LEVEL 4 Teacher’s notes Teacher Support Programme

The Confession

John Grisham a convicted rapist and he has just been released from prison. He tells Keith that he is dying from a brain tumor and has a secret that he wants to share. A young black man called Donté Drumm is going to be executed for the murder of a white cheerleader called Nicole Yarber, but Travis says Drumm is not guilty. Meanwhile, in Slone, Texas, lawyer Robbie Flak is desperately trying to find a way to stop Drumm’s execution. Until now he has tried many things but, in spite of the lack of evidence, and the fact that Nicole’s body has never been found, they have all failed. Robbie knows that Drumm was convicted on the basis of a forced confession and the false evidence of a witness called Joey Gamble, who told police that he saw Drumm’s green van in the parking lot where Nicole About the author disappeared. Robbie had employed a private detective John Grisham was born in 1955 in Arkansas, U.S.A. called Fred Pryor to pressure Joey into changing his story, Although his parents were from modest backgrounds and but Pryor has failed to convince him to do so. Back in had no formal education, Grisham’s mother encouraged Kansas, Travis admits to Keith that he killed Nicole and him to read and study hard. As a child, Grisham dreamed he says that her body is in a grave in Missouri. He also of becoming a baseball player but he soon realized shows Keith a ring with Nicole’s initials on it. And in Slone, that this was impossible. Thinking more realistically, he police detective Drew Kerber and District Attorney Paul decided to go to university and he went on to get two Koffee try to persuade Nicole’s mother not to take part in a sensationalist TV interview because they think it might degrees, the first in accounting and the second in law. He cause trouble with the black population of the town. practiced law for about a decade and he also served as a Robbie Flak visits Donté’s mom, Roberta, and promises to politician for the Democrats in the Mississippi House of keep on trying to save Donté. Representatives for over six years. Chapters 3–4: Keith visits Travis, who is now in hospital, While working as a lawyer, Grisham overheard one day and tries to persuade him to a make a video of his the terrible testimony of a twelve-year old girl who had confession but without success. Later that night, he been raped. He began thinking about the girl’s father and receives a phone call from Travis, who suggests that Keith what would happen if he tried to kill the rapist. This was drive him to Slone the following day. Reluctantly, Keith the inspiration for Grisham’s first novel A Time to Kill, which agrees, but later Travis disappears. In Texas, Robbie has took three years to write. The novel was initially rejected a doctor assess Donté. She concludes that he has lost by many publishers and it gained only limited success his mind and this report is sent to the Court of Appeals when it was finally published in 1989. Grisham gave up in the hope that the execution can be stopped. In Slone, law when his second book The Firm (1991) achieved great black high school students and factory workers begin success as the best-selling novel of the year. The Firm was protesting in the streets. At his office, Robbie sees a message from Keith. Although he is dubious because later made into a film in 1993 and into a TV series in 2012. many people have contacted him with false stories, he Since A Time to Kill was published, Grisham has written on phones Keith. Keith tells him about Travis. average one novel a year and all of them have become bestsellers. Most of them have similar themes involving Robbie is interested until Keith admits that he doesn’t crime, justice and race relations. There are currently about know where Travis is. However, later that night, Travis phones Keith and he agrees again to drive him to Slone. 250 million of his novels in print and they have been translated into many languages. Undoubtedly, Grisham is Chapters 5–6: Gamble confesses that he lied about now known to be a master of the legal thriller. Donté to Pryor but he refuses to sign anything. Keith and Travis begin the 12 hour trip from Kansas to Slone. Summary Travis tells Keith about how he was abused as a child Chapters 1–2: In Kansas, Minister Keith Schroeder and how he ended up in prison. When they are almost and his wife Dana are at St. Mark’s church when a man in Texas, Keith phones Robbie to tell him he is on the with a limp turns up. His name is Travis Boyette. He is way to his office with Travis, who wants to confess to Nicole’s murder. Meanwhile, the Drumm family waits for pearsonenglishactivereaders.com © Pearson Education Limited 2017 The Confession – Teacher’s notes 1 of 3 LEVEL 4 Teacher’s notes Teacher Support Programme

