Module A: Language, Identity and Culture Flashcards
To memorise quotations from the text: Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah by Alana Valentine.
Sarrinah: “I’m a doctor of engineering…it will say so on my ID card until it does I am (an) Afghani migrant and nobody.”
SOCIAL:
The FIRM TONE and HIGH MODALITY in ‘I’m a doctor’ and ‘it will say so’ paired with the DICTION of ‘nobody’ - expresses Sarrinah’s strong belief that obtaining and ID card, it will distinguish her academic identity, from her cultural identity in which she associates being a ‘nobody’ as it defines her by her migrant status, seeing as her original credentials (that held both her cultural and academic backgrounds) were stripped away from her.
Shafana: “All they’ll see is your rough hands and tired eyes…”
SOCIAL:
The RESENTFUL TONE and HIGH MODALITY of ‘All they’ll know’ - highlights Shafana’s ignorance, shown through IMAGERY when Shafana describes Sarrinah’s ‘rough hands and tired eyes’ lack of compassion for the physical hardships Sarrinah endures with her job at the factory.
POLITICAL:
The IMAGERY of Sarrinah’s ‘rough hands and tired eyes’ - suggests Shafana’s naivety towards sarrinah’s working situation, causing her to overlook Sarrinah devotion as Shafana only feels embarrassed by her factory job. This showcases one of Sarrinah’s first experience with identity through education and employment, seeing education as a sort of oppression.
Sarrinah: “You may as well have driven the plane into the towers, you may as well…”
POLITICAL:
the ALLUSION to the 9/11 terrorist attack and the REPETITION of the SECOND PERSON pronouns of ‘you’ - highlights society’s perception of muslims and emphasises the different impacts it has on both characters cultural identity, where there is a clear separation between the two through ‘you’.
Shafana: “Every time they say extremist-“
Sarrinah: “I know.”
POLITICAL:
The SHORT SYNTAX, UNFINISHED and TRUNCATED SENTENCES, paired with the NOUN ‘extremist’ - expresses their shock and confusion, which is emphasised by ‘extremist’ as it is a negative portrayal of muslims by the media in which they take personally. This showcases the EMOTIONAL RESPONSE Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah has upon hearing the medias implications against the muslim community on the 9/11 terrorist attack.
HISTORICAL:
The TRUNCATED SENTENCES - emphasise their fear towards the historical event of 9/11 terrorist attack, as they both knew this would become a sort of turning point, where this historical event will initiate a stereotype for all muslim’s to be accommodated with.
Sarrinah: “What do you think of the Bali bombings…the Afghanistan war…9/11?…what do you think…?”
HISTORICAL:
LISTING, RHETORICAL QUESTION, HISTORICAL ALLUSION - emphasis Sarrinah’s concern for Shafana and her decision. Extending into ‘what others might ask’ as a form of confrontation that Sarrinah thinks Shafana is not ready for.
Shafana: “I do. I have this freedom…”
RELIGIOUS:
The TRUNCATED SENTENCES of ‘I do’ - expresses her disagreement with sarrinah, were shafana believes she has freedom of choice to wear the hijab, whereas Sarrinah thinks otherwise.
Shafana: “…It was as if a switch had been lit…illuminating my world.”
RELIGIOUS:
the ANALOGY and METAPHOR of a light switch - represents shafana’s spiritual awakening, which would evidently shape her religious and cultural identity and lead her into wearing the hijab.
Sarrinah: “…because they get harassed on public transport…In case you get spat on,”
GENDER:
The CONCERNED TONALITY paired with the DICTION of the pronoun ‘you’ - expresses Sarrinah’s worry for Shafana’s public safety as a muslim woman wearing the hijab. However, ‘they’ alludes to Sarrinah distaste for the hijab as she sees it as a symbol of women oppression, and ‘you’ expresses Sarrinah’s association with this distaste with Shafana now that she wears the hijab.
