“Counterparts” is one of the darkest and most difficult to read yet relevant and important stories in the collection due to its realistic depictions of addiction and abuse. The title is generally interpreted to have two primary meanings—the copies of legal documents which main character Farrington prepares at work all day are known as “counterparts,” whereas the physical abuse of Farrington’s son at the end of the story mirrors the verbal and emotional abuse Farrington receives from his boss in the first half of the story, making them “counterparts” in a way as well.
Although it may not be readily apparent to modern readers, the British occupation of Ireland is a major theme of the text. Farrington’s boss Mr. Alleyne not only has an English-sounding last name, but a “North of Ireland accent” (an area heavily dominated by those with English heritage) that he has previously gotten in trouble for mocking. Later, he is snubbed by a woman with a London accent and defeated at his own game of arm wrestling by a young English man. On the way back home, he walks by the army barracks, a visual reminder of the state of occupation Ireland found itself in.
James Joyce is understood to have blamed the British occupation as well as the Roman Catholic Church for Ireland’s state of paralysis, the former for their often-harsh policies against the Irish and refusal to allow Ireland their own parliament, and the latter in particular for their turning against politician and champion of Irish home rule Charles Stewart Parnell when it came to light that he had taken part in an extramarital affair. Some interpret the helplessness of Farrington’s son in the face of his father’s abuse despite his offer of prayer as a commentary by Joyce about the church’s inability to help Ireland out of its own abusive situation.
First, you can try writing an essay based on the "A" option of the writing task of the exam which uses a fragment from "Counterparts."
The first listening task is based on an American news segment in which an author discusses a book about trying to help her son struggle through addiction and the head of a center that provides support to young people with addiction. The main character of “Counterparts” clearly suffers from addiction to alcohol as can be seen by his drinking during working hours and his heavy drinking with his friends.
Listening Task: Addiction from a Mother’s Perspective
The second task is based on a 2020 conversation between Dr. Gabor Maté and an audience member at the annual “Wisdom 2.0” conference during a question-and-answer session. The issue of expressing anger in a healthy way is central to “Counterparts,” as the main character (and his boss to an extent) expresses his anger in toxic and increasingly violent ways throughout the story.
Listening Task: Healthy Expressions of Anger
The final listening task for this story is based on a video series called “The Way We Work” produced by TED. It is not a traditional “TED Talk” in front of an audience, and contains informative graphics. It can be either used for the audio alone or shown to the students in video format.
One of the major themes of the story “Counterparts” is the way that main character Farrington is treated by his boss and the negative feelings that he experiences at the workplace. If the students have already read the short story, you might ask them what, if any, of the advice given in the video should Mr. Alleyne take in order to improve the atmosphere in the office. If not, students might go back to their task sheet from this exercise after reading as part of a discussion.
This exercise is designed to be a bit harder than one that the students will actually face on an exam in order to think using synonyms and to get used to paying close attention to what they will be listening for in the minute they have to prepare before listening to the task the first time and before the second time.
Listening Task: Making Employees Happy at Work
To continue the theme of "managing employees," you will read three short texts, including a fragment from "Counterparts," and answer questions are based on the format of tasks 2-4 on the 2024 exam.
Reading Tasks: Managing Employees
Next, you will read the full text of the short story "Counterparts." These questions are also based on the format of tasks 2-4 on the 2024 exam. Although those tasks were based on three different texts that needed to be compared, the types of questions have been adapted for use with one longer text. For example, instead of writing in which text each statement corresponds with in task 2, students must determine which statement applies to which character(s).
Finally, here are a few speaking tasks you and a friend can use to practice for the exam. The topics are connected with "Counterparts," and you should mention the story in your talk.
Speaking Task: Feeling Valued at Work
After completing the tasks, you can continue on to the tenth short story, "Grace".