Remains of The Day & Gentlehands: Writing Prompt!

By Jonathan Pulino

Pre-teaching steps:

1) Assign reading assignments and discussion groups for M.E. Kerr’s Gentlehands. (Teachers should quiz students periodically during this period)

2) Create reading circles with the objective of finding themes of regret and loss from Gentlehands

3) Review the plot and characters from the novel/film Remains of the Day. (approximately 134 minutes running time) Film information/Board work can be found at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Remains_of_the_Day_(film) (page appropriate for board work and/or notes- teacher discussion)

4) Create discussion circles that allow viewers to connect the basic themes of both works. (I.e. loss, regret, Nazi threats, inner conflicts and student choice)

Objective: This paragraph will give the reader a background of the works that are being compared. The author should use citations and quotes in order to formulate credible information to the reader. Writer should tell the audience the following: what is being compared, a brief synopsis of the plot, a brief description of the main characters and a few reasons (quotes) as to why the piece was written.  (See formatting guide in folder for citations)

Sample Paragraph: Below/Paragraph 1:

Paragraph 1:  According to the Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, the word regret means: to feel sorry or distressed about remembrance with a sense of loss. One can find many examples of regret in M.E. Kerr’s teenage romance novel, “Gentlehands” and Kazuo Ishiguro’s fictional account of a man servant and house maiden falling in love in the novel “Remains of the Day.” This paper will compare many aspects of regret in both works while comparing it to examples that have occurred in this author’s life.  

(Add synopsis of both books using citations)

Comparisons Paragraph 1I/III – Compare themes found in Gentlehands with ones that can be found in Remains of the Day.  (I.e. Loss, loneliness, peer pressure, forbidden love, and fear of commitment)  (Note: Depending on your writing style, on can break this up into two paragraphs if you wish)

Comparison Paragraph 2/ 3- What are the similarities/differences between Buddy Boyle’s romance with Skye Pennington with that of the potential love between Mr. James Stevens and Miss Kenton in Remains of the Day?  Be specific in your comparisons and attempt to analyze themes and common ground between the two couples. (I.e. Both are dealing with a love that is forbidden; Buddy’s issue is due to the social economic situation of his family, while Mr. Steven’s issues deal with his failure to connect with Ms. Kenton due to his strict upbringing)

Comparison Paragraph 4- Personal Comparison:  Find a real life situation that you are aware of and compare it to what you have read, studied and analyzed about the characters. Example:  I relate to Mr. Stevens in Remains of the Day to the fact that he is not true to his feelings with regard to Miss Kenton.  In my life, I have seen many people who suppress their feelings due to fear, stress or peer-pressure; unfortunately a lot of those people become afraid of their true self which forces them to act differently around those they love and care about. 

Cover of The Remains of the Day