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PART 1
Task 1: Getting the events in order
The following are things described in the first 18 chapters (2-67) Pages
1 to 55. Your task is to place them in order. You should also make a
note of whether the item is: (a) a quote, (b) an event in the case, (c) an
observation about life or (d) about Christopher.
Order
Item
Type
Christopher says he findspeople confusing
'for two main reasons' and then explains that
he thinks metaphors should be called lies.
Christopher does not like lies because it
makes him think about the infinite things that
did not happen, like a rhinoceros in the room.
Christopher sees 4 red cars in a row and
explains why that meant it was good day and
decided he would try and find out who killed
Wellington.
Christopher punches a policeman.
Christopher makes a plan of Randolph Street
and talks to Mr. Thompson.
Christopher pulls the fork out of the dog
,Wellington.
Siobhan said that I should write something I
wanted to read myself…But I do like murder
mystery novels.
I think prime numbers are like life. They are
very logical but you could never work out all
the rules, even if you spent all your time
thinking about them.
Christopher, who always tells the truth, is
given a caution and wants to know if it is like
a certificate he can keep.
Father was sitting on the sofa watching
snooker on the television and drinking
whisky. There were tears coming out of his
eyes.
Christopher knocks on Mrs. Shears' door and
she eventually tells him she will call the
police.
Quote P5 (Ch7)
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Task 2: Asperger’s Research Task
Although the novel does not specifically state that Christopher has
Asperger’s Syndrome, it is worth considering what makes Christopher
unique. This is especially important because the novel is not an exploration
of what it is like to have a known condition – rather, it is an exploration and
celebration of difference.
Go to the following web sites and read about Asperger’s Syndrome, then
answer the following questions.
http://www.thecass.com.au/index.php/aspergers/16-aspergers-the-facts/5classification
http://autismdigest.com/learning-to-read-facial-expressions/
1. Make a list of the main characteristics of this condition according
to the web site.
2. Undertake some research and find the names of three famous
people who are believed to have had Asperger’s Syndrome. What is
it about Asperger’s Syndrome that enables them to have a unique
skill and world view? How is Christopher similarly empowered
through his experiences with Asperger’s Syndrome?
3. List five things that Christopher says he likes.
4. List four things he does not like.
5. Find two quotes where Christopher explains his reasons for two of
the things he does not like.
The article below has some interesting things to say about some key ideas for the context we are
looking at in this unit (Coping with Change). Read it carefully and look carefully at what she has to
say about coping with change.
“My days of bludging rides were over Yumi Stynes I had a terrible car crash when I was a teenage
learner driver and it put me off driving for life. I was turning right at an intersection and didn't see
the approaching car. The crashing sound of metal and the look of horror on the other driver's face
will stay with me for the rest of my life. Luckily, no one was injured, but my selfconfidence took a
panel-beating and it was years before I got behind the wheel again. Soon after, I was a backseat
passenger in a car that had a frightful collision with a police car. The cops were running a red light
chasing a baddie. Smash! I flew out of my seat and landed next to my mother, who was the front
passenger, and for a moment I hallucinated that her legs were mincemeat, and I saw a future of
metal braces, casts and wheelchairs. My premonition was wrong, and again, no one was hurt. But I
couldn't see any point in getting my driver's licence since it was obvious that I would end up killing
myself or, worse, somebody else. Somehow I got through four years of horrendous commuting to a
suburban university without learning to drive. As soon as I was able, I lived my adult life in the inner
city, where walking and public transport were actually viable options. I never had to be the sober
one at a party, I never thought twice about finding a parking spot and I knew nothing about cars. For
seven years I thought my partner drove a Toyota, when in fact he drove a Holden. It wasn't until that
particular partner and I split up and I found myself alone - a single mum with two young daughters that I took a proper look at myself and said, "Grow up." I took a proper look at myself and said,
"Grow up."2.18 My days of bludging rides were over. My days of doing the grocery shopping and
carrying everything home on foot; they were over, too. I needed to buy family-sized quantities of
food, not just what I could lug home with two hands and a backpack. But most of all, I had to get
those kids to and from school! I needed to be able to drive a car. I couldn't opt out any more. It felt
very grown-up, setting a goal. My goal was a date: Friday the 13th in two months' time. I would sit
for my Ps that Friday, and I would get my driver's licence and I would be a Fully Competent Mum. I
took driving lessons - just two, because I couldn't afford more. And my beautiful, patient friends who
had been driving me around for 10 years sat in the passenger seats of their cars and allowed me to
terrify them while they coaxed me through the rules and the rights and wrongs. (It was around this
