Questions for “Tender Stranger”
What do you think about the stranger’s attitude towards the young boy/girl?
Do we know the gender of the main character? Does it matter?
How does the author’s wording and description affect the text?
Questions for “On Becoming An Arab”
What tools does the author use in search of her identity?
How does the author make this text relatable to everyone?
How does she feel about the politics of Egypt?
Questions for “Girl”
How does the style of writing and punctuation affect the text?
What do you think is the author’s intention with this almost list of chores or tips?
Do you think the writing is literal or figurative?
In the text “Tender Stranger”, the author leaves loose ends for the reader to interpret. I think the author is trying to make a note about gender and how that would affect the meaning of the story to us. The gender is never specifies in this text, and leaves the reader with a plethora of questions. The author forces us to finish the story for ourselves and contrast our versions of the text. In “Becoming an Arab” the author pulls a lot from rhetorical devices to make in impact on the reader. She describes her personal struggle in finding her identity and uses history and logic to back up her reasoning. She feels like her identity is imposed on her and writes to relate to us about the search of identity. In “Girl”, the writer uses language that would make the reader almost feel uncomfortable and demeaning. The way it is written is overwhelming and that reflects what she feels when her authority figure imposes all of these stereotypes on her. The way this passage is written is to make the reader feel as she felt, and understand her sentiments.
Having read these texts, I’ve learned a bit about the power of language. I find it very interesting how powerful writers’ word choice and what they include or exclude from their text is for us the readers. I’ve learned that the reader has a lot of power too in finishing a story and how we interpret things could be completely different from one another. It all depends on our individual relationships and experiences that shape the way we interpret readings and the meaning behind some authors’ intentions. As a person, I’ve noticed that listening to others gives you some insight into seeing another perspective could be helpful into understanding where your ideas and conclusions come from.
