Freedom of Speech
What is freedom of speech?
When you have the right to say what you want without being punished.
Who tries to disconnect Rashid from the story tap?
Iff, the Water Genie
Haroun is traumatized by his mother leaving at 11 O'Clock. He can't stop thinking about it.
What is one thematic topic in this book?
Storytelling/freedom of speech
What is censorship?
When the government removes information that is deemed inappropriate, offensive, or threatening.
Who is Blabbermouth?
A young female page in King Chattergy's Guppee army and Haroun's love interest. In order to obtain and keep her job, she poses as a boy but is later discovered.
What is the deeper meaning of this quote? * Connect it to one of our vocabulary words.
"Khattam-Shud....is the Arch-Enemy of all Stories, even of Language itself. He is the Prince of Silence and the Foe of Speech" (Page 39).
Khattam-Shud is authoritarian -- he exercises strict power over his citizens and censors out their opinions by not letting them say anything.
What is another thematic topic in this book?
Censorship/control
What is one example of censorship in China?
They don't let you access American websites like Facebook, Twitter, New York Times, etc. OR the thousands of people whose job it is to censor material online.
Is Mudra on the Gup's or the Chup's side of the war? Explain why.
While Mudra is Chup, he is on the Gup's side because he thinks that Khattam-Shud is too controlling and cruel. He has broken away from him.
"To give a thing a name, a label, a handle, to rescue it from anonymity, to pluck it out of the Place of Namelessness, in short to identify it -- well, that's a way of bringing the said thing into being. Or, in this case, the said bird or Imaginary Flying Organism" (Page 63).
Naming things makes them real -- even things that aren't real. Language has that power.
What is one theme we learn about storytelling?
Storytelling can help us connect to our roots and understand who we are.
Storytelling helps us share our feelings, our thoughts, and our beliefs.
How would the U.S. change if we didn't have freedom of speech?
We could be imprisoned for things we say against the government or the president. We might be censored for what we post online or if we try to get a protest together.
Characterize Prince Bolo.
He's stupid: he makes all his decisions based on the fact he is obsessed with Princess Batcheat. He doesn't understand who is on his side and who isn't.
Find the best quote in chapter 9 that argues against the importance of stories.
Page 156:"Stories have warped the boy's brain..."
What is the theme that we learn from seeing all the differences between the Gups and Chups.
We learn that in order to achieve harmony, there has to be a balance of different beliefs or ways of living instead of remaining in extreme opposites.
What is one message about censorship/free speech that this story is trying to convey with the Gups vs. the Chups?
The freedom of speech is the most important freedom to have. It has its limitations when it comes to making decisions that are important, but it's still preferable.
Characterize Mr. Buttoo. What big idea from the book does he connect to?
Mr. Buttoo is selfish and deceitful -- he wants Rashid to lie to the public to make him seem likeable, so they will vote for him. He connects to free speech because he is suppressing it by forcing a different story on the public.
What does this teach us about the importance of storytelling? "We are the Guardians of the Ocean, look at it! The oldest stories ever made, and look at them now. We let them rot, we abandoned them, long before this poisoning. We lost touch with our beginnings, with our roots, our Wellspring, our Source. Boring, we said, not in demand, surplus to requirements. And now, look, just look! No colour, no life, no nothing. Spoilt!" (Page 146)
Storytelling connects us in the present to the past -- it helps us stay connected to those who lived before us and learn from their experiences. As we learn about our own origins, it also helps us better understand ourselves.
BONUS QUESTON!! :D :D :D FREE POINTS FOR CHALLENGING YOURSELF!