time that I started the habit of nervously chewing gum every time I drove, and I still keep packets of
the stuff in the glovebox.) On the day of the test I drove to the RTA in my ex-boyfriend's car, which
was covered in dings. My friend Julie patiently sat reading a book among the chaos and nerves,
ready to drive me home if I failed. Full of optimism, I'd applied make-up that morning in case they
ended up taking my photo for my licence. I had on lipgloss and eyeliner and took the time to brush
my hair. A lovely old Polish man took me for my test. I made sure to mention that none of the dents
on my ex's car were my fault (untrue) and that I was a single mum, on the off-chance that he might
feel sorry for me. We drove a well-worn route near the RTA office, where you can often see learner
drivers hunched over steering wheels in ill-fitting family vehicles. There's a traffic light I sometimes
jog past that I can't look at without remembering sitting there next to my Polish friend, thankful for
the red light, because every moment we idled there was a moment where I wasn't driving and
couldn't stuff up. After our return to the RTA, I filled in a form and fluttered around Julie, taking
photos and waiting for the good - or bad - news. I passed. With that, my life changed. The cool winds
of freedom blew over everything. Visiting friends? Yes. Need groceries? I'll get the car. Play date? Big
Day Out festival? Waterslide park? Things that used to be so hard suddenly became so easy. When
my girls wanted to go camping or fishing, I could take them. And when they looked at me, I was a
Fully Competent Mum, who wasn't helpless, who could Do Stuff, who could change and adapt to
circumstances and wasn't Relying on Someone Else. That first day I had my licence, still wearing
make-up, I drove by myself to the hardware store and bought a few things to fix up the house.
Taking a moment to catch my breath as I sat parked in the driver's seat, I pulled out my phone and
took a photo of myself, smiling and swollen with contentment. That's the photo I still use for my
Twitter profile. Me, in the driver's seat, steering. “I passed. With that, my life changed.”
SEND Task 3: Questions about the article
Read the article and answer the following 4 questions:
1. What things lead Yumi to tell herself that she should “grow up”? (List at least three things she
decided were important enough for her to decide to end her days of ‘bludging’ rides)
2. Why do you think it was an important decision, in what ways does it symbolize a stage in
becoming “grown up?”
3. Why do you think she says “my life changed” rather than just “I had my licence?”
4. List at least two things you believe are important steps in your life. Pick things which you think are
important enough for you to say: “and with that my life changed” and briefly explain why
PART 2
Task 1: Use of narrative elements
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1. Create
Graphics:
your own mind map
a)
b)
c)
d)
How does Christopher try to use the piece of paper that Siobhan draws
faces on?
Why doesn't this strategy help him?
The author uses many graphical elements throughout the novel. For what
purpose might he include these elements?
“Other people have pictures in their heads, too. But they are different but
the pictures in my head are all pictures of things which really happened.
But other people have pictures in their heads of things which aren’t real
and didn’t happen.”
Christopher makes a key observation about the reason people store
images in their minds. What is this reason and how is it similar to one of
his key life strategies?
2.
Reflection:Pick an example of a reflection such as: the reflection in Chapter 67
(p45) about strangers, or the one in chapter 113 (p. 96) about memory, or the
reflection from chapter 181 (p.177) about what he does at new places.
a) Explain what the reflection is about.
b) What does it reveal about Christopher and his way of thinking?
c)
Write a short reflection of your own about yourself and the way you
cope with either strangers, remembering things or new places.
3. Pick one other example of a narrative element from the tables above and
explain:
a) Why you think it is important in the book.
b) How it contributes to our understanding of Christopher.
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Task 2: Language features questions
Create your own mind map
Christopher tells the story in the first person (we see things only from his
perspective), and as a result it is only his viewpoint that we see. In this story
we must rely only upon Christopher’s version of events. When a writer uses
this writing style it is called ‘the first person limited narrator’.
1.
Write out the opening sentence.
How does it set the scene and/or draw you into the story?
2.
Try to copy the writing style that the author has used in the novel to
describe a friend or someone in your own family. You might like to look at
page 4 or 5 in chapter 23 for some examples of the way in which
Christopher describes his own family.
Themes in the novel
The novel exploresseveral themes:
• Truth: Christopher dislikes things which are not true. His quest is to find
out the truth. To do so he finds that there are times when he has to avoid
telling the truth.
• Following the rules: Christopher lives by a strict set of rules about
things he does and does not do. He also knows that he has been told not
to investigate. Despite this he is quite selective about how he interprets
what the rules really mean. He appears to be very inflexible, but he
successfully finds a way around the rules when it suits him to do so.
