Lesson Objective
To understand the concept of nostalgia and how it is a theme in ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’.
A warning:
This will stray a little into ‘Whose Reality?’ territory, but remember that this is a text response and whenever you mention nostalgia in a text response essay, it must be when directly discussing the text. NO general discussion of the concept is allowed!
Definition
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealised form.
Nostalgia is often triggered by something reminding the individual of an event or item from their past. The resulting emotion can vary from happiness to sorrow. The term of "feeling nostalgic" is more commonly used to describe pleasurable emotions associated with and/or a longing to go back to a particular period of time.
We have all had to listen to someone being nostalgic for something they once had, eg: a beautiful home.
Over time, this vision of the past can become idealised.
The reality might not be as far away as this, but we know that some people forget to recall the unpleasant aspects of the past.
Nostalgia …show more content…
I did not know if the same was true of me.”
Think about the above quote, then complete the table below, how does nostalgia affect each of the following after 9/11?
America Erica Changez
Nostalgia
After the bombing and invasion of Afghanistan “our friend and a fellow Muslim nation besides”, Changez is deeply troubled and drinks himself to sleep. “I was reminded of the film Terminator, but with the roles reversed so that the machines were cast as heroes.”
Using the purple text as a starter, complete the paragraph answering the following question:
What are “the embers” symbolic of?
Changez struggles to remain focussed on the “fundamentals” rather he recalls that, “I remained aware of the embers glowing within …show more content…
“but I think I knew even then that she was disappearing into a powerful nostalgia”
Use the above quote in a paragraph with a point, evidence and an explanation.
Nostalgia
Changez finds America in the grip of “a dangerous nostalgia” not dissimilar to that of Erica, pining for the deceased but not forgotten Chris.
1. How might Americans have felt immediately after the events of 9/11?
I had always thought of America as a nation that looked forward; for the first time I was struck by its determination to look back. Living in New York was suddenly like living in a film about the Second World War. (p130-131)
2. How was the Second World War different to 9/11 and the “War on Terror”?
3. Considering the first two questions, why does America ‘look back’ to events such as the Second World War?
6
Despite upwards of 70 million people dying during the six years of the Second World War, only 6 deaths (from Japanese balloon bombs), occurred on mainland
To understand the concept of nostalgia and how it is a theme in ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’.
A warning:
This will stray a little into ‘Whose Reality?’ territory, but remember that this is a text response and whenever you mention nostalgia in a text response essay, it must be when directly discussing the text. NO general discussion of the concept is allowed!
Definition
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealised form.
Nostalgia is often triggered by something reminding the individual of an event or item from their past. The resulting emotion can vary from happiness to sorrow. The term of "feeling nostalgic" is more commonly used to describe pleasurable emotions associated with and/or a longing to go back to a particular period of time.
We have all had to listen to someone being nostalgic for something they once had, eg: a beautiful home.
Over time, this vision of the past can become idealised.
The reality might not be as far away as this, but we know that some people forget to recall the unpleasant aspects of the past.
Nostalgia …show more content…
I did not know if the same was true of me.”
Think about the above quote, then complete the table below, how does nostalgia affect each of the following after 9/11?
America Erica Changez
Nostalgia
After the bombing and invasion of Afghanistan “our friend and a fellow Muslim nation besides”, Changez is deeply troubled and drinks himself to sleep. “I was reminded of the film Terminator, but with the roles reversed so that the machines were cast as heroes.”
Using the purple text as a starter, complete the paragraph answering the following question:
What are “the embers” symbolic of?
Changez struggles to remain focussed on the “fundamentals” rather he recalls that, “I remained aware of the embers glowing within …show more content…
“but I think I knew even then that she was disappearing into a powerful nostalgia”
Use the above quote in a paragraph with a point, evidence and an explanation.
Nostalgia
Changez finds America in the grip of “a dangerous nostalgia” not dissimilar to that of Erica, pining for the deceased but not forgotten Chris.
1. How might Americans have felt immediately after the events of 9/11?
I had always thought of America as a nation that looked forward; for the first time I was struck by its determination to look back. Living in New York was suddenly like living in a film about the Second World War. (p130-131)
2. How was the Second World War different to 9/11 and the “War on Terror”?
3. Considering the first two questions, why does America ‘look back’ to events such as the Second World War?
6
Despite upwards of 70 million people dying during the six years of the Second World War, only 6 deaths (from Japanese balloon bombs), occurred on mainland