135 1 What does Celestine (the narrator) expect to happen when the Whistleblowers arrive? 2 How is what really happens different from Celestine’s expectations? 3 Why does the author use short sentences in the second part of the extract? 4 Find out what the term ‘Whistleblower’ means. Go online if you need help. 5 Can you think of any situation where it makes more sense to follow your beliefs than to obey the law? Choose one of these activities to do in class or at home. 1 Write the next part of the story. Try to keep the same style. 2 Write an interview with one of the other passengers on the bus. 3 Write an email to Celestine telling her how you feel about the way she acted. 4 Design a poster portraying and characterising the characters of the extracts (Celestine, the Flawed lady, the old man, the Whistleblowers). Cut out suitable pictures from magazines. 3 […] Does anybody hear the old man? Does nobody see him? I look around, nervously. All eyes are staring out the window or on him in disgust, as if he’s about to infect us all with his flaws. […] “Is there a doctor here?” I call down the bus. I look around at everyone, the disapproving faces of surprise. I feel dizzy and confused. This man is going to collapse, maybe die. My eyes start to fill. “Are we going to just watch this?” I scream. “Stop it, dear,” a woman says to me in a hushed voice. She is clearly upset about it, too. It’s not just me, she’s warning me. I’m going too far. This is completely illogical. Have we no compassion8 for this human being? Flawed or not, that we won’t help? Heads look away. Eyes are averted9. “Okay, okay,” I say to the old man, who by now is panicking severely. He continues to cough, and I can see the F on his tongue, which makes me step back. I can’t imagine the pain of receiving it. “It’s okay.” He punches his chest, starts to fall to his knees. I pull him up under his arms, and I bring him to the nearest open seat. “Stop the bus!” I yell. The bus stops, and I assure the old man everything will be fine. […] And then I hear the siren, loud, close, intense and threatening. Everybody stays still in their seats, waiting, my heart beating loudly over the silence. Two Whistleblowers climb aboard blowing silver whistles so loudly most people block their ears. They make their way toward me and the old man. “See? I told you it will be fine,” I tell the man over the noise. “They’re here. Help is here.” He nods faintly, his eyes closed. I expect them to go to the old man, who has passed out10 in his seat, exhausted and taking short breaths, a fine layer of sweat covering his skin. But they don’t go to him. They have come for me. And then they take me away. 8 compassion: Mitgefühl 9 to avert your eyes: seine Augen abwenden 10 to pass out: ohnmächtig werden Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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