Targets 2026

1NQQNFS 'FQX[NP /FRJX 8YJUMJS -JSW^ 0FWJS +ZWZXJY /JSXJS /ZQNF 0FƴLJ Sonja Nygaard-Joki Rikke Pihlstrøm Stine Pernille Raustøl

Targets Engelsk VG1 SF

1NQQNFS 'FQX[NP /FRJX 8YJUMJS -JSW^ 0FWJS +ZWZXJY /JSXJS /ZQNF 0FƴLJ Sonja Nygaard-Joki Rikke Pihlstrøm Stine Pernille Raustøl

Targets Engelsk VG1 SF

Læreboka Targets er en del av læreverket Targets. Targets følger læreplanen i engelsk, Vg1 studiespesialiserende utdanningsprogram LK20. © H. Aschehoug & Co. W. Nygaard) 2026 6. utgave / 1. opplag 2026 Materialet er vernet etter åndsverkloven. Uten uttrykkelig samtykke er eksemplarfremstilling, som utskrift og annen kopiering, bare tillatt når det er hjemlet i lov (kopiering til privat bruk, sitat o.l.) eller i avtale med Kopinor (www.kopinor.no).

Utnyttelse i strid med lov eller avtale kan medføre erstatnings- og straffansvar.

Redaktør: Ingun Kjelsvik Holøyen Grafisk formgiving: Camilla Jakobsen Omslag: Camilla Jakobsen Tekniske tegninger: Illustrasjoner: Grunnskrift: Papir: Trykk: Innbinding:

NO - 1430

N VA

E MERK

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ISBN 9788203415302 Aunivers.no

Contents 1

Learning Languages

Title

Genre

Page

Mapping Multilingualism

introductory activity

8

Multilingualism as a Way of Life

factual text

9

Eleanor Morgan

article

10

Bilingual/Bilingüe

Rhina P. Espaillat.

poetry

13

The Crossing

Jhumpa Lahiri

memoir excerpt

16

A Weird and Wonderful Mosaic of Words

factual text

20

Applying Your Knowledge

tasks

21

Genre

Page

Britain’s Multilingual Children: “We Speak Whatever

Author

Langauge Gets the Job Done”

2 Between People Title

Author

The Screenshot Drama

introductory activity

24

Going Home

Pete Hamill

short story

25

Thank You, M’am,

Langston Hughes

short story

29

Anil

Ridjal Noor

short story

34

A Letter by Way of Explanation

Muhsin Hendricks

letter

42

Things My Mother Said, from Friday Black

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

short story

46

Deformed Finger

Hal Sirowitz

poetry

49

The Man

Taylor Swift

lyrics

51

Halo, Beyoncé

Beyoncé

lyrics

54

tasks

56

Applying Your Knowledge

3 Between Cultures Title

Genre

Page

Batanga

Author

introductory activity

58

The Cultural Iceberg

factual text

59

The Danger of a Single Story

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

TED talk

62

4S *FWYM <JŐWJ 'WNJƊ^ ,TWLJTZX

Ocean Vuong

novel excerpt

65

My Son, the Fanatic

Hanif Kureishi

short story

70

Between Cultures in Britain: Neighbours and

Benjamin Zephaniah

comparing poetry

82

Mathematics

Hollie McNish

Poetry Assignment

task

86

Between Cultures in Film

film corners

87

Applying Your Knowledge

tasks

88

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4 Beyond the Surface Title

Author

Think Again Born in the USA

Page

introductory activity

90

lyrics

91

Classroom Corners Debate

activity

94

Beyond the Surface

photo

96

short story

97

We Are All Biased

factual text

107

Bias in the News Media

factual text

110

Two Perspectives

factual text

113

Applying Your Knowledge

tasks

116

The Murderer

Bruce Springsteen

Genre

Ray Bradbury

5 Systems and Power Title

Genre

Page

Rules

Author

introductory activity

118

What Is a Political System?

factual text

119

The American Political System

infograpic

121

The British Political System

infographic

123

Animal Farm

George Orwell

novella excerpt

125

The Politician

Ogden Nash

poetry

128

Now That I Run the Zoo

Patricia Marx

poetry

130

tasks

134

Applying Your Knowledge

6 Social Inequality Title

Genre

Page

Inequality: What Do You Think?

Author

introductory activity

136

The American Dream

factual text

137

Job History

Annie Proulx

short story

141

The River

Bruce Springsteen

lyrics

148

Brass Spittoons

Langston Hughes

poetry

151

Social Class and Inequality in Britain

factual text

154

The Chimney Sweeper

William Blake

poetry

158

My Future

Sarah Crossan, Brian Conaghan

verse novel excerpt

160

Sorry We Missed You

film study

162

Applying Your Knowledge

tasks

164

CONTENTS 9ƓWLJYX

7 A Global Language Title

Genre

Page

The Global Language Line

Author

introductory activity

166

The Power of English

factual text

167

American Superpower

factual text

174

The Three Circles of English

infographic

176

The British

Benjamin Zephaniah

poetry

180

Flag

John Agard

poetry

183

Colonization in Reverse,

Louise Bennett-Coverley

poetry

185

My Mother, the Crazy African

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

short story

189

West African Pidgin English

factual text

198

India Film Corner

film study

201

Applying Your Knowledge

tasks

202

Genre

Page

introductory activity

204

poetry

205

factual text

208

graphic novel

215

tasks

222

Hanif Kureishi

novel excerpt

226

Dr. Holan Lang

non-fiction

8 Belonging Title

Author

Where Do You Belong?

The Emigrée

Carol Rumens

The Changing Face of America I Was Their American Dream

Malaka Gharib

Being British Britishness in Literature

Being Australian Blancamorphosis

Jannali Jones

The Caribbean Girl

Jamaica Kincaid

Applying Your Knowledge

infographic

230

short story

233

timeline

241

short story

244

tasks

248

Genre

Page

introductory activity

250

factual text

251

short story

258

film study

264

film review

266

film study

268

9 Divisions Title

Author

Divisions: A “would you rather” activity Northern Ireland Q & A The Sniper

Liam OʼFlaherty

Belfast Kenneth Branagh’s Euphoric Eulogy to his Home City

Peter Bradshaw

Selma and Civil Rights Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

poetry

274

Long Way Down

Jason Reynolds

novel excerpt

278

tasks

286

Applying Your Knowledge

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10 The Future Title

Author

Predicting the Future

Genre

Page

introductory activity

288

The Soul Selects Her Own Society

Emily Dickinson

poetry

289

Klara and the Sun

Kazuo Ishiguro

novel excerpt.

291

Having a Wonderful Time

J. P. Ballard

short story

296

People in the Sun

Edward Hopper

visual art

298

Wall-E

film study

302

Applying Your Knowledge

tasks

304

11 Skills Title

Page

Title

Vocabulary

306

Analysing Poetry and Songs

Forming Words

Analysing Film

The Meaning of Words

Analysing Visual Art

Listening

Writing

Listening Strategies

How to Interpret Written Assignments

Speaking

Writing a Five-Paragraph Essay

Oral Discussion

Sample text: Five-Paragraph Essay

Fishbowl Discussion

Revising your text

Giving a Presentation

Practicing a Short Writing Task

Making a Podcast or Video.

Writing a Short Story

Reading

Sources

Reading Strategies for Factual Texts

Using Sources

Identifying Literary Devices

Quoting Sources

Analysing Short Stories

12 Grammar Title Word Classes Sentences Language Work

Page

Page

1 Learning Languages

1 Learning Languages

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Introductory Activity

Mapping Multilingualism An increasing number of people use multiple languages in their daily lives. Letʼs map the language diversity of your class: 1 Make a list of all the languages you can communicate in.

Start with the language(s) you use most often, then add any you are currently learning.

2 Use a pin or marker to locate your languages on a world map.

3 Which languages do most people share? Was there anything surprising about the class diversity? Would you describe your class as geographically diverse or mostly focused on one region (e.g. Europe)?

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1 Learning Languages

Before you read

Discuss the advantages of being fluent in multiple languages.

Multilingualism as a Way of Life Being multilingual is simply the ability to communicate in multiple languages. This doesnʼt mean that you must be an “expertˮ in all of the languages. Multilingualism can vary widely in terms of language proficiency. Language proficiency refers to how well you can speak, listen, read, and write in a specific language. Your skills might range from basic conversational skills like ordering food or asking for directions, to more advanced fluency of debating complex issues or reading a novel. In a multilingual life, every language serves a purpose, regardless of how well you speak it.

You are now going to read (a simplified version of) a newspaper article from The Observer about the increasing number of multilingual children in Britain. It explores how families mix languages naturally on a daily basis, to connect with both each other and their different cultures.

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Eleanor Morgan is a psychotherapist and writer with a background in journalism. She has worked as an editor on magazines, and has written for a range of titles in the UK and internationally, such as The Times, The Independent, VOGUE, ELLE, The Guardian and The Observer. The text “Britainʼs Multilingual Childrenʼ was published in The Observer.

10

Eleanor Morgan

Britain’s Multilingual Children: “We Speak Whatever Language Gets the Job Done” Simplified and abridged version In modern Britain, millions of kids grow up speaking more than one language, and experts believe that this has some surprising advantages.

For many three-year-olds in the UK, learning English is difficult enough.

However, a growing number of young children are learning and picking up words from multiple languages before they even begin primary school. In 2021, there were around 6 million people living in the UK, who were not British citizens. Almost one-third of the people living in London were born in another country. In British schools, about 20% of the pupils speak English as an additional language. There are over 300 different languages spoken in London schools.

The Attanasio family live in London. The father speaks Italian, the mother speaks Dutch and their son, three-year-old Bart, can communicate

1 Learning Languages

in several languages. They all switch between different languages in a natural way: “We have busy lives and speak whatever language gets the job done.ˮ Bartʼs parents want him to be trilingual, meaning someone who can communicate in three languages Italian, Dutch and English). His father explains: “When I was growing up in England, my Italian father wanted us to speak Italian so that we could communicate with our grandparents in Italy.

I want Bart to have that too.ˮ Bartʼs mother adds: “When I speak to Bart in Dutch, he usually answers in English, and we let him. He understands me. His father and I speak to each other in English, and Bart learns a lot of English at nursery.ˮ Bartʼs way of learning languages fascinates his parents.

Bart has a Spanish carer at nursery and his father says: “The other night, I was counting numbers with him, and he just kept going in Spanish. It was very cute, but I also thought: itʼs incredible what you can already do.ˮ For Bart and his family, itʼs helpful to let their different languages mix naturally.

Multilingual families often have different approaches to language learning: in the “one-language-one-parentˮ approach, each parent only speaks their first language to their children; whilst in the “minoritylanguage-at-homeˮ approach, parents only speak their heritage

“We have busy lives and speak whatever language gets the job done.ˮ

language(s) at home, and their children will learn the local language at school. However, in todayʼs diverse societies, many language experts now support a new, more democratic approach to language learning called plurilingualism. In this approach, parents should use all of their different languages in a way that feels natural to them, instead of following any fixed rules.

Some families naturally use a more flexible way or “pluralisticˮ way of speaking their languages. Ellie Arya met her husband, Siavash Arya, in 2004. 18 years later, the couple are living in Lincolnshire, raising their two children, Niloufar 12) and Saam 10) to be bilingual in both Farsi and English. Siavash has always spoken Farsi with Niloufar and Saam, reading Farsi books and playing Iranian music since they were babies. Ellie has also learned some Farsi over the years. They call the version of their language “Finglish,ˮ a mix of Farsi and English.

Some beliefs about language-learning can cause problems in families.

For example, the idea that speaking two or more languages to a child might slow down their speech development or hurt their school performance.

Researchers have however spent decades proving that this is not true,

advantage fordel multiple flere, mange / fleire, mange primary school barneskole/ barneskule Dutch nederlandsk nursery barnehage carer ansatt i barnehage / tilsett i barnehage approach tilnærming heritage arv pluri- fler-/fleirpluralistic som tillater flere måter / som tillet fleire måtar

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executive utførende/ utførande grey matter de ytre områdene av hjernen (hjernebarken) og de sentrale delene av ryggmargen / dei ytre områda av hjernen (hjernebarken) og dei sentrale delane av ryggmargen promote her: bidra til

and instead emphasise how bilingual children have many advantages like better executive brain function: mental processes that help us focus, plan, remember, and manage many tasks at once.

Learning different languages clearly has many advantages. If you use two or more languages for a very long time, it can physically change your brain. Many studies show that the grey matter in your brain grows larger, especially in the areas that help with learning and remembering things quickly. Research also suggests that speaking multiple languages can lower the risk of dementia and promote “healthy ageingˮ. Also, children who speak other languages often become more empathic, meaning that they understand the feelings of others better, because they learn to see and understand things from different viewpoints.

How to make a reference to this text Morgan, Eleanor. 2022 2026. “Britainʼs Multilingual Childrenˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al. Targets. 1012. Oslo: Aschehoug.

Reading

Understanding the text 1

Show your understanding of the terms multilingual and language proficiency by writing a paragraph which explains the statement in the headline of the article: “We speak whatever language gets the job doneˮ Speaking

Critical thinking 2

12

Imagine someone who has just started to learn a new language. Do you see this as a process where the person starts off with an empty mental box, which is gradually filled with words? Or is that new language already connected to the languages they already know? Discuss in pairs or small groups.

Reflecting 3

The article portrays multilingualism as a “way of lifeˮ where every language serves a purpose, regardless of differences in language proficiency.

Can you give some examples of how you naturally mix different languages in your own life?

1 Learning Languages

Before you read

You are about to read a poem called “Bilingual/Bilingüeˮ.

Based on your understanding of the title: What do you think this poem will be about and why?

Metaphor: A metaphor is a poetic device that compares two different things without using the words like or as. By describing something as something else, a poet can create an interesting image in the readerʼs mind. For example: “Life is a roller-coasterˮ suggests that life is full of both exciting and challenging experiences.

Contrast: Contrast is a poetic device that emphasizes the differences between two things to create a certain effect. An example of a classic contrast is heat vs. cold i.e. the warmth of summer vs. the chill of winter.

Language proficiency: Language proficiency refers to how well someone can use a language. It includes a range of skills like speaking, listening, reading and writing. A language userʼs range of proficiency can vary widely, from basic conversational skills to advanced fluency.

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Rhina P. Espaillat (b.

1932) was born in the Dominican Republic under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. After Espaillatʼs great-uncle opposed the regime, her family was exiled to the United States and settled in New York City. She began writing poetry as a young girl – in Spanish and then English – and has published in both languages. Source: The Poetry Foundation

Rhina P. Espaillat

Bilingual/Bilingüe My father liked them separate, one there, one here (allá y aquí), as if aware that words might cut in two his daughterʼs heart (el corazón) and lock the alien part to what he was – his memory, his name (su nombre) – with a key he could not claim.

“English outside this door, Spanish inside,ˮ he said, “y basta.ˮ But who can divide the world, the word (mundo y palabra) from any child? I knew how to be dumb and stubborn (testaruda); late, in bed, I hoarded secret syllables I read until my tongue (mi lengua) learned to run where his stumbled. And still the heart was one.

I like to think he knew that, even when, proud (orgulloso) of his daughterʼs pen, he stood outside mis versos, half in fear of words he loved but wanted not to hear.

How to make a reference to this text Espaillat, Rhina P. 1998 2026. “Bilingual/Bilingüeˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al.

Targets. 14. Oslo: Aschehoug.

alien fremmed/framand hoard hamstre syllable stavelse/staving stumble snuble

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1 Learning Languages

Reading

Creative task

Understanding the text

Transform and record

Before you answer the following questions, read the poem carefully and take notes.

2

1a In the first line of the poem, the daughter explains how her father liked to keep the two languages separate; “English outside this door, Spanish inside.ˮ In the following lines, poetic imagery involving a lock and key are introduced. How do you interpret the meaning of this? b

c

There is a strong contrast between the fatherʼs fear of English and the daughterʼs passion to learn English. Can you find an example of this in the poem?

The difference between the fatherʼs vs. the daughterʼs ability to speak English is expressed in the metaphor “until my tongue (mi lengua) learned to run where his stumbledˮ. Can you explain this metaphor using the term language proficiency?

d

Why do you think that the poet has included the Spanish words and phrases in this poem?

e

Look up the following three terms in an online dictionary and use them to comment on the main conflict of the poem:

Listening to a poem can be a powerful experience. In this group activity, you will create a new version of the poem and then make a recording of it. First, translate the Spanish words and phrases into a different language than Spanish (see table below). Then record the result and feel free to experiment with how you can use your voices, and perhaps other sound effects, to emphasize the meaning of the poem.

Spanish

English

allá y aquí

there and here

el corazón

the heart

su nombre

his name

y basta

and that's

New language

enough mundo y palabra

world and word

testaruda

stubborn

mi lengua

my tongue

orgulloso

proud

mis versos

my verses

segregate – integrate – assimilate f

The title of the poem is “Bilingual/Bilingüeˮ. Point to both possible advantages and challenges of being a first-generation bilingual child in a family of immigrant parents

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Jhumpa Lahiri is a British-American author. She was born in Britain and grew up in a Bengali-speaking home in the USA. She has written several prize-winning books, such as Interpreter of Maladies 1999) and The Lowland 2013. In 2012, she moved to Italy with her family and began writing in Italian. In alter parole (In Other Words) was published in 2016, written in Italian by Lahiri, and translated to English

by Ann Goldstein.

Before you read

What is it like to learn a new language? Try to come up with a metaphor that illustrates the experience.

Genre: Memoir A memoir is a written account of one part of a personʼs life written by that person. The memoir is often about events, emotions or struggles the person has overcome. It is written in the first person and is often structured either in chronological order, using flashbacks or focusing on specific themes. An autobiography, on the other hand, is a narrative about a personʼs life from birth or early childhood. Both genres are non-fiction literary genres. Britannica)

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1 Learning Languages

Jhumpa Lahiri

The Crossing In Other Words is an autobiographical work. It chronicles the writerʼs personal journey of learning to express herself in a new language; “The book is about language and the voyage I have made from English to Italian.ˮ The content of the English version of the book is presented in both English and Italian, with the same text in both languages on facing pages.

The following excerpt is the English version of the opening pages: I want to cross a small lake. It really is small, and yet the other shore seems too far away, beyond my abilities. Iʼm aware that the lake is very deep in the middle, and even though I know how to swim Iʼm afraid of being alone in the water, without any support.

The lake Iʼm talking about is in a secluded, isolated place. To get there you have to walk a short distance, through a silent wood. On the other side you can see a cottage, the only house on the shore. The lake was formed just after the last ice age, millennia ago. The water is clear but dark, heavier than salt water, with no current. Once youʼre in, a few yards from the shore, you can no longer see the bottom.

In the morning I observe people coming to the lake, as I do. I watch them cross it in a confident, relaxed manner, stop for some minutes in front of the cottage, then return. I count their arm strokes. I envy them.

For a month I swim around the lake, never going too far out. This is a more significant distance – the circumference compared to the diameter. It takes me more than half an hour to make this circle. Yet Iʼm always close to the shore. I can stop, I can stand up if Iʼm tired. Itʼs good exercise, but not very exciting.

Then one morning, near the end of the summer, I meet two friends at the lake. Iʼve decided to make the crossing with them, to finally get to the cottage on the other side. Iʼm tired of just going along the edge.

I count the strokes. I know that my companions are in the water with me, but I know that each of us is alone. After about a hundred and fifty strokes Iʼm in the middle, the deepest part. I keep going. After a hundred more I see the bottom again.

I arrive on the other side: Iʼve made it with no trouble. I see the cottage, until now distant, just steps from me. I see the small, faraway silhouettes of my husband, my children. They seem unreachable, but I know theyʼre not. After a crossing, the known shore becomes the opposite side: here becomes there. Charged with energy, I cross the lake again. Iʼm elated.

For twenty years I studied Italian as if I were swimming along the edge of that lake. Always next to my dominant language, English. Always hugging

shore strand, bredd ability evne secluded avsides, bortgjemt / avsides, bortgøymd millennia årtusener/tusenår current strøm/straum yard lengdeenhet 0,9144 m) / lengdeeining 0,9144 m) stroke her: svømmetak/ symjetak circumference omkrets/ omkrins distant fjern elated glad, triumferende / glad, triumferande

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beneficial gunstig, sunn immerse senke ned, dyppe departure avgang, avreise

that shore. It was good exercise. Beneficial for the muscles, for the brain, but not very exciting. If you study a foreign language that way, you wonʼt drown. The other language is always there to support you, to save you. But you canʼt float without the possibility of drowning, of sinking. To know a new language, to immerse yourself, you have to leave the shore. Without a life vest. Without depending on solid ground.

A few weeks after crossing the small hidden lake, I make a second crossing, much longer but not at all difficult. It will be the first true departure of my life. On a ship this time, I cross the Atlantic Ocean, to live in Italy.

How to make a reference to this text Lahiri, Jhumpa. 2016 2026. “The Crossingˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al. Targets.

1718. Oslo: Aschehoug.

Reading

18

Writing

Understanding the text

“Beyond the shoreˮ

1a How is the lake described in the opening paragraphs?

Write a dialogue between the protagonist and a friend who is afraid to try something new. Use the metaphor of the lake to encourage the other person to overcome their initial fear and start their own crossing.

b

What is the protagonistʼs initial feeling about crossing the lake?

c

“In the morning I observe people coming to the lakeˮ. Why does she envy these people?

d

Why does she experience a great sense of accomplishment towards the end of summer?

e

What does the crossing of the lake symbolize?

f

In what way can relying on the support of your dominant language be compared to “hugging the shoreˮ of a lake?

g

Explain this passage: “To know a new language, to immerse yourself, you have to leave the shore.

Without a life vest. Without depending on solid ground.ˮ

h

In the final lines of the excerpt she talks about making a second crossing. What kind of crossing is this?

1 Learning Languages

Before you read

A mosaic is a picture or pattern made up of many colourful and diverse elements. In what ways can a language be described as a mosaic of words?

A Weird and Wonderful Mosaic of Words The English language has evolved through centuries of contact and interaction with other languages, making it a weird and wonderful mosaic of rich vocabulary, complex grammar and varied pronunciation. This mosaic is never finished; it continues to grow every day as English speakers around the world share their local expressions.

The Oxford English Dictionary OED) is an extensive record of the English language, acting as a giant history book that tracks the continuous evolution of the English language. For a new word to be qualified to enter the dictionary, editors must be able to document broad evidence of the wordʼs use in a variety of different texts, such as newspaper articles or literary genres, over a certain period of time.

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Here are some recent new entries from around the globe: • carry-go-bring-come Jamaica) Meaning: Gossip or a person who spreads gossip. Example of use: “This carry go bring come, my dear, bring misery.ˮ • rark up New Zealand) Meaning: To provoke, annoy or to behave in a way that causes trouble. Example of use: “They rark up people, rather than having sensible dialogue.ˮ • Umuganda Rwanda Meaning: unpaid work carried out by an individual for the benefit of the community, typically involving cleaning up public areas or working in construction or agriculture. It is also what Rwandans call the last Saturday of every month on which they are required by law to perform this community service. Example of use: “A special Umuganda will be conducted at mont Kigali to fight soil erosion.ˮ • poody Wales Meaning: A fit of sullen or petulant ill temper; a childish sulk. Example of use: “Perhaps the fact I had a poody and missed three training sessions didnʼt help my selection.ˮ • downball Australia) Meaning: a childrenʼs game resembling tennis or squash in which players strike the ball with the hand, typically played on a court divided into squares or against a wall. Example of use: “We had year sevens playing downball with the year twelves yesterday lunchtime.ˮ Source: https://www.oed.com/discover/press-releases

Speaking

Pitch a new word to the OED! The editors at the Oxford English Dictionary are always looking for the next “new tileˮ to add to the colourful mosaic of World English.

