HEAT
Who do you think Olivia and Douglas are?
I Think they are an English couple. They seem to be rich, because they have servants.
Where are they?
They seem to be in India as words like Sahib or Memsahib point. Maybe Douglas has already lived there for a longer time and Olivia followed just a few month ago.
What are they arguing about?
I think it´s not only the smoking they are arguing about, but more that Olivia doesn´t feel comfortable in India. She cannot stand the heat and doesn´t know what to do in her free-time while her husband is working. I can imagine him always telling her to go to Simla when they have arguements like that and that´s why she reacts over.
How is the quarrel resolved?
There´s not really a solution. Douglas just blames the heat for his wife´s overreaction and her bad mood.
Do you fell that unpleasant heat can have an effect on emotions? Have you ever experienced anything like that?
Actually, I can imagine this very well. Heat makes you feel tired, slack and more sensitive. You just want to relax in the shadow an do as less as possible.
I haven´t ever expierienced heat as strong as I expect it do be in India. However, temperatures of 35 or more degrees have an effect on my emotions, so I can imagine how to feel when it´s even hoter…
DUST
What are you´re feelings when you are confronted with the description of such a landscape?
Describtions like that make me feel quite uncomfortable. A landscape like that doesn´t stand for freedom, but loneliness and sadness. It´s also depressing and lifeless, I guess.
Explain why you would or would not like to travel or live there.
Actually, I would not like to live there in the middle of no-where. I need to have people and green plants around my place not only sand and dust which give the world a sad and dull (=trist) look. Nevertheless I would like to travel to this kind of place to find out if my feelings are right or if I´d probably even like the landscape. On top of that, it´s always interesting to learn about other cultures and to meet people who live in a very different world and maybe do not have as much comfort as we do.
