Hi guys. How did you like the short story My Son the Fanatic? I'd especially like to know what you make of Ali's final comment, "So who's the fanatic know".
I'd also like your thoughts on why Ali has changed so much. Why has he become a devoted Muslim and what does he gain from it?
And what about Parvez? Do you think he is a good father (why/why not) and why does he hit his son at the end of the story?
Finally, I was wondering how you feel Eriksen's theory of minority identity relates to Kureishi's short story.
PLEASE SUBSTANTIATE YOUR POINT OF VIEW WITH EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT!
PS. You must comment on the blog individually.
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ReplyDeleteThe story 'My son the fanatic' was a okay story, I don't think it was the best i've read, but again it was ok.
ReplyDeleteWhat I made of the final comment 'So who's the fanatic now' is that, Parvez had moaned about Ali being a fanatic about his religion, but now he was a kind of fanatic about making his son non-fanatic with his religion.
I think, that because Ali has gone from being a "normal" english man to devoted muslim, is because he never really knew Pakistan and the religion the same way as his father did, and thats why he wants to get to know it better. Perhaps he also feel more save by knowing what shall happen next, and by knowing how he should live his life and act.
Perhaps he also like the way the religion is, and as he show in the text, he finds it repulsing the way his father lives his life, with the driking and the bad attitude to life, and the way he let Bettina touch him. Thats probally also why he decides to live his life in that way, as a devoted muslim.
Maybe he also decides to live his life like a devoted muslim because he is angry at his father for not being there, so perhaps he is trying to go against him, by turning into something the father doesn't appreciate.
I don't think Parvez is a good father the way he is. Because he is never at home, because he always works at night, and sleep in the day times. In that way he is not a good role-model for his son, and he will never get a good relationship with his son the way he lives his life.
I think he hits his son, because he is sad, angry and feel disrespected by the things that Ali said to him, at the restaurant and in the taxi.
I feel that 'My son the fanatic' and Eriksen's theory of the Pure identity and the Creole identity is a good match. Because at first Ali is living his life like his father, like in the Creole identity, where he still comes from Pakistan and he know that he isn't a "pure" english man, but he acts like a english man, have a english girlfriend, goes to school and dress like other english men.
Then Ali turns to the Pure identity, where he starts dressing like af devoted muslim, grows a beard and starts praying 5 times a day. In that way I think they match well to the story.
Personally I don’t like the story that much, but that’s more because it’s not a subject I find very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think the comment makes a good point. Parvez want his son to be happy so he buys suits and all the right stuff for his son, so that he can go to school and study to get a good education, but he’s probably missing the point of how Ali really feels.
Parvez tries to be a good father and support Ali in how he’s going to live his life, right until Ali becomes a Muslim.
I think he hit him because he didn’t knew how to react.
With his fathers absent Ali needs a father figure or an example of how you can live your life.
This religion gives Ali guidelines for how to live his life.
He doesn’t have all the choices he had before.
That may give him e sense of security when it comes to his life.
Maybe it relates in the way to how Ali feel he’s a part of something bigger than he was before.
I think the story was okay, it didn't realy spoke to me, it's not a subject I normaly would choose to read abuot, but it was okay.
ReplyDeleteI would say that both the father, Parvez, and the son are fanatic, but in the end Parvez just cros the line and go completely crazy, and realy fanatic.
Ali, the son, have lived in an English sociaty, where children are completely free and can deside what they want to do with theier lives, but also have a lot of decisions to make and that can be very confusing. So maybe Ali deside to become a muslim because in that way he haves a religion to tell him how he should live his life.
Parvez also has very high expectations to Ali, he want's him to be an accountment and get a wife and all that stuff. At the bottom line hes is just trying to be a good and suporting father, but he is mostly confusing and stressing Ali.
I think they both want the other person to live his life, like they do it them self, but then parvez just gets so desperate about it that he can't control him self. He is just trying to hit it in Ali, in frustration.