Can you think of (or make up) a new word that is not yet included in an official English dictionary? In small groups, prepare a 30-second pitch (a short, playful and persuasive presentation) to convince the editors to include your new word in the OED. Your pitch must include:

20

•

the term

•

the meaning; what specifically does it describe and why do we need it?

•

a real-life example of how it is used.

1 Learning Languages

Applying Your Knowledge Speaking

Making a presentation 1

The article “Secrets of learning a language – quicklyˮ lists the following top tips from experts on how to best learn a language efficiently: • Take risks and speak the language whenever you can.

• Read childrenʼs books and comic books in the foreign language.

• Consume foreign language media.

• Immerse yourself in the local culture.

• Make use of free foreign language podcasts and apps.

• Donʼt practice in isolation; get feedback from native speakers.

• Donʼt worry about making mistakes.

In pairs or small groups, decide which two tips that you believe are the most important and prepare a short presentation to explain why these two points are so effective. Remember to include some specific examples to illustrate your views.

Source: BBC Secrets of learning a language – quickly https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20 150 302-secrets-tolearning-a-language

Writing

Summarising 2

Write a paragraph of approximately 100 words or 68 lines, in which you summarise the content of this blog entry. Give your text a suitable title.

Language is constantly evolving – and today, technology is leading the change.

From social media slang to artificial intelligence chatbots, the English language has entered a new digital era. The way we speak, write, and even think in English is being reshaped by the internet, smartphones, and online culture.

• Internet English – full of memes, abbreviations, and humor.

• Global English – a simplified, practical version spoken by people from different countries.

• Text English – short, casual, and filled with emojis, acronyms, and creative spelling.

Technology has made English more accessible than ever before, but also more diverse. The future of English will likely be faster, simpler, and more visual. Technology encourages creativity, short attention spans, and new forms of self-expression.

We might see more hybrid languages – mixes of English with other tongues, like “Spanglishˮ or “Hinglish.ˮBut one thing will remain: English will continue to adapt. Just as it absorbed Latin, French, and Arabic centuries ago, it now absorbs memes, emojis, and hashtags. The language lives and grows with us.

Technology has forever changed the English language – from the way we spell and write to the way we feel and express ourselves. It has made communication faster, global, and more creative than ever.

While some fear that modern English is becoming too casual or digital, the truth is that language is doing what it has always done: evolve. The power of English lies in its flexibility – and technology is simply its newest teacher.

Source: Medium. 2025. https://medium.com/@ media_89 612/how-technology-is-changing-the-englishlanguage-bf1f23ef89f4

Technology hasnʼt just changed how we communicate – it has changed English itself.

The internet has turned English into a truly global language. Millions of people around the world use English every day to connect online – through videos, games, chats, and social media. Because of this, new forms of English are emerging everywhere:

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Commenting

Writing a longer text

3

4

Comment on the main idea presented in the quotation below and then argue whether you agree with it or not. Use examples from your own use of different languages to illustrate your points.

“Ask me in English what my favourite food is, and I will picture myself in London choosing from the options I enjoy there. But ask me in French, and I transport myself to Paris, where the options Iʼll choose from are different. So the same deeply personal question gets a different answer depending on the language in which youʼre asking me.

This idea that you gain a new personality with every language you speak, that you act differently when speaking different languages, is a profound one.ˮ

Source: BBC The amazing benefits of being bilingual. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20 160 811-the-amazingbenefits-of-being-bilingual)

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Write a text in which you explore the relationship between language and identity. Use examples from the texts in this chapter to support your ideas. You can choose one of the following titles for your text, or you can create your own: • Language shapes who you are • More than just words • Lost in translation • The language of the heart

2 Between People

2 Between People

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Applying Your Knowledge Speaking

3

Oral presenation 1

Work in groups of three or four. Using two or three texts from this chapter, prepare a six-minute presentation for your group.

The TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Storyˮ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (may offer some see also page 62) inspiration for your essay.

Your presentation should include: • a picture of the author(s) and/or artist(s) and the titles of their texts • relevant competence aims • a research question or a clear statement • a reflection on how the texts connect and differ in terms of themes • a list of sources You may write a manuscript, but please ensure you do not read directly from it. After your presentation, your group will have five minutes to ask you questions about the key themes you have discussed.

Writing

Writing a longer text 2

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Write a text in which you reflect on the expectations faced by a character or narrator in this chapter and consider whether these expectations give rise to conflicts. Conclude with a general reflection on the extent to which societal expectations can be both beneficial and damaging.

Fiction and songs can reveal the values, fears, and hopes of their characters. Write an analysis of one of the creative texts in this chapter. To what extent can such texts help us understand the experiences of others?

In your text you should include: • an introduction to your text • an analysis of some literary devices • an analysis of the most significant themes • a reflection on whether fiction can help us gain a clearer understanding of other peopleʼs experiences 4

Using your imagination, write a continuation of the following text by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, set at some point in the future in the United States.

In the text, Emmanuel, the main character, has to come to terms with his new reality.

Fela, the headless girl, walked towards Emmanuel. Her neck jagged with red savagery. She was silent, but he could feel her waiting for him to do something, anything.

Then his phone rang, and he woke up.

In your text: • Describe the future he enters.

• Explore challenges related to waking up to a changed world.

• Include a suitable ending for your story.

3 Between Cultures

3 Between Cultures

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Introductory Activity

Batanga A role-play activity Three students will play exchange students who have just arrived at a school in Batanga for a semester. They are eager to make a good impression and fit in. The rest of the class are Batanganese students who are friendly and welcoming.

Your teacher will give you the instructions for this role-play.

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3 Between Cultures

Before you read

If a tourist from another part of the world googles “Norwegian cultureˮ what do you think they find?

Which stereotypes about Norwegians are untrue and which ones are merely incomplete?

The Cultural Iceberg When visiting another country we observe what we can call the surface or external culture, like food, clothes, art and greeting rituals. This is the part of a culture that is visible and that can give rise to stereotypes. However, it is generally estimated that only some 10% of a culture is visible on the surface, the rest is largely unconscious and hidden below the surface. The more we learn about the deeper culture of a country, its values, beliefs and thought patterns, the more we understand about how those stereotypes are incomplete. This idea of a surface culture and a deep culture has been developed into the cultural iceberg model. There are many versions of this model, and on the next page you can see one that is widely used.

But remember that the image presents culture as something static and fixed and that is of course not true. Culture is dynamic, complex and always changing, and not everyone might always agree on what goes above and what goes below the surface.

In an intercultural setting it is also important to remember that your values, norms and communication style are not neutral: they are shaped by the culture you grew up in, your socioeconomic background, and your religious beliefs. They are also shaped by whether you belong to the majority or minority in your society, and that position affects how your perspective is received by others. In any cultural encounter, it is worth asking whose version of “normalˮ is setting the standard.

How to make a reference to this text “The Culural Icebergˮ. In Balsvik et al. Targets. 5960. Oslo: Aschehoug.

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THE CULTURAL ICEBERG

Surface culture

food flags festivals fashion holidays music greeting rituals dance games literature language arts & crafts celebrations history COMMUNICATION STYLES AND RULES: facial expressions personal space conversational patterns gestures touching eye contact body language conversational patterns in different social situations tone of voice handling and displaying of emotion

NOTIONS OF: courtesy and manners friendship leadership cleanliness modesty beauty

CONCEPTS OF: time past and future fairness and justice roles related to age, sex, class, family, etc.

self

ATTITUDES TOWARD: elders adolescents dependents rule expectations work authority cooperation vs competition relationship with animals age sin death APPROACHES TO: religion courtship marriage raising children decision-making problem solving

Deep culture

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Speaking

Expressing opinions 1

Discuss the questions below to help you improve your cultural awareness. In the second column you can discuss different countries and subcultures.

In my culture

2

Discuss what goes wrong in the following intercultural scenarios.

A

On our first trip to the USA we stopped at a smalltown diner. A waitress came over and said: “How are yʼall today?ˮ I said “Fineˮ and waited for the menu. There was an awkward pause. She then said: “My name is Kaylee and Iʼll be your waitress.

What can I get you to drink?ˮ My friend said: “Just some water.ˮ She wrote it down and walked away without another word.

B

Travelling in Europe, I visited a Dutch friend at her family home. It happened to be her motherʼs birthday, and several relatives had come over.

After introductions, her mother offered me a cake from a large box of confectionery and asked which one I wanted. I said: “Iʼll start with the chocolate one.ˮ

C

After a few days in India I met a friendly young man at a café who eventually invited me home for a home-cooked meal. His parents asked where I was from, what my parents did for a living, and whether I was married or had a girlfriend. I explained I was Norwegian, that my parents were a teacher and a nurse, and that I wasnʼt married but lived with my boyfriend. They stared at me in silence.

D

I got to know Karim at a conference in Morocco.

On the last evening he told our group warmly: “You must all come and stay, our door is always open.ˮ On the train home, two of us were already checking flight prices. A few months later we sent him an email asking which dates would suit best.

E

We were three Norwegians working on a project with a student from Taiwan. Every time we made a decision, she nodded and said “okayˮ. When we met the following week, she quietly produced an alternative version. “Just a suggestion,ˮ she said.

We didnʼt know what to say.

3

Have you ever experienced a similar situation, some embarrassing moment where you only later understood your cultural communication blunder?

In another culture (state which country)

What makes a good first impression?

What would be considered negative in a first meeting?

How much emphasis is there on how people dress and speak?

Can a woman always behave and speak in the same way as a man?

What is considered appropriate personal space?

Can you call your teacher by their first name?

Can you openly criticize your teacher?

Can you ask someone a personal question?

Is it acceptable to express anger or enthusiasm?

When someone says, “I promise,ˮ, is that a guarantee or an aspiration?

What is the attitude to failure?

When trying to solve a conflict, what is more important: keeping the peace or getting things out in the open?

Is showing selfconfidence a good thing or will it be perceived as negative self-promotion?

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 1977 is an award-winning Nigerian novelist, writer and storyteller. She has written novels, short stories and feminist essays. Her TED talks “The Danger of a Single Storyˮ and “We Should All Be Feministsˮ have been viewed by millions of people.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reads from her novel Dream Count 2025.

kinky hair krusete, krøllete hår stirred my imagination satte fantasien i sving / sette fantasien i sving yams type rotgrønnsak / type rotgrønsak dyed farget/farga raffia fibre laget fra bladene på raffiapalmen / fibrar laga frå blada på raffiapalmen fleecing flå, utnytte immersed fordypet i / fordjupa i abject uverdig, elendig resilience utholdenhet, robusthet / uthald, motstandskraft refurbish pusse opp to malign baksnakke, sverte

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Danger of a Single Story Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave the TED talk “The Danger of a Single Storyˮ in 2009. She says, “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.ˮ

3 Between Cultures

Listening

Speaking

Understanding the TED talk

Expressing opinions

1

Watch the “The Danger of a Single Storyˮ.

2

Discuss in pairs or small groups.

a

To illustrate what she means by “a single storyˮ, Adichie describes different stories. Four stories are listed in the grid below in the order they appear in her talk. Fill in the details while or after listening and compare your notes.

a

Adichie describes how she herself had internalized different single stories. Have you ever discovered that a single story you believed turned out to be incomplete or wrong? What was the single story involved, and what changed your perspective?

b

If you were the subject of a documentary about Norwegian teenagers, what single story do you think the filmmaker would be tempted to make?

Would it be wrong?

c

What single story about Norway and Norwegians have you encountered? What was your reaction?

d

Think of a country or a group that gets a lot of media coverage. What story is usually told? What story is almost never told?

Story

Story 1

Story 2

Story 3

Story 4

reading

poor

the American

the visit

books

people in

roommate and

to Mexico

Nigeria

professor

The single story

The adjusted story

Listening

Text analysis b

Which of these stories resonates with you?

c

What exactly is “the danger of a single storyˮ?

State the message or central idea of her talk in your own words.

d

Discuss these two statements from her talk and think of examples:

“So that is how to create a single story, show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is they become.ˮ

3a What techniques does Adichie use to persuade her audience? Discuss. b

Adichie opens her talk with a story about herself as a child, not with a political argument. Why? What effect does it have on you as a listener?

c

She uses humour several times. Find one example. Why does it work and what does it do for her relationship with the audience?

d

She repeats the phrase “single storyˮ throughout the talk. Why do you think she keeps returning to those same words?

e

Adichie tells stories about her own mistakes and blind spots; she admits she had a single story about Fideʼs family, and about Mexico. Why would a speaker choose to criticise herself in front of an audience? What does it do for her credibility?

f

She speaks mostly from personal experience rather than quoting statistics or research. Is that a strength or a weakness in your view? What does it make you feel, compared to what it makes you think?

g

Does Adichie try to convince you mainly through facts and logic (logos), through feelings and empathy (pathos), or through her own authority and experience (ethos)? Find evidence for your answer.

“And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete.

They make one story become the only story.ˮ e

Can you give an example of a single story that in the mind of many people has become true?

f

Adichie ends by saying “when we reject the single story, we regain a kind of paradiseˮ. What do you think she means by that? Do you agree?

g

Is it possible to completely avoid single stories, or is some simplification unavoidable? Is there a difference between a stereotype and a generalization? Where is the line? Does it matter?

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Writing

Writing a short text 4

Choose one of the following writing tasks.

a

Describe a single story you once believed about a group of people. Where did it come from?

What, if anything, changed your view? Write 200300 words.

b

Write a paragraph about Norway as it might be described by someone who only has a single story about it. Then write a second paragraph that complicates that story.

c

Choose a quote from the talk and write one or two paragraphs responding to it: do you agree, disagree, or partly both? You must include one or more concrete examples to support your view.

Speaking

Expressing opinions 5

Adichie is a popular speaker and here are three famous quotes from speeches she gave to live audiences. Read all three quotes carefully, then choose the one that resonates most with you, the one that makes you think, react, or feel something. All speeches can be found online and you can check the context in which these quotes were said.

In small groups share your responses: why did you choose this quote, and what does it mean to you?

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From: The Reith Lectures 2022 Freedom of Speech: Literature shows us who we are, takes us into history, tells us not just what happened but how it felt and teaches us, as an American Professor once put it, about things that are “not googleableˮ. Books shape our understanding of the world.

From: Commencement Address, 2015, Wellesley College: All over the world, girls are raised to be make themselves likeable, to twist themselves into shapes that suit other people. Please do not twist yourself into shapes to please. Donʼt do it. If someone likes that version of you, that version of you that is false and holds back, then they actually just like that twisted shape, and not you. And the world is such a gloriously multifaceted, diverse place that there are people in the world who will like you, the real you, as you are.

From the “Above all else, do not lieˮ address to Harvardʼs Class of 2018 Be courageous enough to say I donʼt know. This might be harder to do with everyone calling you “Harvardˮ. But ignorance acknowledged is an opportunity; ignorance denied is a closed door, and it takes courage to admit to the truth of what you do not know.

3 Between Cultures

Ocean Vuong 1988 is a Vietnamese American poet, essayist, and novelist. He has so far published two novels, two collections of poetry, essays and other types of texts. On Earth Weʼre Briefly Gorgeous is his debut novel and received many accolades.

Before you read

Imagine you would have to tell your parents something really important, what would be your preferred time and place?

Ocean Vuong

4S *FWYM <JŐWJ 'WNJƊ^ Gorgeous On Earth weʼre Briefly Gorgeous 2019) is written as a letter to a mother who cannot read. The speaker is a young Vietnamese American nicknamed Little Dog. In the novel we get to know his mother, his grandmother, their backstory of what happened in Vietnam before they came to America as refugees and their tough lives in Hartford, Connecticut. Little Dogʼs mother suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder and struggles to make ends meet working in a nail salon. About halfway through the novel Little Dog decides to tell his mother he is gay.

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bleak trist, utrivelig / trist, utriveleg luminous strålende, skinnende / strålande, skinnande thrum tromme subdued dempet, rolig / dempa, roleg pédéraste pedofil epithet skjellsord teal blågrønt

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Then I told you the truth.

It was a greyish Sunday. All morning the sky had threatened downpour.

The kind of day, I had hoped, where the bond between two people might be decided on easily-the weather being so bleak we would see each other, you and I, with relief, a familiar face made more luminous than we had remembered in the backdrop of dreary light.

Inside the bright Dunkinʼ Donuts, two cups of black coffee steamed between us. You stared out the window. Rain slashed down the road as the cars came back from church service on Main St. “People seem to like those SUV things these days.ˮ You noted the caravan of cars at the drivethru. “Everybody wants to sit higher and higher.ˮ Your fingers thrummed the table.

“You want sugar, Ma?ˮ I asked.ˮ What about cream, or actually, maybe a doughnut? Oh no, you like the croissants–ˮ “Say what you have to say, Little Dog.ˮ Your tone subdued, watery. The steam from the cup gave your face a shifting expression.

“I donʼt like girls.ˮ I didnʼt want to use the Vietnamese word for it – pê-đê – from the French pédé, short for pédéraste. Before the French occupation, our Vietnamese did not have a name for queer bodies-because they were seen, like all bodies, fleshed and of one source – and I didnʼt want to introduce this part of me using the epithet for criminals.

You blinked a few times.

“You donʼt like girls,ˮ you repeated, nodding absently. I could see the words moving through you, pressing you into your chair. “Then what do you like? Youʼre seventeen. You donʼt like anything. You donʼt know anything,ˮ you said, scratching the table.

“Boys,ˮ I said, controlling my voice. But the word felt dead in my mouth.

The chair creaked as you leaned forward.

“Chocolate! I want chocolate!ˮ A group of children in teal oversized T-shirts, just back, judging from their paper bags full of apples, from an apple-picking trip, poured into the shop, filling it with excited shrieks.

“I can leave, Ma,ˮ I offered. “If you donʼt want me I can go. I wonʼt be a problem and nobody has to know ... Ma say something.ˮ In the cup my reflection rippled under a small black tide. “Please.ˮ “Tell me,ˮ you said from behind the palm on your chin, “are you going to wear a dress now?ˮ “Ma–“ “Theyʼll kiII you,ˮ you shook your head, “you know that.ˮ “Who will kill me?ˮ “They kill people for wearing dresses. Itʼs on the news. You donʼt know people. You donʼt know them.ˮ “I wonʼt, Ma. I promise. Look, I never wore one before, have I? Why would I now?ˮ

3 Between Cultures

You stared at the two holes in my face. “You donʼt have to go anywhere.

Itʼs just you and me, Little Dog. J donʼt have anyone else.ˮ Your eyes were red.

The children across the shop were singing “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,ˮ their voices, their easy elation, piercing.

“Tell me,ˮ you sat up, a concerned look on your face, “when did this all start? I gave birth to a healthy, normal boy. I know that. When?ˮ I was six, in the first grade. The school I was at was a refurbished Lutheran church. With the kitchen forever under renovation, lunch was served in the gymnasium, the basketball court lines arcing beneath our feet as we sat at makeshift lunch tables: classroom desks bunched together in clusters.

Each day the staff would wheel in huge crates filled with frozen, single-dish meals: a reddish-brown mass in a white square wrapped in cellophane.

The four microwaves we lined up behind hummed throughout the lunch period as one meal after another was melted, then pinged out, blistered and steaming, into our waiting hands.

I sat down with my mush square beside a boy with a yellow polo shirt and black comb-over. His name was Gramoz and his family, I learned later, came to Hartford from Albania after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But none of that mattered that day. What mattered was that he did not have a white square with grey mush, but a sleek, turquoise lunch bag with a Velcro strap, from which he presented a tray of pizza bagels, each one the shape of oversized jewels.

“Want one?ˮ he said casually, biting into his.

I was too shy to touch. Gramoz, seeing this, took my hand, flipped it over, and placed one in my palm. It was heavier than I imagined. And somehow, still warm. Afterward, at recess, I followed Gramoz everywhere he went. Two rungs behind him on the monkey bars, at his heels as he climbed the ladder to the yellow swirly slide, his white Keds flashing with each step.

How else to repay the boy who gave me my first pizza bagel but to become his shadow?

The problem was that my English, at the time, was still nonexistent. I couldnʼt speak to him. And even if I could what could I say? Where was I following him? To what end? Perhaps it was not a destination I sought, but merely a continuation. To stay close to Gramoz was to remain within the circumference of his one act of kindness, was to go back in time, to the lunch hour, that pizza heavy in my palm.

One day, on the slide, Gramoz turned around, his cheeks puffed red, and shouted, “Stop following me, you freak! What the heck is wrong with you?ˮ It was not the words but his eyes, squinted as if taking aim, that made me understand.

A shadow cut from its source, I stopped at the top of the slide, and

elation glede, oppstemthet / glede, oppstemdheit refurbished renovert rungs trinn, steg monkey bars klatrestativ Keds type sneakers (sko) circumference omkrets/ omkrins squint knipe sammen (øynene) / knipe saman (auga)

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watched his shiny comb-over grow smaller and smaller down the tunnel, before vanishing, without a trace, into the sound of laughing children.

clench stramme, spenne feign late som, simulere

When I thought it was over, that Iʼd done my unloading, you said, pushing your coffee aside, “Now I have something to tell you.ˮ My jaw clenched. This was not supposed to be an equal exchange, not a trade. I nodded as you spoke, feigning willingness.

“You have an older brother.ˮ You swept your hair out of your eyes, unblinking. “But heʼs dead.ˮ The children were still there but I no longer heard their small, perishable voices.

We were exchanging truths, I realized, which is to say, we were cutting one another.

“Look at me. You have to know this.ˮ You wore a face. Your lips a violet line.

You went on. You once had a son growing inside you, a son you had named, a name you wonʼt repeat. The son inside you started to move, his limbs running the circumference of your belly. And you sang and spoke to him, like you did to me, told him secrets not even your husband knew. You were seventeen and back in Vietnam, the same age I was sitting across from you.

Your hands cupped now like binoculars, as if the past was something that needed to be hunted down. The table wet beneath you. You wiped it with a napkin, then kept going, telling of 1986, the year my brother, your son, appeared. How, four months into your pregnancy, when a childʼs face becomes a face, your husband, my father, pressured by his family, forced you to abort him.

“There was nothing to eat,ˮ you went on, your chin still cupped over the table. A man on his way to the restroom asked to get by. Without looking up, you scooted over. “People were putting sawdust in the rice to stretch it.

You were lucky if you had rats to eat.ˮ You spoke carefully, as if the story was a flame in your hands in the wind. The children were finally gone – only an elderly couple was left, two puffs of white hair behind their newspapers.

“Unlike your brother,ˮ you said, “you were not born until we knew youʼd live.ˮ

How to make a reference to this text Vuong, Ocean. 2019 2026. “On Earth Weʼre Briefly Gorgeousˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al. Targets. 6568. Oslo: Aschehoug.

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detailing the experiences of its protagonist, Little Dog.ˮ As you read, how does being addressed as “youˮ make you feel? Does it pull you in or make you feel like an intruder? Find a moment where this effect is particularly strong.

Reading

Close reading 1a The speaker uses 16 sentences to set the scene.

What strikes you about the time and place the speaker has chosen, and how he describes it? b

Look at the paragraph about the Vietnamese word pê-đê. What does Vuong reveal about language and colonial history here, and why does Little Dog not want to use that word with his mother?

c

How does the mother respond to Little Dogʼs news? What does her response tell us about her, and what does it not tell us?

d

Little Dog says: “I can leave, Ma. ... If you donʼt want me I can go.ˮ What does this offer reveal about what he fears most in this moment?

e

The scene is interrupted by a group of children pouring into the shop, shrieking and singing, a man making his way to the restroom and an elderly couple behind their newspapers. What effect do these interruptions have on the coming out scene?

f

At six years old, having just moved to the US and speaking no English yet, Little Dog is given some microwaved “reddish-brown massˮ to eat in school.

