Close Reading Analysis Questions (Year 11 Literary Studies)
Setting and Mood
1. How does Keegan create a sense of place in the opening scenes? Identify
two sensory images and explain their impact on your understanding of the
town’s mood.
2. How does the winter setting reflect the emotional atmosphere of the story?
Give specific textual examples.
Characterisation
3. What ‘small things’ do we learn about Bill Furlong’s character from his actions
and internal thoughts? Support your answer with quotations.
4. Consider Furlong's interactions with the nuns and townspeople. What do
these interactions reveal about social pressures and expectations?
Dialogue and Subtext
5. Find a section of dialogue that demonstrates tension or discomfort. How does
Keegan use language and pauses to convey what characters are thinking or
feeling beneath the surface?
Themes
6. How does Keegan explore the idea of complicity and conscience in the story?
Which moments challenge Furlong to make a moral choice?
7. Discuss how the story’s title, Small Things Like These, relates to the
narrative’s central message.
Symbolism and Motifs
8. Choose one recurring symbol (such as coal, cold, or light). What does it
represent, and how does it deepen your understanding of the story’s themes?
Activities for Year 11 Literary Studies
1. Quote Analysis Carousel

In groups, rotate through stations with selected short passages or quotes.

At each station, annotate for literary features (imagery, symbolism, tone, etc.)
and jot down insights about how that passage develops character or theme.

Share findings as a class and discuss any similarities or different
interpretations.
2. Creative Monologue

Write an internal monologue for Bill Furlong as he leaves the convent. Focus
on showing his emotional state and moral conflict without simply summarising
the plot.

Present monologue as a reading to the class and reflect on how creative
writing helps us understand character motivation.
3. Close Reading Annotation Task

Provide students with a short passage (about 1-2 paragraphs).

Ask students to annotate the text for word choice, figurative language, tone,
and symbolism.

Write a short paragraph analysing how these features influence our
interpretation of the scene.
4. Comparative Context Research

Research the historical context of the Magdalene Laundries (short articles,
reliable online sources).

Prepare a comparative paragraph: how does the fictional portrayal in Small
Things Like These enhance your understanding or empathy compared to the
factual accounts?
5. Theme Mapping

Individually or in pairs, create a visual map tracing one theme (e.g., moral
courage, silence, compassion) across the story.

For each node, include a key quote and a brief explanation of its significance.
Themes and Ideas in Small Things Like These**
1. Moral Responsibility and Conscience

The story probes how individuals wrestle with doing what is right, especially
when the truth is uncomfortable or when action risks personal cost.

Bill Furlong’s internal conflict highlights the struggle between conscience and
conformity.
2. Complicity and Silence

The townspeople's silence and acceptance of injustice reflect societal
complicity.

Keegan examines how silence—chosen or forced—enables wrongdoing to
persist.
3. Courage and Integrity

Acts of quiet bravery are central to the narrative, with the protagonist needing
to decide whether to act on his values.

The importance of integrity, even (or especially) in the face of opposition, is a
persistent idea.
4. Social Hierarchies and Power

The story explores how institutions like the Church wield power, and how
social class and gender impact characters’ lives and choices.

There’s a focus on those who are marginalised or powerless in society.
5. Family, Kindness, and Small Acts

Family bonds, especially between parents and children, are foregrounded as
sources of love and motivation.

Everyday kindness and ‘small things’ are depicted as meaningful forms of
resistance or hope.
6. Guilt and Redemption

Characters feel guilt—personal and collective—about failing to act.

The possibility of redemption through small, compassionate actions is a
recurring thread.
7. Memory and the Past

The impact of past experiences, especially childhood and parental influence,
shapes Bill’s worldview and decisions.

The story reflects on how both personal and communal histories resonate in
the present.
8. Isolation and Community

The tension between belonging to a community and questioning its norms is
explored.

Physical and emotional isolation is both a reality for certain characters and a
metaphor for moral isolation.
9. Religious Hypocrisy

The contrast between the Church’s teachings and its actions is a pointed
critique running through the narrative.
Group Activities and Discussion Questions
1. Moral Responsibility and Conscience
Activity: Role Play Debate

Instructions: Each group is given a scenario from the story where moral
decision-making is central (e.g., Bill Furlong discovering the girl at the
convent).

Groups are assigned either “Act” or “Remain Silent.”

Prepare arguments using textual evidence and present your position in a
class debate.

Discussion Questions:

What are the risks and rewards for Bill Furlong if he chooses to act?

How does Keegan encourage us to empathise with characters who
remain silent or complicit?
2. Complicity and Silence
Activity: Think-Pair-Share – Web of Silence

Instructions: In groups, make a chart showing all the characters, mapping out
who knows what about the convent and who chooses to stay silent.

Discussion Questions:

Why do you think so many characters choose not to speak up?

How does Keegan use setting and dialogue to reinforce this
atmosphere of silence?
3. Courage and Integrity
Activity: Character Hot Seat

Instructions: One student takes on the role of Bill Furlong and answers
questions from the rest of the group about his actions and feelings, using
evidence from the text. Swap roles for different characters.

Discussion Questions:

What small acts of courage are present in the story?

What do these acts reveal about the nature of integrity?
4. Family, Kindness, and Small Acts
Activity: Symbolism Collage

Instructions: As a group, create a visual collage (digital or physical) depicting
the “small things” that represent acts of kindness or family connections in the
story.