• Making difficult decisions: Christopher has to make some difficult
decisions. His father has also made some difficult decisions which he
believes are in Christopher's best interest.
• Christopher's view of the world: Christopher's observations of the
behaviour of the people he deals with are often very insightful. His
observations serve to point out the peculiarities of many of the things
we take for granted. The footnote on p.60 about telling the truth is an
excellent example. His observations about metaphors and idioms are
amusing and highlight the rather absurd nature of most of them.
• The nature of intelligence: Christopher is very smart. His memory is
excellent as are his use of logic and reasoning and mathematical skills.
People underestimate him and his abilities on several occasions. Despite
this, he is both empowered by his abilities and trapped by the fact that
these are occasionally hampered by social skills. This raises a number of
questions about the nature of intelligence.
• Logic: The novel is full of small anecdotes about reasoning and decision
making which are both useful and informative.
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Task 3: A question on themes
Create
own
mind map
1. Pickyour
one of
the themes
above (or identify one of your own) and write a short
paragraph about it.
a. Which incidents best illustrate the theme?
b. Provide a quote that illustrates the theme well.
c. What can we learn from the book about the theme you have
selected?
Part 3
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Task 1: Key questions - chapters 7 to 101
Answer the following questions on the events and features of the novel.
Adapted from:http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/english/standard/close_study/3772/dog.htm
Chapter 7
1. A humorous and unique aspect of the novel is Christopher’s descriptions of
the different characters. Christopher has his own way of describing people
like Siobhan, (p.5) Mr Jeavons (p5) and Mrs Shears in chapter 5 (p.4).
a) What sorts of details does he choose to report about Mr Jeavons?
b) How do the descriptions of people add humour to the novel?
Chapter 17
2. Although the main story develops in a linear fashion (beginning, middle and
end in the order that things happen), the chapters and sections of the
chapters often digress or move away from this central story.
a) Find an example of a digression in chapter 17
b) How do the digressions in the book help us to understand Christopher’s
way of thinking?
Chapter 17
3. The dialogue between Christopher and others highlights the barriers
between them.
a) What is Christopher thinking about as he is driven to the police station?
b) Why is this surprising and what does this emphasise about Christopher?
Chapter 19
4. Christopher believes that prime numbers are like life: ‘They are very logical
but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent your time thinking
about them’.
a) Do you agree?
b) Why do you think Christopher believes this?
Chapter 29
5. Christopher cannot understand and does not intentionally use metaphors
such as ‘They had a skeleton in the cupboard' or 'We had a real pig of a day'.
a) Look at Christopher's explanation of why he thinks these are lies, then
pick one of the other examples of a metaphor from Christopher's list on
p.19 and explain:
1. What the metaphor usually means.
2. Why Christopher would say it is a lie.
Chapter 31
6. This chapter includes a footnote. This is just one of several distinctive
features of this novel.
a) In what type of text are footnotes normally found?
b) Why is it appropriate for Christopher to use them in his story?
c) Why does Christopher not object to the idea of a simile?
Chapter 37
7. Christopher is a complex mixture of opposites. He is logical but he can also
appear to others to be irrational and unable to control his emotional
responses.
a) Why are lies and fiction (stories made up) challenging for him?
Chapter 73
8. This chapter provides us with a clear description of Christopher’s family
dynamics.
a) What do the footnotes and the list reveal about Christopher and the
effect on his family of his condition?
b) What is the significance of the last sentence?
Chapter 97
9. When Christopher sees 5 red cars in a row he knows he will have a ‘super
good day’ and that something special will happen. Christopher continues his
investigation of the murder despite instructions from his father not to. In
this chapter Christopher uses logic to free himself so that he can justify his
decision to find out more. He shows that it is possible for him to select
which rules he will obey and which ones he will ignore.
a) What is his reasoning in this case? (p72)
b) Is it completely logical in your view or an example of a 'version' of the
truth?
c) What is your response to discovering that Christopher can be quite
selective about which ‘rules’ and ‘truths’ he prefers?
Chapter 101
10. In this chapter Christopher
explains about the Monty
Hall Problem.
a) What comparison does
Christopher make
between the Monty
Hall Problem and life?
b) What is the message
of the Monty Hall
Problem described in
this chapter?
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Task 2: Key questions – chapters 107 to 167
Answer the following questions on the events and features of the novel.
