I did not like the movie because it did not follow the book. I think that everything was different from the book, especially the ending. A lot of things were not mentioned in the book, as for example that the American pretended to be a journalist while he was co-working with the CIA. Also, Erica was an author in the book, but in the movie, she was a photographer and her hair was dark brown, but I had pictured it as blonde. Another thing is the way Changez and Erica met. They were supposed to meet for the first time in Greece, but instead they were introduced to each other on the street in New York. To be honest, I liked the book better than the movie.
Chapter 12 of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a brief summary
The first thing that happens is that they leave the restaurant and we find out that someone is shadowing them. One of them seems to be the waiter. Changez starts telling the American what his and Erica’s life could have been and we see that he is sort of turning into Erica. Erica was the same way with Chris.
Changez is now a lecturer at a school and he likes his job. Suddenly the people shadowing them is closing in. They seem to signalize to Changez that he should take the American’s hand, but the American reaches into his pocket. It is a metal thing in his pocket and Changez trusts it is the holder of his business cards. That is where it ends.
I do not like this ending, but anyways, I think the American has a gun in his pocket. That was the first thing that popped into my head as I read the ending. I believe that the American might shoot Changez, or turn around and shoot the ones following them. I can not be 100% sure of this, but this is what I believe is going to happen next. The reason why I wrote it here is because I wrote a summary on the post-it note.
The reason why I did not like the ending is because I like to know what is happening at the ending. Did everything turn out alright? Was it a gun in the American’s pocket? Did he shoot someone? These are questions I will never know the truth of. The book itself was good, but I would have preferred to know what happens next. My opinion is just one of many.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Chapter 8-9, a summary)
In these chapters, Erica and Changez is further away from each other than they have been before, both physically and mentally. He travels to Pakistan to meet his family and Erica is stuck in the past, and can not let go of Chris. Erica is also becoming worse. She is pale and has not showered for a while. I believe she is becoming worse both physically and mentally. Physically because she is pale and it seems like she has a fever, and she does not talk much. Mentally because she is thinking more of Chris now than ever before. Erica and Changez’ relationship was doomed from the start because of Chris. Erica always brings him up and this does not allow Changez to get close to her.
When Changez comes back to America he is changed. He does not care about his job as much as he used to and he is becoming more attached to Pakistan rather than America. Changez does not feel like an American anymore after 9/11 and the visit to Pakistan. I believe this is because he is being looked on as a terrorist since he is a Muslim, plus Erica does not want him anymore. “What else is there to fight for in America?” is something I assume he must think.
9/11
I am horrified. I always knew that it happened, but I have never seen it in real life nor read about how it was. It was more intense than I had ever imagined. People hid under cars, not everyone realized what was really going on and the screams of hundreds, maybe thousands of people. This was a nightmare.
I can not believe that this actually happened. Everyone was minding their own business and then “boom”, they had to stare death in the eye. I do actually remember where I was at the time, I was in the living room with my parents. They were shocked and kept watching the news. I was not old enough to be aware of the consequences, the only thing on my mind was playing with my parents.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
After reading four chapters I must say that I like the book so far. I like the way the author has made Changez talk to the American throughout the story. It makes me feel like I am a fly on the wall.
Underwood Samson is a company I feel is at the A-list of companies. It is a place where people would want to work because of their reputation. They hire only the best and Changez is one of them. He is proud to be a trainee and he wants to show his family where he is working.
He is also proud to be a New Yorker and it is because it feels like home to him. New York is a multicultural city and there is always things happening, both day and night. He is also enchanted by the beauty of the city, the Empire State Building and the women.
Erica’s family seems like a typical, average family. Her father by the grill, her mom being told to behave around Changez. When Erica’s father asked him about corruption and dictatorship in Pakistan i was rather shocked. He did not seem like that sort of guy in the beginning.
