The Running Man Chapter 3 Questions

Chapter Three:

1. Why do you think Joseph's childhood nightmare of the Running Man returns?
I think Joseph's childhood nightmare of the Running Man returns because he remembers how scared he was when he "supposedly" met the Running Man in person on the second solo journey to school and links this feeling to how he feels about Tom Leyton.

2. What does Joseph decide at the end of the chapter? Why?
At the end of the chapter, Joseph decides that no one can convince him to use Tom Leyton as the subject for his drawing. He concludes that his neighbour is too puzzling. There is so much he does not understand about Tom Leyton and so much that confuses him. Joseph is also afraid that Mrs Mossop's words about Tom being a dangerous man are true.

The Running Man Chapter 2 Questions

Chapter Two:

1. What are the attitudes of Mrs Mossop, Laura Davidson and Joseph towards Tom Leyton?
Mrs Mossop's, Laura Davidson's and Joseph's attitudes towards Tom Leyton are not positive. In fact, he is considered as a tantalising riddle for the whole neighbourhood. Mrs Mossop thinks that Tom is a dangerous, sick man. On the other hand, Laura Davidson believes that he has gone through a lot and has seen more of the world than he wanted to. She believes that this is the reason Tom behaves so strangely. For Joseph, Tom Leyton has become an accepted unknown, like the dark interior of a house passed by every day but never entered.

2. What is Joseph's reaction to the suggestion that he draw Tom Leyton for his school project?
When Caroline suggests to Joseph that he draw Tom Leyton for his school project, he reacts badly and feels surprised. It is as if something unspeakable has been thrust between them that cannot be taken away. Joseph tries to search for words to say no but he remains struck dumb, with a half-smile frozen on his face and his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

3. What references are there to Joseph's father in this chapter? How does Joseph respond to any mention of his father?
In this chapter, the reader find out that Joseph's father is driving some big machinery up in Bougainville as his occupation and that he has already been away for six months. Joseph seems to have negative feelings towards his father. He does not want to talk about him to Caroline, or anyone else, for that matter. Instead, Joseph recoils from the unwanted memories about his father that force their way into his mind.

The Running Man Chapter 1 Questions

Chapter One:

1. The story begins with Joseph attending a funeral. What feelings and emotions is he experiencing?

At the funeral Joseph has a sickly ache of regret and loss lurching inside of him. The words, "It's my fault" stab at his heart. To try and ignore the depressing atmosphere Joseph tries to visualise himself in a different place but the surrounding sounds of the clearing of a throat or the sharp echo of a shoe knocking clumsily against a hard wooden kneeler bring him back to reality.

2. As Joseph tries to work out the chain of events that has brought him there, he finds himself thinking of silkworms. Why?
As Joseph tries to work out the chain of events that has brought him there, he finds himself thinking of silkworms. This is because trying to unravel the tangled threads of the past is like unwinding the silk from a silkworm cocoon. It is what Joseph has been searching for - one fragile thread that would lead him forward.

3. When he recalls the recent past, Joseph sees the faces of three men. Who are they and what feature of each man's face is highlighted?
When Joseph recalls the recent past, he sees the faces of three men - his father, Tom Leyton and the Running Man. He sees his father's face, the last time he had looked on it, bewildered, hurt and angry. Then Joseph sees Tom Leyton's face, silent as a stone, hidden deep within the shadows of his room. Last but not least he also sees the face of the Running Man, his eyes burning with a desperate fire.

4. The chapter ends with an image of Joseph's neighbours' house. What simile is used to describe it? What effect does it create?
An image of Joseph's neighbours' house is created as the chapter ends. The house is described as being perched high on its black timber stumps like some long-legged creature waiting in the shadows. This simile creates an eerie atmosphere, making the reader seem curious about the secrets the house holds but scared of finding out at the same time.

Dreams

Do you remember your dreams? Do you have recurring dreams? Discuss the idea of symbols in dreams.

Yes, I do remember my dreams but only for a short period of time. I usually forget them after a few days after that I dreamt about it.

