Heat

1. Who do think Olivia and Douglas are?

- I think the two are a married couple and British (they`ve got British names). Maybe Douglas has a high position. You can guess that because of their lifestyle, for example the servants they have or the dinner parties Olivia goes to.

2. Where are they?

-I guess they are in a British colony in India because of words like ‘Simla’ or ‘Sahib’ they use in the text which sound Indian.

3. What are they arguing about?

-Olivia doesn’t want Douglas to smoke in the heat, but he doesn’t take care of this and continues. He says to her she should go to a town called ‘Simla’. Olivia is very upset about this. It seems as if she is very unhappy with her life/ situation.

4. How is the quarrel resolved?

-Olivia explains that she doesn’t know what’s wrong with her. Douglas thinks that she is so touchy and in a bad mood because of the heat.

5. Do you feel that unpleasant heat can have an effect in emotions? Have you ever experienced anything like that?

-I think yes. Unpleasant heat often makes people very touchy and lazy. When it’s hot outside you don’t feel like doing something. Every single movement is strenuous so you just want to be left alone and really don’t need any quarrel. I know from myself that you are earlier in edge.

Dust

1. What are your feelings when you are confronted with the description of such a landscape?

-The description of the landscape evokes a depressing feeling because of all the dust and the heat which seem to be very unpleasant, but also a feeling of loneliness because there’ s nothing till the next one except flat land.

2. Explain why you would or would not like to travel or live there?

-I would definetely not live there because of the heat and all the dust. I guess that would be a big change for me I couldn’t really get used to. But I think it would be very interesting to trave linto a land with such different live conditions.