject of one of his first short stories, published in 1942. After this he became a very successful writer of short stories throughout the 1950s. Dahl married the actress Patricia Neal in 1953 and in 1960 he started to write stories for his own children. Titles such as James and the Giant Peach and The Witches became world-famous and Dahl is recognized as one the best writers for children in the English language. His stories for adults are also very popular and characterized by unexpected conclusions. Many of his books were turned into films. Roald Dahl died in 1990.

Background and themes

There is one central theme in all these stories. One person or group of people plays some kind of trick on another and entices them into a trap. The victim only survives if he or she is clever or lucky. In Dahls world only the quick-witted will survive. It is a narrow vision, but within it Dahls range is wide. Pig is nightmarish in its view of human nature. However, The Vicars Pleasure is a pleasing comedy of errors that wryly reflects the muddle of our everyday lives. An African Story and Beware of the Dog are suggested by Dahls own war-time experiences as a pilot. The anxieties about death are mixed in with the excitements of flying, which provides a sense of exhilaration rare in Dahls writing. Further direct connections can be made in two other stories. Pig is a bitter satire on Candide by Voltaire. Dahl has no trust in Voltaires 18th-century rationalism and optimism. Aunt Glosspan (an inversion of Voltaires Dr Panglos) leaves her nephew unprepared for life. Like the young man in The Landlady, innocent youth is slaughtered by corrupt experience. As usual, it isnt all bad. The Champion of the World is a delightful tale of two poachers whose essentially harmless prank goes wrong. This story became one of Dahls most warm-hearted novels for children, Danny and the Champion of the World, in which the poachers actually win. The novel also contains a portrayal of a loving relationship between father and son. If possible, it would be interesting for students to compare the two.

Pearson Education Limited 2002

Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 6 Advanced

Teachers Notes
Communicative activities
The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections of text as the exercises at the back of the Reader and supplement those exercises. For supplementary exercises covering shorter sections of the book, see the photocopiable Students Activities pages of the Factsheet. These are primarily for use with class Readers but, with the exception of discussion and pair/groupwork questions, can also be used by students working alone in a self-access center. ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK 1 Ask your students if they have heard of Roald Dahl. Have they read any of his books or short stories? What kind of different stories did Dahl write? Have they seen any of the films made from his books? 2 Divide students into pairs. Tell them to look at the photograph on the cover and the titles of the stories on the Contents page. They have to decide which stories the photo could illustrate and which it could not, and say why. 3 Tell the class to think about short stories and how they are different to novels. Tell them to look at the notes about Dahls short stories in the Background and themes section. Would it be possible to write Dahls type of short story as a long novel, or would he have to introduce other ideas? If so, what? ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION Man from the South and Beware of the Dog 1 Put students into groups. They need to write a different ending for Man from the South. The woman does not come into the room and stop the bet. Students have to think about which man will win the bet and what will happen then. 2 Divide students into pairs. Give student A four of the extra words from these two stories, chop, maid, parachute, sill. Student A gives definitions of these words to Student B who has to say what they are. Together students must write a new sentence using each of the four words. The Landlady and The Vicars Pleasure 1 Put students into pairs or small groups. They have to think of alternative titles for these two stories. They can use four words at the most. 2 One of these stories is frightening and one is funny. Divide students into small groups and tell them to write five things for each story that makes it frightening or funny. Pig and An African Story Divide students into pairs and tell them to write the following list about the two stories. Who is the worst person, who is the best? Who do they feel sorry for and why? Who is cleverest and who is stupidest, and why? Which animal suffers most and which animal is the cleverest? Students compare lists with other pairs and discuss their choices. Champion of the World Divide students into groups of 5 or 6. They need to decide which are the most important ten words in the story and list them in order, 1 the most important and 10 the least important. The class should then compare lists. Which three words appear on most lists and in which position? ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK 1 Put students into small groups and ask them to write a short plot for a new Dahl story to add to this book. They need to think of a title, too. 2 Put students into pairs. Ask them to think about Pig and The Champion of the World What did they like about these two stories and why? 3 In class ask students to think about other short stories they have read in English or their own language. Were they like Dahls short stories or not? How were they different? Tell students to think about subject-matter, character and how these other stories ended.

Man from the South and Other Stories

Glossary
It will be useful for your students to know the following new words. They are practised in the Before You Read sections of exercises at the back of the book. (Definitions are based on those in the Longman Active Study Dictionary.) Man from the South and Beware of the Dog beware (v) to warn someone to be careful because something is dangerous chop (v) to cut something such as food into small pieces cigar (n) a thing people smoke made from tobacco leaves rolled into a thick tube maid (n) a female servant mask (n) something that covers your face to protect it or hide it parachute (n) a thing you wear on your back to make you fall slowly through the air when you jump from a plane. sill (n) the narrow shelf at the bottom of a window Wing-commander (n) an officer rank in the Royal Air Force The Landlady and The Vicars Pleasure axe (n) a tool with a heavy metal blade at the end of a long handle used to cut down trees or chop wood brisk (adj) quick and full of energy commode (n) a piece of furniture with drawers or shelves dilapidated (adj) old and in very bad condition illuminated (adj) lit up by lights Reverend (n) a title of respect used before the name of a Minister of the Church sketch (n) a simple drawing that does not show much detail tray (n) a flat piece of metal or wood used for carrying things such as food or plates vicar (n) a priest in the Church of England Pig and An African Story lick (v) to move the tongue across something to clean it or eat it. slaughter (v) to kill animals for food, to kill a human being in a cruel way shed (n) an industrial building where work is done thump (n) the dull sound that is made when something soft and heavy hits a surface vegetarian (n) someone who does not eat meat or fish will (n) a legal document that says who you want to get your money and property when you die wink (v) to close and open one eye quickly The Champion of the World brewer (n) a person or company that makes beer keeper (n) someone who cares for or protects animals pheasant (n) a large bird with a long tail poach (v) to catch animals on private land without permission pram (n) a small vehicle with four wheels used to carry a baby raisin (n) a dried grape