Can you understand his reaction? How does Vuong use this moment of strangeness to say something about kindness, belonging and rejection?

c

A reviewer described the novel as “raw in subject matter but polished in style and languageˮ. The coming out scene is difficult and tense, yet the writing is often quiet and gentle. Find one moment where something painful is said very softly. Why do you think Vuong writes this way?

d

An NPR reviewer wrote: “In his poetry and in his just-published debut novel called On Earth Weʼre Briefly Gorgeous, Vuong writes about the yearning for connection that afflicts immigrants.ˮ In this excerpt, Little Dog and his mother are sitting in a Dunkinʼ Donuts surrounded by American children. Where in the scene do you sense that mother and son are not fully at home in this world?

Listening

Understanding the podcast 3

Find the review of the novel on Aunivers or the npr.org website and listen to it. The date of the podcast is June 4, 2019.

a

What is an aptronym and why is the name “Oceanˮ so apt for this writer?

b

How did Vuongʼs mother come up with the name “Oceanˮ for her son, and why did she find it meaningful?

c

Why does the reviewer think the opening line of the novel captures something important about Little Dogʼs situation?

d

What do we learn about Little Dogʼs grandmother, and how did she survive a tough time in her life?

e

How does Little Dog suffer the consequences of the Vietnam War?

f

How does Little Dog react when he is bullied on the school bus? And why is the image he uses about his shoes so apt?

2a Vuong has also published two collections of poetry. One reviewer wrote: “His debut novel, On Earth Weʼre Briefly Gorgeous, is as lyrical and haunting as his poetry.ˮ Find two or three moments in the excerpt where the writing feels more like poetry than prose. Look at unusual word choices, unexpected comparisons, or the way feelings are expressed through objects rather than stated directly. What effect do these moments have on you, the reader?

h

What does Little Dog write about the word “sorryˮ and why does this tell us something about the immigrant experience?

i

At the end of the review, the reviewer quotes something Vuong wrote in The New Yorker about starting kindergarten in America. What did he mean when he said he was “immigrating all over again, except this time into Englishˮ?

b

4

g

h

i

The mother says “Now I have something to tell you.ˮ Little Dog thinks: “This was not supposed to be an equal exchange, not a trade.ˮ What does this suggest about why she decides to speak, and what does it cost her? How will it change their relationship?

How do you interpret this line: “We were exchanging truths, I realized, which is to say, we were cutting one another.ˮ This scene is part of a letter written to a mother who cannot read English. Knowing that, how does it change how you read this scene – who is Little Dog really writing for?

Literary analysis

Another reviewer wrote: “With an intuitive second-person narrative and a confessional style that manages to never sound whiny, On Earth Weʼre Briefly Gorgeous reads like a memoir,

Writing a summary Write a summary of approx. 150 words of what the reviewer Maureen Corrigan says about Ocean Vuongʼs writing style and the themes of the novel.

Do not list everything she mentions, focus on what she finds most remarkable about the book.

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Hanif Kureishi 1954 was born and raised in South London by an English mother and a Pakistani father. He is a highly acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker and novelist.

“My Son the Fanaticˮ was first published in the New Yorker 1994) and then in Kureishiʼs short story collection Love in a Blue Time 1997.

Before you read

A short story with the title “My Son the Fanaticˮ clearly hints at a parent-child conflict. What kind of conflict could this be?

Hanif Kureishi

My Son the Fanatic

surreptitiously i smug rouse våkne/vakne

70

Surreptitiously, the father began going into his sonʼs bedroom. He would sit there for hours, rousing himself only to seek clues. What bewildered him was that Ali was getting tidier. The room, which was usually a tangle of clothes, books, cricket bats, and video games, was becoming neat and ordered; spaces began appearing where before there had been only mess.

Initially, Parvez had been pleased: his son was outgrowing his teenage attitudes. But one day, beside the dustbin, Parvez found a torn shopping bag that contained not only old toys but computer disks, videotapes, new books, and fashionable clothes the boy had bought a few months before.

Also without explanation, Ali had parted from the English girlfriend who used to come around to the house. His old friends stopped ringing.

3 Between Cultures

For reasons he didnʼt himself understand, Parvez was unable to bring up the subject of Aliʼs unusual behaviour. He was aware that he had become slightly afraid of his son, who, between his silences, was developing a sharp tongue. One remark Parvez did make – “You donʼt play your guitar anymoreˮ – elicited the mysterious but conclusive reply, “There are more important things to be done.ˮ Yet Parvez felt his sonʼs eccentricity as an injustice. He had always been aware of the pitfalls that other menʼs sons had stumbled into in England. It was for Ali that Parvez worked long hours; he spent a lot of money paying for Aliʼs education as an accountant. He had bought Ali good suits, all the books he required, and a computer. And now the boy was throwing his possessions out! The TV, video-player, and stereo system followed the guitar. Soon the room was practically bare. Even the unhappy walls bore pale marks where Aliʼs pictures had been removed.

Parvez couldnʼt sleep; he went more often to the whisky bottle, even when he was at work. He realised it was imperative to discuss the matter with someone sympathetic.

Parvez had been a taxi-driver for twenty years. Half that time heʼd worked for the same firm. Like him, most of the other drivers were Punjabis.

They preferred to work at night, when the roads were clearer and the money better. They slept during the day, avoiding their wives. They led almost a boyʼs life together in the cabbiesʼ office, playing cards and setting up practical jokes, exchanging lewd stories, eating takeaways from local “baltiˮ houses, and discussing politics and their own problems.

But Parvez had been unable to discuss the subject of Ali with his friends. He was too ashamed. And he was afraid, too, that they would blame him for the wrong turning his boy had taken, just as he had blamed other fathers whose sons began running around with bad girls, skipping school and joining gangs.

For years, Parvez had boasted to the other men about how Ali excelled in cricket, swimming and football, and what an attentive scholar he was, getting As in most subjects. Was it asking too much for Ali to get a good job, marry the right girl, and start a family? Once this happened, Parvez would be happy. His dreams of doing well in England would have come true. Where had he gone wrong?

One night, sitting in the taxi office on busted chairs with his two closest friends, watching a Sylvester Stallone film, Parvez broke his silence.

“I canʼt understand it!ˮ he burst out. “Everything is going from his room.

And I canʼt talk to him any more. We were not father and son – we were brothers! Where has he gone? Why is he torturing me?ˮ And Parvez put his head in his hands.

Even as he poured out his account, the men shook their heads and gave one another knowing glances.

elicit framkalle conclusive her: bastant oddly merkelig/merkeleg pitfall fallgruve accountant revisor imperative absolutt nødvendig Punjabi i.e. from Punjab in Pakistan cabbie drosjesjåfør lewd slibrig, uanstendig / grisete, uanstendig balti house restaurant boast skryte excel in utmerke seg i / gjere det godt i attentive oppmerksom, våken / merksam, vaken As toppkarakterer/ toppkarakterar busted ødelagt/øydelagd account her: historie, fortelling / her: historie, forteljing

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scrupulously nøye severe streng brasses her: prostituerte liaison forbindelse/kontakt ferry levere, kjøre / levere, køyre pupil pupill dilated utvidet/utvida liable tilbøyelig/tilbøyeleg vigil vakt probe undersøke/ undersøkje capsule kapsel syringe sprøyte flinch vike, krympe seg

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“Tell me what is happening!ˮ he demanded.

The reply was almost triumphant. They had guessed something was going wrong. Now it was clear: Ali was taking drugs and selling his possessions to pay for them. That was why his bedroom was being emptied.

“What must I do, then?ˮ Parvezʼs friends instructed him to watch Ali scrupulously and to be severe with him, before the boy went mad, overdosed, or murdered someone.

Parvez staggered out into the early-morning air, terrified that they were right. His boy – the drug-addict killer!

To his relief, he found Bettina sitting in his car.

Usually the last customers of the night were local “brassesˮ, or prostitutes. The taxi-drivers knew them well and often drove them to liaisons. At the end of the girlsʼ night, the men would ferry them home, though sometimes they would join the cabbies for a drinking session in the office. Occasionally, the drivers would go with the girls. “A ride in exchange for a ride,ˮ it was called.

Bettina had known Parvez for three years. She lived outside the town and, on the long drives home, during which she sat not in the passenger seat but beside him, Parvez had talked to her about his life and hopes, just as she talked about hers. They saw each other most nights.

He could talk to her about things heʼd never be able to discuss with his own wife. Bettina, in turn, always reported on her nightʼs activities. He liked to know where she had been and with whom. Once, he had rescued her from a violent client, and since then they had come to care for each other.

Though Bettina had never met Ali, she heard about the boy continually.

That night, when Parvez told Bettina that he suspected Ali was on drugs, to Parvezʼs relief, she judged neither him nor the boy, but said, “Itʼs all in the eyes.ˮ They might be bloodshot; the pupils might be dilated; Ali might look tired. He could be liable to sweats, or sudden mood changes. “OK?ˮ Parvez began his vigil gratefully. Now that he knew what the problem might be, he felt better. And surely, he figured, things couldnʼt have gone too far?

He watched each mouthful the boy took. He sat beside him at every opportunity and looked into his eyes. When he could, he took the boyʼs hand, checking his temperature. If the boy wasnʼt at home, Parvez was active, looking under the carpet, in Aliʼs drawers, and behind the empty wardrobe – sniffing, inspecting, probing. He knew what to look for: Bettina had drawn pictures of capsules, syringes, pills, powders, rocks.

Every night, she waited to hear news of what heʼd witnessed. After a few days of constant observation, Parvez was able to report that although the boy had given up sports, he seemed healthy. His eyes were clear. He didnʼt – as Parvez expected he might – flinch guiltily from his fatherʼs gaze. In fact,

3 Between Cultures

the boy seemed more alert and steady than usual: as well as being sullen, he was very watchful. He returned his fatherʼs long looks with more than a hint of criticism, of reproach, even – so much so that Parvez began to feel that it was he who was in the wrong, and not the boy.

“And thereʼs nothing else physically different?ˮ Bettina asked.

“No!ˮ Parvez thought for a moment. “But he is growing a beard.ˮ One night, after sitting with Bettina in an all-night coffee shop, Parvez came home particularly late. Reluctantly, he and Bettina had abandoned the drug theory, for Parvez had found nothing resembling any drug in Aliʼs room. Besides, Ali wasnʼt selling his belongings. He threw them out, gave them away, or donated them to charity shops.

Standing in the hall, Parvez heard the boyʼs alarm clock go off. Parvez hurried into his bedroom, where his wife, still wake, was sewing in bed.

He ordered her to sit down and keep quiet, though she had neither stood up nor said a word. As she watched him curiously, he observed his son through the crack of the door.

The boy went into the bathroom to wash. When he returned to his room, Parvez sprang across the hall and set his ear to Aliʼs door. A muttering sound came from within. Parvez was puzzled but relieved.

Once this clue had been established, Parvez watched him at other times. The boy was praying. Without fail, when he was at home, he prayed five times a day.

Parvez had grown up in Lahore, where all young boys had been taught the Koran. To stop Parvez from falling asleep while he studied, the maulvi had attached a piece of string to the ceiling and tied it to Parvezʼs hair, so if his head fell forward, he would instantly jerk awake. After this indignity, Parvez had avoided all religions. Not that the other taxi-drivers had any more respect than he. In fact, they made jokes about the local mullahs walking around with their caps and beards, thinking they could tell people how to live while their eyes roved over the boys and girls in their care.

Parvez described to Bettina what he had discovered. He informed the men in the taxi office. His friends, who had been so inquisitive before, now became oddly silent. They could hardly condemn the boy for his devotions.

Parvez decided to take a night off and go out with the boy. They could talk things over. He wanted to hear how things were going at college; he wanted to tell him stories about their family in Pakistan. More than anything, he yearned to understand how Ali had discovered the “spiritual dimensionˮ, as Bettina called it.

To Parvezʼs surprise, the boy refused to accompany him. He claimed he had an appointment. Parvez had to insist that no appointment could be more important than that of a son with his father.

The next day, Parvez went immediately to the street corner where Bettina stood in the rain wearing high heels, a short skirt, and a long mac, which she would open hopefully at passing cars.

alert våken/vaken sullen gretten, sur reproach bebreidelse / lastord, klander abandon forlate, gå bort fra / forlate, gå bort frå charity shop bruktbutikk Lahore i.e. capital of Punjab maulvi islamsk lærd mann indignity nedverdigelse / skammeleg behandling mullah islamsk prest rove fare over inquisitive nysgjerrig condemn fordømme devotions religiøse handlinger / religiøse handlingar mac = macintosh regnfrakk

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moor hei unimpeded uhindret/ uhindra imminent forestående/ føreståande crunch knase poppadom flat Indian bread castigate tukte, refse insolent uforskammet/ uforskamma wince krympe seg fastidious face kresent ansiktsuttrykk disgust avsky censure kritikk relish nyte pork pie pai med svinekjøtt smothered helt dekket / heilt dekt sandwiched inneklemt/ inneklemd

74

“Get in, get in!ˮ he said.

They drove out across the moors and parked at the spot where, on better days, their view unimpeded for miles except by wild deer and horses, theyʼd lie back, with their eyes half-closed, saying, “This is the life.ˮ This time Parvez was trembling. Bettina put her arms around him.

“Whatʼs happened?ˮ “Iʼve just had the worst experience of my life.ˮ As Bettina rubbed his head Parvez told her that the previous evening, as he and his son had studied the menu, the waiter, whom Parvez knew, brought him his usual whisky-and-water. Parvez was so nervous he had even prepared a question. He was going to ask Ali if he was worried about his imminent exams. But first he loosened his tie, crunched a poppadom, and took a long drink.

Before Parvez could speak, Ali made a face.

“Donʼt you know itʼs wrong to drink alcohol?ˮ he had said.

“He spoke to me very harshly,ˮ Parvez said to Bettina. “I was about to castigate the boy for being insolent, but managed to control myself.ˮ Parvez had explained patiently that for years he had worked more than ten hours a day, had few enjoyments or hobbies, and never gone on holiday. Surely it wasnʼt a crime to have a drink when he wanted one?

“But it is forbidden,ˮ the boy said.

Parvez shrugged. “I know.ˮ “And so is gambling, isnʼt it?ˮ “Yes. But surely we are only human?ˮ Each time Parvez took a drink, the boy winced, or made some kind of fastidious face. This made Parvez drink more quickly. The waiter, wanting to please his friend, brought another glass of whisky. Parvez knew he was getting drunk, but he couldnʼt stop himself. Ali had a horrible look, full of disgust and censure. It was as if he hated his father.

Halfway through the meal, Parvez suddenly lost his temper and threw a plate on the floor. He felt like ripping the cloth from the table, but the waiters and other customers were staring at him. Yet he wouldnʼt stand for his own sonʼs telling him the difference between right and wrong. He knew he wasnʼt a bad man. He had a conscience. There were a few things of which he was ashamed, but on the whole he had lived a decent life.

“When have I had time to be wicked?ˮ he asked Ali. In a low, monotonous voice, the boy explained that Parvez had not, in fact, lived a good life. He had broken countless rules of the Koran.

“For instance?ˮ Parvez demanded.

Ali didnʼt need to think. As if he had been waiting for this moment, he asked his father if he didnʼt relish pork pies?

“Well.ˮ Parvez couldnʼt deny that he loved crispy bacon smothered with mushrooms and mustard and sandwiched between slices of fried bread. In fact, he ate this for breakfast every morning.

3 Between Cultures

When does fanaticism become terrorism? Messages are written on a banner placed outside Finsbury Park Mosque in London after worshippers were targeted in an attack in 2017.

Ali then reminded Parvez that he had ordered his wife to cook pork sausages, saying to her, “Youʼre not in the village now. This is England. We have to fit in.ˮ Parvez was so annoyed and perplexed by this attack that he called for more drink.

“The problem is this,ˮ the boy said. He leaned across the table. For the first time that night, his eyes were alive. “You are too implicated in Western civilisation.ˮ Parvez burped; he thought he was going to choke. “Implicated!ˮ he said.

“But we live here!ˮ “The Western materialists hate us,ˮ Ali said. “Papa, how can you love something which hates you?ˮ “What is the answer, then,ˮ Parvez said miserably, “according to you?ˮ

annoyed irritert perplexed forvirret/forvirra implicate innvikle

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rowdy crowd bøllete gjeng quell undertrykke/ undertrykkje infidel vantro/vantru rout jage ut hypocrite hykler/hyklar adulterer horebukk jihad hellig krig / heilag krig reward belønning/løn urge trygle, be usher føre rear view mirror bakspeil/ bakspegel wing mirror sidespeil/ sidespegel haul trekke/trekkje dislodge drive bort practise usury ta høy rente, ågerrente / ta høg rente, ågerrente

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Ali didnʼt need to think. He addressed his father fluently, as if Parvez were a rowdy crowd which had to be quelled or convinced. The law of Islam would rule the world; the skin of the infidel would burn off again and again; the Jews and Christers would be routed. The West was a sink of hypocrites, adulterers, homosexuals, drug users and prostitutes.

While Ali talked, Parvez looked out the window as if to check that they were still in London.

“My people have taken enough. If the persecution doesnʼt stop, there will be jihad. I, and millions of others, will gladly give our lives for the cause.ˮ “But why, why?ˮ Parvez said.

“For us, the reward will be in Paradise.ˮ “Paradise!ˮ Finally, as Parvezʼs eyes filled with tears, the boy urged him to mend his ways.

“But how would that be possible?ˮ Parvez asked.

“Pray,ˮ urged Ali. “Pray beside me.ˮ Parvez paid the bill and ushered his boy out of there as soon as he was able. He couldnʼt take any more.

Ali sounded as if heʼd swallowed someone elseʼs voice.

On the way home the boy sat in the back of the taxi, as if he were a customer.

“What has made you like this?ˮ Parvez asked him, afraid that somehow he was to blame for all this. “Is there a particular event which has influenced you?ˮ “Living in this country.ˮ “But I love England,ˮ Parvez said, watching his boy in the rear view mirror. “They let you do almost anything here.ˮ “That is the problem,ˮ Ali replied.

For the first time in years, Parvez couldnʼt see straight. He knocked the side of the car against a lorry, ripping off the wing mirror. They were lucky not to have been stopped by the police: Parvez would have lost his licence and his job.

Back at the house, as he got out of the car, Parvez stumbled and fell in the road, scraping his hands and ripping his trousers. He managed to haul himself up. The boy didnʼt even offer him his hand.

Parvez told Bettina he was willing to pray, if that was what the boy wanted – if it would dislodge the pitiless look from his eyes. “But what I object to,ˮ he said, “is being told by my own son that I am going to Hell!ˮ What had finished Parvez off was the boyʼs saying he was giving up his studies in accounting. When Parvez had asked why, Ali said sarcastically that it was obvious. “Western education cultivates an antireligious attitude.ˮ And in the world of accountants it was usual to meet women, drink alcohol, and practise usury.

3 Between Cultures

“But itʼs well-paid work,ˮ Parvez argued. “For years youʼve been preparing!ˮ Ali said he was going to begin to work in prisons, with poor Muslims who were struggling to maintain their purity in the face of corruption. Finally, at the end of the evening, as Ali went up to bed, he had asked his father why he didnʼt have a beard, or at least a moustache.

“I feel as if Iʼve lost my son,ˮ Parvez told Bettina. “I canʼt bear to be looked at as if Iʼm a criminal. Iʼve decided what to do.ˮ “What is it?ˮ “Iʼm going to tell him to pick up his prayer mat and get it out of my house. It will be the hardest thing Iʼve ever done, but tonight Iʼm going to do it.ˮ “But you mustnʼt give up on him,ˮ said Bettina. “Many young people fall into cults and superstitious groups. It doesnʼt mean theyʼll always feel the same way.ˮ She said Parvez had to stick by his boy.

Parvez was persuaded that she was right, even though he didnʼt feel like giving his son more love when he had hardly been thanked for all he had already given.

For the next two weeks, Parvez tried to endure his sonʼs looks and reproaches. He attempted to make conversation about Aliʼs beliefs. But if Parvez ventured any criticism, Ali always had a brusque reply. On one occasion, Ali accused Parvez of “grovellingˮ to the whites; in contrast, he explained, he himself was not “inferiorˮ; there was more to the world than the West, though the West always thought it was best.

“How is it you know that?ˮ Parvez said. “Seeing as youʼve never left England?ˮ Ali replied with a look of contempt.

One night, having ensured there was no alcohol on his breath, Parvez sat down at the kitchen table with Ali. He hoped Ali would compliment him on the beard he was growing, but Ali didnʼt appear to notice it.

The previous day, Parvez had been telling Bettina that he thought people in the West sometimes felt inwardly empty and that people needed a philosophy to live by.

“Yes,ˮ Bettina had said. “Thatʼs the answer. You must tell him what your philosophy of life is. Then he will understand that there are other beliefs.ˮ After some fatiguing consideration, Parvez was ready to begin. The boy watched him as if he expected nothing. Haltingly, Parvez said that people had to treat one another with respect, particularly children their parents. This did seem, for a moment, to affect the boy. Heartened, Parvez continued. In his view, this life was all there was, and when you died, you rotted in the earth. “Grass and flowers will grow out of my grave, but something of me will live on.ˮ “How then?ˮ

superstitious overtroisk/ overtruisk endure holde ut / halde ut venture driste seg til, våge seg til grovel smiske contempt forakt inwardly empty tom innvendig fatiguing utmattende/ utmattande haltingly stotrende/ stotrande heartened oppmuntret/ oppmuntra

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distressed ulykkelig/ ulykkeleg bottomless pit bunnløst dyp / botnlaust djup oppressed undertrykt gaudy skrikende/skrikande inadvertently uforvarende/ uforvarande

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“In other people. For instance, I will continue – in you.ˮ At this the boy appeared a little distressed.

“And in your grandchildren,ˮ Parvez added for good measure. “But while I am here on earth I want to make the best of it. And I want you to, as well!ˮ “What dʼyou mean by ‘make the best of itʼ?ˮ asked the boy.

“Well,ˮ said Parvez. “For a start ... you should enjoy yourself. Yes. Enjoy yourself without hurting others.ˮ Ali said enjoyment was “a bottomless pitˮ.

“But I donʼt mean enjoyment like that,ˮ said Parvez. “I mean the beauty of living.ˮ “All over the world our people are oppressed,ˮ was the boyʼs reply.

“I know,ˮ Parvez answered, not entirely sure who ‘our peopleʼ were. “But still – life is for living!ˮ Ali said, “Real morality has existed for hundreds of years. Around the world millions and millions of people share my beliefs. Are you saying you are right and they are all wrong?ˮ And Ali looked at his father with such aggressive confidence that Parvez would say no more.

A few evenings later, Bettina was riding in Parvezʼs car after visiting a client when they passed a boy on the street.

“Thatʼs my son,ˮ Parvez said, his face set hard. They were on the other side of town, in a poor district, where there were two mosques.

Bettina turned to see. “Slow down, then, slow down!ˮ She said, “Heʼs good-looking. Reminds me of you. But with a more determined face. Please, canʼt we stop?ˮ “What for?ˮ “Iʼd like to talk to him.ˮ Parvez turned the cab round and pulled up beside the boy.

“Coming home?ˮ Parvez asked. “Itʼs quite a way.ˮ The boy shrugged and got into the back seat. Bettina sat in the front.

Parvez became aware of Bettinaʼs short skirt, her gaudy rings and ice-blue eyeshadow. He became conscious that the smell of her perfume, which he loved, filled the cab. He opened the window.

While Parvez drove as fast as he could, Bettina said gently to Ali, “Where have you been?ˮ “The mosque,ˮ he said.