The Confession

the execution. Donté’s sister confesses that she hadn’t the violent protests. In respect for her and Donté, the believed in her brother’s her house. innocence at first protestors go home. By Sunday, the whole world knows until she heard Robbie’s brilliant defence in court. They all that Donté was definitely innocent. Then Keith gets go to visit Donté for the last time before the execution. a phone call from Travis, who admits lying about the The Court of Appeals rejects the doctor’s report which seriousness of the tumor. Keith is furious and afraid about says Donté is crazy. The execution will go ahead. And in what Travis might do to another girl. And he is right to Slone, the street protests are getting more violent – there be worried. A woman called Lilly Reed is attacked after are young men with guns and buildings are being burned. leaving work and forced into her car by a man with a Finally, Keith and Travis arrive at Robbie’s office. The gun. Fortunately another man sees what’s happening and lawyers have prepared many documents for Travis to sign stops them from driving away. The police discover that it but he has a seizure because of the tumor and he can’t do is Travis. Later, he is found guilty of Nicole’s murder and anything at that moment. sentenced to death. Donté’s family receives $1 million compensation and there is a political discussion about the Chapters 7–8: On the day of the execution, black death penalty. There is a lot of talk but in the end, nothing students try to stop the van in which they think Donté is is actually done. traveling by pretending to break down on the highway. The police, however, have guessed this would happen Background and themes and have moved him by plane. Travis, who is now feeling better, makes a video confession. Copies of the video and Justice: The book emphasizes how the justice system, a signed confession are given to the Court of Appeals. at all levels, can be seriously flawed. At the lowest level, Close advisors of the Governor of Texas also see the Detective Kerber, is guilty of forcing Drumm to confess video, but decide to keep it a secret. Meanwhile, Gamble to a crime he didn’t do and Gamble is guilty of giving false signs a statement saying he lied but it doesn’t get to the evidence. At a higher level, both the Mayor of Slone and Court of Appeals in time. And the judges at the Court of the Court of Appeals choose to ignore the real facts of Appeals have already decided that Travis is lying. Robbie the case. and Keith visit Donté in prison to say their goodbyes while Race relations: Race is an important issue in Drumm’s Travis decides to confess again in front of TV journalists. conviction and execution. Maybe, if Drumm had been The Governor sees this confession but decides to ignore white, he might not have been convicted or even arrested it. Now all is lost and Donté is given a lethal injection that in the first place. And the black people of Slone protest in ends his life. defence of their black brother, causing tension between Chapters 9–10: Some people are disturbed by Travis’s the black and the white population. confession. Nicole’s mom starts to doubt her belief in This reflects a tension that generally exists in southern Drumm’s guilt and detective Drew Kerber is worried states like Texas where slavery was a norm. about losing his job because of his role in the Drumm Death penalty: The book offers one of the strongest investigation. In Slone, there are more angry protests. possible criticisms of the death penalty. After an The Mayor tries to stop them by getting help from a black execution, a wrong conviction can never be put right. minister, but he refuses. And Roberta Drumm prepares to bury her son. On Friday morning, Robbie, Keith, and Travis leave Slone with a group of reporters in search Discussion activities of Nicole’s grave. Travis has problems remembering Before reading 1 Research: Write Kansas and Texas on the board and the place where he buried the body but eventually, he elicit from the students that they are two American recognizes an old wheel and the men start digging. They states. Then divide the class in two and get each group find a metal box. Inside, there are some bones and a bank to find out some information about one of the states. card and driving licence with Nicole’s name on them. Get feedback in class and tell the students that most Then Travis collapses and Keith drives him to a hospital. of the action in the book takes place in these two Some time later, a doctor discovers that Travis has states. escaped from the hospital. 2 Discuss: Write racism on the board and elicit the meaning from the class. Now put them in small Chapters 11–12: Robbie speaks on TV about the groups to answer the following questions: Why are discovery of Nicole’s skeleton and he accuses various some people racist? Who are usually the victims of people, including Kerber, Koffee, and Gamble, of terrible racism? How are they affected by it? How can we solve misconduct. Roberta then talks, asking for an end to the problem of racism? Get class feedback.

