Read chapters How they appeared, We Need New Names and Shhh and reflect on...

The story is told almost entirely through Darling's first-person narration, but at least two chapters take on a more poetic, third-person style of narration. How do these sections affect the reading of the story as a whole? Consider the following extract: "Look at them leaving in droves despite knowing they will be welcomed with restraint in those strange lands because they do not belong, knowing they will have to sit on one buttock because they must not sit comfortably lest they be asked to rise and leave, knowing they will speak in dampened whispers because they must not let their voices drown those of the owners of the land, knowing they will have to walk on their toes because they must not leave footprints on the new earth lest they be mistaken for those who want to claim the land as theirs. Look at them leaving in droves, arm in arm with loss and lost, look at them leaving in droves." (p. 148)

Despite living in poverty in Zimbabwe, Darling and her friends are exposed to lots of American pop culture -- from Lady Gaga to the television show ER. What does this say about effects of globalization on contemporary African life?

What does the title of the book refer to? What role do names play in the story?

What is revealing about the title "Shhh"? What literary device is it? How is the title connected to the chapter?

The Destructors by Graham Greene

They worked with the seriousness of creators. -and destruction is after all a form of creation." (page 165)

"I'd like to see his face when we are through"..."You hate him a lot?" "There'd be no fun if I hated him." "All this hate and love. It's soft. It's hooey. There's only things, Blackie" (pg 166)

"Old Misery did not want to soil his house, which stood jagged and dark between bomb sites, saved so narrowly from destruction." (pg 167)

COUNTRY GAME- WE NEED NEW NAMES CHAPTER 3

Analyze the following extracts in connection to Chapter 3 of We Need New Names
Explore MACROCOSM vs MICROCOSM, Theme, Setting, characters, plot, symbology, irony, literary devices, rhetorical devices, word choice.

1) "It's just madness inside Shangai; machines hoist things in their terrible jaws, machines maul the earth, machines grind rocks, machines belch clouds of smoke, machines iron the ground. Everywhere machines." (44)

2) "The Chinese men are all over the place in orange uniforms and yellow helmets; there's not that many of them but from the way they are running around, you'd think they are a field of corn." (44)


3) "Now there's this skeleton of a building that looks like it wants to belch in God's face." (45)

4) "Yes, didn't I tell you last time that China is a big dog?" (45)

5) "They don't look the way adults always try to look, making like they are in charge, so we pity them a little bit." (46)

6) "We are peeping like that and failing to see anything because it's dark in the tent when out walks this fat Chinese man fastening his belt, catching us." (46/47)

7) "And then, to add to our surprise even more, the fat man starts ching-chonging to us like he thinks he is in his grandmother's backyard." (47)

8) "Yes, somebody told Fat Mangena here that Chinese is our national language now.
Look at that drum of a stomach, it's like he has swallowed a country."

9) "We are still standing there when out walk these two black girls in skinny jeans and weaves and heels." (47)

10) "We build  you big big mall. All nice shops inside; Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, and so on and so on." (47)

11) "Well, you are in our country, that counts for something, Stina says." (49)

12) "If it weren't for the noisy machines, the Chinese would hear us telling them to leave our country and go and build wherever they come from."(49)

13) "Okay, it's like this. China is a red devil looking for people to eat so it can grow fat and strong. Now we have to decide if it actually breaks into people's homes or just ambushes them in the forest." (49)

14) But first we have to fight over the names because everybody wants to be certain countries, like everybody wants to be the USA...These are the country countries.
Nobody wants to be rags of countries like Congo, and not even this one we live in- who wants to be a terrible place of hunger and things falling apart?" (51)

15) "Who doesn't know that the USA is the big baboon of the world?" (51)

16) "What we really want to do is take off and run to meet the lorry but we know we cannot. Last time we did, the NGO people were not happy about it, like we had committed a crime against humanity." (53)

17) "This time the NGO people are late; they were supposed to come on the fifteenth of last month and that month came and went and now we are on another month. Finally, the lorry arrives, churning dust like an angry monster."

18) "Except for the driver, all of them wear sunglasses. Eyes look at us that we cannot really see because they are hidden behind a wall of black glass."

