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Exit West Reflection Ch 1 2

AP Lang and Comp Ms. Dellamano Exit West

Today, you are going to work on the following prompts individually, in a small group, and finally, as a class. You will submit this at the end of the period.

Journal Prompt: Describe a time when you experienced a liminal space. What did that feel like? What did you learn about being in that space? Was it uncomfortable? Why/why not? Write your response below.

  1. With your partner read Hamid’s annotations of his first page. Do his annotations provide any new insights? Why/why not? How might it alter the way you reflect on the first two chapters?

  2. What do you notice about setting (time/place) and characterization in the novel’s exposition?

    a. Where are we? (time / place)

    b. What is the atmosphere or overall mood of the opening ¶s? Notice the specific words and images that create the mood.

  3. What details fit into / depart from typical romance plot lines?

  4. What do you notice about the narrator? (1st, 2nd, 3rd person point of view? / If 3rd, do you think it’s omniscient, limited, objective)?

  5. Why might the narrator relay how Saeed’s parents met and their early married life?

  6. Why might the narrator include the scene with the telescope (14-15)? Compare the passage about the telescope and the passage about the Atacama Desert on p. 24-25. What is the motif here, and what might be its significance?

  7. Why might Nadia wear a black robe? Try to answer by going beyond what Nadia says in the final line of chapter 1.

  8. How does Hamid continue to characterize Saaed and Nadia? Note examples of direct and indirect characterization. What do we learn about them indirectly?

  9. Compare Nadia and Saeed’s respective backgrounds, e.g., their childhood homelife / education / interests.

  10. Do Nadia and Saeed make a good couple?

  11. How do we see the war advancing in these chapters?

  12. Find any references to doors or doorways in this chapter.