English 1A
READING LOG FOR ENGLISH 1A (WHITE TEETH)
Name_________________________________________________
1. Write down any response you had to this section. Did anything in the story surprise you, or was it what you expected? Which themes were most interesting to you?
It was surprising for Mo not to plead with Archie not to end his own life. Mo had learned from Arshad that Archie was planning to commit suicide. Instead Mo told Archie to go and kill himself somewhere else and not near his shop. Archie’s state reveals the theme of confusion. He was torn between whether to kill himself or give himself a second chance at life. This was very interesting (Smith 6).
2. Write down one character, event, or other piece of writing that made you think of a connection outside the book – in the media, or in your own life, or elsewhere.
Mo’s attitude towards his employees reminded me of a few bosses with superiority complexes I have worked under. His disrespect of Varin and over-expectation on Arshad clearly shows that he thinks of himself to be better than his employees (Smith 6).
Samad like most men brought up in a traditional family, expected that his wife Alsana would turn out to be just like his mother; a woman who would take time at home and cook food for her family. But to Samad’s shock, Alsana preferred to buy already prepared food like yoghurt and canned spaghetti (Smith 52).
3. What did you visualize or imagine while reading this piece? (Pick ONE or TWO SPECIFIC images)
I pictured out Arshad as having been unconsciously transformed into a fear-filled employee because of his boss’s ruthlessness. The speed, at which he took off, got information from Archie and reported back in about one minute showed just how much he feared his master (Smith 6).
I also see the Alsana as a person who has grown a habit of judging people in her mind. She assumes that all back people are friendly and thinks of Clara’s generous invitation for dinner as something she does because she is a black person (Smith 55).
4. Copy down your favorite sentence.
Life wanted Archie and Archie, much to his own surprise, wanted life (Smith 7).
5. Finally, write down one discussion question for the class. (Discussion questions are open-ended.)
Was Archie justified to want to end his own life?
Works Cited
Smith, Zadie. "White Teeth." Hamish Hamilton, 2000. 1-57.
