Having read the story, would you change the themes you suggested in the ‘Prepare’ section?
Why has the lady prepared tea?
What does the repair man find wrong with the boiler? What do we discover about the problem with the boiler? Is the tea prepared for the repair man unusual in any way?
What do we learn about the woman while the repair man is finishing work on the boiler? Explain what you think the phrase ‘curtain twitchers’ means? Apart from providing her with company, how does daily tea help the woman? How does the writer create sympathy for the woman? Do you think the repair man realises what is going on?
Write a dialogue that might take place between the repair man and his work colleagues once he returns to the offices.
Create a sequel or prequel to this graphic short story.
A sequel is a story that follows on from a previous story. It will almost always be the same genre and explore similar themes. It will retain some of the same characters but will usually have a different plot and ending.
Catching Fire and Mockingjay are sequels to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
A prequel is a story that takes place before the events of a story already told. It gives us background information on characters and plots that we are already familiar with.
Hannibal Rising was written as a prequel to the three books in the Hannibal series by Thomas Harris.
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Discuss how the author brings to life the theme of loneliness and loss in the story ‘Teapot Therapy’.
Track the thoughts of the repair man throughout the story.
Graphic short stories rely on images to tell some parts of the story. Choose three images used by the author and explain why they are effective in presenting the story to us.