19) "After we sit, the man starts taking pictures with his camera. They like taking pictures, these NGO people like maybe we are their real friends and relatives and they will look at the pictures later and point us out by name to other friends and relatives once they get back to their homes. They don't care that we are embarrassed by our dirt and torn clothing, that we would prefer they didn't do it. (54)

20)"This time taking lots of pictures of Chipo. It's like she has become Paris Hilton,it´s all just click-flash-click-flash..Now the cameraman pounces on Godknow's black buttocks. Bastard points and laughs, and Godknows turns around and covers the holes of his shorts with his hands." (55)

21) "At first we try and line up nicely, as if we are ants going to a wedding, but when they open the back of the lorry, we turn into dizzied dung flies...We are careful not to touch the NGO people, though, because we can see that even though they are giving us things, they do not want to touch us or for us to touch them." (55-56)

22) "Each of us gets a toy gun, some sweets, and something to wear,I get a T-shirt with the word Google at the front, plus a red dress that is tight at the armpits." (57)

23) "After we get our things, it's the adults turn. The truth is we hear them all the time complain about how the NGO peoplehave forgotten them, how they should visit more often, how NGO this and NGO that, like maybe the NGO are their parents." (57)

24) "It's MotherLove alone who does not join the line for food." (57)

25) "Hawy, MotherLove! Sis Betty shouts in a silly voice like she is coaxing a stupid child. Please come, bantu, can't you see we've brought you gifts? she says. The NGO people hold out more little packages to MotherLove, and the two white women even bare their teeth like grinning dogs." (58)

26) "When the NGO lorry finally leaves, we take off and run after it. Sbho screams, Take me with you! and we're all screaming the words, screaming and screaming, like somebody said the lorry would turn around and take whoever screamed the loudest." (58)

27) "Now that the lorry is gone-gone, we do not scream anymore. We are as quiet as graves, sad like the adults coming back from burying the dead. Then Bastard says, Let's go and play war, and then we take off and run to kill each other with our brand-new guns from America." (59)

THE SANDPIPER by Ahdaf Soueif

Sandpiper by Ahdaf Soueif

20 SEP 2017

In Sandpiper by Ahdaf Soueif we have the theme of loneliness, separation, paralysis, identity, isolation, control, connection, helplessness and loss. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed woman the reader realises after reading the story that Soueif may be exploring the theme of loneliness. There is a sense that the narrator is lonely. She participates in none of the activities that her husband and daughter are engaged with and if anything seems eager to leave Egypt. A place that is no longer satisfying to the narrator. At first she had loved her husband and Egypt though as time passed her fondness for both has lessened. Everything around the narrator is different to how life was for her before she got married and moved to Egypt. Now that she has a child there is a sense that she is separated from those around her. With Lucy following the traditions of her father and cousins rather than the traditions of the narrator. It is also possible that the narrator longs for the connection she had with Lucy when she was pregnant. As Lucy has grown she has become independent of the narrator. Overall life is difficult for the narrator in Egypt. She mixes with no one which would further highlight the theme of loneliness. With the reader suspecting that the narrator lives a life that is paralysed. She is not going anywhere nor is she doing anything different. Each day is the same with the narrator’s life being mapped out by her husband and his family.

Any attempts that the narrator has made to integrate with those around her have also failed with Um Sabir taking on many of the domestic duties that the narrator herself is accustomed to doing. If anything the narrator might feel ostracized from those around her which in turn would suggest or possibly lead the reader to believe that the narrator is isolated from others. The narrator is still a young woman and the reader can feel the difficulties she is incurring while attempting to live in another culture. Everything is different for her. Her role as a wife or at least what she expected her role to be is non-existent. Her role as a mother is also outside of the narrator’s control with Lucy as mentioned being more influenced by her father than by the narrator. All of this makes it easier to understand as to why the narrator longs to return to her home in England. In England she knew who she was and had a defined role that sat comfortable with her. This is not the case in Egypt.

There is also a sense that the narrator feels helpless. She is living and spending her time with her husband’s family. She has not mastered the language or the traditions of her husband’s family. She appears to be most comfortable when she is in bed which would play on the theme of paralysis. If anything the narrator is reassessing her life however as readers we do not know as to whether she will take the required action and leave Egypt with Lucy. There is no longer any love between the narrator and her husband so she has very little to keep her in Egypt. It is also unlikely after spending so long in Egypt that things will change for the narrator. She is not in control of her life. Control rests with others (her husband and his family).  It is also noticeable that the narrator’s present is far different to her past in Egypt. When she was very much in love with her husband.

