Mr Miller – Higher English
Initial Impressions
1. What is your first impression of Changez?
Justify your answers where possible
2. What do you think his feelings are towards
America?
3.Why might Changez have been motivated to
speak to the American?
Getting to Know Changez
4. How did Changez feel about arriving in
America and starting at Princeton (analyse
the language used by the writer). Pg. 3
5. How do his first impressions tie in with
classic/traditional ideas about America?
6. ‘Identity’ is a central theme in the novel. How
does Changez seem to feel about his identity
in the very early stages at Princeton? Pg. 3-5
7. Comment on the image (metaphor) used by
Hamid on page 5 to describe the corporate
recruiters arriving in Princeton. (“Princeton
raised her skirt”…)
8. What evidence is there that Changez feels his
ethnicity and identity are a benefit in this
environment?
Mini Essay 1 (PCQE Task)
Between chapters 1-3, we meet Changez as he is ‘now’ (in
Pakistan) and learn the story and circumstances of his arrival
in America.
As he set out for the USA, Changez was seduced by the notion
of the ‘American Dream’. However, the Changez we meet in
Pakistan has adopted more negative sentiments towards the
USA since his return.
To what extent do you agree with the statement above? You
should answer in PCQE format with at least four quotations
and a conclusion
Pupil Exemplar 1
Hamid makes it clear through imagery and tone that Changez
originally had high regards of the university which have
changed.
“every fall, Princeton raised her skirt for the corporat
recruiters”
This has positive connotations of seduction. Changez was
seduced by Princeton and an idea of the American Dream.
Princeton then seduces recruiters by showing of the best of
the best about the university. On the contrary, the same
quote has negative connotations of prostitution. Princeton
almost manipulated her best students – not against their will.
This double meaning shows how Changez’s impression of
America has changed.
Improving Exemplar 1
Point/Context
Hamid makes it clear through imagery and
tone that Changez originally had high regards
of the university which have changed.
• Lacks Context
• Expression is a bit clumsy
• Lack of colon to introduce quotation
Quotation
“every fall, Princeton raised her skirt for the
corporat recruiters…”
• Spelling Mistake!
• Page Number Missing
• Easy fixes
Evaluation
This has positive connotations of seduction. Changez was
seduced by Princeton and an idea of the American Dream.
Princeton then seduces recruiters by showing of the best of
the best about the university. On the contrary, the same
quote has negative connotations of prostitution. Princeton
almost manipulated her best students – not against their will.
This double meaning shows how Changez’s impression of
America has change
• Expression is weak
• Structure (This bit is positive. This bit is negative) is too
simplistic
• Analysis does not move beyond superficial
• Final sentence doesn’t tell us what the change is.
Mini Essay 2
Although Changez was unaccustomed to the
world and lifestyle that Underwood Samson
opened up to him, he enjoyed exploiting it
while he could. However, his identity and
culture prevented him from feeling truly
comfortable in doing so.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with
the statement above?
When he worked for Underwood Samson, Changez was able
to indulge himself in the lifestyle he dreamed of having before
arriving in America and Hamid’s characterisation of Changez
reveals that he was swept up by the privileges of his new
environment and status:
“Do you know how exhilarating it is to be issued a credit card
and told that your company will pick up the tab for any
ostensibly work-related meal or entertainment?” (Pg.42)
The word exhilarating and its connotations of thrill and
emotional intensity imply that Changez was overwhelmed by
the life of luxury that he was being introduced to. Having
worked hard to achieve such opportunities, it seems that he
felt well on the way to achieving the ‘American Dream’ he so
desired as a young man growing up in Pakistan.
Despite exploiting the credit cards and social
opportunities afforded to him by Underwood Samson,
Changez’s Pakistani heritage and identity seems to prevent
him from feeling truly comfortable with his new lifestyle,
unlike his American colleagues:
“…and with impunity spend in an hour more than my father
earned in a day” (Pg.42)
This subtle characterisation of Changez and his revelation that
he was unable to avoid feeling somewhat guilty about his
lavishness helps the reader understand the deep-rooted
Pakistani ‘identity’ and sensibilities that have been instilled in
the character. While his American colleagues, most of whom
have come from privileged backgrounds, can spend with
‘impunity’, Changez values money and wealth very differently
as he has watched his own family’s wealth dwindle.