Outsourced
Todd Anderson is sent to India to teach “the new guy”, who took over his job, because the jobs of the employers were outsourced. The film itself is focusing on stereotypes and the differences between the American and the Indian culture. There are clearly differences between these two cultures and that is what Todd eventually finds out.
Living with your parents is quite normal in India, but it is not that common in the US. When you are old enough and ready to take the big leap, you move out and find your own space. In India you live with your parents a lot longer and not because you have to, but because you want to. This is something Todd comes across early in the film. He lives alone and has broken up with his girlfriend. Puro’s mother is overwhelmed and tells him that he is old enough to be a grandfather.
There are also some table manners that you have to adjust to in India. For example, you have to take food with your right hand. The left hand is seen as filthy. It is used to wipe your own bottom. In the US you have toilet paper and wash your hands afterwards, therefore it does not matter which hand you use to eat with. Puro’s father points this out to Todd as he uses his left hand to take food and eat. Todd finds this weird and does not understand before he later has to rush to the toilet. In most countries we have toilets which we can sit on above the ground, but in India you have to stand because the toilet is sort of connected to the floor. If you would like to sit then you literally have to sit down on floor level. There is no toilet paper in sight, therefore Todd has to use his hand.
As we saw in the film, everyone called Todd for Mr. Toad. For example, when Todd was going to be picked up at the airport, he did not see his name because it was misspelled. He did not know before he heard people saying his name.
Also, when talking to Indians, you should not tell them to speak American because they are not Americans, therefore no one should make them act like someone they are not.
Lastly I would like to mention “Holi” which is a colour festival to celebrate Krishna and Radha’s love. Todd is on his way to the office when Puro finds him and tries to “save him” from being hit by colourful, scented powder. Todd is wearing nice clothes, trousers and a shirt to be exact, but even though Puro tries to make sure that Todd is not hit, that is exactly what happens. To be honest, I thought Todd would be aggravated, but he is not. Instead he joins in on the fun and ends up as a colourful human being. Not only is he covered in colourful powder, he also lights up as a person and he seems to accept the Indian culture after joining in on the celebration of Holi.
To sum up, both Americans and Indians have different cultures and both cultures are fantastic in their own way. No matter which culture you are from, there will always be something to learn about another culture. This is what Todd learns after several weeks in India.
#metoo
Last year I was an intern at an elementary school. I felt lucky to be able to be in three classes, but things did not go as planned. When I went one of the classes, I noticed that they were playing chess. I did my best to help them and walked to every single group. Two boys decided that it would be fun to take a pointy chess piece and shove it in and out of the hole of another chess piece while moaning. Of course, I told them to stop and they did, at least for a little while.
After a while I went to a couple of girls in front of these two boys and bent down so that I could have eye contact and hear what they said. That was when I heard one of the boys saying, “Look at that ass”. I was speechless and luckily for me, it was time for me to another class. I told the teacher in that class what had happened during the break and he talked with the boy, saying that this kind of things are not ok. Even though things were taken care of, I was scared to go back into that class, so I went to the principal and asked to be in the two other classes I had been in instead. I told the principal that I felt uncomfortable just of the thought of going back in there and she told me that was alright. I never thought something like this would ever happen.
To conclude, I believe that the #metoo campaign is very important. Women come forward with experiences of sexual assaults. We need to focus on teaching about how wrong this is from an early age because as I have experienced, this happens already in the elementary school and I am glad I had the courage to tell someone about this back then, but at the same time I do wish I was able to walk back in there.
(I choose not to mention the school or the grade the boy was in because I want to keep the identity of the boy unknown. I do not want to break the contract that I signed, therefore I wrote it like this. The issue was taken care of and that is what matters the most.)
Gran Torino
What are some of the challenges and pressures Thao and Sue have to deal with as second-generation immigrants?
Well, first of all, Thao and Sue is the opposites of each other. Sue is quite outgoing and Thao is more shy and does what he is told to do. Their cousin and his gang does not have any kind of respect for them. The gang even beat up Thao and raped Sue because an American neighbor, Walt, had paid their cousin a visit and told him and his friends to back off.