It might also be a case that Soueif is exploring the theme of loss. The narrator has lost everything that she has known. From living in England which is now just a memory for her to the loss of having any influence in Lucy’s life. Where once there was happiness there is now sadness and a sense of confinement. This sense of confinement is also noticeable from the setting of the story. Apart from walking to the market or to the beach the narrator for the duration of the story spends her time in her bedroom. It is as though she has nowhere to go. She is not in control of either her environment or her life nor is she included in the activities of those around her. The narrator is alone. It may also be important that the narrator at the beginning of the story walks slowly without leaving any sand on the stones as she walks to the beach. If anything the narrator is seeking perfection in her hopes of leaving each stone unmarked by sand. This sense of perfection is also noticeable in the narrator’s life. Her move to Egypt was supposed to be trouble free she was after all in love. It is as though the narrator thought her life with her husband would be perfect. Unfortunately things did not turn out as the narrator expected. She has attempted to adapt to her husband’s traditions and found that her own traditions and way of life would not leave her.

http://sittingbee.com/sandpiper-ahdaf-soueif/

1. Criticize, comment and expand on the featrues mentioned in this review of the Sandpiper.

a) THEME

b) NARRATIVE POINT OF VIEW

c) PLOT

d) CHARACTERIZATION

e) SYMBOLOGY

2. Compare these items (a to e) with The Third and Final Continent by  Jhumpa Lahiri. Compare the message of both stories.  

ON HER KNEES by Tim Burton

*How is the title relevant to the story? Develop your answer. Is this evident in a certain extract of the story? Find quotes to justify your answer.



*Who is the main character? What narrative point of view is used in the story? What is the author's goal? Find quotes to justify your answer.

*How is the mother portrayed? DESCRIBE HER PERSONALITY. Find quotes to justify your answer.

*How is the son portrayed? DESCRIBE HER PERSONALITY. Find quotes to justify your answer.

*How is the house's owner portrayed? DESCRIBE HER PERSONALITY. Find quotes to justify your answer.

*What is the main theme of the story? Find quotes to justify your answer.

*Is there a twist in the story? Which one? Find quotes to justify your answer.


REFLECTION:

Is there a message conveyed by the story? Which one?
What do you wonder about after reading this story? Ponder about the theme.


In your groups, answer these questions briefly in a poster. You can create a web diagram. You can include the quotes using post-its to make your presentation clearer.

REFUGEES

STIMULUS RESPONSE

Write an argumentative text based on the following statement using between 150 and 250 words.

"Being a refugee is not a choice. Countries should accept refugees."

You may do some research or consult the following sites:

DOCUMENTARY "EUROPE OR DIE"

CANADA'S RESPONSE TO THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS

NEWS FLASH ON SYRIAN REFUGEES

TED TALK BY A FORMER REFUGEE

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ARTICLE ON THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS

Questions on the extract 08/09/2018

JUSTIFY  ALL YOUR ANSWERS USING EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT (INCLUDE A QUOTE AND EXPLAIN IT). WORK IN PAIRS. YOU WILL HAVE TO PRESENT YOUR ANSWERS ON MONDAY (you can create a ppt, prezi if you feel it will help you).

A) What is the narrative point of view? Justify using evidence from the text. What is the effect of this narrative point of view on the reader?

B) Who is the main character? What is happening to him?

C) Who may Allie be? What may have happened to him? INFER using evidence from the text.

D) What is the protagonist's personality like? Justify using evidence from the text.

E) What is paradoxical about the protagonist's reactions?

F) Which one is the CLIMAX of the novel? Which one is the turning point?

G) Who is Phoebe? What is the relationship with the protagonist like?

H) Explore the symbol of the carrousel. What does it represent? Think about the protagonist's relation with this symbol and Phoebe's relation with it.

I) Analyze the ending of the novel. What is the resolution like? Where is the protagonist? What has happened to him?

J) What is ironic about Holden's relationship with society (eg, school) and his family? What is his main fear OR what does he hate most?

Discuss the TWO following phrases in connection with the extract: