Flamingo - Chapter 8 Going Places - A.R.Barton Summary, Glossary, Questions, And Answers Summary - The story," Going Places" is w...
Flamingo - Chapter 8
Going Places - A.R.Barton
Summary, Glossary, Questions, And Answers
Summary - The story," Going Places" is written by modern writer A.R.Barton and he explores the theme of daydreaming and fantasizing by teenagers. In the story, the central character is Sophie, who has a very close friend and classmate, Jansie, a brother Geoff, a father and a little brother Dereck. She is an extrovert girl a wants to lead a lavish life like having her own boutique shop, to become a fashion designer or an actress. She is fascinated by a young football player, Danny Casey. Jansie, being a practical girl always shows her reality.
She imagines the story that she had met Danny Casey and wants her brother Geoff to believe, but nobody believes her story, but after continuous insistence, Geoff believes her. She tells him that Danny will come to meet her and for a long time she waits for him but he does not come. Actually, she had never met Danny, only she had seen him in the football match. It was her own imaginary story but she was so lost in love that she does not want to come out of it. Finally, she comes home with a broken heart.
Glossary -
1. earmarked - designated for a particular purpose
2. melancholy - a feeling of pensive sadness
3. scooping - emptying
4. grimy - serious
5. stooped - bend one's head or body forward and downward
6. incongruity - something strangeness when considered together with other aspects of the situation
7. cluttered - cover or fill with an untidy collection of things
8. kneeling - being in a praying position, at the knees
9. tinkering - mending, repairing
10. exotic - unique
11. instinctively - without conscious thought
12. frowning - disapproval expression
13. arcade-covered passage with arches on one or both sides
14. chastened - to correct by punishment
15. grunt - a low sound made by an animal
16. wriggled - twist and turn movements
17. disdain - considered to be unworthy
18. reverently - with deep respect
19. grimaced - an ugly expression
20. prodigy - talented, amazing
21. jeered - make rude comments
22. ecstatic - happy
23. inquisition - a period of prolonged questioning, interrogation
24. gawky - nervously awkward teenager
25. chuffed - very pleased
26. wharf - boat landing area
27. unceasing - continuously
28. drone - a continuous low humming sound
29. muffled - wrap or cover for warmth
30. pangs of doubt - a sudden brief sharp feeling, as of loneliness, physical pain or hunger
31. despondent - despair
32. envisage - imagine
33. propped - support
34. reddening - make or become red, blush
35. shimmer - cover with a soft light
36. guzzles- a small antelope
37. lumbering - moving in a slow, awkward way
38. Hovered - remain in one place in the air
39. exultant - triumphantly happy, jubilant
40. approbation - approval
Think as you read -
1. Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
Ans - It was most likely that the two girls would fund work in a biscuit factory after school, but Sophie always wanted to have her own boutique shop in the city.
2. What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams?
Ans - Out of her ambition, Sophie always wanted to do a sophisticated job and more and more money. She had a dream of opening a boutique shop of her own or working as a fashion designer or an actress, but neither did she have enough money or experience. On the other hand, Jansie was a practical girl and always preferred to live in the real world. She knew that without enough money or experience, Sophie could not fulfill her dream so she always discouraged Sophie.
3. Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
Ans - Sophie was an ambitious and imaginative girl. She always dreamed about something new and fascinating. She was a great fan of Danny Casey who was a young football player and according to her, she was sharing the secret only with his brother that she had met Danny Casey also she wanted that Geoff should not share it with anybody, especially her father, because in that case her father would be very angry and scold her, therefore she wriggled at the table when Geoff shared her secret to her father.
4. Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Ans - No, Geoff does not believe Sophie when she said about her meeting with Danny Casey, rather he questioned his appearance.
5. Does her father believe her story?
Ans - No, her father does not believe her story as he knew about her nature rather he remarked her story as another wild story.
6. How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in the fantasy of her future?
Ans - Sophie was very closely attached to her brother Geoff. She was a very extroverted girl but on the other hand, Geoff was a kind of introvert and silent nature. She always thought that Geoff must have a group of friends, wear beautiful outfits and let her ride on his bike and move around the city, at the same time he would carry her to meet Danny Casey.