However, Walt did not like this family at all when they first moved in, but he grew fond of them after he got to know them. Both Thao and Sue both received hate from the gang and Walt, but Walt actually managed to change his point of view of this family. They became more like a family than his own family ever was.
Do you agree with this summary of the film? Why/why not? Use examples from the film in your answer.
Gran Torino’s rich portrayal of cultural diversity and genuine dialogue combine to tell a noble story of how human relationships can evolve across cultural boundaries and lead to valuable personal realizations and fulfillment – even in the most trying circumstances.
I do agree with this summary of the film because it is such an accurate description of the film without telling us what is really happening in Gran Torino. The Hmong’s are a big group in this neighborhood and Walt is the only American left. Mr. Kowalski sees through the differences and becomes friends with Sue and Thao and as I wrote earlier, they are like a family to him. Walt even sacrifices himself for the Hmong family. If this summary does not give you a good description of the film without giving you any spoilers, then I do not know what will.
-Elisabeth
Comparing My Son the Fanatic and Free for All
I have read “My Son the Fanatic” by Hanif Kureishi and “Free for All” by Moin Ashraf.
Free for All is about a father (Dr Naqvi) and his son (Sikander). They are originally from Pakistan, but are living in the US. Sikander loves playing the guitar and by the way he is described, he is seen as “punk rock”. His father does not want him to play the guitar. He wants him to become a doctor or an engineer, but that is not Sikander’s dream. One day his father has had enough. He starts hitting his son violently and Sikander manages to call the police and they are both brought to court. Dr Naqvi is sentenced with detention because child abuse is illegal in the US.
The same day Dr Naqvi manages to fix plane tickets to Pakistan and the family leaves. Quite soon after the plane has landed and the passengers has left the plane, Dr Naqvi starts hitting his son with his own guitar and when Sikander runs to the police, he is told that he should go to his father and beg for forgiveness. In Pakistan, child abuse is actually legal.
The other story, My Son the Fanatic is also about a father (Parvez) and a son (Ali). One day Ali starts to clean out his room, everything goes out, even his computer, video games and pictures. Ali’s personality has become sharper and Parvez can not understand why this is happening. He even starts to suspect that his own son is doing drugs, but he can not find any signs on his son that shows that he is doing drugs. What Ali really is doing is praying. He has become spiritual. Parvez do not like this because when he was younger, everyone was forced to read and learn the Koran and he suffered while going through this. He did not like seeing his son being so religiously active.
One day Bettina (a prostitute that Parvez has feelings for) and Parvez picks up Ali. He has been at the mosque. Ali is clearly provoked by his father bringing a prostitute to pick him up. Ali causes Bettina to jump out of the car while it is still moving. In the end of the story Parvez beats up his son, knowing that he will not make him come to any sense. Ali had no fear in his eyes as he said “So who’s the fanatic now?”
There is a father-son relationship in both of the stories and both of the fathers ends up beating up their children. Religion is also quite central. Both of the families are from Muslim countries, but the difference is that in “Free for All” it is the father who is religious and in “My Son the Fanatic” it is the son who is religious and I see both the religious father and son as fanatics. Both of them are following the religion a bit too much. They let it take over their lives. I believe they do not like it in the Western world compared to where they are from. They must feel like everyone is sinners and that they do not belong there.
Identity
Saroo finally finds his home back in India and decides to travel back to his home country and find his family. His old house is turned into some kind of stable for the goats, but his mother never moved from the little village. Saroo always knew that he was from India, but he did not remember the village he was from or his family until he was reminded by some kind of Indian food. When he came back to India, it felt like home. It did not change the fact that he had a home and a family in Australia. I believe Saroo felt like it was a part of him missing, that a part of him had been missing for a long time and when he finally met his biological family again, he probably felt like he truly belonged. Those are the challenges of identity I felt Saroo met when finally meeting his family again after so many years.
Elisabeth Hjelvik 