Foster by Claire Keegan
Leaving Certificate English
Revision Notes
© irevise.com 2016
1 Foster – Leaving Certificate Revision Notes – English
© irevise.com 2016.
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2 Foster – Leaving Certificate Revision Notes – English
Table of Contents
Context ................................................................................................................................... 6
Outline ................................................................................................................................... 7
Analysis – Author Interview ..................................................................................................... 8
Why does the book end with “‘Daddy,’ I keep calling him, keep warning him. ‘Daddy.”? ............... 8
Why does she just call the woman ‘woman’? ................................................................................... 8
Did you ever think about continuing the story or did you want to leave it as just a bit ambiguous?
........................................................................................................................................................... 8
At the end why is Mrs Kinsella crying? “As though she is she crying not for one now, but for two?”
........................................................................................................................................................... 9
Why did you write from the girls’ perspective and in the present tense? ........................................ 9
What inspired it? ............................................................................................................................... 9
Is it a happy ending or a sad ending? ................................................................................................ 9
What did you pick a girl as the main character rather than a boy? ................................................ 10
There’s mention of a lost heifer. What’s the significance of this? .................................................. 10
Where does the cover picture come from?..................................................................................... 10
How easy was it to write from a child’s point of view? ................................................................... 10
Characters............................................................................................................................. 11
Descriptions ..................................................................................................................................... 11
The Girl .......................................................................................................................................... 11
John Kinsella.................................................................................................................................. 11
Edna Kinsella ................................................................................................................................. 11
Dan ................................................................................................................................................ 11
The Girl’s mother .......................................................................................................................... 11
Analysis – Heroes, Heroines, and Villains ........................................................................................ 11
The Girl .......................................................................................................................................... 11
John ............................................................................................................................................... 11
Edna .............................................................................................................................................. 11
The Girl’s biological parents .......................................................................................................... 12
Symbols ................................................................................................................................ 13
The young boy’s room ..................................................................................................................... 13
The weeping mattress ..................................................................................................................... 13
The well ............................................................................................................................................ 13
The lost heifer .................................................................................................................................. 13
The scenery of the walk ................................................................................................................... 13
3 Foster – Leaving Certificate Revision Notes – English