7. Which country did Danny Casey play for?
Ans - Danny Casey was playing for the Ireland football team.
8. Why didn't Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
Ans - Sophie shared her imaginary secret of meeting Danny Casey only to her brother Geoff and she did not want that her classmate Jansie should know this secret because she believed that if Jansie had known the secret, she would have told everyone around her house, then her father would get very angry and murder her.
9. Did Sophie really meet Casey?
Ans - No, Sophie never met Danny Casey. She might have seen him when he was playing a football match from a far distance but as of her nature of creating new fantasies and daydreaming, she had imagined the whole story about meeting Danny and how they spent some quality time together.
10. Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?
Ans - The only occasion when Sophie saw Danny Casey in person in a Saturday football match with Geoff, her father, and little brother Dereck where Danny was playing for United who won the match by two-nil(2- 0).
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT -
1. Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?
Ans - Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends but their characters were completely opposite to each other. Sophie was a daydreamer and always fond of creating new fantasies such as having her own boutique shop, becoming a fashion designer, an actress, or a manager besides the fact she was not having enough money or experience also out of fascination she created an unrealistic fantasy about footballer Danny Casey and in the end, she had to face several disappointments.
On the other hand, Jansie was a practical girl, she had a clear-cut vision of their middle-class economy and limitation and therefore she always warned Sophie to remain in the real world.
2. How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie's father?
Ans - Sophie's father was a strict, aggressive, hardworking, and practical personality. He was fond of eating and never took an interest in the affairs of his children. He was a football lover like other members of the family, but always scolded Sophie for her unrealistic behavior there she was always scared of her father.
3. Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective what did he symbolize?
Ans - Sophie's elder brother Geoff was a silent young boy who was working as a trainee mechanic, spoke always little such that she was jealous of his silence, but she always find herself close to Geoff because she believed he would not disclose her secret to anyone. Another reason could be that they belonged to the same age group and were scared of her father. So he was the only person in the family to share emotions, so she liked him.
4. What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family's financial status?
Ans - Sophie belonged to a lower-middle-class family and indicators that show her family's financial status was, she was working in a biscuit factory, her brother left school and was working as a trainee mechanic, they were living in a small smoky house, her father had a bicycle to go for a job.
Talking about the text -
1. Sophie's dreams and disappointments are all in her mind -
Ans - Sophie belonged to a middle-class family. She was working in a biscuit factory on daily wages and was not earning enough money but she always wanted to lead a life in a very lavish and luxurious style, earn more money, name, and fame as quickly as possible. But the fact was miles away from her, so to satisfy her dreams, she started daydreaming and creating unreal fantasies. She always thought to have her own boutique shop in the city, working as a manager, as a fashion designer, or as an actress but unfortunately, she was neither have enough money or experience. At the same time, she created a fantasy about having a love affair with famous footballer Danny Casey. But all her dreams were unreal, far away from reality, just in her mind, so she always had to face several disappointments in her life.
2. It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasizing-
Ans - It is often said by elderly people that teenage is a very important, crucial as well dangerous in one's life, therefore parents are always advised to keep an eye on teenagers because this age is full of desire, energy, and imagination but lack of worldly experience and patience, and they are eager to achieve everything in the life as fast as they could, also they quickly get inspired by their favourite personalities and want to become exactly like them.
Benefits - If someone guides them by observing their skills and potential, and channelize their power and mentality, then they can easily achieve what they want in their life. It is always observed in many successful life stories either their parents or teachers became their mentors to show them write path and taught them what would be possible obstacles in the path and how to overcome them.
Disadvantages- But on the other hand, if the decision is taken by just instinct, in a hustle-bustle, without caring about the haves and have-nots, required skill, dedication, and devotion, then chances are more to face failure. This would not only be a waste of time, money, and energy but consequently one has to face despair, frustration, and lack of confidence for the rest of the life. It is also said that" Well Begin Is Half Done", so before taking any major decision without the proper involvement of any senior, thoughtful and practical research to be made, as we have seen at the end of the lesson what exactly Sophie faced.
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