1. Explain through examples taken from Tea in the Harem how the main protagonist, Majid, maintains two cultural identities, one French and one Algerian. Which one seems to predominate in your opinion, if one does? For me the best example of the cultural differences that Majid is living in, is the door to home. “Majid goes straight into his flat without knocking. The front door’s always open…Levesque, on the other hand, has to ring his doorbell several times before his wife comes to let him in. He has a job getting through the door.” The door is the openness while the locked door is of a blocked. Majid cares for his damaged father, and is protective of him. While he drinks, gets high, and does not hold on to the morals that his mother
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Make a list and very brief description of Majid’s gang of friends. What do we know about them? Do ethnicity and race play a large part in their relations? This group of friends share more of a commonality of the disenfranchised more than an ethnic bond. Maybe they are just comfortable in their relationship with each other that allows them to through racial slurs and stereotypes at each other, but their dynamic seems to be more of this is the best we can do friends wise. There seems to be a true friendship bond between Patrick, the “white” French man of the group, and Majid, an Algerian of the group. Patrick simply chooses to stay by his friend even if it means going to jail.
Patrick- “our Pat”, French, “with the build of a furniture-removal man”, illiterate, not too bright, seems to be more of an anarchist railing at his parent’s generation. Loyal to Majid. Father is unemployed and after the gang burns his father’s car has disappeared. Mother works. He seems to drag Majid down.
Bengson- West Indian who is the catalyst of one of the only things for them to do being close. A conspiracy theorist about the “club” being a trap and deprograming location. The group …show more content…
Situation wise, on the surface, Majid and Felicite seem to have more in common. Stuck in the bottom class with no way out. Yet it is on the surface only, Felicite is living during a time where mobility out of the class is non-existent. She is resigned to the fact that this is where she is so she makes the best of the situation. She also does not allow herself to wallow in it and works at being the best at what she is. Whereas Majid, has given up, not resigned, to the surroundings. He quits a job that will help his family and has no ambition to be better. While Felicite is childlike in her living up to her class’ stereotype, Majid is a willing participant. Majid and Daru’s commonality is more on the level of men being stuck in between two worlds and not totally fitting into either of them. Both are living in a French dominated world. Though Daru has made the best of the situation by not being resigned to the fact like Felicite, or wallowing in the fact like Majid. No Daru claws to a security at
Make a list and very brief description of Majid’s gang of friends. What do we know about them? Do ethnicity and race play a large part in their relations? This group of friends share more of a commonality of the disenfranchised more than an ethnic bond. Maybe they are just comfortable in their relationship with each other that allows them to through racial slurs and stereotypes at each other, but their dynamic seems to be more of this is the best we can do friends wise. There seems to be a true friendship bond between Patrick, the “white” French man of the group, and Majid, an Algerian of the group. Patrick simply chooses to stay by his friend even if it means going to jail.
Patrick- “our Pat”, French, “with the build of a furniture-removal man”, illiterate, not too bright, seems to be more of an anarchist railing at his parent’s generation. Loyal to Majid. Father is unemployed and after the gang burns his father’s car has disappeared. Mother works. He seems to drag Majid down.
Bengson- West Indian who is the catalyst of one of the only things for them to do being close. A conspiracy theorist about the “club” being a trap and deprograming location. The group …show more content…
Situation wise, on the surface, Majid and Felicite seem to have more in common. Stuck in the bottom class with no way out. Yet it is on the surface only, Felicite is living during a time where mobility out of the class is non-existent. She is resigned to the fact that this is where she is so she makes the best of the situation. She also does not allow herself to wallow in it and works at being the best at what she is. Whereas Majid, has given up, not resigned, to the surroundings. He quits a job that will help his family and has no ambition to be better. While Felicite is childlike in her living up to her class’ stereotype, Majid is a willing participant. Majid and Daru’s commonality is more on the level of men being stuck in between two worlds and not totally fitting into either of them. Both are living in a French dominated world. Though Daru has made the best of the situation by not being resigned to the fact like Felicite, or wallowing in the fact like Majid. No Daru claws to a security at