7/29/2010

Table of Content

1. Character Sketch
2. Novel/poem Compare and Contrast Frame
3. Name the Chapter
4. Inquiry Question Guide
5. Hypertext Response Project
6. Re enactment Criteria Guide
7. Persuasive Essay

Character Sketch

The Best Enemy


Had you ever have a friend who you hang out with since childhood? A friend who loves you but hates you at the same time? I met Jin when I was in kindergarten. Until the day I came to Canada, we were best friends and enemies. Just like Dunny Ramsay and Percy Boyd Staunton, we love each other, but we compete with each other as well.


I could not remember the exact day and location of where I met her. The only thing I know was that I was friend with her from the earliest I had when I was young. When we were still in kindergarten, we competed with all things; who will be the first one to finish the milk, who come back from the toilet the fastest, and whose father or mother is better. There were pictures taken from a time which I had lost a competition and crying to my parents that Jin bullied me. I still remember the last day of kindergarten; we hugged and cried that we did not want to leave each other. We cried to our parents to let us stay in kindergarten forever and promised we would never compete again. "...the fact that I did not love them did not prevent me from liking them very much." (Davies, p.107) At that time, we did not know that there was only one elementary school in our village. So we met again in elementary school and we were in the same class throughout the six years. We competed with our marks on every subject. I was better in Chinese and Math. She was better in English and Gym. Art was the weak point for both of us. We always laugh at each other’s drawing after the art class.


I had a bad temper back then. My mother went to Canada when I was in Grade.3 and my father was busy all the time. The fact that no one taking cares me might have giving me the selfishness and cockiness. I got mad on very little things. I remember one time when I was playing hide and seek with Jin, I got mad because I could not find her. I locked the door of the room and went out to buy some snacks. When I came back, I didn't hear a sound from the room, I was scared. I quickly opened the door and saw Jin lay down on the floor. I cried, I thought Jin was dead, but actually Jin was just sleeping because she was bored in the room. After that “accident”, I started to change. I started to listen to other people’s opinions, especially Jin’s. I began to realize that no one was meant for you to tease. People who didn't make a sound for your humiliation were the ones that wanted to be good to you, and you should not be bad to this kind of people. "I had seen a good deal of egotism in my life, and I know that it starved love for anyone else and sometimes burned it out completely."(Davies, p.207)


Last time we cried together was in the airport. I was moving to Canada and she was moving to downtown for her new school. We promised we would never forget each other and we would be best friends forever. “Don’t get lazy when you get there because there was no Jin to compete with you.” She said with a crying tone. It concluded my eleven years living in China and I would never forget this line for the rest of my life.

Novel/ Poem Compare and Contrast Frame



Broken Mirrors by Lara Roberts



Here I stand,

Trapped inside this mirror.

Frozen in this hollow glass

While this monster of myself

Roams the land under a mask of my face.

One day I will be free of her

Banging on these walls,

These walls that close in on me.

I am the girl in the mirror,

The girl that you see when you look in the glass.

I know that here I'll stay

Until the day that you open your mind.


I cry for this glass to break,

Freeing you, tortured soul,

While the monsters of the world

Howl and scream their lies of hate in your mind.

I know that we won't survive

The banging on these walls,

These dark walls that just close in.

I am the girl in the mirror,

The girl that they see when they look in your dead eyes.

I know that we'll be here,

In our fear,

Till we open our minds.

Name that Chapter

Name the Chapter

Part 1 How everything had begun

Percy’s snowball hit Mrs. Dempster and caused her into premature labour. Dunny was feeling guilt for Mrs. Dempster’s simplicity and Paul’s premature birth, eventhough he didn’t throw the snowball. Dunstan taught Paul how to do magic tricks. He was banned from ever going to the Dempster’s house and see Mary and Paul because he taught Paul how to play poker. People thought Mary Dempster was insane, but she brought Willie back to life. Dunny went to war.