Adapted from:http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/english/standard/close_study/3772/dog.htm
Chapter 107
11. This chapter appears to be a digression. This one isabout Sherlock Holmes
and it actually reveals an important part of Christopher's thinking about the
value of the information he has collected in his investigation.
a) What two lists does he make about the story?
b) Why does Christopher like Sherlock Holmes and how has reading the
story helped Christopher in his thinking processes about his own
investigation?
c) In what ways is Christopher's mind like Sherlock Holmes' mind?
Chapter 113
12. Christopher explains why he is so good at remembering things in this
chapter.
a) How does he describe his memory?
b) What are the benefits and disadvantages of this type of memory?
Chapter 139
13. Christopher includes ‘The Case of the Cottingley Fairies’. It appears to be
another digression about a story but like 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' in
chapter 107, it also records an important step in solving the curious incident.
Christopher makes two very important observations about this and the
Shepperson article.
a) What observations does Christopher make?
b) How does each one relate to Christopher's investigation?
Chapter 149
14. Christopher displays some very good detecting skills in this chapter.
a) What are two of the skills Christopher displays when he finds the
letter but hears his father coming home?
b) What conclusionsdoes Christopher draw from what he discovers?
Chapter 157
15. A large section of this chapter is devoted to Christopher’s mother’s letters.
a) How does Christopher respond to the discovery of the letters and
their contents?
b) Why does the author choose to include so many of them?
c) What do we learn about Judy Boone and her relationship with her
son?
d) Why did Christopher’s father hide the truth about Christopher’s
mother?
Chapter 167
16. This is the chapter where we discover who killed the dog.
a) Who killed Wellington and why?
b) What does this tell us about human relationships?
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Task 3: Key questions – chapters 179 - 223
Answer the following questions on the events and features of the novel.
Adapted from:http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/english/standard/close_study/3772/dog.htm
Chapter 179
1.
Christopher is forced to make some difficult decisions in this chapter.
a) What techniques does Christopher use to make a decision?
b) How does the author show us Christopher’s thought processes and
emotions?
Chapter 191
2.
In the first section of the book Christopher is in a familiar and (relatively)
safe environment. Although we learn of many of his disabilities, he also
displays his remarkable abilities.
a) What do we realise about him in this second section of the novel?
Chapter 227
3.
In this chapter Christopher finds the courage he needs to use the
underground even though he does not understand it.
a) Why does Mother make ‘a loud wailing noise like an animal on a nature
program on television’ when she discovers Christopher had been told
she had died?
b) Why does she want to hold his hand?
c) What does Christopher’s refusal tell you about whether Christopher’s
adventure has changed him in any way?
Chapter 229
4.
Christopher dreams his favourite dream.
a) Describe Christopher’s favourite dream.
b) Why is it his favourite?
Chapter 233
5.
Christopher takes his A level examination in Mathematics.
a) Why is it so important to Christopher that he takes his Maths A level
examination?
b) What is the relevance of Christopher’s mother’s failure to recognise
this?
c) The novel ends on a positive note. What is your response to the closing
paragraph? How would you like the novel to end?
Journal task
This is an important task for you to do in your journal. It will be a useful
resource for your essay writing. (You should think of your journal as an
'idea bank' where you can record and develop your thoughts in an informal
way.) This task looks at whether 'The Curious Incident of The Dog in The
Night-Time' is actually a murder mystery novel.
“This is a murder mystery novel.” (Chapter 7)
At the beginning of Chapter 7 Christopher tells us that ‘This is a murder
mystery novel.’Your aim in this journal task is to ask if Christopher's story
does have all or most of the essential elements of a good murder mystery
novel. Murder mystery novelsare a genre. A genre is a term we use to
describe a story which has a specific set of features and characteristics
which make it recognisable as belonging to a long established style.
The following is a list of the features which are often said to be the essential
features of the murder mystery genre
Murder Mystery Conventions
Murder mysteries have the following components:
• A slightly unusual but truthful, intelligent and possibly isolated main
character (protagonist)
• A crime, usually a murder
• A suspect/ villain
• Clues and red herrings
• Exposure of the main character to danger, challenges, confrontation
and conflict
• A resolution/ the suggestion that order has been returned to the
world
• A moral/ message
• A setting of moral decay, the challenges of difficult situations or
problems
Journal Task 1: Writing about the murder mystery genre
1. Choose two items from the list above and write a response, giving
your opinion about whether 'The Curious Incident of The Dog in The
Night-Time' has all the key features of a murder mystery novel.
Make sure you mention examples to support your views about
which features of a murder mystery novel that 'The Curious
Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time' does or does not have.
A reminder about additional tasks.There is an additional task for all
students after the work on ‘Ink Bridge’(Task 3)