Answers to Connections

Squirrel Wars

1.The news item concerns two species of squirrels, what are they?

The red and the grey squirrel.

2.Which one was introduced?

The grey squirrel.

3. What is the origin of the introduced squirrel?

North America.

4. What is the problem that the dominant species is causing?

The grey squirrel outcompetes the red squirrel for food and carries a virus that is passed on to the red squirrel.

5. What is the solution?

Catching and killing the grey squirrel.

6.What is the best way to catch a grey squirrel?

Use hazzel nuts as bait.

7. What is done with the carcasses?

They are butchered and the meat sold to the public.

8. Who is buying the meat and what class of people do you think it appeals to?

The meat is sold to "upmarket" or upper class butchers; the customers are probably rich people.

9. What is the RSPCA's (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) position on the culling of the grey squirrel?

The destructive management of the grey squirrel is a problem because it is now part of the modern English countryside and it would be extremely difficult to eliminate it. attempts to do so would likely fail and only result in undue suffering.

The Life of Brian

1. In the context "...you're putting us off ..." means: d) you're making us lose our train of thought
2. Why are you always on about women Stan? "...always on about women..." could be replaced by: d) always talking about woman.

3. What point is being made about gay/lesbian marriages and their fight for the right to have children.

That it is all rather silly because it is physically impossible to have children.

4. Do you think the point made by the sketch agrees or disagrees with Margaret Somerville on gay/lesbian marriages? Support your opinion.

Somerville opposes same sex marriages because implicit in the idea of marriage is the right to found a family; that is, to have children. She believes the idea of two women or two men having their own genetic children compromises the "human spirit". Loosely put, she defines the latter as the sense of connectedness to others and to nature. She is worried that the children from same sex marriages would be not quite human, and we do not have the right to put these children into a society where they may be physically or psychological at risk.

5.Where does the humour lie in this sketch?

According to Henri Bergson's essay Le Rire one of the reasons we laugh is to ridicule maladaptive or abnormal behaviour. By abnormal we could say 'unnatural' and Stan's desires to have babies is unnatural simply because he is a man. In Mikhail Bakhtin's study of the carnaval, he argues that laughter occurs when we shift from a highly stressed moral or idealistic state of mind to a carnal one. Stan's desire is purely theoretical, and it is Reg's attempts to bring him down to earth or down to reality that makes us laugh.

6.There is a common ethical theme in both listening exercises. Work with your partner and try to find it.

Common Themes

The strongest thematic connections between the two videos is the debate around the preservation of what is considered natural and the futility of struggling against an insurmountable reality.

• In 'Squirrel Wars' the red squirrel respresents the natural English countryside, the grey squirrel represents what is invasive and unnatural.
• The attempt to eliminate the grey squirrel is controversial. According to the RSPCA it is extremely difficult, if not impossible to achieve, and a culling programme may only lead to unnecessary suffering. The reason being that the grey squirrel has become part of the modern English countryside which is simply too late to ever completely restore.
• In the scene from The Life of Brian, Stan desires to have babies. It is of course is impossible for him ever to realise his dream, so why should he desire it? The scene ridicules the aspect of the human condition of yearning for things that we can never possess or achieve; and what's more, fighting for the right to do this.
• The other theme, which is implicit in the idea of unrequited and unrealistic desires, is that these wants are foolish because they are going against what is natural; that is, it is silly for Stan to want to have babies because he doesn't have a womb. It is better to live within one's limitations.
• On the other hand, if students have already studied the the radio interview with Margaret Somerville (see: Is it Right -Introducing Margaret Somerville )they will know that in 7-10 years it will be possible for same sex couples to have their own genetic children. This throws a shadow over the humour in the sketch; maybe Stan's desire to have babies is not so absurd afterall?