preview

An Aid to Reading Shades by Marguerite Poland

Good Essays

The Novel: shades by Marguerite Poland Shades is a South African novel by the award-winning author, Marguerite Poland. Her academic credentials are impressive, as she has degrees from Rhodes and Stellenbosch Universities and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She has studied Xhosa, Social Anthropology and Comparative African Languages, with a special focus on Zulu Literature. She has written for both children and adults, which is an unusual achievement. Of her eleven children’s books, The Mantis of the Moon is probably the most famous. She received the Percy Fitzpatrick Award for it, and also for another children’s book, Woodash Stars. Her books have been translated into a number of languages, including French and Japanese. She has …show more content…

P3 _________________________ is the clergyman from whose point of view the story is largely told. P4 _____________________________________________ are the parents of the dead man. P5 _________________________ is a bitter young man who “hides” in the printing room. P6 The man you identified in P5 blames _________________________ for the death. P7 _________________________ is a catechist. Chapter 1: Choose the correct answer: Father Charles had two reasons for dismissing the wheelwright, and one of them was personal. Explain the facts behind this statement. Chapter 2: 2.1 How is Hector the horse related to the title of the book? 2.2 Who is Plotz? Describe his history and the reason for his appearance at St Matthias. Chapter 3: Compare the characters of Frances and Helmina. Describe how differently they behave when they are helped to cross the ford. Chapter 4: 4.1 Why was Walter glad to be going to Mbookothwe? 4.2 What is your first impression of the relationship between Brompton and Pusey? 4.3 Why did Walter decide that Brompton could not be left alone any longer? Chapter 5: 5.1 What has happened to the old, familiar relationship that Frances and Victor used to have? 5.2 What happens to Victor during the mock battle? 5.3 What does Helmina say that really hurts Frances? Note: Victor and Frances kiss in this chapter, but nothing more. In those days,

Get Access