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The Confession

Chapters 1–2 groups to answer the following questions: Do many Before reading drivers in your country do dangerous things? How can 3 Predict: Put the students in small groups to discuss road accidents be reduced? the following questions: What kind of things does a After reading minister usually do as part of his job? Why would a 10 Discuss: Have a group or class discussion about the criminal want to talk to a minister? What kind of protests in Slone. Are the black people right to evidence do the police normally use to show that protest? Is it ever alright to use violence? somebody is guilty of a crime? Why is an innocent person sometimes found guilty? Get feedback from the class. Chapters 7–8 11 Write and guess: Write Donté Drumm was taken from After reading Polunsky to Huntsville prison by van. on the board. Elicit 4 Lie detector test game: Write the following which word is wrong from the students (plane not questions on the board: 1. What was the last thing you van). Now students choose a sentence from Chapters did last night? 2. Which country would you love to visit? 7–8 and rewrite it changing one word. Students walk 3. What bad habits have you got? 4. Who do you get around the classroom, reading out their sentences, along with best in your family? 5. Which famous person and the other students have to identify and correct do you admire? Now tell students to write a number the mistake. between 1 and 5 on a piece of paper, which they 12 Discuss: Elicit from the students why Donté was keep secret. Put students in pairs and have them ask angry with the church and then put them in small and answer the questions. The students must answer groups to discuss these questions: What are the most honestly except to the question that corresponds to important religions in your country? What do they say the number they have written. Their partner must people should and shouldn’t do? What other religions do guess when they have lied. you know about? 5 Group work: Write the following names on the board: Keith Schroeder, Travis Boyette, Robbie Flak, Donté Chapters 9–10 Drumm, Nicole Yarber. Divide the class into five groups After reading and give each group a number. Tell them to write 13 Pair work: Elicit from the students the difference three true sentences and two false ones about their between Keith’s and Robbie’s attitude towards Travis character. Then rearrange the students so that they when he has a seizure after finding Nicole’s body. are in different groups. Students read their sentences Now ask them to discuss in pairs who they agree to each other and they must identify and correct the with and why. Get class feedback. false ones. 14 Write: Tell students to discuss with a partner how the Chapters 3–4 newspapers would report the discovery of the coffin. Then ask them to write an article. While reading (after Chapter 3) 15 Write and ask: Write Who first told Reeva Yarber about 6 Discuss: Put students in small groups to discuss the Travis Boyette? on the board (Sean Fordyce). Ask following questions: What are prisons in your country students to write another question about something like? Should they be improved? Do you think only certain in Chapters 9–10. Check their work as they do this. kinds of criminals should go to prison? Does prison make Now have students stand up and mingle, asking and criminals into better or worse people? What other ways answering each other’s questions. can society punish them? 16 Predict: Ask students to talk about where they think 7 Write (p. 25, after “Drumm’s life might depend on Travis has gone and why? What do they think he will it.”): Get students to discuss in pairs what Keith’s email do next? Get feedback. would contain and then tell them to write the email. After reading Chapters 11–12 8 Role play: Divide the class into two groups and ask After reading one group to think of reasons why Keith is right to 17 Pair work: Write the following words on the board break the law and drive Travis to Slone. The other and put students in pairs to talk and write about how group must think of reasons why he shouldn’t do it. they were significant in the Chapters 11–12 without Then put them in pairs, taking one student from each looking back at the book: football shirts, scientific group. Have them act out a conversation between evidence, Sunday service, Nebraska, gym, party. Keith and Dana in which she tries to persuade him 18 Discuss: Put the students in groups to talk about the not to go. following question: Do you think that the story is similar to things that happen in real life? Are there any parts you Chapters 5–6 find hard to believe? While reading (after Chapter 5) 9 Group work: Elicit from the students the reasons why Keith’s driving is dangerous and then put them in

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