WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF NEVER WORKING IN YOUR LIFE?

 IF YOU WERE RICH, WOULD YOU WORK?

 WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

CHAPTER 1: A man and a boy - MEET THE CHARACTERS

1. - The main characters are Will, a 36-year-old man, and Marcus, a 12-year-old boy. Who do you
think the following sentences refer to?

He lives in a nice flat in London.

He is quite happy at home.

He goes running.

He is a cool guy.

He likes reading.

He listens to Bob Marley and Joni Mitchell.

He drives a fast car.

He is very shy.

He thinks London is quite boring.

He has a lot of free time.

He sees films in the afternoons.

He feels uncomfortable at school.

In the evenings, he goes out with friends.

He has lots of girlfriends.

He always sings songs to himself inside his head.

THE MAN

Will sees himself as “a cool guy with a cool lifestyle”. What do you think? What does “cool” mean to
you?

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Will wants to keep his life simple. Does his idea of a simple life match yours? What does “a simple
life” mean to you?
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Will also says about himself “I’m really a very shallow kind of person”. What’s your opinion
considering all you know about him so far?

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THE BOY

How does Marcus feel about London?

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How does he feel about going to a new school?

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How does he feel about his mum?

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How does he feel about himself?

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Do you remember how you felt (about school/your parents/ yourself) when you were twelve?

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CHAPTER 2: SPAT

After reading

“Right. Good at what? What was he good at?” That was the big question which he had never been
able to answer.” (P.7)

These are some of Will’s thoughts, in the second chapter. What do you think triggers them? How is it
that at 36 he still doesn’t know what he is good at?

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Have you thought about it, yourself? Do you know the answer? What are you good at? How did you
find out?

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In the following paragraph Will and Angie break up. Use the words and expressions in bold to
complete the text.

relationship (n) fault (n) ready (a) great (a) sorry (a) wrong (a)

me (pn) ending (v) finish (v) working (v)

But just when Will was thinking about ____________________(1) the relationship, Angie
decided to _______________(2) it. 'Will, I'm so ___________________ (3), but I'm not
sure this is __________________ (4). It's not your ____________ (5). You've been
____________ (6). It's ___________ (7). Well, my situation anyway. I've met you at the
_____________ (8) time of my life and I'm not _______________ (9) for a serious new
______________________ (10).
At this point, this is what Will thinks every man wants:

“Will knew then that there would be other women like Angie - bright, attractive single mothers,
thousands of them all over London - and he knew he had a lot to offer them. He could sleep with
them, make them feel better about themselves, be a parent for a limited time, and walk away
without feeling guilty. What more could a man want?”

What do you think? What kind of relationship does Will want? Isn’t he being selfish?
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What do you think children want from their parents?

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In your opinion, is Marcus getting what he needs from his mother?

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This is how Will feels about his imaginary son:

“He didn't feel like a parent. He was too young, too old, too stupid, too intelligent, too cool, too
impatient, too selfish, too careless, and too careful. When he looked in the mirror, he couldn't see a
dad, especially a single dad.”

We also know how Marcus feels about his mom. How do you imagine Fiona feels about her role as a
mother at this point in her life?

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Fiona tells Marcus about her weekend plans for him:

“'I want you to get out. Do something normal. We're not doing each other any good.”

How does Marcus feel afterwards? How would you react if one of your parents said something like
this to you?

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What does SPAT stand for? What does it mean? Do you think this type of group is helpful? Why/
Why not?

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Read the scene where Marcus is at school and find the words and expressions that show and
describe the bullying situation

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Have you ever bullied someone? Have you ever been bullied? Describe a bullying situation.

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