Blog Feed

Like father like son ? Education and transgression.

Hanif Kureishi’s first novel was the semi-autobiographical  “The Buddha of Suburbia”, published in 1990. It portrays Karim, an Indian born and raised suburban teenager from South London struggling for social integration and sexual identity. A comic coming-of-age novel, The Buddha of Suburbia draws a satirical portrait of race relations and multiculturalism in Britain during the 1970s.

Part 1 :

One day, when my father came home from work, he put his briefcase away behind the door and stripped to his vest and pants in the front room. He spread the pink towel with the rip in it on the floor. He got onto his knees – and he was by no means a flexible man – placed his arms beside his head, and kicked himself into the air.

‘I must practise,’ he said.

‘Practise for what, Dad?’

Now he was standing on his head on the pink towel. His stomach sagged. His balls and prick fell forward. The muscles on his arms swelled and he breathed energetically. My grandmother, who was not unkind but no physical radical, came into the room with a cup of tea. She looked at Dad and looked at me. […]

Soon my mother hurried into the room to see the spectacle. She wore an apron and wiped her hands again and again on a tea towel.

‘Oh God, Haroon,’ she said to my father. ‘Oh God, oh God, oh God. All the front of you’s sticking out like that so everyone can see!’

She looked at me violently.

‘You encourage him to be like this!’

‘No I don’t.’

‘Why don’t you stop him then?’

She sat down and held her head. ‘Why can’t he be a normal husband?’ […]

He softened. ‘By the way, Margaret, coming to Mrs Cooper’s tonight?’

‘No,’ she said.

‘Oh come on, sweetie. Please. Let’s just go out together for once.’

‘But it isn’t me that Cheryl wants to see,’ my mother said. ‘It’s you. She ignores me. She treats me like muck. I’m not Indian enough for her.’

‘You could wear a sari,’ he said.

Part 2 :

This was my opportunity. ‘I’ll come with you then, to Cheryl’s, if you want me to. I’d planned to go to the chess club but I’ll make the effort.’ […]

 ‘Okay,’ Dad said to me. ‘You get changed, Karim.’ He turned to my mother. ‘Margaret, Margaret. If only you’d come.’

‘I’m not wanted.’

‘You’re pathetic,’ I said hotly.

‘Yes, I’m pathetic.’

I charged upstairs to get changed. I could hear my parents talking downstairs. Would he persuade her to come? I hoped not. My father was more cheerful when my mother wasn’t around.

It took me a long time to get ready. But at seven o’clock I came down dressed for Cheryl’s. I had on turquoise flared trousers; a blue and white flower-patterned see-through shirt; blue suede boots with Cuban heels, and a scarlet Indian waistcoat with gold stitching around the edges. On my head I had a brown headband. On top of all this I put on my grandmother’s furcoat, strapping a belt around my stomach. I was right up to date. […]

He could be kind like that. Unlike Mum, he was no big conformist. In the living-room my mother was watching TV and eating a big bag of sweets. Without turning round she said: ‘Karim, don’t show yourself up. Get changed! You can’t go out like that!’

‘What about Grandma?’ I said.

‘What about her?’

‘Well … she’s got blue hair,’ I said.

‘But she’s a woman. And you’re not a woman!’

My father and I got out of the house as quickly as we could. At the top of the street we caught a bus. It wasn’t far – about four miles to the Coopers’. But my father wouldn’t have been able to get there without me. I knew the streets and every bus route and short-cut perfectly. I spent as much time as I could outside the house.

The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi

1. Read the text and focus on the father

Father’s :	Elements from the text	interpretation
Physical description
Attitude
Feeling

• Make a description of the father 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Read the text and focus on the mother

Mother’s :	Elements from the text	interpretation
Physical description
Attitude
Feeling

• Make a description of the mother 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Class : 1ère Spé	Notion : Meeting people	Séquence : Multiculturalism and diversity
Tuesday June 9th
Séance 9 : Education, social integration and transgression

Doc 1

Texte “The Buddha of Suburbia” by Hanif Kureishi

Class work Team work

CULTUREL :	Thématique :  Multiculturalism in Britain Being a suburbian teenager born and bred Family traditions versus transgression and westernization
	Problématique : How does it feel to have a dual identity ? Is there any determinism as to being born in an immigrant family ?
METHODO :	Compétences  : Dégager l’implicite à partir de ce qui est dit Interpréter l’implicite à partir de l’explicite
	Stratégies : Regrouper des arguments dans un tableau