I think Chapter was an introduction to the book. It told us about how Dunny’s life was affected by the snowball accident. Not only Dunny had changed his life style, he also grew up by all that he had been through. He had his own opinions towards things and not believing in what others say blindly.

Part.2 Rebirth

Dunny was injured because the Germans were expecting his troop, the last thing he saw before he passed out was a VISION OF Mary Dempster in front of a statue of the Immaculate Conception. He found out that his parents had died in the 1918 Influenza Epidemic when he was in the hospital. Diana, who was his nurse, discussed their relationship with Dunny and ended up parting as friends. Dunny returned to the village as a hero even though he did not believe himself to be one. Dunny felt more obliged to help Mrs.Dempster because Amasa Dempster had died of the flu and Paul left to join the circus.

Dunny saw a bigger view of the world. He experiences death and killing. His injury had made him believe in saints and think that Mrs. Dempster was the saint in his life. When Dunny who was now called Dunstan had come back to the village, he figured that he was not in love with Leola at all; she was just like a trophy girl.

Part3. Searching for Hope

1919, Dunstan was studying history in University of Toronto. At the same time, Percy had changed his name to Boy Staunton and made a lot of money through investments. He tried to date women when he was teaching in a college but with no success because he was extremely self conscious with women. Dunstan discovered that Joel Surgeoner was the tramp that had intercourse with Mrs. Dempster and now he was a God-feared man. He had found Mary Dempster in the Weston and Paul in a circus performing magic tricks.

Saint symbolizes hope and grace. Dunstan traveled around Europe to learn about saints because it was what he believed in. He tried to convince Paul to go back to his mother but was rejected with hatred. Dunstan thought Mrs. Dempster would like to see Paul, therefore he thought if he brought Paul back, it would be the repay for what he had done.



Part4. Lose and Gain

Staunton’s tips had saved Dunstan from the great depression. He told Dunstan that he wanted to make Leola into a perfect Executive’s wife but with no success. Dunstan visited Mrs. Dempster every half of a month and became her guardian after her aunt’s death in 1932. All of Dunstan’s time was take up with teaching, taking care of Mrs. Dempster, and watching Staunton’s destruction of Leola. Dunstan spent time with Mr. Padre Ignacio Blazon, the editor of the Jesuits’ magazine, to talk about saints and Dustan’s past. Leola commit suicide after a fight with Staunton and left a letter saying that she’d always loved him.

It was impossible to change a person when that person did not have the will to change. Leola was happy with what she had but Staunton was not; he wanted more. Also, the more Dunstan tried to do for Mrs. Demspter, the more he felt guilt for her because he would always thinking that there was not enough and it could be done better. Every time he did something for her, he would feel that he could do more.

Part5. Pay for the Gate

Because of Staunton’s absence in Ottawa, Leola sank into a even more of depression and ended up dying of Pneumonia in 1942. Dunstan was resigning from the school he taught during the Second World War and took a six month leave of absence. Dunstan was in Guadalupe searching churches for saints and found Paul, who changed his name into Magnus Eisengrim, and gave back his wallet from the last time. Dunstan wrote an autobiography on Paul and got a half-share in the royalties. Dunstan was infatuated with Faustina, who was a worker in Paul’s team, and eventually felt that he loved her. Liesl told him that he was the Fifth Business who has no opposite of the other sex and knows the secret of the hero’s birth, or assists the heroine when she thinks all is lost, or keeps the hermitess in her cell.

Dunstan had discovered Faustina’s relationship with Liesl. He changed his way of thinking, viewing things, and gained courage to step into matters instead of just be the watcher of the game.

Part6. What hides inside

Dunstan came back for Mary Dempster after the war. He told her about Paul and he believed that there was a plot that she seemed to become even madder. Staunton told Dunstan that he wanted to leave everything behind now because he had done everything that he ever wanted to do. Mrs. Dempster died, Dunstan had her cremated and begged for forgiveness because he felt he did not love enough. Boy Staunton was found dead, and Dunstan believed that it was Paul who had murder him because they three had a conversation about Mrs. Dempster’s insanity the day before Staunton’s death. Staunton didn’t show any guily which had made Paul mad, therefore he committed murder and put the stone which was once in the snowball into his mouth.

It was Dunstan’s first act to face his guilt in all the years he had lived. He had finally released from his guilt. He was able to tell Paul the truth of his mother and the reason of how she was insane was a very brave act of his.

Inquiry Question Guide

What is the author's cultural and personal background?

Robertson Dacies was born on August 28, 1913. He was a writer, jornalist and professor. He was born in a very wealthy family. His father was a Canadian senator. He received the best educaton when he was young. He became a editor for a magazine when he graduated from Oxford University in England. In hislife, he had wrote 18 books, plays, and jornals. He taught lierature for 21 years and passed away in 1995.

What about this author's background qualifies him/her to write this novel?

Robertson Davies had made the setting of the book in where he was born and spent most of his life time of. He grew up in a small town like Dunstan did and he also had a same career routine as him. Roberson might have projected his life onto Dunstan.

How does the author's personal and cultural background tie into the storyline?

Davies and Percy became rich from their father's agricultural businesses. Both men were enlisted in WWI, went into politics to hold cabinet positions, and strengthened Canada's ties with the mother country during her time of need.And the most convincing parallel is that Boy becomes the Chair of the Board of Governors that runs the school Ramsay teaches at, much as Robertson Davies spent his career at the University of Toronto as the head Professor of Massey College.

How can the author's background tie into poetry and performance?

Robertson Davies had used his impression of his hometown wisely in his novel. He used the information he had to describe Dunstan's childhood. He added fictional events into his own exprience, rearranged it and had his novel a half-memoir of himslef. He expressed his knowledge towards humanity and evil through Ramsay.

Questions

1. Why was Robertson Davies used first-person point of view to write theis novel?
2. What is the meaning of "Fifth busness"?Why the author choose this title?
3. What caused Dunstan to hide his guilt?
4. What message did the Davies wanted to give to the readers?
5. Do you think Mary Dempster is a saint? Why?
6. What did you learn from the novel? How?
7. How was the setting of the novel affects the plots?
8. What's the name of his first book?
9. Why was this novel considered as "play with the readers' minds"?
10. Why did people say Percy killed himself?

Hypertext Response Project

a.






"Our village was so small that you came on it at once; it lacked the dignity of outskirts.” (Davies,p.4)




b.




"This is the end. Boy does not love me and you don't either so it is best for me to go. Think of me sometimes. I always loved you." (Davies, p.180)





c.



"This is one of the cruelties of the theatre of life; we all think of ourselves as stars and rarely recognize it when we are indeed mere supporting characters or even supernumeraries." (Davies,p.13)



d.


"...a certainty that faith was a psychological reality, and that where it was not invited to fasten itself on things unseen, it invaded and raised bloody hell with things seen. Or in other words, the irrational will have its say, perhaps because 'irrational' is the wrong word for it." (Davies, p.187)

Poem
Nightmare

I woke up from the nightmare,
with tears in my eye;
what had I done?

Blood was all over the place,
there was a knife;
a little girl crying in front of me.

There are crazy knockings at the door,
the smell of human flesh;
what had I done?

Re enactment Criteria Guide

What event or scene had the most action?

When Dunstan was at war and was attacked by ther German.

What event made you laugh?

When Percy was telling his story about Leola with Dunstan.

What event gave you a lump in your throat?

When Dunstan was searching for Mrs. Dempster when he came back from Europe.

What event shocked or surprised you?

Percy's death shocked me because I would never thought Paul would has the gut to do things like this.

What event do you select to write a poem for?

The searching of Mrs. Dempster

By my side

Let me be your shelter,
let me be your light.
You are safe,
I had found you;
Your tears are far behind you.
Share with me one life time,
and I will follow you.

