Describe the protagonist’s life in the USA.

Analyse how the protagonist’s emotional response to her life in the United States is portrayed.

Focus on narrative techniques and use of language.

Choose one of the following tasks:

or

inhaltliche Aspekte:

Kadiatou

• hopes to be officially married to Amadou soon in the USA

• has expected to live with Binta at Amadou‘s place, but lives in his uncle‘s basement in New York City instead

• is confused by the unfamiliar surroundings

• faces problems communicating in American English

• prefers not to wear too revealing American clothes

• is disappointed by the lack of flavour of American food

• is glad about Binta’s chance at a new life

• finds a job at a hairdresser’s, but is talked into giving it up because of not earning enough

• does not get a job as a nurse due to her poor English skills

• notices a change in Amadou’s behaviour

• is often left alone by Amadou and uninformed about his actions

mögliche inhaltliche Aspekte:

Kadiatou is bewildered and made uncomfortable by the new environment, which becomes clear through

narrative techniques, such as

• third-person limited point of view: showing the reader her subjective impressions and feelings

• scenic presentation (e.g. “But she wore them for him […] veins underneath,” ll. 25-28): revealing Kadiatou’s self-consciousness while trying on American clothes

• direct and indirect speech (e.g. “Elhadji Ibrahima said,” l. 58; “they turned her down, saying they couldn’t understand her English,” ll. 61f.; “He told her,” l. 62; “he said,” l. 66): underlining Kadiatou’s position as a withdrawn onlooker, who feels left out

use of language, such as

• words denoting

  • loss of balance (“haze,” l. 1; “unsteady on her feet,” l. 4; “disoriented,” l. 5; “giddiness,” l. 8): revealing her feeling of being unsettled

  • unfamiliarity (“unused to,” l. 27; “unfamiliar,” l. 28): underlining the need to come to terms with the changes caused by the new environment

  • exposure (“like being naked,” l. 23; “bared,” l. 24; “uncovered,” l. 30): underscoring how vulnerable and unprotected she feels

  • positive feelings (“pure joy,” l. 37; “the sky a boundless clear blue, their life beginning in Binta’s new world,” l. 38): showing a spark of hope caused by Binta’s enthusiastic response to the United States

• emotive language (“scared,” l. 7; “horrified,” l. 24): highlighting her negative emotional response to cultural differences

• comparisons

  • “as if the secret of truly belonging here was yet to be revealed to her,” ll. 4f.: emphasizing her feeling of being excluded

  • “as tasteless as chalk,” l. 34: highlighting her disappointment due to the blandness of American food

• simile (“as if she had reached an unexpected peak,” ll. 8f.): pointing out her feeling of being lost in the new environment

• indirect question and conditional sentence (cf. ll. 2f.): underlining her insecurity and the process of adapting to new surroundings

• enumeration (“the closeness of strangers, the graffiti scrawled on buildings, the long lurching buses,” ll. 5f.): highlighting the multitude of new impressions, which are overwhelming

mögliche inhaltliche Aspekte:

explanation of the statement: one cannot leave the past behind because it is an essential part of one’s identity

possible aspects to be considered:

we are influenced by

• cultural context, beliefs and values (e.g. Kadiatou’s idea of a proper marriage in text at hand; Jende’s idea of the value of continuing a family business in Behold the Dreamers)

• societal expectations and assigned roles (e.g. Amadou wanting Kadiatou to live with his uncle and wear American clothes)

• place we grow up/live in (e.g. the Jongas coming from a village and having to adapt to life in NYC in Behold the Dreamers)

• experience of hardships (e.g. Jende’s hard life in Cameroon)

• positive experiences (e.g. Kadiatou enjoying the social interaction at work; Neni in Behold the Dreamers finding a job in which she feels acknowledged and integrated into American society)

• impressionability due to age (e.g. Binta experiencing a happy childhood in the US)

• genetics determining certain interests, talents, and character traits

possible effects on

• personal desire to live a certain life (e.g. Jende wanting to provide for his family; Neni wanting to work as a pharmacist)

• extent to which individuals embrace values of host country (e.g. Kadiatou being disoriented and embarrassed by American lifestyle; the Jongas encountering the affluent lifestyle of the Edwards and American moral values)

• process of fitting in (e.g. Kadiatou sticking to her Guinean traditions; Jende retaining his differing moral standards and connection to his home)

• self-esteem (e.g. Jende having limited job opportunities due to his background, leading to low self-esteem)

• emotional state (Kadiatou being discouraged due to language barriers; Amadou being frustrated because of not succeeding in the way he expected; the Jongas being disillusioned and eventually returning to Cameroon)

mögliche inhaltliche Aspekte:

importance of literature in raising awareness about immigrant struggles

• acknowledging relevance of migration issues in today’s world

• humanizing the immigrant experience, giving voice to individual stories

• fostering empathy, allowing you to step into the shoes of immigrants and relate to their fears and hopes, thereby challenging prejudice, stereotypes, and bias

• enabling different approaches to an abstract phenomenon due to versatility of literature (e.g. different genres)

• furthering readiness to deal with a difficult topic through an entertaining medium/the joy of reading/new online communities for readers

• giving readers food for thought, e.g. making them draw their own conclusions and explore unconventional solutions for the struggles of immigrants

• reaching a broad audience, including readers who enjoy reading but are not primarily interested in the subject matter

BUT

limiting factors to the impact of literature

• immersing yourself in a fictitious world is not the same as having real experiences / literature must not be mistaken for reality, readers could get a wrong idea of the hardships immigrants have to face

• literature is supposed to be entertaining, which can lead to the embellishment of negative experiences for the sake of creating a suspenseful plot

• fictional texts offer subjective accounts / biased views, no objective and factual accounts of the life of immigrants

• fiction dealing with immigrant struggles is not an easy read due to seriousness of topic

• limited audience due to reluctance of many people to read, thus also little interest in this topic