'Growing up' by Joyce Carry - Worksheet
Find
out ...
what
the main character's occupation is
the
reasons why the family's garden is not well-kept
Jenny's
age Kate's
age Robert's
age
the
pet's name (Is
it a 'he' or a 'she'?)
how
Quick's reacts to his daughters cold welcome
what
the girls throw at the dog
Robert's
feelings about the pet's bad treatment
who
exactly attacks the father
which
adjectives could be used to describe Robert's feelings during the attack:
(Cross
out the ones which don't apply) frightened, helpless, amused, paralysed,
cowardly, panic-stricken, angry, surprised, shocked, disgusted, upset, lenient.
who
bites whom where
what
Robert calls the attack he is victim of
whether
Mrs Quick sympathises with her husband
who
is home for tea
the
reason why Mr Quick wants to escape the tea-party
what
Wilkins represents for him
what
Jenny runs after Robert for in the end
what
the latter eventually becomes aware of
This
short-story falls into 7 parts
Put
them back in the right chronological order and indicate
where
they begin and where they end (page / line )
Meeting the children
Running away
Teasing the bitch
The attack
The garden
The tea-party
Coming home
Here are some possible
alternative titles for this short-story.
Which would you keep, which
would you reject? Justify in your own words
An over permissive education
The generation gap
A disconcerting discovery
Death in the afternoon
A
summary of the short-story
Cross
out or modify the wrong statements
Robert Quick, an old businessman comes home after a holiday to be
greeted by his wife and children. His three sons are in the house and hardly
pay attention to their father's return.
Upset by his children's attitude, he decides to rest for a while and watch
television. He's interrupted by his devilish daughters who are fighting each
other with bamboos. Soon, they find another victim: namely, their mother.
Robert shows no reaction as he gets battered and bites the dog. The boys now
decide to play another game; they pretend they are veterinaries and start to
take care of the wounded animal.
Mrs Quick has invited her neighbours to tea, but Robert prefers the
company of ladies: he leaves for his office. His elder daughter comes running
after him to make sure he is alright. This last event makes him realise he can
control time.
The narrator calls the garden ' a wilderness'. What does this detail
from page 1 foreshadow?
'Her eyes were wide and glaring, her lip were curled back to show all
her teeth' (page 103 / line 33) What does that description evoke?
One of the daughters is repeatedly likened
to a dog. Justify by quoting two phrases from the text.
Most of the short-story is set in the Quicks' garden. What's the link with the title?
Growing up - Vocabulary
99-2 a note = un
message, un papier
99-4 a business
suit = un costume
99-9 to flag the car
= héler la voiture, faire signe
99-11 the pond = la
mare
100-8 council =
conseil (municipal, etc.)
100-9 the parish = la
paroisse
100-12 he would boast of
= il se vantait de
100-16 a masterpiece = un
chef d'oeuvre
100-24 a townsman = un
citadin
100-29 dismay = consternation,
désarroi
100-34 he dodged a tree =
il évita un arbre
101-5 waving = faire
un signe de la main
101-10 on
the swing = sur la balançoire
101-17 he despised = il
n'avait que du mépris
101-18 to flirt = flirter
avec
101-26 a slight wriggle of her behind = se
tortillant légèrement du derrière
101-28 honest = franc,
franche
101- 29 t they
never pretend = ils ne font jamais semblant
102-10 black nails = des
ongles noirs
102-11 a
cocker bitch = un cocker femelle
102-19 to gaze at = fixer
du regard
102-23 hurled it like a
spear = le projeta violemment comme une lance
102-24 a bark = un aboiement
102-25 wagging her behind
= remuant le derrière
102-28 gave a yell = poussa
un hurlement
102-33 pebbles = cailloux
103-9 a rake = un râteau
103-11 aimed a pea-stick
at him = le visa avec sa sarbacane
103-12 yield! = Rends-toi
!
103-25 ribs = les côtes
104-1 he was
strangling = il s'étouffait
104-5 snapped at his
face = essaya de le mordre au visage
104-8 she's bitten you
= elle t'a mordu
104-11 panting = essoufflée
104-15 to giggle = pouffer
de rire, rire sottement, glousser
104-27 his forehead = son
front
105-7 plump and bald =
rondouillard et chauve
105-8 upset = bouleversé,
en colère
105-22 frocks = robes
105-33 an old buffer = un
vieux fossile
105-33 to pay the bills =
payer les factures
106-2 a sense of
stuffiness = une sensation d'étouffement
106-11 a dreary bore = un
raseur ennuyeux comme la pluie
106-28 to stoop = se pencher
106-32 she poked the
plaster = elle appuya sur le sparadrap
107-3 the child
frowned = l'enfant fronça les sourcils, se renfrogna