REMEMBER: You can skip the story between "Binti" and "Binti:Home" since its not part of the original narrative. Read the first four chapters for next class, stopping at the chapter, "The Root."
Answer TWO of the following:
Q1: Though Binti is anxious to return home for the first time in a year, and though her parents seem to accept her back into the family, what if she most worried about? What complications might get in the way of her homecoming (and how might this relate to our own world, and our own trips back home after a long separation)?
Q2: After talking with the Khoush therapist, Dr. Nywanyi, Binti learns that "in matters of girlhood and womanhood and control, we were the same. What a surprise this was to me." Why might gender roles and expectations be almost universal across species? And how is this true of different races and cultures in our own world? In other words, why might women bond across cultures more easily than men?
Q3: The second chapter is called "Humans. Always Performing," after a comment an alien makes when observing Binti and her friend. Why might there be more than a grain of truth in this statement? How many of our social actions could be chalked up to 'performances' of one kind or another? What kind of performances are most important to these very interactions?
Q4: The great irony during her trip back home is that she is not only on the same ship that was attacked by the Meduse, but she's making the voyage with her best friend, who is also the cause of her PTSD nightmares. Why might this storyline evoke memories of The Ramayana and Hinduism in general? Why might your best friend also be your worst enemy?
No comments:
Post a Comment