1. What are fertilised and unfertilised eggs? What does Sachiko mean by asking how can they be unfertilised?
   
   
2. Why do you think Takeo seemed to have a new attitude towards Hideko?
   
   
3. What does it mean that 'Takeo's face was hardly apologetic; it seemed to be boasting that it was not his fault'? Why would Takeo have been boasting?
   
   
4. Sachiko wonders whether she needs 'both her emotions and her body warmed up first' in order to get pregnant. How should we understand this?
   
   
5. What is the 'scissors-stone-paper' game that the photographer wants to play with Sachiko?
   

Oral Work and Discussion

1. Imagine that Takeo and Hideko meet accidentally, the day after Hideko's visit. In small groups, construct a role play of what they say to each other. Remember that Hideko is a friend of Sachiko rather than Takeo. Perform your role play for the class.
   
   
2. As a class, suggest and discuss which parts of the story seem to be particularly Japanese and which could just as easily have happened in Australia. Use a whiteboard or blackboard to record your suggestions. Then discuss whether the same story could have been set in Australia and, if so, whether some parts of it might have been different.
   
   
3. Choose four class members to play the roles of Sachiko, Takeo, Hideko and the photographer. Have them form a panel at the front of the room. Each remaining class member should then prepare at least one question to ask a panel member about the events of the story. After some time, panel members can be replaced by others.

Writing

1. Some time in the future, Takeo could easily find Sachiko's photographs and, if he did, Sachiko might have to explain them. Write an account of what she might say.
   
   
2. Perhaps Sachiko keeps a journal. Write her journal entry, after the birth of her child, when she looks back at the period of her life covered by the story. Alternatively, write the conversation she might have with her friend Hideko about that period.
   
   
3. At the end of the story, Takeo and Sachiko are beginning a conversation on the telephone. Starting with the last few lines of the story, write the rest of the conversation.
   
   
4. 'The marriage of Takeo and Sachiko is marked by lack of communication between the partners.' Write an argumentative piece discussing this statement. Use examples from the text to illustrate your views.
   
   
5. What meaning does the 'waterglass egg' have for Sachiko? Write an argumentative piece discussing this question.

Further Exploration

1. Find a copy of The Name of the Flower in a library and read some of Kuniko Mukoda's other stories. Write an argumentative piece comparing the stories and discussing the themes common to her work and/or the symbols she uses.
   
   
2. Use a library or the Internet to research Kuniko Mukoda's life and her other work. Write a report of your findings.
   
   

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