Context Flashcards
What was ‘Small Island written’ against the backdrop of?
Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Dock in London in June 1948. There were 492 West Indians on board. it was the beginning of a wave of immigration from Commonwealth countries and colonies.
What was ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ written against the backdrop of?
9/11 were four coordinated Islamist suicide terrorist attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda against the United States on September 11
What is the importance of Hortense?
Hortense is a young Jamaican woman born as an illegitimate child of low birth. Her craving for respectability and her worship of Britain leads to her immigrating to London, but the hostile and racist society forces her to reevaluate her conceptions.
What is the importance of Gilbert?
Gilbert is a young Jamaican man who immigrates to England. Gilbert yearns for a more exciting and adventurous life than the one available to him as a working-class man in Jamaica.
What is the importance of Changez?
Changez, the protagonist of the novel, is a Pakistani man who goes to college in Princeton. He loves the United States and works hard to be accepted. However, he eventually becomes disillusioned with his adopted country, viewing it as a danger to the rest of the world.
Expectation vs reality of windrush generation
They soon found that they were foreigners in England, and this shocked them. The things they thought of as quintessentially English - manners, politeness, rounded vowels from well-spoken people - were not in evidence
What were the affects of 9/11?
The 9/11 terrorist attacks led to an increase of national security, a tightening of immigration laws and greater censorship. Also led to hate crimes and harassment of Muslims, targeted for wearing turbans, having beards etc