When I was still in junior school, I remember having a recurring dream. It seemed to have been a terrifying nightmare that haunted me for weeks. I remember waking in the middle of the night with an eerie feeling. It felt like something was coming after me and that it was watching my every move. It reminds me a bit of Joseph and the Running Man I guess. After a while, the dream disappeared and never came back again.

Dreams have always been a mystery to people. The reason why we dream is unknown. I personally think that dreams could be some kind of commentary on our ordinary everyday experiences or perhaps, the events that occur in our dreams could represent a psychological aspect of ourselves as a person.

Relation

How does the idea of "evolving from a cocoon" relate to an event in your life?

A time in my life I "evolved from a cocoon" was when I first came to Australia. Although I was born in Australia, a few months after my birth I was sent back to my home country - Taiwan. From there, I learnt Chinese as my first language. Eventually, I travelled back to Australia again to start kindergarten. I thought I "evolved from a cocoon" when I overcame the obstacle of being unable to communicate with any of the other toddlers. I started to learn english with my tutor at home and became more and more fluent at the language as time passed. Now, I came from knowing no english words to be able to talk fluently. I feel that this is a big achievement for me and that I evolved like a cocoon would.

Information about Silkworms

What are silkworms?

Silkworms are the larvae or caterpillars of a domesticated silkmoth. It is an important economic insect since it is the producer of silk. The silkworms have been used to make silk for over 4,000 years. The silk process first began in China, round about 2600 BC.

A silkworm's preferred food is white mulberry leaves, but it may also eat the leaves of the Osage Orange or the Tree of Heaven. It is entirely dependent on humans for its reproduction and no longer occurs naturally in the wild.

How do silkworms grow?

Life cycle: The eggs develop into the silkworm lava, grub or caterpillar. They eat for 20-30 days, consuming large amounts of mulberry leaves. The caterpillar moults through four changes of skin

The silkworm spins a cocoon for protection, to permit the development of the pupa or chrysalis. The cocoon takes about three days to be fully complete and is a similar size to a peanut shell.

The chrysalis emerges from the cocoon as a moth. In cultivated silk, the grub is terminated while still inside the cocoon so that the long filaments are maintained.

The moths mate and the female can lay more than 350 eggs before they die. In the wild, a silkworm's lifecycle his cycle occurs once a year, but with the help of scientific breeding it can occur up to three times in a year to produce silk.

"The Silkworms"

Poem:

The Silkworms

All their lives in a box! What generations, "What centuries of masters, not meaning to be cruel But needing their labour, taught these creatures such patience That now though sunlight strikes on the eye's dark jewel Or moonlight breathes on the wing they do not stir But like the ghosts of moths crouch silent there. Look it's a child's toy'. There is no lid even, They can climb, they can fly, and the whole world's their tree; But hush, they say in themselves, we are in prison. There is no word to tell them that they are free, And they are not; ancestral voices bind them In dream too deep for wind or word to find them. Even in the young, each like a little dragon Rampant and green upon his mulberry leaf, So full of life, it seems, the voice has spoken: They hide where there is food, where they are safe, And the voice whispers, 'Spin the cocoon, Sleep, sleep, you shall be wrapped in me soon.' Now is their hour, when they wake from that long swoon; Their pale curved wings are marked in a pattern of leaves, Shadowy for trees, white for the dance of the moon; And when on summer nights the buddleia gives Its nectar like lilac wine for insects mating They drink its fragrance and shiver, impatient with waiting, They stir, they think they will go. Then they remember It was forbidden, forbidden, ever to go out; The Hands are on guard outside like claps of thunder, The ancestral voice says Don't, and they do not. Still the night calls them to unimaginable bliss But there is terror around them, the vast, the abyss, And here is the tribe that they know, in their known place, They are gentle and kind together, they are safe for ever, And all shall be answered at last when they embrace. White moth moves closer to moth, lover to lover. There is that pang of joy on the edge of dying — Their soft wings whirr, they dream that they are flying. By Douglas Stewart