Critical Essay Question
Choose a novel in which one of the main characters
struggles with identity or the culture of the
environment they live in.
Describe the character’s situation and go on to
discuss how it adds to your understanding of the
character and the central concerns of the text.
• Due to Mr Miller no later than Thursday, October 3rd
Sample Introduction
In Mohsin Hamid’s ‘The Reluctant
Fundamentalist’, the main character, Changez,
struggles to feel comfortable with his true
identity throughout the novel. Through
Hamid’s use of characterisation, symbolism
and plot structure, he helps us understand the
conflict between Changez’s true identity and
the identity he creates for himself on his
journey from Pakistan to America and back
again.
Point/Context
Quotation
“We continue to be
invited to the
functions and
weddings and
parties of the city’s
elite. And we look
with a mixture of
disdain and envy
upon the rising class
of entrepreneurs.”
Evaluation
Point/Context
Quotation
Evaluation
Hamid’s characterisation
of Changez early in the
novel helps us
understand his
discomfort with his
identity. As he explains
his motivations for
moving to America and
attending Princeton to
the American stranger,
he reveals his family’s
dwindling wealth and
status in Pakistan:
* “We continue to
be invited to the
functions and
weddings and
parties of the city’s
elite. And we look
with a mixture of
disdain and envy
upon the rising class
of entrepreneurs.”
Changez’s family have
clearly held a place in the
‘elite’ of Pakistan in the
past as a result of their
wealth. However, he is
unable to feel comfortable
with this family ‘identity’
as he knows it is little more
than a façade as his
family’s wealth has
‘dwindled’ without most
people realising. His
‘disdain and envy’ for the
‘new’ money in Pakistan
also suggests that he feels
he is being left behind and
caught between the ‘old
world’ and new, modern,
Pakistan. It is this
discomfort that fuels his
ambition to attend
Princeton.
Point/Context
Quotation
“At Princeton, I
conducted myself in
public like a young
prince, generous
and carefree. But I
also, as quietly as I
could, held down
three on-campus
jobs – in
infrequently visited
locations…”
Evaluation
Point/Context
Quotation
Evaluation
Changez’s revelation
that he is unhappy with
his identity in Pakistan
helps the reader
understand his
motivations for wanting
to attend Princeton and
his motivations for
creating a ‘new’ identity
for himself when he gets
there:
*“At Princeton, I
conducted myself in
public like a young
prince, generous
and carefree. But I
also, as quietly as I
could, held down
three on-campus
jobs – in
infrequently visited
locations…”
Changez’s openness with
the American about his
pre-meditated decision to
create a new identity for
himself at Princeton
reinforces our
understanding of the
shame he feels at the
demise in his family’s
status in Pakistan. Further
still, the lengths he goes to
in order to prevent others
finding out about his need
to work suggests that his
unhappiness with his
identity is something very
deep rooted. This really
helps the reader to
understand the
motivations behind many
of Changez’s actions
throughout the novel.
Point/Context
Quotation
“I knew in my senior
year that I was
something special. I
was a perfect
breast, if you will –
tan succulent,
seemingly defiant of
gravity – and I was
confident of getting
any job I wanted”
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
Evaluation
Changez’s dual-identity
seems not to have affected
him adversely at the
beginning of the novel. In
fact, he was more than
happy exploiting his
cultural background and
Pakistani identity to stand
out from the crowd at
Princeton.
“I knew in my senior year
that I was something
special. I was a perfect
breast, if you will – tan
succulent, seemingly
defiant of gravity – and I
was confident of getting
any job I wanted”
Hamid’s breast metaphor is
laced with sexual
connotations and this
could be seen as implying
that Changez was not only
seduced by the world he
had entered but was very
comfortable in the way he
viewed himself and the
way others viewed him in
America. On the surface,
this suggests that he was
very comfortable with his
‘Pakistani’ identity at this
point, perhaps because it
helped him stand out from
the crowd in a very
competitive academic
environment.
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
*“In a subway car,
my skin would
typically fall in the
middle of the color
spectrum. On street
corners, tourists
would ask me for
directions. I was, in
four and a half
years, never an
American; I was
immediately a New
Yorker.”
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
Technique –
Foreshadowing
“I felt bathed in a
warm sense of
accomplishment.
Nothing troubled
me; I was a young
New Yorker with the
city at my feet. How
soon that would
change! My world
would be
transformed...” P.51
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Characterisation
Quotation
“Perhaps it was for
this reason that I did
something in Manila
I had never done
before: I attempted
to act and speak, as
much as my dignity
would permit, more
like an American.”
P.74
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Characterisation
Quotation
“I learned to
answer, when asked
where I was from,
that I was from New
York. Did these
things trouble me,
you ask? Certainly,
sir; I was often
ashamed.” P.74
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
*“I looked at him
[colleague] – his fair
hair and light eyes
and, most of all, his
oblivious immersion
in the minutiae of
our work – and
thought, you are so
foreign. I felt in that
moment much
closer to the Filipino
driver than to
him…” P.77
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“I felt I was playacting when in
reality I ought to be
making my way
home, like the
people on the street
outside. ” P.77
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“I was the only nonAmerican in our
group, but I
suspected my
Pakistaniness was
invisible, cloaked by
my suit, by my
expense account –
and most of all – by
my companions.”
P.82
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“I stared as one –
and then the other
– of the twin towers
of New York’s World
Trade Centre
collapsed. And then
I smiled.” P.83
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“I was so caught up
in the symbolism of
it all, that fact that
someone had so
visibly brought
America to her
knees.” P.83
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“My entrance
elicited looks of
concern from many
of my fellow
passengers. I flew to
New York
uncomfortable in
my own face.” P.85
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“Your country’s flag
invaded New York
after the attacks; it
was everywhere...”
P.90
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“Looking back now, I
see there was a
certain symmetry to
the situation: I felt I
was entering in New
York the very same
social class that my
family was falling
out of in Lahore...”
P.97
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“Looking back now, I
see there was a
certain symmetry to
the situation: I felt I
was entering in New
York the very same
social class that my
family was falling
out of in Lahore...”
P.97
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“Afghanistan was
Pakistan’s neighbor,
our friend, and a
fellow Muslim
nation besides, and
the sight of what I
took to be the
beginning of its
invasion by your
countrymen caused
me to tremble with
fury...” P.113
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“I had changed; I
was looking about
me with the eyes of
a foreigner…that
particular type of
entitled and
unsympathetic
American who so
annoyed me” P.141
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“I would soon be
gone, leaving my
family and my home
behind, and this
made me a kind of
coward in my own
eyes, a traitor.”
P.145
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“I had not shaved
my two week old
beard. It was,
perhaps, a form of
protest on my part,
a symbol of my
identity.” P.148
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“I was not certain
where I belonged –
in New York, in
Lahore, in both, in
neither –…” P.168
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“Juan Bautista
added considerable
momentum to my
inflective journey, a
journey that
continues to this
day.” P.166
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
“Juan Bautista
added considerable
momentum to my
inflective journey, a
journey that
continues to this
day.” P.166
Evaluation
Changez and Identity
Point/Context
Quotation
Changez’s moment of
epiphany.
*“There really could
be no doubt: I was a
modern-day
janissary.” P.173
Evaluation
Sample Conclusion
Mohsin Hamid’s characterisation of
Changez in ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’
helps the reader to understand the character’s
struggle with identity. His need to feel ‘at
home’ and accepted in both Pakistan and
America drives his actions throughout the
novel and provides an insight into the clash of
cultures between Eastern and Western
societies and the capitalism that drives
America in particular.