English 1

The Reluctant Fundamentalist Movie

Questions for discussion:

1. What, in your opinion, is the most striking difference between the novel and the movie?
2. What do the novel and the movie have in common?
3. Compare the setting of the cafeteria in the novel versus how it is portrayed in the movie.
4. The American- how is he described in the movie?
4. How is Erica characterized in the movie?
5. Describe Changez.
6. What is your opinion of Jim?
7. Write a blogpost where you state your opinion of the movie, whether you liked it or not and why.

Freedom of speech for everyone?

The French philosopher Voltaire once said:

“I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Watch Farred Zakaria on CNN talk about how conservative voices are being silenced, being concerned about how on both sides of the political spectre, people seem less interested to hear the arguments and opinions of the other side.

How far does freedom of speech go?

Can you lose your freedom of speech? How/why?

How should we react when someone uses their freedom of speech to offend us?

Visit this site from The Wall Street Journal and choose a topic.

See how conservative and liberal Facebook present the topic you have chosen.

Write a post where you discuss:

which topic did you choose to look at?
What is the conservative posts about, and what is the liberal posts about?
Are there any posts which you felt were offensive or promoting hate/negativity? Why?
Think about freedom of speech, should we be allowed to post whatever we want on social media, or are there limits?
Look at the side you disagree the most with, and try to find their best argument. Is there anything you can see having merit, making sense, something you can understand that people would think? What?

freedom-of-speech-e1448890859820-jpe

(Picture from https://thequeerness.com/2016/03/07/freedom-of-speech-is-no-longer-about-rights-its-about-power/)

Chapters 8-9

Tuesday class March 13

We have now read chapters 8 and 9. In groups of three or four, discuss what happens in these two chapters. Then move on to discuss:

-The symbolism of names: Erica, Chris, Changez/Genghis Khan.

-Erica’s change/deterioration: “he never came to know what triggered Erica’s decline. (Was it) the trauma of the attack on her city? The act of sending out her book in search of publication? The echoes raised in her by our lovemaking? I think I knew even then that she was disappearing into a powerful nostalgia”. Discuss each of the statements and explain what Changez means by each of them.

What does Changez mean when he says “America, too, was giving itself over to a dangerous nostalgia at that time”.

Find quotes that describe Erica’s deterioration or altered mental/physical state.

Find quotes that support the idea that Changez changes his attitude towards America.

Write down 10-15 new words that you have come across in these two chapters.

On your blog, write a summary of the two chapters. Include your thoughts about what is happening with Changez and Erica, both their attitudes and their relationship.

the reluctanct fundamentalist image (Photo retrieved from nytimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/books/review/Olsson.t.html)

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

By Mohsin Hamid (2007) is the novel we are reading this school year. We are now into he first four chapters of the book and here comes the assignment:

Write a blog post where you comment on:

your impression of the story so far. Remember that you are allowed to be negative, but no matter what your thoughts are so far – try to explain and give examples of what you like or dislike.
what impression you get of the company Underwood Sam.
describe how Changez feels about America and comment on this quote: “I was immediately a New Yorker”.
how Erica is described. Find a quote to underline your opinion.

After publishing your post, move on to read chapter 5 for the Tuesday class.

31 countries decisive for eradicating extreme poverty

The UN goal to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030 is not on track in all countries…read this short article from Norad and click on the countries to see what challenges they are facing. As you can see, there is a strong link between lack of democracy and governmental structures and extreme poverty. You can find the complete report Leave No Country Behind – Ending Poverty in the toughest places here.

Day Zero

Day Zero– sounds like a sci-fi movie. Acopalypse now. But – what is it? Why is it happening? What can be done about it? Are there other places in the world that face the same problem? This will be the topic for our Tuesday class. You will be working in groups and use a padlet to share your findings about a water crisis. Answer the 5 ws: where, what, when, why, who.

Gap Year

Watch the first episode of the series Gap Year

Discuss in your groups:

What is a gap year?

Why does the travel writer they meet on the plane warn Sean and Dylan about going to China? Where should they go instead? Why do you think she says this? What is the reason they are going to China?

What is the difference between Sean and Dylan when it it comes to their background and what they did before they went on this trip?

What stereotypes of and prejudices against American tourists do we see in this film? How are they treated differently at the music festival on the wall? Comment especially on the experiences the Chinese-American girl makes.

Do you think a series like this can teach us something about culture and cultural stereotypes? Give reasons for your answer.

If you were to do a gap year, what would you like to do?

Homework for Wednesday Feb 7th.

Read chapter 10 of the Reluctant Fundamentalist and comment on the different conflicts which can be seen in the novel:

a conflict between Changez and the American
a conflict between Changez and the United States
a conflict between Changez and his workplace (Underwood Samson)
an inner conflict between Changez and himself

Find reasons/explanations for each of these possible conflicts.

Also, comment on the two quotes from chapter 10, from a conversation between Juan-Bautista and Changez:

“Have you hear of the janissaries? “No,” I said. “They were Christian boys,” he explained, “captured by the Ottomans and trained to be soldiers in a Muslim army, at that time the greatest army in the world. they were ferocious and utterly loyal: they had fought to erase their own civilizations, so they had nothing else to turn to.”

“There really could be no doubt: I was a modern-day janissary, a servant of the American empire at a time when it was invading a country with a kinship to mine and was perhaps even colluding to ensure that my own country faced the threat of war.”

Study and Work Abroad

Competency aims:

Locate, elaborate on and discuss international educational options and employment option
Use digital tools in an independent, critical and creative manner in the gathering of information, and in the communication and presentation of his or her own material
Present material from course oral and written

Imagine you are a student who is rather tired of Ålesund and its climate, and you long to experience a new culture, somewhere abroad.

Therefore, you plan to study abroad next year, but you are not quite sure where yet. Perhaps the education fair at Fagerliahallen could be inspirational, but you need to find other options than those presented there.

1: First, you need to find out what you want to study and where. You can take this test https://www.educations.com/career-test if you need inspiration.

2: Choose a university/learning institution in a country you would like to know more about, and make a brief presentation and share this with your group. Your presentation should last approximately 3-4 minutes and you should include what you can study there, what it costs, what activities they offer and why you would like to study here.

3: Write a personal letter or statement to the university/learning institution that tells about yourself- your hopes, ambitions, life experiences and inspirations. You could focus on your background and how this has shaped your dreams and aspirations, or tell about a personal talent or quality, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. How does this relate to what person you are? Remember to write persuasively. Here are some samples of a personal statement and you could also listen to Tim Minchin’s nine life lessons speech for inspiration.

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