Running Wild - Children and Rebellion
Texts:
J.G. Ballard, Running Wild (1990)
Ray Bradbury, "The Veldt" (1950)
Perfect Parents -Trophy
Kids
From Lionel Shriver, We Need To Talk About Kevin (2003), pp. 411-418
Written Assignment due 28.3. 08 :
Write an essay about Running Wild and ”The Veldt” where you
characterize the relationship between parents and children and explain and
discuss the children’s behavior.
Approx 800 words.
Translations:
1. Running Wild
En psykiater ved 'The Metropolitan Police' fortæller om sit forsøg på at
opklare og forklare den mystiske Pangbourne Massakre. De 32 voksne i det
eksklusive lille idealsamfund er blevet dræbt, og deres børn er sporløst
forsvundet.
2.
Columbine Style
Jeg har en veninde, som engang fortalte mig, at mens hun var teenager - da
hun var værst - havde hendes mor sagt: "I love you, but I don't like you". Det
blev meget bedre, efter at de nye hormoner blev lidt mere strukturerede.
Ovenstående vil give genklang hos de fleste forældre, der har eller har haft,
den tvivlsomme fornøjelse at gennemleve deres børn blive teenagers.
Men det er intet i forhold til, hvad vores mor, Eva Khatchadourian, i denne
roman må igennem.
Hun oplever, hvad der må være enhver forældres ultimative mareridt.
Få dage før sin 16 års fødselsdag dræber hendes søn Kevin syv af sine
klassekammerater, en lærer samt en af cafeteriaets medarbejdere. Vi er i USA,
hvis du skulle være i tvivl.
Bogen består primært af en række breve, som Eva sender til Kevins far efter
hvert besøg hos sønnen i fængslet. Det er stærke emotionelle sager, og den er
fantastisk velskrevet (romanen vandt The Orange Prize forrige år).
Plan for the reading of Running Wild
Monday Feb. 18th pp. 9-15 class discussion
Thursday Feb. 21st pp. 15-24 class discussion
Friday Feb. 22nd pp. 24-28 class discussion
Monday Feb. 25th pp. 28-39 group work
Thursday Feb. 28th pp. 39-51 group work
Friday Feb. 29th pp. 51-60 group work
Monday March 3rd pp. 60-78 group work
Worksheet pp. 9-15
Who is the author of the diary entries and why has he been brought into the
case (The Pangbourne Massacre)?
How much does Dr. Greville know at the time of writing the diaries and how
much does he know at the time of revising the entries? What is the effect of
this upon the reader?
What has happened at Pangbourne?
What type of community/estate is Pangbourne Village?
Who recorded the video and when?
What impression does the police video give us of the estate?
What details of the massacre does the video show?
Running Wild Worksheet pp. 15-24
What are the characteristic features of Pangbourne Village?
What kind of social development does the village reflect?
Characterize the social and economic status of the residents.
How is family life in the estate described and who and what is this
description based on?
What do the police files reveal about the children of Pangbourne Village?
What reasons does Dr. Greville have for believing the children are still
alive?
Describe the various murder theories and Dr. Greville’s comments to each of
them.
What conclusion does Dr. Greville arrive at?
pp. 24-28
When does Dr. Greville finally visit Pangbourne Village and what is the
situation like there? What do you think attracts the sightseers?
Describe the new murder theory broadcasted by BBC. What does it show us about
the British society in the late 80s?
What impression do we form of Sergeant Payne?
Give examples of how Dr. Greville and Sergeant Payne look differently upon
life in Pangbourne Village. How would you sum up their different points of view?
Comment on the following description of Sergeant Payne and Dr. Greville:
He [ Sergeant Payne]
watched me in his broody way, like a teacher patiently waiting for a dull
pupil to catch up with him. (p. 28) What does it suggest?
What do you think it has been like to grow up as a child in Pangbourne
Village?
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