Discuss how language can be used to affirm and/or challenge prevailing assumptions and beliefs about identity and culture.
It is a multimodal task but we need to write an essay for it, i need it to have both challenging AND affirming prevailing assumptions.
Assumptions include
– Challenge assumptions that refugees are uneducated
– Challenge assumptions that science and religion cannot go hand in hand
– Aunt sarrinah was assumed to accept the hijab but this is challenged in the text
Affirmation of culture
– Proverbs and sayings
– Wearing a hijab as a way to affirm identity
Identity
– Academics
– Women
– Afghan/Australian
– Religion
– Prioritise different parts of identity
– Sarrinah
Australian academic
– Shafana
Afghan Muslim
Culture
– Muslim
– Afghan
– Australian
– Academic/educated
Language includes
– Foreign/native language
– Slang
– Figurative devices
– Monologue/duologue/dialogue/soliloquies
Challenge assumptions
– Educated
– Science and religion
– Rejection of religious symbols
Affirm assumptions
– Proverbs and sayings
– Hijab + fasting, etc.
Ways to structure your response
– It says affirm and/or challenge which means give a balance and an equal number of discussion
– At least 2 point where it affirms language and identity
– 2 points where it challenges it
– Synthesis
– You dont need to get to a point
– You can say that they are both affirmed and challenged
Affirming
– The cats witness s its tail
Proverb (Persian saying) used to communicate the womens Persian origins as well as how close they are to their culture and sayings.
– Quabili, Bolaanee and Sabzi
Motif, food is a representation of how food can convey ones love for each other
– When I was in Kabul I was the chief engineer on all gov buildings
Monologue is a representation of what sarrinah has gone through and experience especially before she came to Australia. She is repeating this to the audience.
Challenging
– Shafana is in a laboratory
Establishes the academic setting of the play stage direction
– If you’re a scientist you have to guard against false assumptions
Inference and explains other props on stage
– In Kabul I am the chief engineer at the academy
– Youre a highly qualified mechanical engineer