In the beggining it sounds like Ali have had the croel identity uptill now, where he becomes the pure identity who only thinks about his religion.
the big twist in the story, was when Parvez hits Ali. i did not expected it. I thought that he would have thrown him out. i dont think that ali's comment reviled parvez face, but i think it was wrong, because its his child that he has raised.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason why Ali has change to such fanatic beliver, is that he is tired of england and all the choices you can make. everything is so tempting. i think he misses his old country where he can be acceptet for who he is. the religon will promise a life in paradise if you follow the rules. i think that is what he thinks is intersting.
I think that Parvez is a good father. he has done everything for his son and he has always done what he thought was in the best interest of his son. he loves england because you can do anything you'd like and he would like his son to see that, and make him realise that you can lve your life here on eath and considering that as a paradise.
its a bit funny, how differnet they are. pervez is the "kreolic identity", the relaxedn type that just want to live life good without hurting someone. Ali in the other hand, is the "clean identity", the very traditional type who is also very fanatic.
its was wrong hitting him thoug...
ReplyDeleteI actually really enjoyed the story! and I thought it was really relevant to the descusion we had ealier!
ReplyDeletewhat I interpret from the last words "Who's the fanatic now?" is that, thorughout the whole story Parvez describes his son as a fanatic towards his religion.
A fanatic is a person who wont change his opinion about something, they believe that what they believe in is the only right thing, and it often ends in violense!
through the story, we all assume that Parvez is right, and that his son really is a fanatic! but Ali's last words makes us think, perhaps Ali is right? Parvez has become so focused about changing his son back, he wants him to change into a more creole identity. it has become an obsesssion to him, and it ends with violense, when his son tells him that he is wrong. So Parvez is the true fanatic.
I belive that the reason behind Ali's sudden change is because he lives in a post modern society where we're constantly being forced to make decisions and choises, and if something should go wrong, we only have ourself to blame, it is a constant presure to live without any rules. By becoming a devoted muslim Ali will have to live under certain rules, and to many people, this would take away the burden he carries all the time. this is why I think Ali has made that choise. Also, perhaps he has felt like he didn't fit in because of his skincolor or other things about his appearence.
Is Parvez a good father? I would say yes and no. He is a good father because he wants the best for his son! also he works hard to give him anything he needs and therefore he is a good father. I believe that he hasn't raised his son in the muslim religion in fear of his sons future, he would be left out in the crowd, other people would think of him as different if he did not live under the same circumstances.
this is why he is a good father!
He is not a good father because he wont let his son go his own ways and do want he wants, a goodd father would support he's child no matter what they do.
Parvez hits his son in the end because he has now become a fanatic about making his son to live the same way as him. He believes that his way of living life is the only right one!
I think that Eriksen's theory about the three different identities is very relevant in this story!
The whole story is about a battle between a pure identity (Ali) against a Creole identity (Parvez.
I don’t like the story so much, because it was not a subject I normally would read, but it was okay. I think that the comment in the end, meant that Parvez would throw Ali out of the house. Because when I read the story I got that understanding that Parvez will do all for his son, so I don’t think Parvez would accept what Ali said to him.
ReplyDeleteI think that the reason why Ali suddenly changed to become a fanatic believer, is that he hate England and the way they live on, and all the choices they have to make all the time. I think he will have something to be sure on, I think, therefore he is become an extreme believer, so he had some rules he should follow and not whole the time take choices.
I think that Parvez is a good father, because it seems to that he will do anything for Ali. He wants him to have a good education and to find a wife and get a family. It seems to that he loves England because he can give his son some opportunities that he couldn’t give him if they lived in Pakistan. He don’t want his son to be a cabdriver.
I think the whole story is about a fight between Ali there have a pure identity and the father there have Creole identity
It is an interesting story but not something that I would reed normally. Despite of that I found reading it more consuming than I had first imagined, alone the fact that are so many things written between the lines, nearly forces the reader to think almost everything over
ReplyDeleteI understood Ali’s final comment “who’s the fanatic now” as the father had become a fanatic himself in his attempts, to turn Ali away from his devotion. And that if Parvez thought Ali vas crazy, that he then might would want to take a look at himself
I don't think Parvez is a good father the way he is. Because he is never at home, because he always works at night, and sleep during the day. Although I another side of the story could be that he is working at night to provide for his family, and in that sense, while not being a perfect father, he is at least doing what he can to provide the best life for his family.
I think that the reason he hits Ali, because he is sad, angry and is at a loss of what else to do
Eriksen's theory of minority identity relates to the story very well as you can put Ali in the pure category were he is creating a “us and them” world like he says in the text “my people have taken enough. If the persecution doesn’t stop there will be jihad. I, and millions of others will gladly give our lives for the cause.
I think the story was okay. What I made out of the final sentence "So who's the fanatic now?" is that Parvez has been so focused on getting his son back to the person he was before, so he has been so fanatic about that, as Ali probably has been about becoming a devoted Muslim. I think it's a good final sentence, especially because of the name of the story.
ReplyDeleteI think Ali has changed so much because he's insecure. I think he's insecure because there are so many choices and decisions he has to make. So he has found a way to make himself more secure by choosing to become a devoted Muslim, where there are rules for how you live your life, instead of a life where you should make your own choices all the time.
I think it's hard to say if Parvez is a good father or not. I think he's a good father because he seems interested in his son's life and tries to make his life better than his own life probably has been. He's also interested in his son's education and hope that he will get the best education, so he can get a good job. But in another way I think Parvez is a bad father. The story tells us that he's working a lot, always at night and he's also sleeping during the day. Because of this I don't think that he always has been there for Ali and hasn’t given him the support which he may have wanted. I think Parvez hits Ali in the end, because he's so frustrated about the whole thing. Also because he thinks that he has done so much for his son to get a normal life in England, maybe a life he wouldn't be offered in Pakistan.
I think Eriksen's theory about the different identities fits perfectly in relation to "My son is fanatic". The father is the Creole identity where the son is the Pure identity, certainly in the end.
I apologize the way I have sent my text, there is no space between the answers
ReplyDeleteI think the story was okay. Not the best I have read, but exciting anyway. I liked the last sentence “So who's the fanatic now” because in the entire story the son has been the fanatic, but now it turns around and becomes the dad. He has been so focused on making him enjoy life that he now becomes fanatic about it and can’t control himself anymore.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason why Ali has changed that much could be because he is curious about himself and a little confused because of all the choices I has to make as a young person. The religion give him rules to follow and then he don’t have to make all these choices. Another possibility could be rebellion against his father and the fact that he took him away from Pakistan. Maybe he wants to share with everybody, where he comes from.
About Parvez I think I would say yes and no. He is a good father in that way he wishes the best for his son, and I think that he have thought about Ali’s future when he raised him not to be Muslim. People have a lot of prejudice about Muslims, and I don’t think Parvez wanted people to have prejudice about his son. Maybe he has experienced being prejudiced, and do not want the same to happen for his son, and that could be the reason why he is against Ali becomes that religious.
He is not a good father because he won’t let him go his own ways, and make his own decisions about his life. The fact that Parvez works at night and sleeping/drinking at day, makes him a bad father. Maybe he should have been all little more interested through his son’s life. I think that would have made it easier for him to convince his son not to be a religious Muslim. And at last he is not a good father, because he hits Ali. As I said in the start, he has been so fanatic about changing his son back, that he has become fanatic and no longer is able to control himself.
I think Eriksen’s theory fits perfectly to this story. We have two of Eriksen’s three identities in the story. The father who is Creole identity, and the son who is Pure identity.
I like the short story, My Son the Fanatic, because I think it had a good point, and I like that the boy, Ali, makes the choice of becoming a very religious Muslim, and see how Ali and his father, Pervez, relationship change.
ReplyDeleteLike Anna and Line says, I also think that both Ali and Parvez, is fanatics. Ali thinks his religion is the only right thing to do, and Parvez doesn’t like it, and thinks his way to live life is the best way to live.
I think Ali had changed to a devoted Muslim, because he lived in a city where he had to make a lot of decisions, and at least it was too much for him, so he wanted to live a life where he didn’t have to make all decisions alone, but where he lived after rules, which were in the Koran.
I think Pervez is a good father, but sometimes he isn’t. I understand that he is afraid because his son changes to a very devoted Muslim, because Ali's decision is a very big change for the family, Ali’s decision.
But Pervez doesn’t have the right to hit Ali. That’s too much!
I think that Eriksen's theory is relevant in this story. Kureishi use two of Erikson’s three identities.
In the beginning both the father, Pervez, and the son, Ali, use the Creole identity and at last the son, Ali, switch to be a very devoted Muslim so he went to the Pure identity.
I thought the short story was a very good story, and thats very unexpecting. When I first started I really didn't think that it would be a good story. But when we first started reading, I actually liked the story. The fact that a father and a son can act so diffrently, when the father tryied to avoid that situation.
ReplyDelete"So who's the fanatic know" is so cool! His dad isn't accepting the fact that the son is living his religion like he will, so he gets so fanatic himself to turn his son away from being what he want's to be.
I'm confused about what I feel about Ali's changing. In one way I think its very sick to change like that, but in another way its nice. Nice, because he does what he wants to do, and not what others wan't him to. So its hard for me to give an answer to that.
He has become a muslim because he likes the thought of living after death in paradise. He gets to believe in something he can hold on to.
I actually think that Parvez is a good father for Ali. He will do everything for his son, everything he couldn't do. But he is so upset with the thought that his son have to be perfect, that he can't see other ways to be perfect in. I think he is hitting him because, he realize that he can't do anything about the way his son feel, he is getting frustrated about the way Ali behaves infront of Bettina.
I think Eriksen's theory matches to the creole identity. Because Parvez is from Pakistan, but live in england, act like someone from england and do everything he can to live like everybody else in England.
I like the story "my son the fanatic" because it was really tough and shows what insecure and personal problems can end up with. And because of that it can make a big pressure. Especially the end of the story, which turns into a surprising climax, it was really unexpected.
ReplyDeleteOutside Ali has a good life, but maybe he just showed his father what the father would like to see. And because of that it can make a big pressure. His father had only seen his son as he wanted and never thought his son could change to something bad.
Alis’ family is not a sort of nuclear family and probably because of that, Ali gets insecure and needed a group, where he can feel a sort of safety, protection and an understanding.
The question "Who is the fanatic now", is a really good question and it make me think a lot about it, because who is the fanatic? The father was so upset, because his son suddenly changed, which was really difficult to him to understand. Parvez want his son to use all the possibilities Ali can get, as get an education, a good job and get married. And then Ali went everything upside down. At page 194, line 13
>> I can’t understand it! << It shows how difficult Parvez feeling about it.
So in the end of the short story, I think the father also show that he is a little bit fanatic, because he doesn’t want accept another culture, which he shows at page 202.
>> Parvez kicked him over<< where Parvez actually get brutal to his son.
I think Parvez do a lot for his son, and he is trying to be a really god father. He seems to be a god man and helped his friends, and likes to integrate in the English country. He had a belief in England can everything happen for you! But exactly because of that he might put his son under big pressure.
I think the short story tells a lot about the three kind of Eriksens’ theory. Because the father has chosen the creole strategy, he is act like he has choosing the most important things, from the two different cultures, in his life. For his son Ali, I think he was in the beginning hyphdo integration, so he live for both culture, but sooner he went to a devoted muslim, where his only belief is the pure strategy. At page 197, line 32
>> In a low monotonous voice the boy explained that Parvez had not, in fact, lived a good life. He had broken coutless rules of the Koran<<.
I find the story "my son the fanatic" very interesting! And i haven't read something like that before. So it was a great experience!!
ReplyDeleteWhat I made of the final comment? "So who's the fanatic now". The final sentence shows some of the problems connected to being religious in another culture. Suddenly, Parvez has become the fanatic; he is so obsessed with the idea that Ali needs to be like all other young Englishmen. So i would certainly think that Parvez is the fanatic now!!
