NAME THAT ELEMENT
The message about life that a reader takes from a story.
Theme
Nisha's twin brother.
Amil
The Night Diary is told from this point of view.
First person
The year the novel takes place.
1947
The structure that tells events in the order they happened.
Chronological / sequence
How the story's central problem works out.
Resolution
The family cook, and the person Nisha speaks to most easily.
Kazi
Topic or theme: "People can lose their home and still carry it with them."
Theme
The event that splits the country in two.
Partition
The structure that shows why something happened and what resulted from it.
Cause and effect
Who is telling the story, and whose eyes we see it through.
Point of view
Why was Nisha given the Diary and who gave it to her?
-To record the events while the adults were to busy
-Kazi gave it to her
Name a theme of The Night Diary and give evidence from the text that supports it
This is up to Mrs. Michie and Mx. Thursday to tell you if you are on the right path for an answer!
Nisha's mother was Muslim and her father was:
Hindu
Topic or main idea: "The Partition of India."
Topic
What a character wants, and the reason behind it.
Motivation
Amil struggles with reading and writing, but expresses himself easily another way. How?
He draws pictures.
Nisha is half Hindu and half Muslim in a country splitting along that exact line. Name a theme this points to.
Accept answers like: identity, belonging, division, the cost of choosing sides, etc.
Why must Nisha's family leave their home?
Their side of the new border becomes Pakistan, and as Hindus they are no longer safe there
Why does the author choose to tell this story through a diary instead of a regular chapter book?
Accept: we hear Nisha's private thoughts; she barely speaks aloud, so writing is how we know her
The difference between a topic and a theme, in one sentence.
A topic is what the story is about in a word or two; a theme is what the story says about that topic.
Nisha rarely speaks out loud, yet we know exactly what she thinks. Explain how the author's choice of form makes that possible.
Accept answers like: the diary gives her a voice the other characters never hear
Nisha writes her diary entries to this person.
Her mother / Mama
Name the central problem of the novel and how it is resolved.
Accept: the family must leave home and survive the crossing; they reach Jodhpur and begin to build a new life
Why must Nisha's family leave their home?
Their side of the new border becomes Pakistan, and as Hindus they are no longer safe there