Pearson Education Limited 2002

Published and distributed by Pearson Education Factsheet written by Michael Nation Factsheet series developed by Louise James

Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 6 Advanced

Students activities

Man from the South

and Other Stories by Roald Dahl

Man from the South and Other Stories

These activities can be done alone or with one or more other students. Pair/group-only activities are marked. ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK 1 Read the Introduction to the book and then look at the Contents list. Which stories do you think has characters who are (a) foolish? (b) greedy? (c) completely innocent? 2 Choose three stories from the Contents list. Write the first two sentences of these three stories. Now read the first two sentences of these stories in the book. How are your sentences different? Compare your sentences with another student. 3 Look at the titles in the Contents list and imagine they are chapters in a novel. Think about how the novel begins and ends. Write a three or four sentences for each chapter until you have a complete plot for the novel. ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK Man from the South 1 Who is ... (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) old? young? English? American? wearing clothes? not wearing clothes? given a name? not given a name?

2 Dahl writes about different colours in the story, white, black, grey and green. Make a list of the different things in these colours. Why do you think Dahl did this? Talk to another student. 3 Do you things like this really happened in World War 2? Why or Why not? If the pilot is imagining it, what you think is really happening to him? The Landlady 1 Say which of the sentences is right or wrong. If one is wrong make it correct. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) Billy Weaver is in Bath. He wants to stay in a pub. He decides to stay in the guesthouse. The guesthouse is expensive. There are no other people staying there. Billy wants some supper. The landlady is very kind. Billy has something to drink. The dog greets Billy. The last guest in the house was two years ago.

Photocopiable

2 Imagine you are Billy. You are worried about the landlady and the house and want to get away. At which point in the story do you leave and why? Compare your answer with another student. 3 Dahl describes the landlady as like the mother of one of his best friends and says that she had probably lost a son of her own. What does this tell you about the landlady and Billy? The Vicars Pleasure 1 Think about the title of this story. What is the vicars pleasure? Compare your answer with another student. 2 What two mistakes does Mr Boggis make that leads to the men destroying the commode? 3 Mr Boggis is greedier and stupider than the three men. Think about this and then discuss with another student.

2 What do the answers to question 1 tell you about the story and why did Roald Dahl choose to write the story in this way? 3 Talk to another student. If you were the American boy would you take the bet? Why/why not? Beware of the Dog 1 Answer these questions. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) What type of plane is the pilot flying? Which of the pilots legs is injured? What two things tell the pilot he is not in England? How does he find out he is France? Why does he tell the RAF officer his name and number only?

Pearson Education Limited 2002

Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 6 Advanced

Students activities
Pig 1 This story is set in the city and the country. Look at these phrases and then write the word city or country next to them as the words relate to this story. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) eat meat kill people eat good food write books grow vegetables steal money ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK 1 Put the seven stories in a list, numbered 1 to 7, showing which you like most (1) and which you like least (7). Say why you made your choice and then compare your list with another student or a group. 2 Would you like to read more of Dahls short stories? Say why, or why not. 3 Work in groups. These stories are for adults, but Dahl is famous for his childrens books. Choose one of these stories and write a plan to change it into a childrens story. What things do you need to change and what do you need to keep? Think carefully about the ending.

Man from the South and Other Stories

Now find two more things for the city and two for the country 2 Answer these questions. (a) How is Aunt Glosspan different from Lexingtons other relatives? (b) Why does Aunt Glosspan teach Lexington at home? (c) Why does Lexington go to the slaughterhouse after he has eaten pork? 3 Discuss this with another student, The things that happen in this story are impossible. They could never happen. An African Story 1 Put these sentences in the right order. Put 16 in the boxes. (a) The old man and Judson talked about Judson killing dogs. (b) The old man watched at night at the window. (c) The dog was making a noise. (d) Judson killed the dog. (e) The mamba killed Judson. ( f ) The old man told Judson a boy stole the milk. 2 Find the different noises Judson dislikes and make a list. What other noises could there be that he dislikes? Make another list of at least five things. Compare your two lists with another students. 3 Why do think Dahl wrote the first section of this story in which the young pilot meets the old man? What difference does this make the story of the old man and Judson? The Champion of the World 1 How many ... (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) raisins do Claud and Gordon prepare? kilometres is it from the petrol station to the wood? months can poachers get in prison? keepers are there? ways of poaching does Claud describe? sleeping pills does Gordon have left? pheasants are in the feeding ground? pheasants did Clauds father get in one night? pheasants does Claud give Charlie? pheasants are in the pram?

Photocopiable

2 Make two lists called poachers and keepers and write the names of all the people on the two sides, ie poachers and all the people who help them, and keepers and all the people who like shooting pheasants. 3 Look at the end of the story. What happens after Mr Hazel arrives and sees the pheasants at the garage? He sees Claud and Gordon later when they come back. What do they tell him? Make some notes and then have the conversation with another student.

Pearson Education Limited 2002

Published and distributed by Pearson Education Factsheet written by Michael Nation Factsheet series developed by Louise James