I think Ali has become a devoted muslim, because of his background and origin - he properbly needs to get back to his roots. Back to Pakistan and back to the religion.
Maybe he feel safe of knowing what to do or don't do. He needs to have some boundaries, where he can develop his identity. These norms and values mean much to him.
Ali is getting very distant from Parvez, because Ali believes that his father behaves inappropriately.
Ali think it is wrong that he drinks and eats pork. But what affects Ali most, is that Parvez spend so much time with Betina and lets her touch him.
I really don't think that Parvez is a good father. Because he don't try to understand Ali, the way he is. He don't accept that Ali is a growing up boy, and that he have to make his own choices. He is a very bad role - model for his son, and he will properly never get Ali's accept, because of his behavior.
I think Parvez hit his son, because he is confused and sad - things haven't developed as they should, according to him.
I would say that Eriksen's theory of the 'Pure identity' and the 'Creol identity' relates very well to the short story. Because at first, the text says that Ali is a completely normal boy, who is living his life like his father does. Like in the 'Creol identity', where he still have some Pakistani norms and values. He is aware that he isn't a ”pure” english boy, but he acts like an english boy – he have a normal teenager life with girls, homework, clothes and so on.
When Ali turns into the 'Pure identity', he starts dressing like a muslim and starts praying 5 times a day. I think the two theory of minority identity match the story very well.
I think the shortstory gave a good picture of how it can be problematic to live a place where the primary culture is an other, than where your roots are coming from. The story was great because you got to see the problem from many different sides. You saw it from Parvez point of view, from the other taxi drivers point of view and also from Bettinas and Alis point of view. Although I missed a little more sight in to Alis life. That would make it more easy to understand Alis situation.
ReplyDeleteI think Ali maybe had a pretty rough life before. He might had trouble finding himself and missed some backup from his family. His background and roots in Pakistan maked it hard for him to fit in in England. He chose to follow the traditional religion for his official culture. He gained some guidelines and rules to follow, which helped him to get rid of all the confusion about his identity. Unfortunately this situation confused his father very much. Both because Parvez self had tried that religion and culture, and had experienced very bad things there. I think he hits him at last because he just couldn’t control him. And the fact that Ali didn’t respected other people than muslims scared him. For example the situation in the car where Ali couldn’t respect that Bettina had other beliefs that him. So in frustration and helplessness Parvez hit Ali. Maybe Parves had being violently treated in his youth, and if so, then it maybe it was placed so deep inside him that he suddenly hit his own son.
I think that Eriksen’s theory relates very well to the short story. Thats because both the hyfen identity and the pure identety appeals in the story.
Well, i thing ist a good story, but i was a bit bored when i read it. I think the best part of the story is in the end, where Ali said to his father "So who's the fanatic now?", because i do not like the father in the story, because he dosen't like what Ali had chosen his way of living.
ReplyDeleteI think Ali began to think about muslims, and his fathers way of living, and Ali thinks thats a wrong way of living, so that's why Ali became a muslim. There are many rules too in the islamic believe, and there are nearly an agenda about when and how he has to pray, with kind of food he must eat etc. and Ali do maybe like to have some special frames in life that makes him confident.
Parves is so angry with his son and his sudden life change, and plus his bad habid of drinking, he becomes violent and hits his son, but i think he regret it, because he still love his son.
But i think Parves is a good father, in some ways, but he wont accept his son's decision. But when Ali was younger they where like brothers, so something might he had done right.
Eriksen's theory and the story is a great match. Ali starts as a normal english man, and thats creol identity, but in the end he lives like a muslim, and thats pure identity.
I think it was a good short story but it confused me a bit sometimes, because it kept changing the fact of what was going on with Ali.
