PARVEZ
What is Parvez job?
He is a taxi driver, working with other taxi drivers who are Punjabi as well
What job does Bettina have?
Bettina is a prostitute
What are the three main characters called?
Parvez
Ali
Bettina
Where does the short story take place?
London
Where does the story begin?
In Ali's bedroom
With consumers/people are mostly the ones Parvez gets when he drives a taxi?
Local “brasses” or prostitutes. (Brasses is a slang for Prostitute)
Where do Ali and Bettina know each other?
Ali's father is friends with Bettina
Can you mention the role of the three main characters in the short story
Parvez - Dad
Ali - Son
Bettina - Good friend of Parvez
What religion is it Ali begins to have an interest in?
Muslim
What symbolizes a fanatic in this text?
A person who is filled with excessive and single-minded eagerness, especially for an extreme religious. In the short story, we talk about Ali and Parvez who is a fanatic
When Parvez gets worried, what does he do?
He drinks alkohol
How many times does Ali pray at a day?
Five times
What is the name of the author?
Hanif Kureishi
Mention some of the themes we meet in the short story?
Conflict between generations
Identity
Cultural differences
Immigration
Describe the visit to the restaurant - Why was it the worst experience of his life?
Parvez gets angry with Ali because he is judging him and throws a plate on the floor
Later Ali tells his father he isn’t a good man because he wont pray, eat meat and drink alcohol
What is it that Parvez is trying to do for his son in the text?
He tries to give Ali the life he himself dreamed of. And the opportunities he didn't get when he was his age
Why does Ali breakup with his girlfriend and stops talking with his English friends?
Because of his recent devotion to the Muslim faith
Begins the short story in media res? if yes: How begins the story? if no: How begins the story
The short story begins in medias res because the narration starts in the middle of the events
What narration are the short story told in?
Is a third-person narration
How does the short story end?
Parvez starts to drink at home. After a while, he enters Ali’s room and starts hitting Ali. Ali doesn’t return hitting his father and instead asks Parvez which one of them is a fanatic now
Why does Parvez talk to Bettina about Ali and his problems?
Parvez can not discuss things with Ali, and therefore feels the need to confess his problems to his friends
How is Ali's relationship with Bettina in the short story
Ali despises Bettina for her profession and has no problem in showing her that he despises her
What does the title mean?
The title indicates that the story explores a father-son relationship and revolves around a son who, supposedly, is a fanatic.
Do we hear about Ali's mother in the short story? if yes? When and how
The mother is only mentioned twice in the text. But we know that Ali and Parvez doesn't talk with her
How does parvez and ali develop their relationship in the short story
In the beginning, they trust each other, and Parvez is proud of Ali.
When Ali begins to behave strangely, Parvez gets nervous - and thinks he on drugs
After Parvez knows that Ali has dropped out of school and have started to believe in Muslim their relationships get bad and also ends badly