immigrant experience - identity and roots Flashcards
the reluctant fundamentalist- ‘Princeton inspired in me the feeling that my life was a film in which I was the star and everything was possible”
match with critic stuart hall- we should think of identity as a production- which is never complete, always in process
here Changez has been ushered into the upper echelons of American society through his ivy league university. America portrays itself as a place of opportunity for all but this identity proves to be fictitious post 9-11. Changez’s concern with status and that he enjoys participating in an elitist world
personal experience vs broader themes, juxtaposition between his pride and societal context, tension between individual ambition and social inequities - comparison of optimism and disenchantment
hints at aritfical consturcted quality, hinting at the disconnet between the reality of his life and the illusion of glamour and success
nazneen in monica ali brick lane
“She stopped dead and flung her arms up above her head with a look so triumphant she knew she had conquered everything.”
Watching ice skating captivates Nazneen because it is symbolic of a freedom and recklessness that she has never witnessed before.
The adjective ‘triumphant’ and verb ‘conquered’ suggest that Nazneen admires the sense of agency and victory she perceives in ice skating. The tv inspires a feeling that everything is possible.
-Nick Bentley= “The romantic image of the woman freed from the constraints of dress…presents an alternative world to Nazneen who is weighed down with domestic duties.”
internal cognitive realisation that she could also attain this
hyperbolic tone emphasises the depth of her emotional release and empowerment - visual cue underscores the volta for her inner transformation
changez trf-
’ i was, in four and a half years, never an american; i was immediately a new yorker’
Changez makes the distinction between American culture and the culture of a cosmopolitan city. Changez underlines the exclusive nature of the dominant culture which doesn’t make space for immigrants. The confident tone he uses in “immediately” suggests the ease of assimilation pre 9/11 and the inclusive nature of an international city.
-Jonathan Raban= “In the city we can change our identities at will.” Raban argues that metropolitan cities - like New York and London - are inclusive and accepting places, more so than rural areas, in which one’s identity can be reinvented/altered/explored without judgement.
Pre 9/11 society= America was considered a supreme power in pre 9/11 society. Muslims were well integrated into the fabric of American society and were statistically one of the least targeted groups in the US.
This is England…You can do whatever you like.”(Razia)= brick lane
razia to nazneen
Nazneen who feels ostracised at the beginning of the novel but at the end feels hopeful and liberated. The assertion that Razia makes about Nazneen in her sari and iee-skating footwear represents the affirmation of a cultural freedom for Nazneen
I had not shaved my two week old beard…I did not wish to blend in with the army of clean-shaven youngsters who were my co-workers.”=
trf
Hamid suggests that a beard becomes synonymous with terrorism and therefore by refusing to shave it, the American, and the surrogate listener begin to make the same assumption that Changez is becoming radicalised. “Army”= Militaristic imagery reinforces that Changez sees himself on the other side of the cultural divisions that emerge post 9/11.
-Louis Althusser(Marxist)= Dominant cultural and political structures impose identities on us.
-White professionalism bias= The preference for white hair styles/dress in the workplace.
monica ali brick lane
“Without a coat, without a suit, without a white face, without a destination.
The third person narrative illuminates Nazneen’s sense of otherness in spaces outside of her community. Illuminates Nazneen’s sense of alienation in Bishopsgate( a place that is geographically close but culturally extremely different to Brick Lane). The repetition of “without” emphasises her otherness and her deficiencies that prevent her from being able to assimilate into this area of London.
(white professionalism bias)
-Nick Bentley= “The subaltern narrative emphasises that the accommodation of western culture is needed if the immigrant is going to live a fruitful life in the West.”
jean kwok girl in translation
‘she never imagined brooklyn could look like this,’
‘elegant houses and gardens’
kimberely visits a friends house after school, exposed to american mannerisms which are different to hong kong
- american dream
acculturation in jean kwok girl in translation
plans to ‘keep fish alive in rice bowl’
fish deemed as good luck in oriental culture
americanah - acculturation
african american communities setting up hair shops to help other members of community
namesake- jhumpa lahiri, acculturation
ashima writes letters to address and greet all bengalis in her area in america- sign of unity and togetherness
jende - behold the dreamers -mbue
kuhl, bitter orange tree
saw imran, he was bent over a plate of biryani … kuhl watched as he finished and licked his fingers
she felt no disgust or embarrassment
ghosts
chimamannda ngozi the thing around your neck
old man finds himself finding a sense of coonection with his life pre war
which he classifies as home
there is an appearance of his late wife- in the form of a ghost
- sense of belonging and nostalgia admidsts all chaos