Persuasive Essay

“I was determined that if I could not take care of Mrs. Dempster, nobody else should do it. She was mine.”(Davies, p.180) What would you think when you first see this quotation? You might think that this is a quote from a boy to his girlfriend, or something like that. What if I say, this quote was from a little boy to a married women? Would you think that the little was insane? Some people might think that it is a quote from a son to his mother, but what if I told you that the little and the married women were just neighbours. The little had also said that he loves Mrs. Dempster clearly, but was it really what he means?

Mrs. Dempster was a young but pregnant woman. She got hit by a snowball when she was taking a walk with her husband on the street. A chain reaction had occurred, like when you were playing domino; one fell down and the others would fell down too. She was having a premature labour and little Paul Dempster was born. She was insane which was considered by the other people. Her husband beat her and tied her on a stake with ropes around her so she would not escape. These events happened only because Dunny dodged from the snowball that was meant for him. He felt guilt throughout his life and did not have a chance to release himself until the he was in his sixties. He finally told everything to Percy and Paul which had lead to the murder of Percy because Paul knew that it was Percy who threw the snowball.

After the snowball accident, Dunny had never forgiven himself. He did everything he can to help out in the Dempster’s throughout his life time. When he was young, he did chores for the Dempster’s every day after school. He was known with “the watch dog for the Dempster’s”. Percy was the only friend he had in school because he did not have the time to met new friends and play with them. The revivification of Dunny’s brother Willie had deepened his guilt. Mrs. Dempster had save his brother from death, but he did not save her from the snowball. When Dunny grew older and came back from the war, he had discovered that Amasa Dempster was dead in the flu when he was at war and Mary Dempster was brought out of the village by her aunt. Dustan was searching for her for a year, and he finally found her in Weston. After that, he was taking care of Mrs. Dempster again, and after her aunt’s death, Dunstan had become the guardian of Mary Dempster too. Dunstan putted her into a public hospital during the Second World War and transfers her back to a private hospital after he had come back to Canada. He told Mrs. Dempster that he had found Paul which pulled her from her dream to the reality. This news had made Mary Dempster’s condition worse and a year after, she was dead. Dunstan felt more guilt within himself. He thought he was the cause of Mary Dempster’s tragic life and he was the one that had pushed her to the cliff of death.

In the quote, “I was determined that if I could not take care of Mrs. Dempster, nobody else should do it. She was mine.” (Davies, p.180), Dunstan’s emotion towards Mary Dempster was not what it seem on the surface. He said no one should take care of Mrs. Dempster except for him because he wanted to expiate for his mistake. He wanted to make up for what he had done which had caused the down fall of Mary Dempster and her family. All he had done was dodged from a snowball; Mary Dempster’s life had changed just by this one small accident, and also Dunstan’s. Every time Dunstan wanted to give and do more things to Mary Dempster, his guilt was never decreased. The more he gave to her, the more that he wanted to do for her. He always thought that all the things he had done could be better. All the things he had given were not enough. He did not have enough time to expiate to Mary Dempster; therefore he did not want any other people to be good to her. He did not want to be compared with other people.

Dunstan had once said that he loved Mary Dempster. It was not love, it was his guilt that had made him said he love her. Love was just a put-off for Dunstan to be good to Mrs. Dempster. The other people did not know that Dunstan was the one who had dodged from the snowball and made it to hit at Mary Dempster. He feared that other people would notice his guilt and found out his sin. Therefore he claimed that he was in love with Mary Dempster because he wanted himself to believe in this. He wanted to hide from his guilt and at the same time expiate his mistake by the pretence of loving her.

Dunstan had taken a good care of Mrs. Dempster. He did not break his promise and had devoted his whole life for her. Even after Mary Dempster’s death, Dunstan’s guilt towards Mary Dempster was never ended until he had spoken the truth of what had actually happened in the accident to Percy and Paul. Even though Dunstan was released from the guilt which had tortured him throughout his life time, he was quickly stepped into another one, the death of Percy. Paul was a suspect of this accident. Dunstan could not indict him because he had owed too much for the Dempster’s family. Dunstan’s life was filled up with his guilty to other people. Was he really a “Fifth Business”?