“And how are you getting on at college? Are you working hard?ˮ “Who are you to ask me these questions?ˮ Ali said, looking out of the window. Then they hit bad traffic, and the car came to a standstill.

By now, Bettina had inadvertently laid her hand on Parvezʼs shoulder.

She said, “Your father, who is a good man, is very worried about you. You know he loves you more than his own life.ˮ “You say he loves me,ˮ the boy said.

“Yes!ˮ said Bettina.

“Then why is he letting a woman like you touch him like that?ˮ

3 Between Cultures

If Bettina looked at the boy in anger, he looked back at her with cold fury.

She said, “What kind of woman am I that I should deserve to be spoken to like that?ˮ “You know what kind,ˮ he said. Then he turned to his father. “Now let me out.ˮ “Never,ˮ Parvez replied.

“Donʼt worry, Iʼm getting out,ˮ Bettina said.

“No, donʼt!ˮ said Parvez. But even as the car moved forward, she opened the door and threw herself out – she had done this before – and ran away across the road. Parvez stopped and shouted after her several times, but she had gone.

Parvez took Ali back to the house, saying nothing more to him. Ali went straight to his room. Parvez was unable to read the paper, watch television, or even sit down. He kept pouring himself drinks.

At last, he went upstairs and paced up and down outside Aliʼs room.

When, finally, he opened the door, Ali was praying. The boy didnʼt even glance his way.

Parvez kicked him over. Then he dragged the boy up by the front of his shirt and hit him. The boy fell back. Parvez hit him again. The boyʼs face was bloody. Parvez was panting; he knew the boy was unreachable, but he struck him nonetheless. The boy neither covered himself nor retaliated; there was no fear in his eyes. He only said, through his split lip, “So whoʼs the fanatic now?

How to make a reference to this text Kuraishi, Hanif. 1994 2026. “My Son the Fanaticˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al.

Targets. 7079. Oslo: Aschehoug.

retaliate slå igjen, gjengjelde

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“My people have taken enough. If the persecution doesnʼt stop, there will be jihad. I, and millions of others, will gladly give our lives for the cause. ... For us, the reward will be in Paradise.ˮ

Reading

Close reading The short story has been divided into five segments.

Read one segment at a time and then discuss what you have read.

(lines 79, page 76

Part A – page 70 – lines 113.

1a What does “surreptitiouslyˮ mean? Why is this the first word in the story? b

What do you think is going on with Parvezʼ son Ali?

c

The name Ali literally means “highˮ, “elevatedˮ or “championˮ. It is a common name in the Muslim world. Why do you think that the author has chosen this name for one of his main characters?

Part B – page 71 from line 135.

2a What kind of father is Parvez and what kind of life does he lead? b

e

The narrator observes that “Ali sounded as if heʼd swallowed someone elseʼs voice.ˮ (line 19, page 76. What does the image of a “swallowed voiceˮ suggest?

f

How does Parvez respond?

Part E – from page 77 line 20 until the end of the story.

5a Aliʼs words seem to stir something in Parvez, guilt, regret or something else. What do you think it is, and why? b

What is your impression of the relationship between father and son so far?

Part C – from page 71 line 37 until page 73 line 4

c

What happens when Ali meets Bettina?

3a How would you describe the relationship between Bettina and Parvez?

d

“So whoʼs the fanatic now?ˮ Does this line make you sympathize with Ali or Parvez, or perhaps both? What is the effect of this final twist?

b

Why can Parvez not simply confront Ali with his suspicions?

Part D – from page 73 line 5 until page 77 line 18 4a What do we learn about Parvez and his relationship to religion? b

When Parvez tells his colleagues that Ali is not a drug addict and that he instead has discovered religion, his colleagues “became oddly silentˮ.

Why?

c

How does Parvez react when his son tells him that it is wrong to drink alcohol and relish pork pies?

d

At the restaurant, Parvez and the readers are introduced to Aliʼs ideas about the UK. Comment on and discuss Aliʼs quotes:

Reading

Analysing literature 6a Point of view: The story is told from the third person point of view. Does the point of view favour one character or the other? Why/ why not? b

The story begins “in medias resˮ. How effective is this technique in engaging the reader?

c

Characters: Sum up your impressions of Ali and Parvez. How would you characterize them? Do they change or stay the same throughout the short story?

d

Compare the two women in the story – Parvezʼs wife and Bettina. How would you describe the two of them and what do they represent?

e

Themes: What do you think is the main theme in this story? What other themes do you detect?

f

“The Western materialists hate us,ˮ Ali said.

“Papa, how can you love something which hates you?ˮ What does this quote suggest about the theme of identity and social and cultural alienation?

g

“Parvez ordered her to sit down and keep quiet, though she had neither stood up nor said a word.ˮ

“You are too implicated on Western civilization.ˮ (lines 78, page 75 “The Western materialists hate us.ˮ (line 11, page 75

80

How does Parvez try to justify his choices in life and how does Ali respond? Does Ali get the better of his father here?

3 Between Cultures

Later, Ali reminds Parvez that he had ordered his own wife to cook pork sausages.

• What does this tell us about the gender roles in a traditional Muslim family?

• Parvez wants his son to respect him, but to what extent does he respect his own wife?

• Do you think that Kureishi deliberately makes Aliʼs mother voiceless in the story? h

i

j

“My people have taken enough. If the persecution doesnʼt stop, there will be jihad. I, and millions of others, will gladly give our lives for the cause.ˮ This story was written in 1994, before 9/11 brought Aliʼs ideas into mainstream Western consciousness. How relevant is Aliʼs comment today?

Writing a longer text 9

Choose ONE of the following quotes as a starting point for a long text of 5001000 words. Explain what the quote means, then discuss how it relates to the parent-child conflict in Hanif Kureishiʼs “My Son the Fanaticˮ.

Quote 1 “How sharper than a serpentʼs tooth it is / To have a thankless child!ˮ – William Shakespeare, King Lear

Quote 2

“I feel as if Iʼve lost my son,ˮ Parvez confesses to Bettina towards the end of the story.

“They fuck you up, your mum and dad.

To what extent is this a typical story about a conflict between first- and second-generation immigrants?

They fill you with the faults they had

“He knew the boy was unreachable, but he struck him nonetheless.ˮ Is Ali beyond the point of no return? Is reconciliation still possible after this ending, and if not, who has lost more?

They may not mean to, but they do.

And add some extra, just for you.ˮ – Philip Larkin, “This Be The Verseˮ

Quote 3

Writing a plot summary

“Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents.

Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor.ˮ

7

– Quran 1723

k

Can Parvez save his son? Can Ali save his father?

Writing

Write a plot summary in 45 sentences. Include the main characters, the central conflict, and the ending, but do not include your own opinions or analysis.

Writing a letter 8

Imagine the following scenario: Ali has left his family home and moved in somewhere else. After a couple of weeks his mother decides to write him a letter. Here is the opening of the letter, you finish it.

My dear Ali, I have started this letter three times already and thrown it away. Your father does not know I am writing to you, and I am not sure he would understand. I will not pretend that things are normal here, because they are not. He does not say much, but I can see it in his face. All I know is that the house feels very empty without you, even though things were not easy between us at the end. I still do not know where to begin.

In your text: • Introduce your chosen quote, explain it and state how it relates to Parvez and Aliʼs conflict.

• Discuss Parvezʼs perspective and use specific examples from the story to show how the quote applies to him • Discuss Aliʼs perspective and use specific examples from the story to show how the quote applies to him • Does the quote capture the full complexity of their relationship?

• Conclude by summing up your main insight.

Remember to use quotations from the story to support your points and give your text a suitable title.

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Between Cultures in Britain Immigration is always a hotbutton issue in the UK and here are two poems expressing their views on the issue. Read each poem carefully before you start comparing them.

Benjamin Zephaniah

Neighbours I am the type you are supposed to fear Black and foreign Big and dreadlocks An uneducated grass eater.

I talk in tongues I chant at night I appear anywhere, I sleep with lions And when the moon gets me I am a Wailer.

chant rope i takt, messe Wailer her: medlem av reggaebandet The Wailers Bob Marley), men også en som hyler eller tuter / medlem av reaggaebandet The Wailers Bob Marley), men òg ein som hyler eller tutar tea total avholdende, som ikke drikker alkohol / avhaldande, som ikkje drikk alkohol

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I am moving in Next door to you So you can get to know me, You will see my shadow In the bathroom window, My aromas will occupy

Your space, Our ball will be in your court.

How will you feel?

You should feel good You have been chosen.

I am the type you are supposed to love Dark and mysterious Tall and natural Thinking, tea total.

I talk in schools I sing on TV I am in the papers, I keep cool cats And when the sun is shining I go Carnival.

How to make a reference to this text Zephaniah, Benjamin. 1996 2026. “Neighboursˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al.

Targets. 82. Oslo: Aschehoug.

3 Between Cultures

Hollie McNish

Mathematics He says those god damn Pakistanis and their goddamn corner shops Built a shop on every corner took our British workersʼ jobs He said those Goddamn Chinese and their goddamn china shops I tell him theyʼre from Vietnam but he doesnʼt give a toss I ask him what was ther before that damn Japan manʼs shop He looks at me and dreams a scene of British workersʼ jobs Of full time full employment before the Goddamn boats all came Where everybody went to work full time every day A British business stood there first he claims before the Irish came Now British people lost their jobs and bloody Turkish theyʼre to blame I ask him how he knows that fact he says because itʼs true I ask him how he knows the fact he says he read it in the news Every time a Somalian comes here they take a job from us The mathematics one for one, from us to them it just adds up He bites his cake and sips his brew and says again he knows this plot The Goddamn Carribeans came and now good folk here donʼt have jobs I ask him what was there before the goddamn Persian curtain shop I show him architectureʼs plans of empty goddamn plots of land I show him the historic maps A bit of sand, a barren land There was no goddamn shop before those Pakistanis came and planned Man Iʼm sick of crappy mathematics Cos I love a bit of sums I spent three years into economics And I geek out over calculus And when I meet these paper claims That one of every new that came Takes away oneʼs daily wage I desperately want to scream “Your maths is stuck in primaryˮ Cos some who come here also spend And some who come here also lend And some who come here also tend To set up work which employs them And all your balance sheets and trends Work with numbers not with men And all your goddamn heated talk Ignores the trade the Polish brought

barren gold, ufruktbar, karrig calculus avansert funksjonsregning / avansert rekning med funksjonar paper claim krav på papiret, teoretisk krav primary her: barneskole/ barneskule balance sheet balanse, balanseregnskap / balanse, balanserekneskap

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Ignores the men they gave work to Not plumbing jobs but further too Ignores the ones they buy stock from Accountants, builders, on and on And I know itʼs nice to have someone To blame our lack of jobs upon But immigrations not as plain Despite the sums inside your brain As one for one, as him or you As if he goes, theyʼll employ you Cos sometimes one that comes makes two And sometimes one can add three more And sometimes two times two is much much more Than four And most times immigrants bring more Than minuses.

This is a spoken word poem, so find the poet reading it on YouTube.

How to make a reference to this text McNish, Hollie. 2013 2026. “Mathematicsˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al. Targets.

8384. Oslo: Aschehoug.

begin? Why does Zephaniah pause to challenge the reader directly before delivering the final reversal, and what would be lost if he didnʼt?

Reading

Understanding and analysing “Neighboursˮ 1a Zephaniah does not use punctuation or a regular rhyme scheme. How does that affect how you read the poem aloud, and why might that be deliberate?

f

Then look closely at the very last two lines: why end on “I go Carnivalˮ rather than with a more direct statement? What does Carnival represent as a final image, and who does it invite?

b

In the fifth and sixth stanzas the speaker mirrors the first and second stanzas. What changes and what stays the same? What is the effect of these changes?

g

The speaker addresses “youˮ throughout the poem. Who is this “youˮ, and how does your relationship with the speaker change across the poemʼs five stages?

c

In the second stanza the speaker draws on specific cultural references. What are they, and what is the effect of placing them alongside exaggerated stereotypes?

h

Look at the list of poetic devices on page 000 (or see page 86 about the poetry project) and see whether you can find more poetic devices in this poem.

d

“My aromas will occupy / Your space, / Our ball will be in your court.ˮ Identify the metaphor in the last line. How does it shift the power dynamic between speaker and reader?

e

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Trace the poemʼs five stages: fear, mystery, arrival, challenge, reversal. Where does each

Understanding and analysing “Mathematicsˮ 2a The poem shifts from long, breathless couplets to shorter, more fragmented lines roughly halfway through. Where exactly does that shift happen,

3 Between Cultures

and what triggers it? What does the change in form reflect about the speakerʼs state of mind? b

The repetition of the swearword “goddamnˮ stands out as a sound device in the poem. It appears first in the manʼs mouth, is then picked up by the speaker, and eventually disappears.

Track this journey through the poem. Why does the speaker borrow the word before letting it go, and what does its disappearance signal?

c

The first half of the poem consists of the man and the speaker arguing back and forth. Why does McNish give the man so much space at the start and what would be lost if she had argued back sooner?

d

“He bites his cake and sips his brewˮ appears in the middle of an economic argument. Why does McNish suddenly zoom in on this physical detail?

What does it add to the portrait of the man?

e

The poem is called “Mathematicsˮ but reads more like an argument than an equation. In what ways does the poem actually use the logic and language of maths – and where does it deliberately break that logic?

f

The final lines – “And most times immigrants bring more / Than minusesˮ – use a mathematical metaphor to make an emotional point. How effective is this as a closing image?

g

“Mathematicsˮ was written to be performed aloud rather than read on the page. Listen to McNish perform it. What does she do with her voice, pace, and tone that the written text alone canʼt convey? Does hearing it change how you understand the argument?

h



Unlike Zephaniah, McNish never addresses the reader directly – the poem is built around “heˮ and “Iˮ. How does that shape your experience as a reader? Do you feel more or less implicated than you do in “Neighboursˮ?

Look at the list of poetic devices on page 000 (or see page 86 about the poetry project) and see whether you can find more poetic devices in this poem.

Comparing “Neighboursˮ and “Mathematicsˮ 3a Both speakers are responding to prejudice against immigrants, but they do it very differently. How would you describe the strategy each poet uses? b

Zephaniah speaks directly to you, the reader.

McNish speaks to a man in a café. What difference does that choice of address make to how each poem works?

c

Zephaniah lists stereotypes but never directly argues against them. McNish argues openly and at length. Which approach do you find more persuasive, and why?

d

Both poems use a kind of logic or “mathsˮ – the idea that things add up differently than people assume. Where do you see this in Zephaniahʼs poem, and how does it compare to what McNish does with the same idea?

e

The two poets have very different tones: one cool and controlled, the other increasingly frustrated.

Which tone do you think is more effective for challenging prejudice, and does your answer depend on who the intended audience is?

Writing

Writing a longer text 4

Both poems challenge prejudice against immigrants, but their methods are as different as their poems.

• Write a text in which you analyze how Zephaniah and McNish use structure, voice and poetic devices to challenge prejudice.

• Support your analysis with quotes from both poems.

• In your text you should consider what each poet does differently, and which approach you find more effective, and why.

• Give your text a title and remember to cite your sources.

How to quote a poem or song in a text When quoting 13 lines of poetry, run the quote into your text and use a slash to show where each line ends: Zephaniah opens by listing stereotypes: “Black and foreign / Big and dreadlocks / An uneducated grass eater.ˮ When quoting 4 or more lines, indent the passage and preserve the line breaks. No quotation marks are needed: I am the type you are supposed to fear Black and foreign Big and dreadlocks An uneducated grass eater.

Remember to introduce a quote before giving it. You cannot just drop it into the text without context.

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Poetry Assignment

Preparation 1

Find a poem or song you would like to analyse.

2

Take a print and start annotating, using this guide (page 000 in Targets).

Use colour coding, underlining, arrows etc. to mark the different devices and features you find.

Tip: You can also find videos online on how to annotate a poem.

5

Comment on the structure and layout of the song/ poem: how many stanzas? Lines? Other divisions?

6

Comment on sound effects: rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, assonance, repetition, words that stand out, that are emphasized.

7

Is it a song/poem that follows a strict pattern or not? What is the effect?

8

Comment on word choice: patterns? references? connotations? contrasts?

9

Comment on the use of imagery and figurative language: literary devices like metaphors, similes, symbols, personification

3

Presentation Present your poems/songs to each other, using only your annotated copy as notes. Cover the following points in your presentation: 1

Paraphrase the song/poem: retell in your own words what the song/poem is about, go through it verse/stanza by verse/stanza, and remember to refer to the title.

2

If the others do not know this song or poem, read (parts of) the poem/song out loud.

3 4

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What do we need to know about the poet/writer and the context in which this was written?

Who is the speaker? Who are they talking to?

10 Does the song/poem appeal to your senses? (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) 11 What is the tone, the speakerʼs attitude? Does it contribute to the meaning and overall impact of the song/poem?

12 What mood or feeling does the song/poem evoke in you?

13 In your opinion, what is the overall theme and message?

14 Finish off with a personal response and/or by quoting a line which resonates with you.

3 Between Cultures

Film Corner Bend It Like Beckham 2002, 112 min) A British-Indian teenager in London fights to pursue her dream of playing football against her familyʼs expectations. A warm and funny film about identity, belonging, and the cost of fitting in.

Pride 2014, 119 min) The true story of LGBTQ activists in London who raise money for striking Welsh miners in 1984 – two communities that seem to have nothing in common. Funny, moving, and a genuine surprise.

Blinded by the Light 2019, 117 min) A Pakistani teenager in 1980s Luton discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen and starts to find his own voice. A film about growing up between cultures in a Britain that isnʼt sure it wants you.

Rocks 2019, 93 min) When her mother disappears, a teenage girl is left to look after her younger brother alone on a south London estate. Raw, funny, and very real.

Brooklyn 2015, 111 min) An Irish woman emigrates to New York in the 1950s and finds herself torn between two countries, two lives, and two versions of herself. A quiet, moving film about what home means when you have more than one.

Crazy Rich Asians 2018, 120 min) An American-born Chinese woman travels to Singapore and discovers her boyfriendʼs family is extraordinarily wealthy – and that she doesnʼt quite fit their world. Entertaining and sharper than it first appears.

Gran Torino 2008, 116 min) A powerful and at times violent film about a bitter American veteran forms an unlikely bond with the Hmong immigrant family living next door. A powerful film about prejudice and what it costs to truly see another person.

Once 2007, 85 min) An Irish busker and a Czech immigrant meet on the streets of Dublin and make music together. Almost nothing happens, and yet everything does.

The Half of It 2020, 104 min) A quiet ChineseAmerican teenager in a small town writes love letters on behalf of a classmate – to the girl she is also drawn to. A gentle, literary film about identity and not fitting neatly anywhere.

The Hate U Give 2018, 133 min) A Black teenager moves constantly between her home neighbourhood and her mostly white private school, code-switching to survive, until a police shooting forces her to choose who she really is. Urgent and powerful.

The Hundred-Foot Journey 2014, 122 min) An Indian family opens a restaurant directly opposite a prestigious French establishment in a small village, and the clash is about far more than food. Warm and crowd-pleasing.

The Old Oak 2023, 113 min) Syrian refugees arrive in a struggling northern English town, and the tensions with the existing community quickly rise to the surface. Ken Loachʼs film is difficult and unflinching, but deeply humane.

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Applying Your Knowledge Speaking

Discussion

Writing a short text

1a Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warns against the danger of a single story: the damage done when a person, a community, or a culture is reduced to one narrative, one image, one explanation. How do the texts in this chapter (or another chapter) describe and illustrate what happens when people are reduced to “ a single storyˮ?

2

b

What does it actually cost a person to be seen as a representative of a culture rather than as an individual? Find examples in the texts you have read.

c

Is it possible to fully belong to a culture you were not born into, or one your parents were not born into? Use examples from texts in this chapter (or another chapter) to anchor your discussion, and try to move beyond agreement: where do the texts themselves disagree?

d

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Writing

Today nearly five million people in North America claim Norwegian ancestry. Many of them are proud of their Norwegian heritage and still celebrate for example May 17 with their versions of lutefisk, lefse and “bunadsˮ. People in Norway are fascinated by this phenomenon and in 2025 Crown Prince Haakon visited different places in the US to mark the 200th anniversary of the first organized Norwegian emigration to the US. • Why do you think Norwegians abroad hold on so strongly to their cultural identity?

• How does this compare to the experiences you have encountered in this chapter?

• What does it tell us about what culture actually is, and what we carry with us when we leave?

• Critics argue that the same kind of pride in cultural identity is not always extended to immigrant communities from other parts of the world. Do you think there is a double standard at play? What might explain it?

The narrator of On Earth Weʼre Briefly Gorgeous writes a letter to his mother: someone who may not fully understand him, but who shaped everything he is.

Write a short personal text 350500 words) in response to this question: What does it mean to belong somewhere?

You do not have to write about your own background if you prefer not to. You can write from the perspective of a fictional character, someone from one of the texts, or entirely from your own point of view. Whatever you choose, try to be specific, the best texts on big themes always are.

3

The immigrant experience in the texts in this chapter is never a single thing: it is hope and loss, adaptation and resistance, pride and shame, often at the same time.

Write a personal text 350500 words) in response to the question: What does it cost to start over in a new country?

You may write from your own experience or perspective, or from the point of view of one of the characters or speakers in this chapter.

Writing a longer text 4

The cultural iceberg model suggests that most of what makes up a culture is invisible: the values, assumptions, and unspoken rules that lie beneath the surface. Again and again in this chapter, that invisible layer is exactly where the conflict lies: between Parvez and his son, between Little Dog and his mother, between the speakers in Zephaniahʼs and McNishʼs poems and the country they live in.

Choose two texts from this chapter (or another chapter) and write a text exploring how the iceberg model helps explain the tensions or misunderstandings you find there.

4 Beyond the Surface

4 Beyond the Surface

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Introductory Activity

Think Again In Think Again, a book about critical thinking, author Adam Grant argues how we often see intelligence as simply the ability to think and learn. However, in our rapidly changing world, Grant argues that another set of skills that might matter even more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. Discuss the following claim from his book: “We favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubtˮ.

In small groups, use the template below to divide a page into four boxes and make a one-page discussion map. Afterwards, compare your perspectives as a class.

1

Quotation to discuss: We favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt.

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2

Why do we “favor the comfort of convictionˮ? Give examples.

3

4

How is this connected to critical thinking?

What is “the discomfort of doubtˮ? Give examples.

4 Beyond the Surface

The album Born in the U.S.A. 1984) turned American singersongwriter Bruce Springsteen (b. 1949 into a superstar. The title track became one of Springsteenʼs most famous songs, and you have probably already heard the iconic chorus.

Before you read

Listen to the chorus of Born in the U.S.A. only (an audio snippet of approx. 20 seconds) and list three events or occasions where a song like this would typically be played.

Compare your answers in class.

An anthem is a powerful song that can be said to represent a specific country, group or cause. It is often a source of pride and unity.

Bruce Springsteen

Born in the U.S.A We now want you to read the lyrics to this song carefully, before listening to the whole song (or watching a recording of it): ... Born down in a dead manʼs town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground End up like a dog thatʼs been beat too much ‘Til you spend half your life just to cover it up now 91

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... Born in the USA I was born in the USA I was born in the USA Born in the USA, now ... Got in a little hometown jam So they put a rifle in my hands Send me off to a foreign land To go and kill the yellow man ... Born in the USA I was born in the USA Born in the USA I was born in the USA ... Come back home to the refinery Hiring man said, “Son, if it was up to meˮ Went down to see my V.A. man He said, “Son, donʼt you understand, now?ˮ send me off to a foreign land, to go and kill the yellow man this is a reference to the Vietnam War 19551975, reflecting the derogatory and dehumanizing language often used to describe the enemy. refinery a large industrial factory where raw materials (like oil or sugar) are purified and turned into products V.A. man an official who works in the “Veterans Administrationˮ, who tries to help soldiers with healthcare and jobs after the war.

Khe Sanh a US Marine Corps base in South Vietnam.

Viet Cong the armed communist revolutionaries in South Vietnam that fought against the United States.

Saigon the capital city of South Vietnam during the war (now called Ho Chi Minh City). penitentiary a more formal word for a prison.

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... Oh, yeah – No, no – No, no, no ... I had a brother at Khe Sanh Fightinʼ off them Viet Cong Theyʼre still there, heʼs all gone He had a woman he loved in Saigon I got a picture of him in her arms now ... Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery Iʼm ten years burninʼ down the road Nowhere to run, ainʼt got nowhere to go ... Born in the USA I was born in the USA, oh Born in the USA Iʼm a long-gone daddy in the USA, now

How to make a reference to this text Springsteen, Bruce. 1984 2026. “Born in the U.S.A.ˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al.

Targets. 9192. Oslo: Aschehoug.

4 Beyond the Surface

Reading

Investigating

Understanding the song

Protest songs

1a How does the narrator describe his early years in the first verse?

3

b

What happened in his “hometownˮ that led to him joining the military?

c

What happens when he returns back home from the war?

d

In the final part of the song, how does he describe his current situation?

e

Think back to your first impression based on the chorus. Has your close reading of the lyrics changed your understanding of this song?

Writing

Writing a longer text 2

Use the quotation below as a starting point for a text in which you reflect on “the comfort of convictionˮ vs. “the discomfort of doubtˮ, and how we often ignore information that contradicts what we want to believe.

Music can be a powerful tool for protest. Can you find a song that expresses a strong opinion about a specific societal issue? It could be about a fight for equality or justice, in which the artist uses their voice to direct attention to a certain cause and demand a change.

Share a clip of the song with the class and explain why you consider it a protest song.

In your presentation of the song, you can answer the following questions: • What is the message of the song?

• From what era is it? What were the political/ cultural issues in society at that time? What motivated the artist to write the song?

• Is the focus/message still relevant in todayʼs society?

With the American-flag backdrop on the album cover and the fist-pumping energy Springsteen and the E Street Band brought to the song on their subsequent stadium tour of the world, a lot of fans heard Born in the USA as a feel-good, patriotic anthem. One of those fans happened to be conservative columnist George Will, who wrote glowingly about the tune as a “cheerful affirmationˮ of all things good about America.

Willʼs friend, Ronald Reagan, who happened to be President of the United States at the time, then referenced Springsteen and his songs of “hopeˮ during his re-election campaign.ˮ Greg Kot, BBC, 2014

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Classroom Corners Debate In this critical thinking activity, you will first reflect on a case in discussion groups, before you have to take a stand by going to one of the four corners of the classroom. They will be labelled as follows: • Strongly agree • Agree • Disagree • Strongly Disagree.

1st Phase: Discussion groups The teacher will present a case for discussion. First, make sure that your group understands the statement and clarify any difficult terms. Then make sure that everyoneʼs voice is heard and focus on discussing the situation from different perspectives, giving reasons to both agree and disagree.

2nd Phase: Claim your ground Move to the corner that best represents your current opinion and talk amongst yourselves: Why did you choose this particular corner? What is your strongest point?

Upon the teacherʼs signal, each corner selects a spokesperson to present their strongest points to the rest of the class.

3rd Phase: The Switch?

After listening to the spokesperson from each corner, you can now choose to change your position and move to one of the other corners.

4th Phase: Class debrief Reflect on the movement, or lack of movement, in the 3rd phase.

Critical thinking cases 1 A national news station is planning to host a televised debate about climate change. The producer wants to invite a very controversial person who claims that the whole issue of climate change is a hoax. The producer believes that a news outlet should show all sides of a debate, even unpopular or extreme ones, so people can decide for themselves. However, a member of the staff argues that inviting this person will mean giving them a national platform for spreading dangerous misinformation, and that it is their responsibility to filter out opinions that are scientifically false.

Take a stand: The controversial guest should be invited to the televised debate.

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4 Beyond the Surface

2 The principal has decided that, in order to ensure that all students can afford to go on the year 11 school trip abroad, the school will pay 50% of the costs, while the students must raise the remaining 50% through activities in the local community. However, a parent in one of the year 11 classes has offered to sponsor the full 50% share of this particular class. Some argue that the school should accept this generous gift, while others believe it creates an unfair advantage and undermines the lesson of working together to earn a goal.

Take a stand: The principal should allow the class to accept the donation.

3 A popular influencer has signed a lucrative deal to promote a new energy drink as a “healthyˮ alternative to soda. Due to the influencerʼs massive following, the drink has quickly become a huge trend among highschool students. However, medical experts have raised concerns, noting that the drink contains high levels of caffeine and artificial stimulants.

The influencerʼs spokesperson argues that they are simply one of many promoting a legal product, and that parents are ultimately responsible for their childrenʼs diets.

Take a stand: The influencer should be stopped from promoting a product that is a potential health risk for minors.

Writing

Writing an essay Choose one of the cases you have debated in class and write an essay which traces your train of thought during the debate.

Structure your writing: •

Briefly introduce the case.

•

What main perspectives were introduced in the group discussions?

•

Explain your choice of a particular corner in “Claim your groundˮ.

•

What was the most persuasive counter argument you heard during the spokesperson presentations?

•

Why did you choose to move or stay still in “The Switchˮ?

•

Did this activity encourage critical thinking?

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Beyond the Surface Sometimes, an image that appears simple at first glance can mask a more complicated reality. Letʼs put that idea to the test with the award-winning photo below. Before learning anything else about it, take a moment to note your immediate, first impressions of the picture.

Now, using the metadata below to guide your research, dig deeper into the real context of the photo.

Photographer: Anselmo Cunha Salgado Filho International Airport in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil 20th May 2024

Did your research confirm your first impression, or completely transform it?

A Critical Eye Now itʼs your turn to use your critical eye to find an image that appears simple at first glance, but which reveals a deeper complexity when you know the details about its context. The image could be a photograph, painting or illustration related to a current issue, a historical event or an aspect of everyday life which expresses unexpected layers of meaning.

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•

Choose an image and research its context. When and by whom was it created? Was anything relevant happening at a particular time or place? Why did this image gain attention (if any)?

•

Prepare a short presentation to give to the rest of the class. Explain why you chose this particular image and tell them key information from your research.

4 Beyond the Surface

Ray Bradbury 1920 2012) was a popular American writer of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery fiction. Among his most popular works are Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and I Sing the Body Electric!

Before you read

Discuss in small groups: Imagine that you had to go a whole week without any modern technology: no internet, no phone or computer, no streaming, etc. How would you feel?

And what is the one thing you would miss the most and why?

Ray Bradbury

The Murderer “The Murdererˮ was published in the collection The Golden Apples of the Sun in 1953. As you read the short story, bear in mind that it was written over 70 years ago, and that the author was imagining forms of digital technology that were not actually invented until decades later.

Music moved with him in the white halls. He passed an office door: “The Merry Widow Waltz.ˮ Another door: “Afternoon of a Faun.ˮ A third: “Kiss Me Again.ˮ He turned into a cross corridor: “The Sword Danceˮ buried him in cymbals, drums, pots, pans, knives, forks, thunder, and tin lightning. All washed away as he hurried through an anteroom where a secretary sat

anteroom venteværelse, forværelse / venterom, forkontor

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stunned stivnet, lammet / stivna, lamma buzzed summet/summa allowance ukepenger, lommepenger / vekepengar, lommepengar beehive bikube cross-pollination krysspollinering, kryssbestøving lock låse unlock låse opp dawn daggry, soloppgang sparkle glitre, skinne / glitre, skine serenely klart frown rynke pannen / rynke panna violent voldelig / valdeleg gentle vennlig, forsiktig / vennleg, forsiktig tubes rør/røyr wires ledninger, kabler / leidningar, kablar detach ta av, koble fra / ta av, kople frå appalled sjokkert

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nicely stunned by Beethovenʼs Fifth. He moved himself before her eyes like a hand; she didnʼt see him.

His wrist radio buzzed.

“Yes?ˮ “This is Lee, Dad. Donʼt forget about my allowance.ˮ “Yes, son, yes. Iʼm busy.ˮ “Just didnʼt want you to forget, Dad,ˮ said the wrist radio.

Tchaikovskyʼs “Romeo and Julietˮ swarmed about the voice and flushed into the long halls.

The psychiatrist moved in the beehive of offices, in the cross-pollination of themes, Stravinsky mating with Bach, Haydn unsuccessfully repulsing Rachmaninoff, Schubert slain by Duke Ellington. He nodded to the humming secretaries and the whistling doctors fresh to their morning work. At his office he checked a few papers with his stenographer, who sang under her breath, then phoned the police captain upstairs. A few minutes later a red light blinked, a voice said from the ceiling: “Prisoner delivered to Interview Chamber Nine.ˮ He unlocked the chamber door, stepped in, heard the door lock behind him.

“Go away,ˮ said the prisoner, smiling.

The psychiatrist was shocked by that smile. A very sunny, pleasant warm thing, a thing that shed bright light upon the room. Dawn among the dark hills. High noon at midnight, that smile. The blue eyes sparkled serenely above that display of self-assured dentistry.

“Iʼm here to help you,ˮ said the psychiatrist, frowning. Something was wrong with the room. He had hesitated the moment he entered. He glanced around. The prisoner laughed. “If youʼre wondering why itʼs so quiet in here, I just kicked the radio to death.ˮ Violent, thought the doctor.

The prisoner read this thought, smiled, put out a gentle hand. “No, only to machines that yak-yak-yak.ˮ Bits of the wall radioʼs tubes and wires lay on the gray carpeting.

Ignoring these, feeling that smile upon him like a heat lamp, the psychiatrist sat across from his patient in the unusual silence which was like the gathering of a storm.

“Youʼre Mr. Albert Brock, who calls himself The Murderer?ˮ Brock nodded pleasantly. “Before we start ...ˮ He moved quietly and quickly to detach the wrist radio from the doctorʼs arm. He tucked it in his teeth like a walnut, gritted and heard it crack, handed it back to the appalled psychiatrist as if he had done them both a favor. “Thatʼs better.ˮ The psychiatrist stared at the ruined machine. “Youʼre running up quite a damage bill.ˮ “I donʼt care,ˮ smiled the patient. “As the old song goes: ‘Donʼt Care What Happens to Me!ʼˮ He hummed it.

4 Beyond the Surface

The psychiatrist said: “Shall we start?ˮ “Fine. The first victim, or one of the first, was my telephone. Murder most foul. I shoved it in the kitchen Insinkerator! Stopped the disposal unit in mid-swallow. Poor thing strangled to death. After that I shot the television set!ˮ The psychiatrist said, “Mmm.ˮ “Fired six shots right through the cathode. Made a beautiful tinkling crash, like a dropped chandelier.ˮ “Nice imagery.ˮ “Thanks, I always dreamt of being a writer.ˮ “Suppose you tell me when you first began to hate the telephone.ˮ “It frightened me as a child. Uncle of mine called it the Ghost Machine.

Voices without bodies. Scared the living hell out of me. Later in life I was never comfortable. Seemed to me a phone was an impersonal instrument.

If it felt like it, it let your personality go through its wires. If it didnʼt want to, it just drained your personality away until what slipped through at the other end was some cold fish of a voice, all steel, copper, plastic, no warmth, no reality. Itʼs easy to say the wrong thing on telephones; the telephone changes your meaning on you. First thing you know, youʼve made an enemy. Then, of course, the telephoneʼs such a convenient thing; it just sits there and demands you call someone who doesnʼt want to be called. Friends were always calling, calling, calling me. Hell, I hadnʼt any time of my own. When it wasnʼt the telephone it was the television, the radio, the phonograph. When it wasnʼt the television or radio or the phonograph it was motion pictures at the corner theater, motion pictures projected, with commercials on low-lying cumulus clouds. It doesnʼt rain rain anymore, it rains soapsuds. When it wasnʼt High-Fly Cloud advertisements, it was music by Mozzek in every restaurant; music and commercials on the busses I rode to work. When it wasnʼt music, it was interoffice communications, and my horror chamber of a radio wristwatch on which my friends and my wife phoned every five minutes. What is there about such ‘conveniencesʼ that makes them so temptingly convenient? The average man thinks, Here I am, time on my hands, and there on my wrist is a wrist telephone, so why not just buzz old Joe up, eh? ‘Hello, hello!ʼ I love my friends, my wife, humanity, very much, but when one minute my wife calls to say, ‘Where are you now, dear?ʼ and a friend calls and says, ‘Got the best off-color joke to tell you. Seems there was a guy –ʼ And a stranger calls and cries out, ‘This is the Find-Fax Poll. What gum are you chewing at this very instant?ʼ Well!ˮ “How did you feel during the week?ˮ “The fuse lit. On the edge of the cliff. That same afternoon I did what I did at the office.ˮ “Which was?ˮ “I poured a paper cup of water into the intercommunications system.ˮ

foul avskyelig/avskyeleg insinkerator matavfallskvern disposal unit avfallsdelen cathode katode, negativ elektrode drain tømme, suge ut convenient praktisk, hendig commercials reklamefilmer/ reklamefilmar Mozzek her: bakgrunnsmusikk beregnet på heiser, restauranter, butikker osv. / her: bakgrunnsmusikk til bruk i heisar, restaurantar, butikkar osv. conveniences praktiske ting, hjelpemidler / praktiske ting, hjelpemiddel temptingly fristende/ freistande convenient praktiske, hendige poll spørreundersøkelse/ spørjeundersøking fuse sikring lit her: kortsluttet / her: kortslutta

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shorted kortsluttet/ kortslutta temporarily midlertidig, forbigående / mellombels, forbigåande solitary enmanns-/ einmannsdeliver her: befri / her: frigjere locker room garderobe sock-dolager knusende, nådeløst / knusande, nådelaust hole in one (golf ) treffe hullet med ett slag / (golf ) treffe holet med eitt slag pawed i klørne på, tafset på / i klørne på, tafsa på mauled maltraktert portable bærbar/berbar

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The psychiatrist wrote on his pad.

“And the system shorted?ˮ “Beautifully! The Fourth of July on wheels! My God, stenographers ran around looking lost! What an uproar!ˮ “Felt better temporarily, eh?ˮ “Fine! Then I got the idea at noon of stomping my wrist radio on the sidewalk. A shrill voice was just yelling out of it at me, ‘This is Peopleʼs Poll Number Nine. What did you eat for lunch?ʼ when I kicked the Jesus out of the wrist radio!ˮ “Felt even better, eh?ˮ “It grew on me!ˮ Brock rubbed his hands together. “Why didnʼt I start a solitary revolution, deliver man from certain ‘conveniencesʼ? ‘Convenient for who?ʼ I cried. Convenient for friends: ‘Hey, Al, thought Iʼd call you from the locker room out here at Green Hills. Just made a sockdolager hole in one! A hole in one, Al! A beautiful day. Having a shot of whiskey now.

Thought youʼd want to know, Al!ʼ Convenient for my office, so when Iʼm in the field with my radio car thereʼs no moment when Iʼm not in touch. In touch! Thereʼs a slimy phrase. Touch, hell. Gripped! Pawed, rather. Mauled and massaged and pounded by FM voices. You canʼt leave your car without checking in: ‘Have stopped to visit gas-station menʼs room.ʼ ‘Okay, Brock, step on it!ʼ ‘Brock, what took you so long?ʼ ‘Sorry, sir.ʼ ‘Watch it next time, Brock.ʼ ‘Yes, sir!ʼ So, do you know what I did, Doctor? I bought a quart of French chocolate ice cream and spooned it into the car radio transmitter.ˮ “Was there any special reason for selecting French chocolate ice cream to spoon into the broadcasting unit?ˮ Brock thought about it and smiled. “Itʼs my favorite flavor.ˮ “Oh,ˮ said the doctor.

“I figured, hell, whatʼs good enough for me is good enough for the radio transmitter.ˮ “What made you think of spooning ice cream into the radio?ˮ “It was a hot day.ˮ The doctor paused. “And what happened next?ˮ “Silence happened next. God, it was beautiful. That car radio cackling all day, ‘Brock go here, Brock go there, Brock check in, Brock check out, okay Brock, hour lunch, Brock, lunch over, Brock, Brock, Brock.ʼ Well, that silence was like putting ice cream in my ears.ˮ “You seem to like ice cream a lot.ˮ “I just rode around feeling of the silence. Itʼs a big bolt of the nicest, softest flannel ever made. Silence. A whole hour of it. I just sat in my car; smiling, feeling of that flannel with my ears. I felt drunk with Freedom!ˮ “Go on.ˮ “Then I got the idea of the portable diathermy machine. I rented one, took it on the bus going home that night. There sat all the tired commuters with their wrist radios, talking to their wives, saying, ‘Now Iʼm at Forty-third,

4 Beyond the Surface

now Iʼm at Forty-fourth, here I am at Forty-ninth, now turning at Sixty-first.ʼ One husband cursing, ‘Well, get out of that bar, damn it, and get home and get dinner started, Iʼm at Seventieth!ʼ And the transit-system radio playing ‘Tales from the Vienna Woods,ʼ a canary singing words about a first-rate wheat cereal. Then – I switched on my diathermy! Static! Interference!

All wives cut off from husbands grousing about a hard day at the office.

All husbands cut off from wives who had just seen their children break a window! The ‘Vienna Woodsʼ chopped down, the canary mangled! Silence!

A terrible, unexpected silence. The bus inhabitants faced with having to converse with each other. Panic! Sheer, animal panic!ˮ “The police seized you?ˮ “The bus had to stop. After all, the music was being scrambled, husbands and wives were out of touch with reality. Pandemonium, riot, and chaos. Squirrels chattering in cages! A trouble unit arrived, triangulated on me instantly, had me reprimanded, fined, and home, minus my diathermy machine, in jig time.ˮ “Mr. Brock, may I suggest that so far your whole pattern here is not very – practical? If you didnʼt like transit radios or office radios or car business radios, why didnʼt you join a fraternity of radio haters, start petitions, get legal and constitutional rulings? After all, this is a democracy.ˮ “And I,ˮ said Brock, “am that thing best called a minority. I did join fraternities, picket, pass petitions, take it to court. Year after year I protested. Everyone laughed. Everyone else loved bus radios and commercials. I was out of step.ˮ “Then you should have taken it like a good soldier, donʼt you think? The majority rules.ˮ

diathermy machine varmebølgemaskin/ varmebølgjemaskin commuter pendler/pendlar static statisk elektrisitet interference støy grousing klagende/ klagande mangled revet i stykker / rive i stykke pandemonium kaos, spetakkel trouble unit opprørspoliti triangulated on me peilet meg inn / peila meg inn fined bøtelagt fraternity brorskap petition opprop picket demonstrere

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semantically accurate bokstavelig talt riktig / bokstaveleg talt rett baste (mat) pensle, dryppe gibberish vrøvl vacuum hound her: støvsuger / her: støvsugar grievances ting som ergret meg / ting som ergra meg sizzled freste shorted kortsluttet/ kortslutta spoiled brat bortskjemt drittunge device apparat, ting digested fordøyde/ fordøydde leftovers matrester/ matrestar siren (mytologi) kvinnelige skapninger som med sin skjønnhet og fortryllende sang lokket folk slik at de omkom på sjøen / (mytologi) kvinnelege skapningar som med si skjønnheit og sin fortryllande song lokka folk slik at dei omkom på sjøen beatific gledestrålende/ gledestrålande

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“But they went too far. If a little music and ‘keeping in touchʼ was charming, they figured a lot would be ten times as charming. I went wild! I got home to find my wife hysterical. Why? Because she had been completely out of touch with me for half a day. Remember, I did a dance on my wrist radio? Well, that night I laid plans to murder my house.ˮ “Are you sure thatʼs how you want me to write it down?ˮ “Thatʼs semantically accurate. Kill it dead. Itʼs one of those talking, singing, humming, weather-reporting, poetry-reading, novel-reciting, jingle-jangling, rockaby-crooning-when-you-go-to-bed houses. A house that screams opera to you in the shower and teaches you Spanish in your sleep. One of those blathering caves where all kinds of electronic Oracles make you feel a trifle larger than a thimble, with stoves that say, ‘Iʼm apricot pie, and Iʼm done,ʼ or ‘Iʼm prime roast beef, so baste me!ʼ and other nursery gibberish like that. With beds that rock you to sleep and shake you awake. A house that barely tolerates humans, I tell you. A front door that barks: ‘Youʼve mud on your feet, sir!ʼ And an electronic vacuum hound that snuffles around after you from room to room, inhaling every fingernail or ash you drop. Jesus God, I say, Jesus God!ˮ “Quietly,ˮ suggested the psychiatrist.

“Remember that Gilbert and Sullivan song – ‘Iʼve Got It on My List, It Never Will Be Missedʼ? All night I listed grievances. Next morning early I bought a pistol. I purposely muddied my feet. I stood at our front door. The front door shrilled, ‘Dirty feet, muddy feet! Wipe your feet! Please be neat!ʼ I shot the damn thing in its keyhole. I ran to the kitchen, where the stove was just whining, ‘Turn me over!ʼ In the middle of a mechanical omelet I did the stove to death. Oh, how it sizzled and screamed, ‘Iʼm shorted!ʼ Then the telephone rang like a spoiled brat. I shoved it down the Insinkerator. I must state here and now I have nothing whatever against the Insinkerator; it was an innocent bystander. I feel sorry for it now, a practical device indeed, which never said a word, purred like a sleepy lion most of the time, and digested our leftovers. Iʼll have it restored. Then I went in and shot the televisor, that insidious beast, that Medusa, which freezes a billion people to stone every night, staring fixedly, that Siren which called and sang and promised so much and gave, after all, so little, but myself always going back, going back, hoping and waiting until – bang! Like a headless turkey, gobbling, my wife whooped out the front door. The police came. Here I am!ˮ He sat back happily and lit a cigarette.

“And did you realize, in committing these crimes, that the wrist radio, the broadcasting transmitter, the phone, the bus radio, the office intercoms, all were rented or were someone elseʼs property?ˮ “I would do it all over again, so help me God.ˮ The psychiatrist sat there in the sunshine of that beatific smile. “You donʼt want any further help from the Office of Mental Health? Youʼre ready

4 Beyond the Surface

to take the consequences?ˮ “This is only the beginning,ˮ said Mr. Brock. “Iʼm the vanguard of the small public which is tired of noise and being taken advantage of and pushed around and yelled at, every moment music, every moment in touch with some voice somewhere, do this, do that, quick, quick, now here, now there. Youʼll see. The revolt begins. My name will go down in history!ˮ “Mmm.ˮ The psychiatrist seemed to be thinking.

“Itʼll take time, of course. It was all so enchanting at first. The very idea of these things, the practical uses, was wonderful. They were almost toys, to be played with, but the people got too involved, went too far, and got wrapped up in a pattern of social behavior and couldnʼt get out, couldnʼt admit they were in, even. So they rationalized their nerves as something else. ‘Our modern age,ʼ they said. ‘Conditions,ʼ they said. ‘High-strung,ʼ they said. But mark my words, the seed has been sown. I got worldwide coverage on TV, radio, films; thereʼs an irony for you. That was five days ago. A billion people know about me. Check your financial columns. Any day now. Maybe today. Watch for a sudden spurt, a rise in sales for French chocolate ice cream!ˮ “I see,ˮ said the psychiatrist.

“Can I go back to my nice private cell now, where I can be alone and quiet for six months?ˮ “Yes,ˮ said the psychiatrist quietly.

“Donʼt worry about me,ˮ said Mr. Brock, rising. “Iʼm just going to sit around for a long time stuffing that nice soft bolt of quiet material in both ears.ˮ “Mmm,ˮ said the psychiatrist, going to the door.

“Cheers,ˮ said Mr. Brock.

“Yes,ˮ said the psychiatrist.

He pressed a code signal on a hidden button, the door opened, he stepped out, the door shut and locked. Alone, he moved in the offices and corridors. The first twenty yards of his walk were accompanied by “Tambourine Chinois.ˮ Then it was “Tzigane,ˮ Bachʼs Passacaglia and Fugue in something Minor, “Tiger Rag,ˮ “Love Is Like a Cigarette.ˮ He took his broken wrist radio from his pocket like a dead praying mantis.He turned in at his office. A bell sounded; a voice came out of the ceiling, “Doctor?ˮ “Just finished with Brock,ˮ said the psychiatrist.

“Diagnosis?ˮ “Seems completely disoriented, but convivial. Refuses to accept the simplest realities of his environment and work with them.ˮ “Prognosis?ˮ “Indefinite. Left him enjoying a piece of invisible material.ˮ Three phones rang. A duplicate wrist radio in his desk drawer buzzed like a wounded grasshopper. The intercom flashed a pink light and clickclicked. Three phones rang. The drawer buzzed. Music blew

vanguard fortropp enchanting besnærende/ forlokkande highstrung anspent, nervøs / spent, nervøs financial columns finanssidene praying mantis (insekt) kneler / (insekt) knelar

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in through the open door. The psychiatrist, humming quietly, fitted the new wrist radio to his wrist, flipped the intercom, talked a moment, picked up one telephone, talked, picked up another telephone, talked, picked up the third telephone, talked, touched the wrist-radio button, talked calmly and quietly, his face cool and serene, in the middle of the music and the lights flashing, the phones ringing again, and his hands moving, and his wrist radio buzzing, and the intercoms talking, and voices speaking from the ceiling. And he went on quietly this way through the remainder of a cool, air-conditioned, and long afternoon; telephone, wrist radio, intercom, telephone, wrist radio, intercom, telephone, wrist radio, intercom, telephone, wrist radio, intercom, telephone, wrist radio, intercom, telephone, wrist radio ...

How to make a reference to this text Bradbury, Ray. 1954 2026. “The Murdererˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al. Targets.

97104. Oslo: Aschehoug.

The movie Minority report 2002) takes place in the year 2054, when crime has been virtually eliminated in the US thanks to an elite law enforcing squad named “Precrimeˮ. They use three gifted humans with special powers to see into the future and predict crimes before they have even been committed.

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4 Beyond the Surface

Reading

Speaking

Understanding literature

Imagining the future: 2100

1

Answer the following questions.

2

a

How did the title of the story influence your reading of it?

b

This story takes place in an imagined future. The action takes place in which two main places?

c

There are two main characters in the story: the psychiatrist and the murderer. Compare the descriptions of both characters and any key details that the reader learns about them. Use two columns like this:

f

Character:

Character:

the psychiatrist

the murderer

Repetition as a literary device can be used to emphasize an important pattern, theme or mood in a story. Give 23 examples of how Bradbury uses repetition in this story and comment on the effect on the reader.

g

Writers use personification to give human qualities to objects or concepts that are not human. Give 2 examples of how Bradbury uses personification to help the reader better understand how the characters are feeling.

h

Which literary device is mainly used here and how do you interpret the overall meaning of the quotation?

“The psychiatrist was shocked by that smile. A very sunny, pleasant warm thing, a thing that shed bright light upon the room. Dawn upon the dark hills. High noon at midnight, that smile. The blue eyes sparkled serenely above that display of self-assured dentistry.ˮ

i

How is the conflict between silence versus noise a major theme in the story? Find quotations to explain your thoughts.

j

Use this quotation as a starting point to comment on the role of technology in the story: “It was all so enchanting at first. The very idea of these things, the practical uses, was wonderful. They were almost toys, to be played with, but the people got too involved, went too far, and got wrapped up in a pattern of social behavior and couldnʼt get out, couldnʼt admit they were in, even.ˮ

Now itʼs your turn to fast forward over 70 years into the future and discuss the technological landscape of the next century. What kind of technologies do you think will have evolved to help us solve or perhaps even prevent crimes?

Discuss in groups.

Here are some guiding questions to help you get started: • How might the “wearable techˮ of today, like smart watches and fitness trackers, have evolved even further? Will there be a merging of humans and technology?

• What about developments of modern GPS and surveillance systems?

• Could we have cracked the code between reading minds or telepathy and technology?

Writing

A blessing and a curse 3

Write an opinion piece 300400 words) in which you give examples of how modern technology can be viewed as both a blessing with positive effects, and a curse with negative consequences.

Here are some examples of dilemmas that you can use to help you start writing: • Privacy vs. accessibility • Efficiency vs. distraction • Connection vs. addiction • Potential vs. risk

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Films and songs sometimes contain racial or gender bias, and the industry may underrepresent women and ethnic minorities. Do you know any examples?

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Before you read

With a partner, check two or three online dictionaries for definitions of the term “biasˮ. What are the key words that the different definitions have in common? How do any of these definitions apply to the concept of “algorithmic biasˮ in AI?

We Are All Biased Spotting bias is not always easy and takes some practice, but it is an important skill to have in the Information Age. Much like a footballer who bends and spins a kicked ball around the opposition, politicians, public relations specialists, and advertisers might “spinˮ an issue, story, or product with carefully chosen words or images. In this way, a cleverly angled message can be quite persuasive when media players attempt to break through, create an advantage over the competition, and win our attention.

Media messages often play to biases that we already have. No one likes to be called biased, of course, since bias is often considered unreasonable and associated with prejudice. However, we all have cognitive biases.

A cognitive bias is how our brain filters things we read, hear, see, or experience in a certain way, though we may often not even be aware of

bias skjevhet, fordom / skeivheit, fordom persuasive overbevisende/ overtydande prejudice fordom

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this: We choose and decide things based on our personal experience, beliefs, and values. Even when we are presented with evidence and facts, it might not be enough to convince us to alter our preexisting views, opinions, or beliefs.

How are these preexisting views created? Sometimes we form our point of view or opinion simply because it is the first impression, information, report, or story that we see. This type of bias is often hard to change, even when we get more accurate information. On our social media networks, our own views tend to be reinforced rather than challenged.

Moreover, we like to get our own points of view confirmed. Research shows that if we have formed an opinion or have become emotionally attached to a point of view, our brain will seek out information that matches these preexisting ideas, viewpoints, stereotypes, etc. Not only that, our brain tends to reject information that contradicts our ideas.

Instinct also plays a part. For our ancestors, reacting to uncertain and dangerous environmental conditions could be crucial for their survival. This instinct is still part of how we react today. We tend to pay more attention to negative information than to positive or neutral information. This might help to explain why bad news often sells more newspapers and receives higher ratings.

Media Bias

distinguish skille/skilje accountability ansvarlighet/ ansvarlegheit blur viske ut, gjøre uklar / viske ut, gjere uklar determine avgjøre, fastslå / avgjere, fastslå evidence bevis alter endre advertiser annonsør

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Bias in the media can take different forms, but most often, news media sources are criticized for their political bias. On the chart on page 000, sources are rated according to the political leaning or slant of their news reporting and commentary. The American company Fox News is an example of a news provider that consistently leans to the right. Even so, until 2017, “Fair and Balancedˮ served as the companyʼs trademarked motto. Today, it primarily uses the motto “Most Watched, Most Trustedˮ.

According to Pew Research Centerʼs data on news trust from 2025, Fox News was the news source most trusted by Republicans and least trusted

by Democrats.

In some instances, media/news outlets are up front with their bias, but some leave it up to us to figure out. Obviously, the American Conservative magazine leans to the right. How far to “the rightˮ or “the leftˮ a story leans depends on who produced, wrote, or edited the story. Readers who click into the “Aboutˮ section of the Washington Times, for example, are told explicitly that the commentary is “conservative.ˮ The Nation magazine in its “Aboutˮ section says its content is “progressiveˮ – a word associated with the politics of the left. Other online news and commentary sites like CNN, BBC, The Guardian, and the New York Times choose to avoid openly stating where they lie on the political spectrum. They simply let us – as news consumers – draw our own conclusions and judge for ourselves.

4 Beyond the Surface

The thing is, we all have our viewpoints and opinions. This means that we bring our own bias to a story. We learn from a young age that an important skill is to be able to tell the difference between fact and opinion or to distinguish between the objectivity and subjectivity of a story. An objective news report should be based on facts and evidence. It should be fair and without prejudice, as opposed to a news story that is influenced by oneʼs personal feelings, beliefs, values, or interpretations. For a century or so, the traditional news media has held up objectivity as an ideal.

Professional journalists, photographers, editors, and owners of media companies who report, package, and produce the news we consume have debated the idea of objectivity. Generally accepted standards and codes of ethics are expected from journalists: honesty, fairness, and accountability, have been the gold standard in journalism. But is being completely neutral even possible?

In todayʼs complicated media landscape, we should ask ourselves if objectivity is a myth. The digital age and the new media have allowed Tiktokers, Instagrammers, Snapchatters, Youtubers, and citizen journalists – basically anyone with a device and an Internet connection – to share, report on, and “publishˮ news content. It goes without saying that journalistic standards and ethics are not exactly their top priority. This has perhaps put more pressure on the mainstream news media to mix fact and opinion in a way that blurs the lines between the two. Has it become more acceptable to view or interpret facts the way we want, depending on what we believe or what we want to believe?

There are a few things to look for that can help us determine why a particular story is more biased than the next. Even when the subject matter of two news stories is the same, reporters and editors often use techniques that cause the news reports to lean in one political direction or another and can be quite persuasive. As news media consumers, we should be aware of our own bias, as well as the bias present in the news sources we use every single day.

preexisting som finnes fra før / som finst frå før reinforce forsterke

How to make a reference to this text “We Are All Biasedˮ. In Balsvik et al. Targets. 107108. Oslo: Aschehoug.

contradict motsi/motseie crucial avgjørende/ avgjerande ancestors forfedre/forfedrar ratings seertall, rangering / sjåartal, rangering outlet her: mediekanal slant vinkling explicitly uttrykkelig/ uttrykkeleg accurate nøyaktig

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Bias in the News Media Accuracy The accuracy of a report is often the most important check one can make when determining the reliability of a story. A report might indeed be factbased, but is it factually accurate? In our “post-truthˮ world, where peopleʼs emotions and personal beliefs are more influential in shaping public opinion than objective facts, professional fact-checking has practically become an industry out of necessity.

• Is there any evidence or can you find sources to back up or verify the information?

• Is the information used in the right context?

• Are facts used to draw flawed conclusions?

• Is the information up to date?

• Are the facts being used to deceive?

Example: Historically, bloodletting was seen as an effective treatment. This was a fact based on the best medical understanding of the time. Today, however, we know it was not factually accurate.

omission utelatelse/ utelating reveal avsløre low-wage lavtlønnet/låglønt affiliation tilhørighet/ tilhøyrsle narrative fortelling/forteljing

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Omission Omission means to leave something out. In that sense, bias by omission is used in stories in order to avoid revealing the opposing side of a debate or issue.

• What sources are missing?

• What perspectives or voices are not being heard?

• Is there any information missing that might change your point of view?

Example: A news report might report that “unemployment fell to 4.5% this quarter, showing strong economic performance under the current administrationˮ. The omission comes from not mentioning relevant context, such as the fact that labor force participation rate dropped simultaneously, or that the types of jobs created were primarily part-time or low-wage.

Bias by selection or placement Bias by selection or placement has to do with which stories a news source chooses to cover and where the stories are displayed on a news site. An editor can choose to prioritize a particular story so that it will receive the most views and attention. In this way, the news media attempt to set the agenda. An American Press Institute survey found that six of ten Americans only read the headlines of news stories.

• Does the news source have a political affiliation?

• Does the news source wish to tell a particular narrative?

• Is the placement of the news stories influenced by the need to generate clicks?

Example: During the COVID19 pandemic, some outlets consistently placed stories about economic impacts on the front page and health impacts deeper inside the publication, while others did the reverse. Both stories were factual, but their placement signalled to readers which aspect the outlet considered more important.

Sensationalism Sensationalism is a form of bias that is used by news sources to play on our emotions or senses.

• Is the story presented in a way that uses dramatic descriptions in order to draw in the reader by provoking or surprising us?

• Are vague and not very objective words or expressions chosen?

accuracy nøyaktighet/ nøyaktigheit reliability pålitelighet/ pålitelegheit verify bekrefte flawed feilaktig deceive villede/villeie bloodletting årelating

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Example: A local news station reports on a study about food safety with the headline: “KILLER IN YOUR KITCHEN Common food could be POISONING your family!ˮ The actual story reveals this refers to a study showing a small statistical correlation between a food preservative and minor health issues when consumed in amounts far exceeding typical usage. No deaths were reported in the study.

Opinion presented as fact Traditionally, the OpEd pages (opinion – editorial) were more easily separated than what we see online today, where often opinion is presented as fact. A story may be presented as an “objectiveˮ news article, even though it uses subjective language that is open to different interpretations.

Can the language used be interpreted in different ways?

• Does the language used include a characterization that implies an opinion?

Example: “Government is almost always wasteful and inefficient.ˮ We would say this is opinion, not fact, because we cannot check terms like wasteful and inefficient.

Loaded Language Loaded language is a type of bias in which the choice of words and expressions may label or tag someone or something in a way that reflects negatively on that person or event.

• • • •

Are common stereotypes used?

Can the same point be made with more neutral terminology?

Are words used that characterize something in a certain way?

Would someone with a different perspective use different terminology?

Example: A Democrat is labeled ultra-liberal or radical, whereas a Republican is labeled ultra-conservative or right wing. Carefully chosen phrases also work to change perception of an issue. For example, a news provider may refer to “oil drillingˮ as “energy exploration.ˮ Another example is the controversial issue of “gun control,ˮ which is now often called “gun violence prevention.ˮ preservative konserveringsmiddel exceeding som overstiger / som overstig imply innebære/innebere wasteful sløsende/sløsande

112

How to make a reference to this text “Bias in the News Mediaˮ. In Balsvik et al. Targets. 110112. Oslo: Aschehoug.

4 Beyond the Surface

Two Perspectives The case: Jon Luke Evans, a Jamaican citizen and former seasonal police officer in Maine, agreed to self-deport from, or voluntarily leave the United States after being arrested by immigration authorities ICE. Although he was legally authorized to work in the US, he had overstayed his initial visa and was taken into custody by ICE after attempting to purchase a firearm.

According to the Police Departmentʼs rules, reserve officers are not allowed to purchase a firearm. However, in order to become a reserve officer, Evans had to submit several federal documents, including his Jamaican birth certificate and passport, Massachusetts driverʼs license, and a US Social Security Card.

Source: Allsides.com

Illegal migrant caught ǀŦƌŎĻŜį ìƔ ƉŦőĻĈĖ ŦǖĈĖƌ in Maine agrees to voluntarily self-deport New York Post, 19.08.2025 The illegal immigrant who landed a gig as a police officer in Maine after overstaying his visa agreed to voluntarily leave the US following detention by federal immigration agents when he attempted to buy a firearm.

A judge on Monday granted the voluntary departure for Jamaican national Jon Luke Evans, a former reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department, WMTWTV reported. He must pay his own way to leave the United States within a set time under the voluntary departure order.

pìĻŜĖ ƉŦőĻĈĖ ŦǖĈĖƌ arrested by ICE agrees to leave the country Independent, 19.08.2025 A Maine police officer arrested by immigration authorities has agreed to voluntarily leave the country, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday.

Old Orchard Beach Police Department reserve Officer Jon Luke Evans, of Jamaica, was arrested by ICE officials on July 25, as part of the agencyʼs effort to step up immigration enforcement. Officials with the town and police department have said federal authorities previously told them Evans was legally authorized to work in the U.S.

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Media Bias Chart

A Critical Eye

Group work: Detecting bias: 1a In small groups, compare how the New York Post and The Independent report on the news story on page 00. Use what you have learned about the different forms of bias and take notes: • Accuracy • Omission • Bias by selection or placement • Sensationalism • Opinion presented as fact • Loaded language b

Present your ideas using the following bias spectrum, include three specific examples from your discussions and a new, more balanced headline:

Leaning Left

Middle Ground

Leaning Right

Add the news

Can you think of

Add the news

story headline

a more neutral

story headline

that matches this

or objective

that matches this

political leaning

headline?

political leaning here:

here:

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The AllSides Media Bias Chart uses ratings from thousands of citizens and experts to make media bias transparent and easy to identify. The aim is to help readers avoid misinformation and increase critical thinking about media bias.

Example

Our suggestion

Example

discussed in

for a more

discussed in

group work:

balanced version:

group work:

Example

Our suggestion

Example

discussed in

for a more

discussed in

group work:

balanced version:

group work:

Example

Our suggestion

Example

discussed in

for a more

discussed in

group work:

balanced version:

group work:

2a Go through the names in the five columns and list 13 news sources from each column that you have heard of before. If there is a column where you donʼt recognize any names, then just write “noneˮ. Compare your list with a classmate. b

In the small text under the headline, we are told: “Ratings based on online, U.S. political content only – not TV, print, or radio. Ratings do not reflect accuracy or credibility; they reflect perspective only.ˮ A How does this chart only show one aspect of the news? and B What is the difference between “accuracyˮ and “perspectiveˮ?

c

If someone aimed to make a Norwegian media bias chart, do you think that Norwayʼs news media would fit into the same categories? Explain your opinion.

4 Beyond the Surface

5

Writing

Writing about statistics 3

The Reuters Institute publishes a global study on news habits in over 40 different countries every year. According to their 2025 Digital News Report, below is how two different age groups in Norway get their news. Based on this information, write two paragraphs in which you summarise and contrast the main findings. Give your text a suitable title.

Write a five-paragraph essay about bias and social media. Use this statement as a starting point: Algorithms on social media are designed to show us content that matches our preexisting views and biases, in order to keep us engaged and scrolling longer.

In this essay, we want you to reflect on how the content we are shown online can strengthen our personal biases and shape the way we see the world.

Speaking

Writing a longer text 4

Use the information from the first task above as a starting point to write a text in which you reflect on how different news habits might affect our access to reliable news sources. Here are some questions to guide you and help you get started: • How do different news habits vary and/or change over time?

• What makes one news source “more reliableˮ than another?

• How has modern technology influenced our access to different news sources?

Age 18–24

TV for news (last week) 28% Print for news (last week) 22% Radio for news (last week) 16% Any online news (last week) 90% Social media news (last week) 61% News podcast (last week) 16% AI chatbots for news (last week) 18%

Debate 6

In Classroom Corners Debate on page 000, you might have experienced how difficult it can be for us to change our mind about something and make the switch to a completely different perspective.

Discuss the following in small groups:

a

Why is it so hard for people to change their minds about an important issue? Make a list of factors that you believe influence this.

b

Agree on two specific challenging issues about which you believe people almost never change their minds. Be prepared to explain why you chose these particular issues.

Age 55+

TV for news (last week) 77% Print for news (last week) 20% Radio for news (last week) 53% Any online news (last week) 82% Social media news (last week) 32% News podcast (last week) 5% AI chatbots for news (last week) 1%

Source: Reuters Institute

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Applying Your Knowledge Writing

Writing an explanation 1

Writing a longer text 2

Below you will find a list of skills that are important for developing critical thinking.

Choose the three skills you think are the most important and write a short explanation 23 sentences) for each skill: How does this particular skill help us to think critically?

• Asking good questions • Referencing reliable sources • Checking facts • Comparing different perspectives • Understanding bias • Reflecting on your own thinking • Being open to changing your mind • Communicating your ideas clearly

Source: “A post-truth future; Combatting disinformationʼs global spreadˮ, UNDP

Explain the main idea of this paragraph and comment on how modern society makes it harder to agree on objective truths.

3

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“Disinformation, deepfakes and conspiracy theories are becoming harder to detect and combat as generative AI becomes easier for anyone to use and extended reality becomes more accessible. This digital splintering of truth, alongside diminishing trust in political leaders, makes it increasingly hard to establish what is real and what is false. Some even challenge the notion of objective truth. Peopleʼs lived experiences naturally differ, yet imagining shared futures – and collaborating to achieve them – is far harder if we canʼt establish a shared baseline of truth.ˮ

Choose one of the images below and use it as inspiration for a text with the title “The Power of an Imageˮ.

5 Systems and Power

5 Systems and Power

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Introductory Activity

Rules Have you ever thought about the fact that most societies have a set of rules that they follow?

Work in small groups.

Your School 1 Consider your school. a Make a list of the rules that exist. Separate the official rules from the unwritten ones. b Why were the rules made? c What would be the consequences if the rules disappeared?

Your Country 2 Consider your country. a How are leaders elected? b Are there rules to make sure that no-one gets too powerful?

What are they? c Which rules do you have to follow to pass a new law? d What could be the consequences if some of these rules disappeared?

Make a Presentation 3 Choose a society – small or large – and make a presentation of what you think would happen if the rules disappeared.

You may use a format of your own choice for the presentation.

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5 Systems and Power

Queen Elizabeth II invites leader of the Conservative Party Boris Johnson to become Prime Minister and form a government in Buckingham Palace in 2019. The British monarch is politically neutral, but a new Prime Minister visits the palace to satisfy the monarch that they can form a government by being able to command a majority.

The monarch and the Prime Minister then meet on a weekly basis to discuss government affairs. During her reign Queen Elizabeth II met with 15 different prime ministers.

Before you read

What do you associate with the term “powerˮ?

Make a mindmap.

Political Systems Most societies have a framework of rules, institutions and processes that determine how they make collective decisions, distribute power, and govern themselves. This is called a political system.

When describing a political system, we usually differentiate between three different political powers: The executive power is the branch that implements and enforces laws.

The legislative power is the branch that makes laws.

The judiciary power is the branch that interprets laws.

In a democracy, people vote regularly to choose their leaders and have a say in government decisions. The three branches of power are usually separated to prevent one of them from becoming too powerful. framework rammeverk collective felles

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executive power utøvende makt / utøvande makt legislative power lovgivende makt / lovgjevande makt judiciary power dømmende makt / dømmande makt authoritarian autoritært grasp gripe suppress undertrykke coalition koallisjon, sammenslutning / koallisjon, samanslutning consitutional konstitusjonell, som har med grunnloven å gjøre / konstitusjonell, som har med grunnloven å gjere.

On the other hand, in an authoritarian regime, one person or party holds most or all political power, indefinitely. The power holder may have grasped power by force, or they may be a democratically elected power holder turned authoritarian. Political opposition is forbidden or suppressed, and it is not uncommon to arrange elections in which there is no real choice.

A parliamentary system is democratic. The parliament (the legislative power) is made up of representatives elected by the people in open and free elections. The government (the executive power) is formed as a result of the election for parliament.

The party (or coalition of parties) with the greatest representation in the parliament forms the government, and its leader becomes prime minister or chancellor. In a parliamentary system the head of government is usually not the same as the head of state. In a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, like Norway or Britain, the king or queen is head of state. And in a parliamentary republic, like Germany, a ceremonial president is head of state.

A presidential republic also (not surprisingly) has a president. However, this president is usually both head of state and head of government. The president represents the executive power of the country and is elected in a separate, presidential election. It could be said that the president has a personal mandate to lead the country. Because the president (and usually also the legislative body) is elected by the people, a presidential republic is a democratic system. The USA is an example of a presidential republic.

How to make a reference to this text “Political Systemsˮ. In Balsvik et al. Targets. 119120. Oslo: Aschehoug.

Reading

120

Speaking

Understanding the text

Expressing opinions

1

With a partner, discuss who holds the executive power, legislative power and judiciary power in the Norwegian political system.

3a Is a political system either democratic or undemocratic? Explain your answer.

2

Explain the following terms: • democracy • parliament • authoritarian • republic • political opposition • constitional

b

How can a democratic political system become undemocratic?

c

Do you know any examples of leaders who were democratically elected, but have turned authoritarian?

5 Systems and Power

Before you read What do you associate with American politics?

Brainstorm individually, then use a word cloud generator to gather the classʼ associations.

The American Political System

Learn more about the American political system on the website.

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Reading

5

Find out which political party dominates in the two chambers of Congress today, and discuss what consequences this can have.

6

The Constitution allows individual states to decide how much money should be spent on schools, most gun laws, whether capital punishment should be allowed, and other controversial issues.

a

Choose two or three political issues. Find examples of states that have different laws on these issues.

b

Do you think it is right that the individual states get to decide their own laws on these matters?

Why or why not?

Understanding the illustration 1

Explain to a partner what the illustration on page XXX shows.

• What do the arrows signify?

• Etc.

Speaking

Expressing opinions 2

Americans still “pledge allegianceˮ to their flag and republic. In a ritual often performed in schools and political meetings, they hold their right hand over their heart, face the flag, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

Writing

Writing a paragraph I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

Written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy 18551931

Why do you think this is an important ritual, and what does the ritual and the words in the pledge tell us about the USA today?

3

4

In small groups, agree on three political issues that are of pressing importance in the USA today.

Discuss how best to solve these issues. Share your views (and possible disagreements) with the class.

Investigating Do some research and take notes on where the two main political parties stand on these political issues:

Political issue Taxation Gender equality Health care Abortion Gun rights Climate change

122

Democratic Party

Republican Party

7

Use terms you can find in the illustration on page XXX and in the list below to write a paragraph about the US system of government.

• Constitution • republic • separation of powers • federalism • elections

Writing a summary 11 Find a newspaper article that claims that American democracy is in decline. Write a short summary of the arguments and examples that are used.

Writing a persuasive text 12 Write a persuasive text about how young people today are expressing their political views and why political participation and voting is important. See page XXX for information on persuasive texts.

5 Systems and Power

Before you read

Which historical and contemporary persons do you associate with the British political system?

Brainstorm in class.

The British Political System

Learn more about the British political system on the website.

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Reading

7

Understanding the illustration

Traditions and rituals

1

8

In pairs, explain to each other what the illustration on page XXX shows.

Speaking

Expressing opinions 2

In small groups, discuss pros and cons of the monarchy. Try to use examples from the UK in your discussion.

3a In Britain, the ministers in Cabinet also have seats in Parliament. Discuss potential problems connected to the same people being part of both the legislative and the executive branch of government. b

4

Which checks and balances are in place to make sure the double role of being an MP and a minister does not give you too much power? Discuss how you think these checks and balances work.

Devolution When certain powers are transferred from the central government in London to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, it is called devolution. The intention of devolution is to calm demands for independence.

Investigating

Debating independence

5a Do some research and take notes on where the two main political parties, Labour and the Conservatives, stand on these political issues: Taxation, the NHS and public services, immigration, workers rights and unions, climate change. b

British politics contain a number of century-old traditions and rituals. Research the following rituals, then choose the three you find most fascinating to make a presentation about quirky traditions in British politics.

• The Monarchʼs hostage • Black Rod and the Door Slam • Dragging the Speaker • Verbal voting • Personalised coat pegs • Saving a seat with a prayer card • The use of ribbons • The role of the Mace • You are not allowed to talk about the Lords in the Commons • The mother, father and baby of the House of Commons

Britainʼs election system is often referred to as “first-past-the-postˮ. Find out what it is, and compare it to what you know about the Norwegian election system. Discuss pros and cons of the two systems.

The political parties

Reform UK is a new party that was formed in 2018, and that by 2025/2026 had evolved into a major force in British politics. Make a brief presentation of the partyʼs history and what its position is today. You may make the presentation in a format of you own choice (powerpoint, podcast, video, written text, etc.).

The Union

124

Find out what devolution is.

6

The United Kingdom is a union that joins England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland together as one country. The British Flag is called the Union Jack, and is composed of three other flags.

a

Find out which three flags the Union Jack is composed of.

b

Who is not represented in the Union Jack? Find out why.

9

Find out which powers Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have gained through devolution.

10a In pairs, research pros and cons of independence for Scotland. In your research, student 1 will find arguments for why independence would be a good thing for Scotland. Student 2 will find arguments for why Scotland should remain part of the UK. b

Using the arguments you found in task 10a, organize a debate about Scottish independence.

Writing

Writing a paragraph 11 Use terms you can find in the illustration on page XXX and in the list below to write a paragraph about the UK system of government.

• budget • Cabinet Minister • Member of Parliament • Prime Minister • constituency • first-past-the-post • general election • bill

5 Systems and Power

George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair 19031950.

He was born in India into what he himself described as a “lowerupper-middle class familyˮ but largely grew up in England. Orwell as a novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic, and he is best known for the novella Animal Farm 1945) and the novel Nighteen Eighty-Four 1949.

Before you read

Do we need rules for a society to function?

Discuss in small groups.

George Orwell

Animal Farm In the first paragraph of Animal Farm, the farmer of Manor Farm, Mr Jones, locks the hen-houses for the night, but is too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes. The animals on the farm seize the opportunity to gather for a meeting that stirs new thoughts and ideas of independence. Three months later they carry out a successful rebellion, seizing the farm from Mr. Jones.

At the same time, a need for a new system emerges.

The pigs now revealed that during the past three months they had taught themselves to read and write from an old spelling book which had belonged to Mr Jonesʼs children and which had been thrown on the rubbish heap.

Napoleon sent for pots of black and white paint and led the way down to the five-barred gate that gave on the main road. Then Snowball (for it was Snowball who was best at writing) took a brush between the two knuckles of his trotter, painted out MANOR FARM from the top bar of the gate and in its place painted ANIMAL FARM. This was to be the name of the farm

reveal avsløre heap haug knuckles her: klover / her: klauver trotter grisefot

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from now onwards. After this they went back to the farm buildings, where Snowball and Napoleon sent for a ladder which they caused to be set against the end wall of the big barn. They explained that by their studies of the past three months the pigs had succeeded in reducing the principles of Animalism to seven commandments. These seven commandments would now be inscribed on the wall; they would form an unalterable law by which all the animals on Animal Farm must live for ever after. With some difficulty (for it is not easy for a pig to balance himself on a ladder) Snowball climbed up and set to work, with Squealer a few rungs below him holding the paintpot. The commandments were written on the tarred wall in great white letters that could be read thirty yards away. They ran thus: THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS 1 Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2 Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.

3 No animal shall wear clothes.

4 No animal shall sleep in a bed.

5 No animal shall drink alcohol.

6 No animal shall kill any other animal.

7 All animals are equal.

inscribe påføre skrift unalterable uforanderlig/ uforanderleg rung trinn (stige eller trapp) / steg (stige eller trapp) tarred tjærebredd yard lengdeenhet 0,9144 m) / lengdeeining 0,9144 m) hayfield slåtteng harvest innhøsting/ innhausting udder jur froth skumme attend delta / ta del i troop gå i flokk

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It was very neatly written, and except that “Friendˮ was written “Freindˮ and one of the Sʼs was the wrong way round, the spelling was correct all the way through. Snowball read it aloud for the benefit of the others. All the animals nodded in complete agreement, and the cleverer ones at once began to learn the commandments by heart.

“Now, comrades,ˮ cried Snowball, throwing down the paint-brush, “to the hayfield! Let us make it a point of honour to get in the harvest more quickly than Jones and his men could do.ˮ But at this moment the three cows, who had seemed uneasy for some time past, set up a loud lowing. They had not been milked for twenty-four hours, and their udders were almost bursting. After a little thought the pigs sent for buckets and milked the cows fairly successfully, their trotters being well adapted to this task. Soon there were five buckets of frothing creamy milk at which many of the animals looked with considerable interest.

“What is going to happen to all that milk?ˮ said someone.

“Jones used sometimes to mix some of it in our mash,ˮ said one of the hens.

“Never mind the milk, comrades!ˮ cried Napoleon, placing himself in front of the buckets. “That will be attended to. The harvest is more important.

Comrade Snowball will lead the way. I shall follow in a few minutes.

Forward, comrades! The hay is waiting.ˮ So the animals trooped down to the hayfield to begin the harvest, and when they came back in the evening it was noticed that the milk had disappeared.

5 Systems and Power

How to make a reference to this text Orwell, George. 1949 2026. “Animal Farmˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al. Targets.

125126. Oslo: Aschehoug.

Reading

Understanding the text

4

1a Who are Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer, and what are their roles on Animal Farm? b

What are the Seven Commandments?

c

The text says that “the pigs had succeeded in reducing the principles of Animalism to seven commandmentsˮ. What is Animalism, do you think?

Speaking

Expressing opinions Discuss in groups. Take notes from your discussions.

2a What does the text extract say about the significance of education? b

Go through each of the seven commandments and discuss why you think the pigs have chosen that particular commandment as a rule for their society. What are they trying to achieve with it?

c

Based on this extract; do you think Animal Farm will be a democracy? Give reasons for your opinion.

d

What do you think happened to the milk?

3

The seventh commandment reads “all animals are equalˮ.

a

What does this commandment refer to?

b

Later in the book, the seven commandments are reduced to a single commandment: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than othersˮ. What does this signify, do you think?

c

Based on the development of the commandments; can you guess how the society of animals on the farm develops?

Writing Using your notes from task 2a, write a short text about the significance of education for a society, using concrete examples from Animal Farm.

Investigating

Genres 5

George Orwell called his work “a fairy storyˮ.

Below is a list of labels that have been attributed to the novella. Find out what they mean.

a

fairy story

b

beast fable

c

parable

d

allegory

e

dystopy

Historical parallels 6

There are unmistakable parallels between the animals in Animal Farm and historical persons and events. Research which historical figures the characters (for example Old Major, Snowball, Napoleon) are generally seen to represent.

Context 7

What was George Orwellʼs political background?

Make a short presentation.

Writing

Be creative In groups of two or three, formulate seven commandments for 8a the perfect society b

a society in which you plan to eventually make yourselves dictators

9

Using your notes from task 2d, write a short continuation of the text that explains what happened to the milk.

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Ogden Nash 190271 was born in New York of an old Southern family. Nashville is named after his great-great-greatuncle.) He dropped out of Harvard to make a living – without success until he joined the editorial staff of The New Yorker magazine.

He published poetry, wrote childrenʼs stories and verse, and published a play which was later made into a musical on Broadway. His light verse was much loved by the public. He became a national institution, and appeared frequently on television shows.

Before you read

Have you considered going into politics? If you did, what would your motives be?

Ogden Nash

The Politician behold se på / sjå på self-preservation selvoppholdelse/ sjølvberging thrive stortrives, blomstre / stortrivast, blomstre D. of C. – Washington DC – District of Columbia) to anoint å salve, velsigne, utvelge / å salve, signe, velje ut ointment salve linger on (her:) bli sittende / bli sitjande malnutrition feilernæring

128

Behold the politician.

Self-preservation is his ambition.

He thrives in the D. of C., Where he was sent by you and me.

Whether elected or appointed He considers himself the Lordʼs anointed, And indeed the ointment lingers on him So thick you canʼt get your fingers on him.

He has developed sixth sense About living at the public expense, Because in private competition He would encounter malnutrition.

5 Systems and Power

He has many profitable hobbies Not the least of which is lobbies.

He would not sell his grandmother for a quarter If he suspected the presence of a reporter.

He gains votes ever and anew By taking money from everybody and giving it to a few, While explaining that every penny Was extracted from the few to be given to the many.

Some politicians are Republican, some Democratic, And their feud is dramatic, But except for the name They are identically the same.

Democrats call Republicans bad men, and Republicans call democrats mad men, And I think that in this respect They are both correct.

lobbies (her:) korridorpolitikk

Abridged. Printed in The New Yorker, 4 July 1936

feud strid

quarter – 25 cents

How to make a reference to this text Nash, Ogden. 1936 2026. “The Politicianˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al. Targets.

128129. Oslo: Aschehoug.

Reading

Speaking

Understanding the text

Expressing opinions

1

Work in pairs and answer the following questions.

2

Discuss in small groups. Make notes.

a

How does the politician in this poem look upon himself?

a

b

How does the author characterize him?

Do you think there is a difference between a politician who is appointed and one who is elected?

c

What political position do you think he has? Why?

b

d

What is the poet making fun of in the second stanza?

Do you think the description of a politician is accurate? Why? Why not?

e

What is meant by “in private competition he would face malnutritionˮ in the third stanza?

3

The poem was written in 1936. Could it have been written today? Give reasons for your answer.

f

How may a politician gain votes?

4

g

What is the difference between the Republican and the Democratic politicians?

You have been hired as Nashʼs politicianʼs new PR advisor in 2026. In groups, design a campaign slogan, an Instagram post, and one ˮscandalrecoveryˮ tweet. Then debate: did you save him, or just prove Nash right?

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Patricia Marx has been contributing to The New Yorker since 1989 as a staff writer. She is a former writer for “Saturday Night Liveˮ and “Rugratsˮ, and she has written two novels and numerous childrenʼs books.

Before you read

What characterizes a zoo?

Brainstorm in class and make a list of adjectives that you associate with a zoo.

sanity tilregnelighet, fornuft / tilreknelegheit, fornuft

Patricia Marx

revitalize gjenopplive

Now That I Run the Zoo

cultural institutions = for example museums, art galleries, libraries, theaters, botanical gardens, and zoos eliminate ta bort divisive splittende/ splittande Smithsonian Institution = a museum and research complex created by the US government, consisting of 17 museums, galleries and a zoo cease slutte, opphøre / slutte, opphøyre license gi tillatelse, lisensiere / gje løyve, lisensiere

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President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order restoring truth and sanity to American history by revitalizing key cultural institutions ...

The Order directs the Vice President ... to work to eliminate improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology from the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo. – White House fact sheet, March 27, 2025.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises ... reviewed our catalog of titles and made the decision last year to cease publication and licensing of the following titles: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligotʼs Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Catʼs Quizzer.

These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.

– Dr. Seuss Enterprises, March 2, 2021.

5 Systems and Power

I am Big Shot Despot – tremendous, colossal!

My nameʼs on the zoo, itʼs in letters real bossful!

Iʼll make it the hugest – incredi-bling to see, And real soon all the people will cheer, just for me!

But zooʼs now a shithole. So sad and so woke-y.

The pandas perform kumbaya karaoke.

The tigers eat tofu. “Child care!ˮ chant kangʼroos.

And the sea slugs debate the best pronouns to use.

Octopi want unions. Ladybugs, human rights, And the owls hold elections on alternate nights.

Lemurs, they say, are the very worst-ever-est, Conspiracy commies and lunatic leftists!!!

Iʼll take care of this mess – green-light a coup or two, And bring back the greatness of my big beautiful zoo.

“So, Despot, whatʼs the plot ... to get rid of the Grots?ˮ Oh, Iʼll squash all those Grots with my pet Snarls-a-Lots.

They will clompety-clomp past the ducks (such big quacks! And then round a few up for their “treasonous acts.ˮ Your stripes go the wrong way? Is your fur too flingfloo?

Watch out! Youʼll be hauled to the Lame Land of Else-Zoo. The hyenas get laughs? Platypuses push pot?

Iʼll fix all that nonsense – ʼcause Iʼm B. S. Despot!

Breaking news! The Despot has silenced the chorus: No oinks, baas, or brays (even you, Brontosaurus!.

Get ʼem right now, at the Loot-Zoot gift shop!

Wombats that shout “Witch hunt!ˮ – ten bucks a pop, Meerkat snow globes – too hot for the snow, We take dollars, rubles, crypto – and blow! Published in The New Yorker, 6 October 2025

How to make a reference to this text Marx, Patricia. 2025 2026. “Now That I Run the Zooˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al.

Targets. 130131. Oslo: Aschehoug.

despot tyrann, hard og vilkårlig enevoldsstyrer / tyrann, hard og vilkårleg einevaldsstyrar tremendous voldsom, mektig / veldig, mektig child care barnevern chant rope taktfast, messe sea slug sjøsnegle octopi blekkspruter (i flertall) / blekksprutar (i fleirtal) union fagforening/ fagforeining commie slang: kommunist lunatic vanvittig, gal / vanvettig, galen green-light gi grønt lys for / gje grønt ljos for coup kupp grot lassis, lasaron snarl snerre quack kvakksalver, fusker / kvakksalvar, fuskar treasonous forrædersk/ svikefull act handling haul hale, dra oink, baa, bray dyrelyder fra gris, sau og esel / dyrelydar frå gris, sau og esel loot tyvegods, bytte / tjuvegods, bytte zoot (gammeldags) skrytete dress / (gamaldags) skrytete dress meerkat surikat ten bucks a pop = ten dollars apiece

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Reading

Reading

Understanding the text

Interpreting literature

1a What is the message of the narrator of the poem?

Retell the poem, stanza by stanza. Compare with a partner.

Animal Farm (pages XXXX) is often characterized as a beast fable. The beast fable is an old genre in which animals are given human properties in order to expose and criticize human behaviour. Aesopʼs fables are examples of beast fables.

b

What is the message of the poem?

c

How does the poet manage to convey the difference between the message of the narrator and the message of the poem? Which devices are used?

d

Which associations does the title of the poem give you?

A Critical Eye

Reflection Discuss in small groups. Take notes.

3

Look at the quote from the White House fact sheet. It can be argued that the quote contains loaded language (words and phrases that are used to influence an audience through an emotional response).

a

Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer.

b

Which words could be characterized as loaded?

4

The other quote is a statement from Dr. Seuss Enterprises with a list of titles they have stopped publishing and licensing, because of controversy surrounding racist images in the books.

a

Why do you think the poet chose to combine the two quotes?

b

One of the blacklisted books is called If I Ran the Zoo. Why do you think the poet chose almost the same title as a book that has been blacklisted due to racism?

5

What kind of system do you think they have at the zoo? Describe what you think may be the core rules of the society depicted in the poem.

Language Work

6

Can we say that “Now That I Run the Zooˮ is a beast fable told in rhyme? Give reasons for your answer.

Another label that has been attributed to Animal Farm is parable.

7a What is a parable? b

If “Now That I Run the Zooˮ is a parable, who is the narrator, what is the zoo, and who are the animals?

“Now That I Run the Zooˮ uses humour to comment on society.

8

How can you tell that the text is intended to be humorous? Find evidence of humour in the text.

9

Find out what a nonsense poem is. Can we say that “Now That I Run the Zooˮ is a nonsense poem? Why? Why not?

10 Can you find examples of alliteration in the poem? Which effect does it have?

Writing

Writing a beast fable 11 Write a beast fable about a current issue that you care about.

Investigating

Blacklisted and banned books 12a What are the different reasons why books are blacklisted and banned in the USA? Do some research and make a list. b

Look at your answers from 12a. Is it possible to group the reasons politically?

c

Is it possible to find out who blacklisted and banned the different books? The state government? The copyright owner or publisher? Compare your answers from 12c and 12b. Is there a pattern? Give reasons for your answer.

Playing with words

132

2

The poem is filled with playful words that can not necessarily be found in a dictionary.

d

a

Make a list of all the words you think the poet made up or has used in an uncommon way.

The Smithsonian

b

What do you think they mean?

c

Make a small presentation of one of the words, using visual aids.

13 Do some research to find out more about the Smithsonian Institution. Which role does it have in American society? Use your findings to make a presentation.

5 Systems and Power

Banned books on display at the centenary celebration for PEN America in New York, 12 September 2022.

Do you recognize any of the books? Why do you think they were banned?

Find out what a book sanctuary is. Why were book sanctuaries established?

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Applying Your Knowledge Speaking

Writing

Inventing a dictatorship

Summarising

1

2

Work in small groups.

Your task is to invent a society. The society is a dictatorship. Make a presentation of the society in a format of your own choice. Your presentation must include the following: • Give your society a name.

• Explain who the leader is and how they came to power.

• Describe who makes the laws and how they are made.

• Explain who the judicial power is.

• Draw the triangle of the three branches of power (executive, legislative and judicial) for your society.

Write a short text in which you explain what the executive, legislative, and judiciary powers in a political system are, using examples from the USA, Britain, and Norway.

The Outrage Industry 3

In their book The Outrage Industry from 2013, Sarah Sobieraj and Jeffrey M. Berry describe a media phenomenon characterized by a commentator ranting about something that has happened (or perhaps did not happen), and in this way receives attention, additional listeners and not least, increased advertising revenue.

Write a manuscript for an oral rant about a current issue in society. In your manuscript, you should make sure you use words and expressions that characterize a rant, at the same time as you maintain a logical structure. Your rant should be approximately 200300 words.

Feel free to elaborate on other aspects of your society in your presentation. Do they have a flag? Do they have a constitution? How do they celebrate their national day?

Writing a persuasive text 4

Write a persuasive text in which you explain why all societies should have a set of rules to follow.

Use examples from the texts and tasks you have worked with in this chapter.

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6 Social Inequality

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Introductory Activity

Inequality: What do you think? a Read the five statements below and place them where you think they belong on the scale. b Which statement was the hardest to place? Which statement was the easiest to place? c Form small groups. Compare your placements. On which statements do you seem to agree and on which statements are you most divided? d Explain the reasoning behind your placements to each other.

1 2 3 4 5

People in a country are not all born with the same opportunities in life.

Hard work matters more for success than family background.

Education gives everyone a fair chance to succeed.

Growing up in a poor area limits your opportunities, even in wealthy countries.

It is the governmentʼs responsibility to reduce inequality.

Completely agree

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Completely disagree

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Before you read

The American Dream – what do you think it is? Have you seen any films or heard any music that might give you an idea of what it means?

The American Dream The USA is one of the most diverse countries on earth. Still, there are some core values that keep the population united. Most Americans still believe in some form of the American Dream. The dream means different things to different people, but central to its many versions is the idea of freedom and the chance to create a better life. Freedom has always been the hallmark of the dream. For some, it is the freedom of speech; for others, it is religious, political, or economic freedom. Many also say that it is the personal freedom they enjoy.

Seizing on opportunity is at the heart of the American Dream. This pursuit of happiness and a better life, in American style, is often up to the individual. The image of the self-made man is important, and the sky is the limit for Americans if they are self-reliant, hardworking, and play by the rules. The can-do attitude Amer-ICan) is well known, as are legendary 137

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stories of the rise of poor men and women to wealth and prosperity, like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and the popular figures LeBron James and self-made billionaire Oprah Winfrey. The possibility of achieving fame and fortune continues to fascinate and inspire many Americans to dream big. Going from rags to riches – or at least from rags to respectability – is a central feature of the American character.

Inheriting wealth and opportunity runs counter to this notion. Being born with a silver spoon in oneʼs mouth does not carry the same weight as the success of someone who came to America as a poor immigrant, or of someone who grew up in an impoverished neighborhood and worked their way up from the bottom. Curiously, those with inherited wealth often downplay their early advantages and rather exaggerate their humble beginnings. We might call this self-mythology. Donald Trump, for example, has persistently claimed that the only help he received when he started out in real estate was a $1 million loan from his father, which he repaid.

However, investigative reporting by the New York Times disclosed that the amount was closer to $140 million in todayʼs dollars. In fact, thanks to his fatherʼs wealth, Trump was already a millionaire by the time he was eight years old!

