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THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

Overview: “The Canterville Ghost” is a story by Oscar Wilde. It is about the ghost of an English nobleman, Sir Simon de Canterville who tries to scare off the American family that has recently moved into the house he haunts. The family is unfazed and the youngest children turn the tables on Sir Simon’s ghost and torment him unceasingly. The daughter of the family, Virginia, listens to him patiently and helps him pass on to the next world. Number of classes: 2 Listening + 2 activities Objective: To read and enjoy the underplayed humour in Wilde’s writings, and to think about ghosts in general. Resource material: “The Canterville Ghost” by Oscar Wilde (available on Project Gutenberg) Story summary: Hiram Otis, the American Minister to the Court of St. James, and his family buy Canterville Chase, the home of the Cantervilles. The current Lord Canterville warns that his ancestor, Sir Simon de Canterville died in Canterville Chase and his ghost still haunts the house, 300 years after his death. The Otises say that they do not believe in such things. Soon after, Sir Simon’s ghost shows himself. The family is unfazed. Mr. Otis gives him lubricant for his rusty, clanking chains. Mrs. Otis gives him a tincture for his hoarse laugh. The older son, Washington, keeps cleaning the bloodstain he leaves every night on the library carpet. The youngest sons, twins, play pranks on Sir Simon. Enraged, Sir Simon re-creates his most elaborate disguises and scares, but each one is thwarted by the twins. Their pranks leave Sir Simon in a deep depression. Only the daughter of the family, Virginia, is not openly antagonistic towards Sir Simon. He turns to Virginia for help. She is sympathetic and listens as he explains the circumstances of his death. He adds that he needs the help of someone living to reach the Garden of Death. She agrees to help him and he takes her with him to the Garden of Death. When Virginia does not show up for supper, the family panics. Mr. Otis and Virginia’s beau, the Duke of Cheshire, ride out looking for her, but to no avail. As the family continues to make enquiries, Virginia suddenly appears from the wainscoting in the library. She bears many exquisite jewels. She then shows the family where Sir Simon’s body was hidden in Canterville Chase. She prays for him and sheds a tear, thus enabling his passage to the Garden of Death. Later, Sir Simon’s remains are buried in the Canterville family tradition. Virginia and the Duke of Cheshire are married soon after. However, even after her wedding she refuses to tell the Duke what exactly happened to her on that fateful night, except to say that Sir Simon taught her about life, death and love. Preparation for the class: Read “The Canterville Ghost”. Note that Wilde uses many obsolete phrases and words that are not in common use today. Be sure to explain these words to your class if needed. Class description: Talk to your students about ghosts. Ask if any of them has had an experience with ghosts, or knows of someone who has seen a ghost. Ask them if they think ghosts exist. If some students say ghosts do exist, ask them why they think ghosts exist, why a soul would remain on Earth. Make a KWL matrix to organise your students opinions. Tell your students the story of The Canterville Ghost. Since this is a long story, you may split it over 2 to 3 sessions. You may print out the illustrations from the story as a visual aid. Be sure to read out loud the parts that describe how unfazed the Otis family was by Sir Simon.

Related activities Activity 1: Sir Simon’s great disguises: In the story, Sir Simon uses ever more elaborate disguises and ploys to scare the Otis family. Ask your students to draw the most elaborate and scary disguise they think would befit a ghost. Remind them that since the story is set in the late 1800s, they cannot have modern tools or camouflage coloured fabric. Alternatively, have them design a modern costume. Something that would befit a ghost of the 21st century. Activity 2: The Twins’ pranks: Divide your class into groups of 5. Have each group choose a prank that the twins played on Sir Simon and let them enact the prank for the rest of the class. Alternatively, you can let them create a new prank. Remind your students to be careful and make sure that nobody gets hurt. Activity 3: What Virginia saw: Oscar Wilde does not describe what happened to Virginia after she crossed the wainscoting. Conduct a guided writing exercise with your students. First, ask them what the Garden of Death might actually look like. Write down your students’ suggestions on the blackboard. Next, ask them to come up with other details, such as sounds, smells and the weather. Write these down as well in a separate column. Finally, ask them what other ghosts in the Garden may have told Virginia. Once you have these three sets of suggestions, ask your students to write a few paragraphs describing what happened to Virginia. Tell them that they may use the suggestions that the class came up with, as well as their own ideas which may not have made it to the blackboard. Activity 4: Crossword puzzle Refer to the activity sheet. Activity 5: Extra! Extra!: Strange events have unfolded in Canterville Chase. Ask your students to write a short newspaper article describing what has happened at Canterville Chase. This exercise can be performed at each break-point in the story. For instance, at the first break point, the article might talk about how Canterville Chase had been purchased recently and that the ghost of Sir Simon had re-appeared. Remind students to include a relevant, catchy headline for their article.