The English Patient, Characters relating to the IB Learner Profile
Kip’s Strength and Weaknesses based on the IB Learner Profile
In the 1992 novel, “The English Patient,” written by Canadian author, Michael Ondaatje, Kirpal “Kip” Singh is a sapper who was selected to be a part of the legendary Lord Suffolk’s sapper unit. A sapper’s job includes building and repairing roads and bridges, laying and clearing mines, along with other similar tasks. Lord Suffolk’s unit would be mainly focus on clearing mines due to Lord Suffolk’s success in that particular field. Kip demonstrates the IB Learner Characteristics of being caring and a thinker but lacks the ability of being a good communicator due to the effect of his occupation.
A natural born Indian man, Kip leaves India and willingly decides to join the British military sapper unit. Kip and his unit’s main priority are to diffuse and clear mines and bombs. Periodically enemy nations (to the Allies), the Germans in particular, would add a twist to their bombs every few months to trick the sappers. The quote, “A 250-kilogram bomb erupting as Lord Suffolk attempted to dismantle it. It also killed Mr. Fred Harts and Miss Morden and four sappers Lord Suffolk was training” describes how the majority of the sapper unit and Lord Suffolk died (190). Promptly after these deaths, Lieutenant Blackler tells Kip of the event and hesitantly brings up the fact that another bomb is in need of being diffused and disposed. Kip knows that “the man would not have come there just to tell him of the deaths… It meant there was a second bomb somewhere in the vicinity, probably the same design (as the bomb that killed had killed Lord Suffolk and other members of his unit), and this was the only chance to find out what had gone wrong” (190-191). The fact that his mentor, Lord Suffolk died by the same bomb design as he luckily diffused proves that a sapper’s lifespan is limited. This shows that Kip is caring because he is constantly putting his life at risks to protect people of the nation he services. Another
In the 1992 novel, “The English Patient,” written by Canadian author, Michael Ondaatje, Kirpal “Kip” Singh is a sapper who was selected to be a part of the legendary Lord Suffolk’s sapper unit. A sapper’s job includes building and repairing roads and bridges, laying and clearing mines, along with other similar tasks. Lord Suffolk’s unit would be mainly focus on clearing mines due to Lord Suffolk’s success in that particular field. Kip demonstrates the IB Learner Characteristics of being caring and a thinker but lacks the ability of being a good communicator due to the effect of his occupation.
A natural born Indian man, Kip leaves India and willingly decides to join the British military sapper unit. Kip and his unit’s main priority are to diffuse and clear mines and bombs. Periodically enemy nations (to the Allies), the Germans in particular, would add a twist to their bombs every few months to trick the sappers. The quote, “A 250-kilogram bomb erupting as Lord Suffolk attempted to dismantle it. It also killed Mr. Fred Harts and Miss Morden and four sappers Lord Suffolk was training” describes how the majority of the sapper unit and Lord Suffolk died (190). Promptly after these deaths, Lieutenant Blackler tells Kip of the event and hesitantly brings up the fact that another bomb is in need of being diffused and disposed. Kip knows that “the man would not have come there just to tell him of the deaths… It meant there was a second bomb somewhere in the vicinity, probably the same design (as the bomb that killed had killed Lord Suffolk and other members of his unit), and this was the only chance to find out what had gone wrong” (190-191). The fact that his mentor, Lord Suffolk died by the same bomb design as he luckily diffused proves that a sapper’s lifespan is limited. This shows that Kip is caring because he is constantly putting his life at risks to protect people of the nation he services. Another