Exam prep: You can do it!

Get 'er done.

Interpreter of Maladies

1. Check books
2. Free write: Think of the role that photographs play in your life. Focus on one photograph and write about what moment in time it captures. Why is this moment significant to you? your family/friends? Be sure to comment on the nature and details of the moment (positive/negative, location, age, etc).
3. Chalk Talk with writing: share your best line.
4. Review of the major questions on identity and relate to story

• What factors inform our identity and why?

• What does it mean to be an “insider” versus an “outsider” in our world?

• What does it mean to belong in a society or culture?

• How does that belonging impact both the individual and society?

Mr Pirzada Comes to Dine

1. Check books
2. Partition 1947
3. Indo-Pakastani War 1971

Free write
1. Can a person's national identity (and what does this mean? be sure to define it.) change with a change in physical boundaries?
2. In what ways has your identity changed in relation to physical boundaries?

Group Questions: find text evidence to support all answer
1. Who is the narrator? How old is she when she is narrating? How would you describe her tone? Her character?
2. In what ways does Lahiri express the extreme emotional state of Mr. Pirzada?
3. "Mr. Pirzada won't be coming today. More importantly, Mr. Pirzada is no longer considered Indian," my father announced, brushing salt from the cashews out of his trim black beard. "Not since Partition. Our country was divided. 1947." (25) What does this interpretation of what Mr Pirzada is and is not considered say about the conflict between national identity and geographical boundaries?
4. How does Lahiri create a cultural difference between Lilia and her parents? Between America and India?
5. Why does Lahiri use Halloween in this story? How might it exemplify difference and the idea of belonging?
6. What is the reader to make of Lilia's prayers for Mr. Pirzada and her ritual with the candies?
7. Who is the interpreter of maladies in this story? (Question inspired by Claire Fox!)

A Temporary Matter

1. Check books
2. Free write: What is an interpreter of maladies? Why chose this as a title? Break down the words and think about how they work together.
3. Jhumpa Lahiri
4. Bengali Culture/History

Some Group Questions
5. Who is the narrator? About whom do we know more, Shoba or Shukumar?
6. How does Lahiri use language to separate Shoba and Shukumar? Think about connotations of words and phrases.
7. In what way does Lahiri reunite Shukumar and Shoba? How does culture play a role in their reunion? What does that say about culture's role in our identity? our identity in terms of others? Think about their relationship to India.
8. How does Lahiri reverse the connotations of light and dark? Why does she do this? How does this reversal lead to revelation?
9. What does confessing a mistake or secret do for Shukumar and Shoba? What is Shoba looking for in the game? What does that reveal to the reader about her character?
10. What's the significance of the title? What is the temporary matter? Think outside the box. There are many answers.
11. Major themes of the story?

Part 3 (cont) & 4

Check books and then ...

Part 2 (con't)
BIG QUESTION: What is the point of the last section after the break on p. 34?

Part 3
1. In what way is the content of Part 3 different than that of Part 2? Come up with examples from the text to support your ideas.
2. In what way does her tone reflect her argument?
3. Why does she start the essay the way she does?
4. Look at the sequence of Part 1, 2 and 3. Look at how she progresses in her argument and tone. Find specific examples to support your ideas.
5. What is the logic in the progression of her ideas and points?
6. Tone: how does her tone work as a device to make her point? How does her tone help her accomplish her purpose?

Part 4
THE BIG QUESTION: What exactly is Kincaid's ultimate point?

Class responses

A Small Place Part 2 (con't)

Check books and then ...

Part 2
1. How is this part different from the first part? Look at content and tone. Use evidence to support your ideas.
2. Break up into three groups and share answers (I will type answers on blog)

• p.27-30: What differences is the narrator highlighting here and why?
• p. 30-34: What is the point of bring up the Queen and the princess?
• p. 34: What is the paragraph about racism all about?

Class responses

BIG QUESTION: What is the point of the last section after the break on p. 34?

SUPER BIG QUESTION: What are the point, tone, and purpose of Part 1 and Part 2?

A Small Place Parts 1

Check books.

Let's learn a bit about Antigua.

Part 1
1. What is the importance of the point of view? Purpose of second person/use of second person?
2. What is tone? Let's look at the SAS triangle!!
3. Who is the narrator?
4. What is the purpose of her use of parenthesis and questions marks? How do these pieces of punctuation help convey her tone?
5. What is the narrator's point in discussing the hospital and the library?
6. p. 13: what is the narrator saying about tourists?
BIG QUESTION: What does identity have to do with this first section? What about belonging?