BY NISHA GANATRA Exercise 1.

Discuss the following questions with the class before you watch the video 1. What does the phrase Beauty is in the eye of the beholder mean? What do you think a film with this title might be about? .. 2. Currently a lot of tests can be done on a fetus to look for birth defects and other abnormalities. In the near future scientists claim to develop tests to identify not only the eye colour and abilities of the unborn baby but also the predisposition to various diseases and level of intelligence. a) What characteristics would you like your children to have and which ones would you not want them to have? .. b) If you could control these qualities prior to birth, would you? Justify your answer. .. c) What would be the lines that you might not cross? .. 3) How would you feel if the choice to prevent or enforce a genetic characteristic of your unborn baby was left to the government of your country? ..

Exercise 2: Match the words on the left with their definition on the right (put the correct letter in the box) 1) inoculation 2) genes 3) mandatory 4) candidate a) describes something which must be done, or which is demanded by law b) the protection against a particular
disease by injecting a medicine

c) a person who is competing to get a job or elected position d) a pattern of chemicals within a cell that carries information about the qualities passed to a

5) a rally 6) to be in office 7) deadline 8) optional

living thing from its parents e) a public meeting of a large group of people, especially supporters of a particular opinion f) You can choose whether to do it g) a position of authority and responsibility in a government h) a time or day by which something must be done

Exercise 3: Answer the following questions based on the video youve watched. 1. Why has Sasha, the main character, visited the medical center at the beginning of this short film? . 2. Whats wrong with Sashas baby and what solution is suggested by the doctor of the medical center? .. 3. How does she feel about this? What is her husbands response to the problem? .. 4. What solution does Sasha find in the end? ..

Exercise 4: Decide whether the sentences are TRUE or FALSE 1.People in Red Estates can choose the characteristics their unborn babies are likely to have. 2.Sashas baby has a predisposition for alcoholism. 3.The inoculation to prevent a genetic characteristic is obligatory in Red Estates. 4.The nurse helps Sasha to escape from the first time the meet. 5.Sashas husband has always lived in Red estates. 6.Sashas husband wants his wife to get the vaccine at the medical center.

7.Sasha is running for office in the Red estates. 8.Children in the Coast play in covered playgrounds. 9.People in the Coast have a close bond to nature.

TEACHERS NOTES
Watch the video here or on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYa5RTI4Ubo)

SUMMARY Beholder takes place in the Red Estates, a gated community of the future where citizens are law-abiding and conservative. At a medical center where patients can genetically choose the characteristics of their unborn babies, Sasha, the wife of a politician is informed that her baby carries the genetic marker for homosexuality. By the laws of Red Estates Sasha must fix the problem by getting inoculated and get rid of the bad genes. She has to decide whether to conform to the rules of society or risk everything and move to more free place. Exercise 1 (answers can vary according to the point of view of students) 1) It means that beauty is something subjective. In this way a baby is beautiful in a mothers eyes despite any defects and abnormalities. 2) a) I would like them to be beautiful, intelligent with athletic abilities and a talent for arts. I wouldnt like my children to be prone to diseases. b) I would use genetic technologies to modify faulty genes and prevent various diseases so as to make sure my baby will be healthy. c) I wouldnt cross any ethical lines. For example I wouldnt like to control the height or the hair colour of the baby (external characteristics) because this could lead to a society where being short or brown-eyed would be considered a defect. People without enhanced looks and abilities would be cast out by societies. 3) This should be an individuals choice. I would feel helpless, threaten ed, scared, suppressed.(or alternatively safe, relieved etc) Exercise 2 1b, 2d, 3a, 4c, 5e, 6g, 7h, 8f Exercise 3 1) She is pregnant and she is undergoing routine tests. 2) He baby has a predisposition to homosexuality. She needs to get inoculated to destroy the faulty gene. 3) She is reluctant to do this vaccination. Her husband wants her to get inoculated. Otherwise they will get cast out and he doesnt want to leave the safe and protective life in the Red States. He is also a candidate for the elections and he doesnt want to miss his chance to run for office.

4) The nurse helps her escape to the Coast where the community is not gated and people are free to make their choices. So she leaves her husband. Exercise 4 1 T, 2F, 3T, 4F, 5F, 6T, 7F, 8F, 9T Adapted from: http://futurestates.tv/uploads/lesson_plans/beholder_lesson_plan.pdf

RESOURCES: http://futurestates.tv/episodes/beholder http://www.flamingtext.com/ http://www.macmillandictionary.com/ http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Created by Eleni Tsagari