Present your collage and explain the symbolism of each item chosen.

Discussion Questions:

In what ways do small, everyday actions have significance in the story?

How do family and memory influence the choices characters make?
5. Social Hierarchies and Power
Activity: Power Dynamics Chart

Instructions: Draw a power hierarchy of the major institutions/characters
(Church, townspeople, Furlong, women in the laundry, etc.).

Discuss where power lies, who is marginalised, and why.

Discussion Questions:

How does class or social status influence behaviour in the story?

In what way does the Church’s power affect individuals and the wider
community?
6. Guilt and Redemption
Activity: Conscience Journal

Instructions: Each group writes a short diary entry from the perspective of a
character left out of the story’s resolution, reflecting on guilt or remorse (e.g.,
one of the townspeople or nuns).

Share excerpts and discuss:

Discussion Questions:

Do you think redemption is possible for those who have been
complicit? Why or why not?

How does the author want us to respond to the moral dilemmas
presented?
7. Memory and the Past
Activity: Flashback Detective

Instructions: Identify all the significant memories or flashbacks in the story as
a group. Discuss how these shape the present actions of the characters.

Discussion Questions:

What role do memories play in motivating or justifying behaviour?

How does the past shape the present in the story?
8. Religious Hypocrisy
Activity: Evidence Wall

Instructions: On a shared board, write out all references and incidents
showing gaps between the Church’s stated morals and its actions.

Discussion Questions:

Why do you think Keegan chose to highlight religious hypocrisy?

How do these contradictions affect the community’s values and
decisions?
Extension Questions
For Deeper Group or Individual Exploration:
1. Moral Responsibility & Conscience

How does the narrative style (third-person limited) invite us to judge or
empathise with Furlong's choices? Can we trust his perspective?

Are there moments where doing nothing could be considered an action?
Discuss with reference to the text.
2. Complicity and Silence

In what ways does the community’s silence protect people? In what ways
does it harm them?

Can you think of any modern parallels, in Australia or globally, where silence
maintains injustice? How might this shape your reading of the story?
3. Courage and Integrity

Is Furlong’s act of kindness heroic, ordinary, or something in between?
Defend your viewpoint with evidence from the text.

How might different characters in the story have rationalised their actions or
inaction, if given the chance?
4. Social Hierarchies and Power

What subtle forms of power or resistance are present among seemingly
powerless characters?

If you were to rewrite the story from the perspective of a different character
(e.g., one of the women in the laundry), how might the theme of power look
different?
5. Guilt and Redemption

Do you believe the story ends on a hopeful or pessimistic note? Justify your
answer.

How does Keegan use guilt to develop empathy in readers? Are there
moments where you felt conflicted about judging the characters?
Handouts for Key Group Activities
Activity 1: Web of Silence (Complicity & Silence)
Instructions:
1. List all significant characters in the story.
2. For each character, answer:

What do they know about the events at the convent?

Do they choose to speak or remain silent? Why?

What motivates their decision (fear, self-preservation, powerlessness,
etc.)?
3. Draw lines connecting characters whose silence protects or involves others.
Table Template:
Character
What Do They Know?
Speak or Silent?
Possible Motivations
Bill Furlong
Mrs Wilson
The Nuns
Townspeople
The Girl
Mrs Furlong
Discussion Prompt:
What patterns can you see? What does this web suggest about responsibility in the
story?
Activity 2: Character Hot Seat (Courage & Integrity)
Instructions for Group:
1. Assign roles: interviewer(s), Bill Furlong, other key character(s).
2. The interviewer asks questions about key decisions (e.g., “Why did you return
to the convent?”).
3. The “hot seat” character responds, staying in character and using evidence
from the text.
Sample Questions for Interviewers:

What was going through your mind when you encountered the girl at the
convent?

Did you consider any other actions? Why or why not?

How do you justify your actions to yourself and others?
Reflection:
After the role play, discuss as a group:

Did you find yourself understanding the character more, or did new questions
arise?

How did stepping into a character’s shoes affect your interpretation of the
story?
Activity 3: Power Dynamics Chart (Social Hierarchies & Power)
Instructions:
1. As a group, create a visual chart or pyramid showing the relative power of:

The Church / convent authorities

Townspeople

Bill Furlong and his family

The women in the laundry
2. Annotate with specific moments from the text that show power being wielded
or challenged.
Chart Example (Text Version):
Power Level Characters/Groups
Example from Text
Highest
Convent/Church authorities
Control over laundries, influence
High
Town elders/business owners
Set social expectations
Medium
Furlong & family
Limited agency
Low
Women in the laundry
Marginalised, few rights
Discussion Prompt:
Do you think power is absolute or shifting in this story? Provide examples.
Activity 4: Conscience Journal (Guilt & Redemption)
Prompt:
Imagine you are a character struggling with guilt or regret over the events at the
convent (e.g., a nun, a neighbour, or even a customer who suspects the truth). Write
a brief diary entry reflecting your feelings and possible justifications.

Reflect on their choices: Did they act, or stand by? Why?

Explore their hopes or fears about what might happen if the truth comes out.

Connect to the story’s themes: Is redemption possible?
Reflection Question:
After sharing, discuss:
What do these journal entries reveal about the consequences of silence—for
individuals and the community?