LINGUISTIQUE :
Item 1 : Integration / ability to adapt	Item 2 : Conformism / transgression	Item 3 : Body language and feelings	Autre : Culture / education
To adapt To fit in To tailor to To look like A role-model An icon Iconic figure To ape To imitate to be fascinated bewitched	A housewife Wife / husband Dutiful law-abiding respectful to abide by the rule to respect / disrespect unusual atypical dull  gloomy oppressive stifling trapped transgression to transgress severed cut off from authoritative stern severe strict	To womanize A womanizer To appeal to To attract Attractive Eye-catching Appealing To show off Introvert /extrovert Frivolous Exuberant to be torn to feel bitter bored heavy-hearted dismal murky dreary appearance-conscious clothe-conscious to seduce to seethe with anger to boil with anger angry upset furious	Belonging Ethnicity Pluri-ethnic Multi-ethnic Education Upbringing To be raised To be bred To curb down To repress Traditions Customs Habits to blame so for + ing to prevent so from + ing to reproach so for + ing to ban so from

	Valeur :
Nouveauté :	Unlike	Opposition
Rebrassage :	should / shouldn’t + BV	conseil
Jalon :	Whereas While	Opposition

PHONOLOGIE :

Should / shouldn’t Auxiliaire forme faible Phonème –ed

Texte “The Buddha of suburbia” by Hanif Kureishi)   STEP 1 : Anticipation par le paratexte (titre, auteur…) : > What about ? > Social context ? > Problem ? > imagine   STEP 2 : Lis le texte en faisant un repérage code couleur   Part 1 : Compare and contrast the father and the mother : > Physical description  > Attitude > Feeling

Copie active :
Recopie la trace écrite dans ton cahier en respectant le code couleurs (structures en rouge)     STEP 1 : Texte Anticipation par le paratexte (titre, auteur…) : What about ? It may be about an Indian immigrant family who lives in the suburb in Britain. The parents may be religious and traditional (old-fashioned). The son may want to westernize. It is an autobiographical novel about transgression and education. The main character Karim is a suburban teenager, who transgresses family traditions and education to get integrated in the British society. He is torn between conformism and anti-conformism. As a teenager, he is also questioning his sexual identity.   Social context ? The book was written in the 70’s at a time of change in manners and morals. Hippism was a movement led by youngsters worldwide who questioned the legitimacy of rules and traditions. For Britain, the 60’s and 70’s were also years of change with the election of Prime Minister Wilson who led his campaign on change. It was also the birth of Pop culture with the Beattles who were the forerunners of a new fashion and a brand new way of life in Britain. They paved the way to modernity and put an end to years of conservatism.   Problem ? > imagine The son may want to break free. As a teenager he may want to emancipate and he may want to breathe free from his family; he may want to break free from his parents’ authority. He may want to disobey his parents and break the rule. He may want to transgress family rules and traditions so as to westernize. He may want to cut the umbilical cord. He may need to be severed from his family because he may have had a strict / stern / authoritative / rigid and traditional education.   STEP 3 : Lis le texte en faisant un repérage code couleur Part 1 : Focus on the father and the mother : Physical description  / attitude / feeling ?
Father	Mother
Physical description ? > Stripped to his vest > His stomach sagged > pink towel > Anti-hero > Aging > Hippy style	Physical description ? > Wearing an apron > Not Indian enough for her > Housewife > She conforms to the British way of life
Attitude ? > By no means a  flexible man > Now standing on his head > He breathed energetically > The muscles on his arms swelled > all the front of you sticking out so everyone can see > I must practice > why can’t he be a normal husband > Ridiculous attitude > Frivolous > Pretending to be athletic > Extrovert > Exhibitionist > Anti-conformist	Attitude ? > Wiped her hands again and again > all the front of you sticking out so everyone can see > Nervous > Obsessive > Strict > rigid > Introvert
Feeling ? > He softened quiet	Feeling ? > Looked at me violently > disquiet > anger
Compare the father / mother : Unlike the mother who seems strict (rigid / stern / authoritative / severe), the father looks frivolous. Unlike the mother who seems to conform to the stereotype of the perfect housewife, the father looks anti-conformist. Besides, he behaves like an extrovert whereas the mother sounds like an introvert. Unlike the father, she also sounds nervous and angry (furious / upset / disquieted /agitated / bothered).The antagonism (the contrast / the opposition) between the father and the mother creates a comic effect.   Part 2 : Focus on the narrator Karim : Physical description ? > turquoise flared trousers > a blue and white flower-patterned see-through shirt > blue suede boots with Cuban heels > a scarlet Indian waistcoat with gold stitching around the edges > a headband > his grandmother’s furcoat   Attitude ? > I spent as much time as I could outside of the house   Karim is dressed up like a hippy in a very anti-conformist way. He seems to be embracing the pop culture of his time, challenging (transgressing) codes and rules. As a teenager, he yearns for freedom. He feels the need to escape home and family ties. He needs to be severed from his family so as to emancipate. He is torn between his family culture and his need to emancipate and transgress family rules.

HOMEWORK : Apprendre la leçon en s’entraînant à restituer le sens à l’oral et à l’écrit Remplir tableau lexique Repérage structure et 3 phrases d’application