Masterpiece Theatre | Learning Resources

Discussion Questions & Activities: Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Warming to the heart and nourishing to the spirit... The most profoundly moving story that has passed this way.
-- Alexander Woollcott

Background
Set at Brookfield School, an exclusive English private (called "public") school for boys, Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton is a classic tale of a teacher whose dedication, good humor, and endearing personality quirks transform him over the decades into a living legend at the school.

The years Mr. Chipping (known affectionately as "Chips") spends teaching at Brookfield span the Victorian era through World War I. These were times of great changes politically, socially, and technologically: women gained the right to vote; electric lights, telephones, cars, and airplanes came into existence; and World War I, with its unprecedented death toll, created a new era of disillusionment. Although he teaches Latin -- an ancient language that does not change -- Chips's gentle wisdom helps his students learn and grow during these turbulent times.

Written in 1934, Goodbye, Mr. Chips is one of the best-known school stories. It is a wonderful vehicle to explore personal growth, and the value of teaching and education, as well as to examine the impact of tradition and change.

Born in 1900, James Hilton was a British journalist, theater reviewer, novelist, and screenwriter made famous by his bestsellers, Lost Horizon (1933) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1934). Hilton moved to Hollywood in 1935 to write screenplays, including well-known films such as Random Harvest and Mrs. Miniver. Hilton died in 1954.

Discussion Questions
1. Did you have a favorite teacher? What made him or her special? Would such a teacher be popular now? Why or why not? Share some of your stories and memories of school days.

2. Chips seems at first to be an ineffectual teacher. Eventually, however, he comes to be revered by students and faculty. How does he evolve as a teacher and as a man? How does he become such a Brookfield institution?

3. Meeting his wife Kathie may be the single event that changes Mr. Chips the most. What does she teach him? How does she influence the students and the school as a whole?

4. Are hierarchies of authority and power natural, whether in a school, a work place, or somewhere else? Are rituals like the hazing, bullying, and "fagging"^* at Brookfield (or at any school or institution) an unavoidable -- even healthy-- part of establishing a hierarchy and bonding a group together, or do they lead to a culture of violence?

^*Although currently used in America as derogatory slang, the original meaning of the word fag was "weary." It was a system under which, generally with the full approval of the authorities, a junior boy performed certain duties for a senior. Fagging was a fully established system at Eton and Winchester in the sixteenth century, and is probably a good deal older.

5. Brookfield is a very exclusive school for boys from wealthy and upper-class backgrounds. How much does class matter in our society? Which do you think is most important today in terms of achieving power and success: class background, education, talent, hard work, or money? Why?

6. Compare Brookfield to Hogwart's School of Magic from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. What do they have in common? What aspects of English public school life as portrayed in Goodbye, Mr. Chips do you recognize in J. K. Rowling's books?

7. The school setting has long been a favorite of writers and filmmakers. Brainstorm a list of all the films, television shows, and stories you can think of that are set in a school (see School Stories for suggestions). Consider how teachers and students are portrayed in each film. Why do you think stories about school are so perennially popular? What makes school a particularly rich venue for serious drama? What makes schools ideal settings for comedy and/or satire?

Activities

Create an English history exhibit by displaying history books about Victorian and Edwardian England, World War I, and English public schools. Include poems, letters, maps, photographs, a timeline, etc.
Active, bike-riding Kathie brings Chips a fresh perspective on life. She also brings a new, female voice into Brookfield. Invite a local history teacher or women's studies professor to present a brief history of the women's rights movement in Britain and the United States. Or choose a topic in women's history, such as gaining the right to vote, and discuss as a group.
Make an exhibit of old school days using objects from different cultures, regions, and time periods. For instance, include an old-fashioned reading primer, a needlework sampler, outdated textbooks or encyclopedias, old maps that illustrate how the borders between countries have shifted over the years, and a student conduct or dress code handbook from an earlier era.
Invite participants to a British tea at the library and serve English teas, scones, or tea sandwiches. (See scone recipe.) If you are feeling adventurous, dress up in period costume.
To honor teachers like Mr. Chips, invite teachers from a particular school or grade for a Teacher Appreciation Celebration. Display books featuring teachers, including children's books such as Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard. Invite teachers to talk about who and what inspired them to be teachers, and provide plenty of time for mingling. (You may want to post testimonials from students about their favorite teachers.)

Raisin Drop Scones

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup half and half
1 stick of butter, cold, cut into pieces
2/3 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together with a fork. With a pastry cutter or two knives used scissor-fashion, cut in the pieces of butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add half and half. Stir with hands or a wooden spoon until well mixed. Add raisins and knead dough until they are well incorporated.

3. Using an ice cream scoop, drop rounds onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake on center rack for 15-20 minutes or until outside is slightly browned and inside is no longer wet.

If possible, serve immediately with butter, jam, or clotted cream for a proper tea.

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