ReplyDeleteI think he says the comment because in the whole short story Parvez wants Ali to become a real Englishman, and live the life like they do. But Ali wants it different, so he goes into the Muslim believe. And Parvez is fighting for his son to become like him, but Ali wont, and at the end of the short story he goes berserk and starts hitting Ali in the until he says ‘’Who is the fanatic now’’ and I think he says it because through the whole story Parvez wants Ali to be like the Englishmen, and in the end it gets too much for him and starts beating his son. So therefore I think he says this because of Parvez has been a fanatic about Ali getting like everybody else.
I think Ali made that big change was because he never got any rules of how to live his life. And he needed something to guide him, and he knew that his father couldn’t help him, he went to something that could him choose what way to go. I believe this devoted Muslim because of he had no one to show him what to do or give him any help. He gains some new believes, and makes him stronger in many ways. Fx. The fact that he can live his life the way he wants, but guided with some rules.
I don’t think Parvez is a very good father because of the way he behaves in front of his son. Fx. That he doesn’t let him make his own choices, but instead he tells him to be someone his isn’t. And that is something a father has to do.
I think Parvez hits Ali because he doesn’t know what else to do, and he can’t see any other ways to get in his head that he has to behave like an Englishman. So therefore he tries to beat it inside his head.
I think Eriksen’s theory fits very good to this short story, because pure identity fits to Ali because of the way he tries to live his life by the rules of the Koran and the things he learned at the mosque. And Parvez fits to the Creole identity, because of the way he doesn’t follow any of the rules that he has been learning since he was a little child.
I liked the story even though it was a little confusing at first. But when you finally got to the point where Ali says ”So who’s the fanatic now?”, it really puts thouthts in your head.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why Ali is changing so much, I think, is because he is going through a very hard time. He is a teenager and he doesn’t really have a strong faterfuigure. He is searching for answers, and he gets those from Islam. He don’t like the fact that his father drinks alcohol, eat pork and doesn’t pray. So Ali takes a distance from his father, so he won’t get influenced by him.
And even though Parvez thinks that he has done a good job as a husband and father, he haven’t. He drives cab all night, and sleep at day. He drinks too much, and don’t really set rules for his son. And in despair he hits his boy.
Eriksen’s theory about the creolen identity would really fit with the father. He is living his own life, choosing what to do with it. Ali, on the other hand, would fit with the pure identity. He is fully living through Islam, and is taking distance to his own parents, because they are non-believers.
I think the story was fine, it was not the most exciting but it has an interesting topic.
ReplyDeleteThe final comment " So who is the fanatic now" was not that final comment, I had expected. I think what Ali means is, that it's the father who is the fanatic about not being a devoted Muslim. Parvez couldn't accept his son as a devoted Muslim because it's not the way he wanted his son to live his life.
Ali's change from an ordenary teenager to a mature man, who is a devoted Muslim, can be a chance for him to live that life his father could had raised him into. Ali is also a young man in a post-modern society, because of that he may be frustrated and confused about the way of living. He has to make many important decisions by himeself in a young age. It can be difficult for him to choose which way the wants to live his life. Especially when he is curios about the Muslim religion.
When Ali became a devoted Muslim he maybe felt, that all his frustration and confusion disappeared. He could also had felt a strong relationship to his new " Muslim Family". All the rules he has to follow can be a good thing for him. Being a devoted Muslim can feel like a new start for Ali, a new way of living.
I think Parvez is a good man but he is also a man, who didn't knew what to do with his religion. I dont think Parvez has been the wrong father for Ali, he just didn't knew in which culture he should raised his son. Parvez is confused, he comes from a village in Parkistan, where everyone were dovted Muslims. He is also Married to a Muslim woman, but he doesn't want to follow the religion's rules. So he has raised Ali by his own life-philosophy.
Parvez hit his son in the end of the story because he was filled with anger and frustration. He couldn't respect the way the son han changed.
I totally agree with Tara about the match between the story and Eriksen's theory. The way Parvez live his life and the way he raised his son, is like the Creole identity. he is a Muslim, bot eats pork, drinking alcohol and not praying. When Ali became a devoted Muslim he also became a Pure identity and in his fathers eyes, a fanatic.
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