MR LOVEDAY’S LITTLE OUTING

A- Checking comprehension:

1. How did Lord Moping try to commit suicide? Was it his first time?
2. In what way was Lord Moping treated differently from other inmates?
3. Why did Lady Moping keep her husband in a low-quality mental institution?
4. How did Lord Moping react when he saw Angela?
5. What do we learn about Mr Loveday when the Dr tells Angela about his past? What is Angela impression of Mr Loveday?
6. What do you learn about Lady Moping’s personality and attitude towards people in general and her husband in particular in her conversation with Angela on the way back from the Asylum?
7. What was Mr Loveday little wish?
8. What was Angela’s cause? How did she bring it along?

B- Debate: What does it mean to be insane?
Read the different definitions or comments on insanity below and discuss with the rest of the group whether they are accurate or not?

1- In my experience, insanity is generally a result of a biological cause. For example, a brain tumor may cause a person to become violent for no apparent reason. Another example would be a person who is so profoundly mentally retarded they cannot understand right from wrong. Occasionally, insanity may result from another source such as medicine. An example of this could be a doctor placing a person on a new type of medication with the medication causing a person to temporarily lose the ability to know right from wrong.
2- Insanity does not have to be permanent, it can be temporary. Many conditions can be regulated to a greater or lesser degree by medication, sometimes surgeries can be performed to return a person to "normal".
3- Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".
4- Insanity refers to a mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior.
5- Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity.

Which actions would you find difficult to classify as coming from an insane person or not?

C- Role-plays:
Situation 1: Angela’s first visit to her father.
Situation 2: Angela’s second visit to her father and conversation with Mr Loveday.
Situation 3: Mr Loveday farewell and subsequent coming back.