Overview: This lesson
will invite students to think critically about viewing a situation from
multiple perspectives. By reading the novel The
Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, students will learn about the
events of 9/11 from the perspective of an intelligent Pakistani man working in
the United States. Through learning
about prejudice and discrimination against people after the attacks, students
will begin to understand the social climate of America after 9/11. Finally, students will create their own
narrative of the story from the perspective of the silent American
character. When students complete both
the novel and their narratives, they will create their own individual books
from their narrative writings.
Standards:
a. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.6
Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what
is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm,
irony, or understatement).
b. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3a
Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or
observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of
view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression
of experiences or events.
c. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3e
Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced,
observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
Procedure:
Session 1:
1. Introduce the
quote “the truth…is who can tell it” by Chang-rae Lee and ask students what
they believe this means. Have you ever
been in a situation where a story was told by another person and your voice was
not heard? (ex. A sibling telling your parents about an argument you may have
had) Have a student or two share their stories.
Explain that there are different perspectives surrounding particular
events.
2. Introduce the
topic of 9/11 and explain that there are multiple points of view of this
event. It can be viewed from the
perspective of the families of those who worked in the twin towers, survivors,
the U.S. military, the terrorist group, civilians, and civilians of different
nationalities, etc. Explain that all
perspectives are true to the individual. Transition into the book by introducing
the main character, Changez, who is a Pakistani man living in the United States
both before and after 9/11 and who will eventually undergo a great deal of discrimination
after the attacks.
3. Read
the article by Bloomberg, Michael and Gatling,
Patricia titled, “Discrimination Against Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians in
New York since 9/11” as a class. Discuss
the findings of the study as a class and talk about the climate of society
after 9/11.
·
How are people being
discriminated against?
·
What shocked you the
most about the findings?
·
Do you think this is
still happening today? Why or why not?
Session 2:
4. Provide a Whatcha
Gunna Do? Scenario: You are walking down the street and you notice there is
someone being harassed for wearing a hijab. People are making
fun of the woman, and begin to physically harm her based only on the clothes
she is wearing. How would you intervene if you had the ability to stop
this? Discuss how it must feel to
already exist as a conceptualized entity.
5. Begin reading the
Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, with special attention paid on the
narrative between the main character, Changez, and the “American”.
·
How does the narrative style make you feel?
·
Is it effective?
·
How do you feel about Changez’s assumptions of Americans
and of American stereotypes for Pakistani people?
6. Introduce the narrative writing assignment. Tell students that they will be writing a
narrative story from the perspective of the voiceless American. Remember to think about the incredible discrimination
against Middle Eastern and South Asian Americans after 9/11. Use the first chapter to give an example of
how the narrative should be written.
·
How does the American meet Changez?
·
What is his reason to be in Pakistan?
·
Does he feel out of place in this different
environment?
·
Does the different point of view change the
“truth” of the situation? Why or why not?
Note times in which the American may have been
misinterpreted, or vice-versa, and recognize generalized interpretations and
determine if these stereotypes apply.
Session 3:
7. While continuing
to read the book, tell the students to put themselves in the place of the
“American”. Did you personally portray
any of the stereotypes mentioned? Was this unsettling? Describe how this stereotyping
may feel for people of Middle-Eastern or South Asian decent who may be labeled
with preconceived notions.
8. Have students give
a voice to the American by writing a narrative of the events from the
American’s perspective. Who is he? How
does he react to Changez? Use the events
in chapters 3 and 4 to describe the events as the American. How does you, the American, feel? How do you
deal with the events described by Changez?
Keep in mind Changez’s perspective also.
How do you feel when he tells you his story?
Session 4:
9. Continue reading
the story and discussing the different perspectives in the novel. Do you feel you are being profiled by
Changez? Is this how Middle Eastern and South Asian people in America feel?
10. Have students
switch stories with another person in the class. Students will then read these stories, and
peer edit them. They will check for
spelling, grammar, how well the student developed the character of the
American, and the development of the American’s thoughts and perspectives
toward Changez.
Session 5-10
11. Continue as in
Session 4, focusing on two chapters at a time.
Have students continue to read and further their narratives as they
go. How has their perspective changed
about the American or about Changez? What
kind of discrimination does Changez suffer through; how do you, as the American
sympathize or not sympathize with this?
12. Incorporate mini
grammar lessons into these writing workshops while discussing the novel in
class.
·
During the first peer editing session, remind
students of proper copy editing marks and give examples. Hand out a “cheat sheet” of editing marks,
review it, and have students use these marks when peer editing their stories.
·
In another mini lesson, review the difference
between first and third person. Explain
that they are writing from a first person perspective, and discuss how this
style helps to form our relationship with the character.
·
Another mini lesson can discuss proper
punctuation for dialogue in a story.
·
During a class period, it may also be beneficial
to pause with the narrative writing and do a free-write instead where students
discuss the importance of different perspectives and discuss the development of
their own character in comparison to that of Changez.
As students continue to write and edit their stories, have
them revise their writings based on peer critique as homework before they turn
in their final drafts. Grade for grammar and the story’s relation to specific
events in the novel, and give these drafts back to students quickly so that
they may use them to build upon further narratives.
13. At the end of the
novel, discuss the differences between the American and Changez. How does prejudice lead to misunderstanding? Write
about what you think really happened at the end of the novel from the
perspective of the American (he does not need to be the “good guy,” but write
the story using him as the narrator).
Session 11
14. Finally, have the
students compile all of their narratives together after their final drafts have
been completed. Have the students create
their own cover for the book, and allow them time in class to design and create
the cover page. Also have the students
write a short introductory paragraph that introduced the idea of perspective
and prejudice. When completed, students
will bind their stories together and create their own book!
Assessment:
a.
Determine Changez’s point of view and establish
the point of view of the American by analyzing the events in the text. By using the study about discrimination in
America, students will deepen their understanding of the perspective of Middle
Eastern and South Asian people in the United States. By writing a story from a different
perspective, students will need to analyze the reality of the circumstances and
determine the “truth” of the situation.
b.
When writing, students will create an
alternative point of view by giving a voice to the American. Students will
build upon their stories with each new dialogue between the American and
Changez.
c.
At the end of the novel, students will complete
a story that gives a conclusion to the novel based on the events that happened
both in the novel and in their own narratives, rather than leaving the story
open-ended. Students will need to take
into perspective both Changez’s point of view and that of the American.
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