For the average American, though, becoming wealthy – whether selfmade or otherwise – is rare. A YouGov poll from 2020 found that only 32% of Americans aged 1829 believe that the American Dream is attainable to them. This is largely due to the reality of harsh income inequality in all parts of the country. Stagnant wages, student loan debt, and rising housing costs have led many young people to lose faith in the dream.

Other surveys paint a different picture. An American Enterprise Institute / University of Chicago study showed that 81 percent of millennials were optimistic about realizing the American Dream. The questions asked in this poll focused on aspects of the American Dream other than material wealth. The poll suggests that many Americans feel that they are living the American Dream and that what is important to them is the freedom to choose how to live and the chance to have a good family life and be part of a community. Generation Z  Americans born in 1997 or later – were less optimistic, but still 73 percent were relatively positive to these aspects of the dream. In this particular survey, race and ethnicity played a minor role. There were no marked differences in outlook, despite the fact that race and ethnicity are often cited as key factors that tend to hinder upward mobility. Further, 81 percent of non-Hispanic whites, 80 percent of blacks, Hispanics, and those of mixed race, and 85 percent of those with Asian heritage said they had achieved or were on their way to achieving the American Dream.

Thus, much depends on who is asking the questions and how the dream is interpreted by those answering. The answers also depend on where the respondents live. If one lives in an American county or community where 138

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the chances for prosperity and mobility are higher, answers about the state of the dream will more often be positive. Conversely, the responses from a person who lives in a county in which the opportunity to move up is more limited tend to take a more negative view of the dream. It is therefore virtually impossible to determine whether the dream is dead, dying, or alive. Still, optimism persists. As economics professor Alec Levenson at the University of Southern California has said, “The thing about this country, even in the midst of things not going that well economically, thereʼs this strong spirit,ˮ adding, “Thatʼs always been one of the things that made America resilient.ˮ

How to make a reference to this text “The American Dreamˮ. In Balsvik et al. Targets. 137139. Oslo: Aschehoug.

• a lot of leisure time • the freedom to choose the lifestyle you want • being respected for who you are • a happy family life • the opportunity to be part of a community

Reading

Understanding the text 1a What do we mean when we say that something is a core value in a society? b

How does the notion of freedom mean different things to different Americans, according to the text?

c

In your own words, what does the concept of the self-made man entail?

d

How is inherited wealth viewed by many Americans, and how has this attitude influenced Trumpʼs self-mythology?

e

How does the text explain that using different standards to understand the American Dream can yield radically different results?

f

Expressing opinions How important are the factors below for achieving happiness? Rate them 19, explain your priorities to a partner, and discuss how a Norwegian dream might differ from the American Dream.

• a lot of money • a steady job, a secure income, and a home you own • social welfare benefits • an interesting job

In groups, discuss what is required for a person to rise from rags to riches and what obstacles a person might encounter along the way.

Investigating 4a Why did immigrants choose to leave their home countries for America? What characterized the lives of the early American colonists and those who later settled the West in the 1800s? b

How could these immigrant experiences have contributed to the American Dream? Find a rags to riches story from popular culture and present it in class.

5

Republicans and Democrats both claim to support the American Dream but disagree on how to achieve it. How would each party respond to the statements below?

• The government should keep business taxes low in order to inspire enterprise, innovation, and hard work.

• The government should keep welfare programs minimal to avoid fostering dependence.

• The government should use taxes to redistribute wealth more equally.

• The government should fund welfare programs to prevent cycles of poverty.

Is the American Dream dead, according to the text?

Speaking

2

3

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• The government should replace private insurance with free healthcare.

• The government should make rules about where and when alcohol and guns can be bought.

6

Writing a short text 7

Do some research and compare different groups in the USA in terms of factors that may affect their ability to achieve the American Dream, such as: • income and wealth • education level • employment rates • healthcare

Study the results of the 2023 Yougov survey below. Summarize the most important variations in results for the different groups (gender, age, race, political affiliation). Choose the differences you find most interesting and reflect on why they exist.

Present your findings in class. What conclusions can you draw from your findings? Did you all come to the same conclusions?

How attainable, if at all, do you think the American Dream is for you?

Gender

Very attainable

Age

Race

Total

Male

Female

1829

3044

4564

65

White

Black

Hispanic

21%

27%

16%

14%

16%

22%

31%

23%

14%

20%

Somewhat attainable

23%

22%

23%

18%

26%

22%

25%

21%

18%

30%

Somewhat unattainable

8%

9%

7%

11%

8%

7%

6%

9%

5%

6%

Vey unattainable

5%

4%

6%

2%

3%

6%

8%

6%

2%

5%

Not sure

5%

4%

6%

9%

5%

4%

1%

4%

4%

8%

The American Dream

20%

18%

21%

21%

23%

21%

12%

18%

31%

18%

19%

17%

22%

25%

18%

18%

18%

20%

25%

14%

Total

Dem

does not exist Iʼm not sure if the American Dream exists

Party ID Ind

Rep

2020 Vote

Family income

Biden

$50K

Trump

$50

Census Region $100K

100K

Nort-

Mid-

east

west

South

West

Very attainable

21%

17%

17%

31%

18%

38%

18%

21%

27%

18%

19%

23%

21%

Somewhat attainable

23%

23%

20%

26%

22%

23%

19%

28%

29%

28%

17%

24%

24%

Somewhat unattainable

8%

7%

6%

10%

7%

7%

9%

9%

6%

12%

9%

5%

8%

Vey unattainable

5%

5%

5%

5%

5%

6%

7%

4%

3%

3%

4%

7%

3%

Not sure

5%

4%

6%

3%

4%

3%

6%

3%

3%

6%

6%

3%

5%

The American Dream

20%

23%

23%

11%

25%

14%

23%

17%

18%

14%

25%

19%

19%

19%

21%

23%

13%

19%

9%

19%

18%

15%

20%

20%

19%

18%

does not exist Iʼm not sure if the American Dream exists Source: YouGov

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Annie Proulx 1953 is an American journalist and author. Her literature often focuses on characters living on the social and geographic margins of American society. The short story “Job Historyˮ was published in the collection Close Range: Wyoming Stories 1999.

Before you read

The American Dream says that anyone can succeed through hard work. How realistic do you think this idea is?

Annie Proulx

Job History Leeland Lee is born at home in Cora, Wyoming, November 17, 1947, the youngest of six. In the 1950s his parents move to Unique when his mother inherits a small dog-bone ranch. The ranch lies a few miles outside town.

They raise sheep, a few chickens and some hogs. The father is irascible and, as soon as they can, the older children disperse. Leeland can sing “That Doggie in the Windowˮ all the way through. His father strikes him with a flyswatter and tells him to shut up. There is no news on the radio. A blizzard has knocked out the power.

irascible hissig, bråsint disperse spre seg / spreie seg blizzard snøstorm

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plastered glattet ned / glatta ned bangs pannelugg pouchy posete, med poser / posete, med posar chisel meisel pelvis bekken stout kraftig, tettbygd junction veikryss, knutepunkt / vegkryss, knutepunkt interstate motorvei mellom delstater / motorveg mellom delstatar steers unge okser, stuter / unge oksar, stutar

142

Leelandʼs face shows heavy bone from his motherʼs side. His neck is thick and his red-gold hair plastered down in bangs. Even as a child his eyes are as pouchy as those of a middle-aged alcoholic, the brows rodstraight above wandering, out-of-line eyes. His nose lies broad and close to his face, his mouth seems to have been cut with a single chisel blow into easy flesh. In the fifth grade, horsing around with friends, he falls off the schoolʼs fire escape and breaks his pelvis. He is in a body cast for three months. On the news an announcer says that the average American eats 8.6 pounds of margarine a year but only 8.3 pounds of butter. He never forgets this statistic.

When Leeland is seventeen he marries Lori Bovee. They quit school.

Lori is pregnant and Leeland is proud of this. His pelvis gives him no trouble. She is a year younger than he, with an undistinguished, oval face, hair of medium length. She is a little stout but looks a confection in pastel sweater sets. Leeland and his mother fight over this marriage and Leeland leaves the ranch. He takes a job pumping gas at Eggeʼs Service Station.

Ed Egge says, “You may fire when ready, Gridleyˮ and laughs. The station stands at the junction of highway 16 and a county road. Highway 16 is the main tourist road to Yellowstone. Leeland buys Loriʼs fatherʼs old truck for fifty dollars and Ed rebuilds the engine. Vietnam and Selma, Alabama, are on the news.

The federal highway program puts through the new four-lane interstate forty miles south of highway 16 and parallel with it. Overnight the tourist business in Unique falls flat. One day a hundred cars stop for gas and oil, hamburgers, cold soda. The next day only two cars pull in, both driven by locals asking how business is. In a few months there is a FOR SALE sign on the inside window of the service station. Ed Egge gets drunk and, driving at speed, hits two steers on the county road.

Leeland joins the army, puts in for the motor pool. He is stationed in Germany for six years and never learns a word of the language. He comes back to Wyoming heavier, moodier. He works with a snow-fence crew during spring and summer, then moves Lori and the children – the boy and a new baby girl – to Casper where he drives oil trucks. They live in a house trailer on Poison Spider Road, jammed between two rioting neighbors.

On the news they hear that an enormous diamond has been discovered somewhere. The second girl is born; Leeland canʼt seem to get along with the oil company dispatcher. After a year they move back to Unique. Leeland and his mother make up their differences.

Lori is good at saving money and she has put aside a small nest egg.

They set up in business for themselves. Leeland believes people will be glad to trade at a local ranch supply store that saves a long drive into town.

He rents the service station from Mrs. Egge who has not been able to sell it after Edʼs death. They spruce it up, Leeland doing all the carpenter work, Lori painting the interior and exterior. On the side Leeland raises hogs with

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his father. His father was born and raised in Iowa and knows hogs.

It becomes clear that people relish the long drive to a bigger town where they can see something different, buy fancy groceries, clothing, bakery goods as well as ranch supplies. One intensely cold winter when everything freezes from God to gizzard, Leeland and his father lose 112 hogs. They sell out. Eighteen months later the ranch supply business goes under. The new color television set goes back to the store.

After the bankruptcy proceedings Leeland finds work on a road construction crew. He is always out of town, it seems, but back often enough for what he calls “a good rideˮ and so makes Lori pregnant again.

Before the baby is born he quits the road crew. He canʼt seem to get along with the foreman. No one can, and turnover is high. On his truck radio he hears that hundreds of religious cult members have swallowed Kool-Aid and cyanide.

Leeland takes a job at Tongue River Meat Locker and Processing. Old Man Brose owns the business. Leeland is the only employee. He has an aptitude for sizing up and cutting large animals. He likes wrapping the tidy packages, the smell of damp bone and chill. He can throw his cleaver unerringly and when mice run along the wall they do not run far if Leeland is there. After months of discussion with Old Man Brose, Leeland and Lori sign a ten-year lease on the meat locker operation. Their oldest boy graduates from high school, the first in the family to do so, and joins the army. He signs up for six years. There is something on the news about school lunches and ketchup is classed as a vegetable. Old Man Brose moves to Albuquerque.

The economy takes a dive. The news is full of talk about recession and unemployment. Thrifty owners of small ranches go back to doing their own butchering, cutting and freezing. The meat locker lease payments are high and electricity jumps up. Leeland and Lori have to give up the business. Old man Brose returns from Albuquerque. There are bad feelings. It didnʼt work out, Leeland says, and thatʼs the truth of it.

It seems like a good time to try another place. The family moves to Thermopolis where Leeland finds a temporary job at a local meat locker during hunting season. A hunter from Des Moines, not far from where Leelandʼs father was born, tips him $100 when he loads packages of frozen elk and the elkʼs head onto the manʼs single-engine plane. The man has been drinking. The plane goes down in the Medicine Bow range to the southeast.

During this long winter Leeland is out of work and stays home with the baby. Lori works in the school cafeteria. The baby is a real crier and Leeland quiets him down with spoonsful of beer.

In the spring they move back to Unique and Leeland tries truck driving again, this time in long-distance rigs on coast-to-coast journeys that take him away two and three months at a time. He travels all over the continent,

relish nyte, glede seg over turnover gjennomtrekk aptitude evne, anlegg unerringly treffsikkert recession resesjon, nedgangstider thrifty sparsommelig, nøysom / sparsameleg, nøysam

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convulsions kramper, krampetrekninger / krampar, krampetrekningar congested overfylt, tilstoppet / overfylt, tilstoppa taxidermy utstopping av dyr sagebrush salviebusk, malurt

144

to Texas, Alaska, Montreal and Corpus Christi. He says every place is the same. Lori works now in the kitchen of the Hi-Lo Cafe in Unique. The ownership of the cafe changes three times in two years. West Klinker, an elderly rancher, eats three meals a day at the Hi-Lo. He is sweet on Lori. He reads her an article from the newspaper – a strange hole has appeared in the ozone layer. He confuses ozone with oxygen.

One night while Leeland is somewhere on the east coast the baby goes into convulsions following a weekʼs illness of fever and cough. Lori makes a frightening drive over icy roads to the distant hospital. The baby survives but he is slow. Lori starts a medical emergency response group in Unique.

Three women and two men sign up to take the first aid course. They drive a hundred miles to the first aid classes. Only two of them pass the test on the first try. Lori is one of the two. The other is Stuttering Bob, an old bachelor.

One of the failed students says Stuttering Bob has nothing to do but study the first aid manual as he enjoys the leisured life that goes with a monthly social security check.

Leeland quits driving trucks and again tries raising hogs with his father on the old ranch. He becomes a volunteer fireman and is at the bad February fire that kills two children. It takes the fire truck three hours to get in to the ranch through the wind-drifted snow. The family is related to Lori.

When something inside explodes, Leeland tells, an object flies out of the house and strikes the fire engine hood. It is a Nintendo player and not even charred.

Stuttering Bob has cousins in Muncie, Indiana. One of the cousins works at the Muncie Medical Center. The cousin arranges for the Medical Center to donate an old ambulance to the Unique Rescue Squad although they had intended to give it to a group in Mississippi. Bobʼs cousin, who has been to Unique, persuades them. Bob is afraid to drive through congested cities so Leeland and Lori take a series of buses to Muncie to pick up the vehicle. It is their first vacation. They take the youngest boy with them. On the return trip Lori leaves her purse on a chair in a restaurant. The gas money for the return trip is in the purse. They go back to the restaurant, wild with anxiety.

The purse has been turned in and nothing is missing. Lori and Leeland talk about the goodness of people, even strangers. In their absence Stuttering Bob is elected president of the rescue squad.

A husband and wife from California move to Unique and open a taxidermy business. They say they are artists and arrange the animals in unusual poses. Lori gets work cleaning their workshop. The locals make jokes about the coyote in their window, posed lifting a leg against sagebrush where a trap is set. The taxidermists hold out for almost two years, then move to Oregon. Leelandʼs and Loriʼs oldest son telephones from overseas. He is making a career of the service.

Leelandʼs father dies and they discover the hog business is deeply in debt, the ranch twice-mortgaged. The ranch is sold to pay off debts.

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Leelandʼs mother moves in with them. Leeland continues long-distance truck driving. His mother watches television all day. Sometimes she sits in Loriʼs kitchen, saying almost nothing, picking small stones from dried beans.

The youngest daughter baby-sits. One night, on the way home, her employer feels her small breasts and asks her to squeeze his penis, because, he says, she ate the piece of chocolate cake he was saving. She does it but runs crying into the house and tells Lori who advises her to keep quiet and stay home from now on. The man is Leelandʼs friend; they hunt elk and antelope together.

Leeland quits truck driving. Lori has saved a little money. Once more they decide to go into business for themselves. They lease the old gas station where Leeland had his first job and where they tried the ranch supply store. Now it is a gas station again, but also a convenience store.

They try surefire gimmicks: plastic come-on banners that pop and tear in the wind, free ice cream cones with every fill-up, prize drawings. Leeland has been thinking of the glory days when a hundred cars stopped. Now highway 16 seems the emptiest road in the country. They hold on for a year, then Leeland admits that it hasnʼt worked out and he is right. He is depressed for days when San Francisco beats Denver in the Super Bowl.

Their oldest boy is discharged from the service and will not say why but Leeland knows it is chemical substances, drugs. Leeland is driving long-distance trucks again despite his back pain. The oldest son is home, working as a ranch hand in Pie. Leeland studies him, looking for signs of addiction. The sonʼs eyes are always red and streaming. The worst year comes. Leelandʼs m other dies, Leeland hurts his back, and, in the same week, Lori learns that she has breast cancer and is pregnant again. She is forty-six. Loriʼs doctor advises an abortion. Lori refuses.

The oldest son is discovered to have an allergy to horses and quits the ranch job. He tells Leeland he wants to try raising hogs. Pork prices are high. For a few days Leeland is excited. He can see it clearly: Leeland Lee & Son, Livestock. But the son changes his mind when a friend he knew in the service comes by on a motorcycle. The next morning both of them leave for Phoenix.

Lori spontaneously aborts in the fifth month of the pregnancy and then the cancer burns her up. Leeland is at the hospital with her every day. Lori dies. The daughters, both married now, curse Leeland. No one knows how to reach the oldest son and he misses the funeral. The youngest boy cries inconsolably. They decide he will live in Billings, Montana, with the oldest sister who is expecting her first child.

Two springs after Loriʼs death a middle-aged woman from Ohio buys the café, paints it orange, renames it Unique Eats and hires Leeland to cook. He is good with meat, knows how to choose the best cuts and grill or do them chicken-fried style to perfection. He has never cooked anything at home 145

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and everyone is surprised at this long-hidden skill. The oldest son comes back and the next year they plan to lease the old gas station and convert it to a motorcycle repair shop and steak house. Nobody has time to listen to the news.

How to make a reference to this text Proulx, Annie. 1999 2026. “Job Historyˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al. Targets. 141 146. Oslo: Aschehoug.

e

Reading

How is the short story structured? Use the form below, based on Freytagʼs Pyramid.

Understanding literature 1

Answer the following questions.

a

Setting

f

Place: The short story is set in various locations in Wyoming. What characterizes these locations? g

Time: When is the novel set? b

d

To what extent does the short story follow the structure outlined in Freytagʼs Pyramid? Why do you think Proulx chose to structure the short story in this manner?

Theme What are possible themes in the short story?

Characters and characterization h

Leeland and Lori Lee are the two most important characters in the short story. How would you describe them? Are they static or dynamic? c

Structure

Literary devices Which literary devices does Annie Proulx employ in the short story? See page 000 for a list). What effect do these devices have?

How are Leeland and Lori characterized? Is the characterization direct, indirect or a combination?

Narrator and point of view Comment on the narrator and point of view. How does Proulxʼs choice of narrator and point of view affect the short story?

Term

Exposition

Rising action

Climax

Falling action

Resolution

Task

Is there an

Is there rising

Is there a climax in

Does anything

Is there a resolution

exposition?

tension in “Job

“Job Historyˮ? If so,

particular happen

at the end of the

Historyˮ? If so, which

where do you find it?

towards the

short story? Is the

events increase the

end of the short

ending happy or

tension?

story? Is there any

tragic? Is the short

unraveling?

story close-ended or open-ended?

Your answer Quotes from the text

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Speaking

Writing

Expressing opinions

Writing a new section

2a Leelandʼs plans often fail. Are these failures of his own making or out of his control? Give reasons for your answer and point out examples in the short story that support it.

5

b

Although the short story portrays tragic and traumatic events, such as death and sexual assault, the descriptions are neither detailed nor dramatic, and there are sparse descriptions of feelings. What do you make of this?

c

At the end of the short story, Leeland prepares for a new business venture. Do you think his plan will succeed? Give reasons for your answer.

d

What do you make of the last sentence in the short story, “Nobody has time to listen to the newsˮ?

3

Listen to the song “The Riverˮ by Bruce Springsteen.

a

Compare the story of the speaker in “The Riverˮ and that of Leeland Lee. What is similar? What is different?

b

Consider the two different media, short story and song. Can a short story, which is usually longer than a song, convey something that a song cannot? Can a song, with both music and lyrics, convey something that a short story cannot?

4

How do you picture your future? What factors have influenced your opportunities and choices so far in your life? What factors do you think will influence your opportunities and choices later, particularly related to education and work?

The short story is structured as a timeline of jobs, life events, hopes and failures. Write a new section of the story that includes these four elements. It should fit in somewhere in the short story. Try to mimic Proulxʼs writing style.

Creating a timeline 6

Create a timeline of important events in Leelandʼs life, with text and drawings. You may create it digitally or on paper.

Investigating

Historic events 7

There are several allusions to historical events in the short story. Find out what events the allusions refer to and when they happened.

Language Work

Expressions 8

Here are some expressions that are used in the short story. First, try to guess what they mean without looking them up. Then, look up the expressions and try to find out what they mean.

• Dog-bone ranch • Horsing around • Looks a confection • Nest egg • Spruce up • Everything freezes from God to gizzard • Surefire gimmicks

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Bruce Springsteen 1949 ) was born and raised in New Jersey. His music and lyrics frequently explore life among ordinary, working-class people. He sings about their struggles to make ends meet, but also about their dreams of a better future. “The River,ˮ recorded in 1979, has become an American classic.

Before you read

Many songwriters address social issues, hopes, and dreams in their lyrics. Which artistʼs lyrics have made an impression on you recently, and why?

Bruce Springsteen

The River I come from down in the valley Where mister, when youʼre young They bring you up to do like your daddy done Me and Mary we met in high school When she was just seventeen Weʼd drive out of this valley down to where the fields were green 148

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Weʼd go down to the river And into the river weʼd dive Oh down to the river weʼd ride Then I got Mary pregnant And, man, that was all she wrote And for my 19th birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat We went down to the courthouse And the judge put it all to rest No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle No flowers, no wedding dress That night we went down to the river And into the river weʼd dive Oh down to the river we did ride I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company But lately there ainʼt been much work on account of the economy Now all them things that seemed so important Well mister, they vanished right into the air Now I just act like I donʼt remember Mary acts like she donʼt care But I remember us riding in my brotherʼs car Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir At night on them banks Iʼd lie awake And pull her close just to feel each breath sheʼd take Now those memories come back to haunt me They haunt me like a curse Is a dream a lie if it donʼt come true Or is it something worse, that sends me Down to the river though I know the river is dry That sends me down to the river tonight Down to the river My baby and I Oh down to the river we ride

union card medlemskort i fagforeningen / medlemskort i fagforeininga courthouse tinghus aisle her: midtgang i kirken / her: midtgang i kyrkja construction anleggsarbeid on account of på grunn av vanish forsvinne haunt forfølge/forfølgje curse forbannelse/ forbanning

How to make a reference to this text Springsteen, Bruce. 1979 2026. “The Riverˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al. Targets.

148149. Oslo: Aschehoug.

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Reading

Source: www.songfacts.com).

How might the song and this quote help you understand what is going on in the USA today?

Understanding literature 1a When did Mary and the narrator of the song meet?

Discussing statistics

b

How were kids brought up in the valley?

4

c

The river is a powerful image in the song. What do you think it symbolizes?

Study the table below, which contains information on teenage pregnancy.

a

d

Why did the two young people marry?

Which two groups have the highest pregnancy rates? Which group has the lowest?

e

Was it a fancy wedding? How does the song describe it?

b

Do any of the figures surprise you? Why?

c

How can you explain the differences between the various population groups?

f

What does the “union cardˮ tell us?

g

How did the young husband make a living?

d

h

What happened to the young coupleʼs plans and dreams?

Suggest what could be done to reduce teenage pregnancy in general.

e

Across race and ethnicity, teen birth rates are less than half of what they were a decade ago. What do you think is the reason for this decline?

i

How do you think they feel about that now?

j

How do they pretend to feel about it?

k

At the end of the song the river is dry. What is the symbolic meaning of that, do you think?

Speaking

Expressing opinions 2a The song says that “when youʼre young they bring you up to do like your daddy doneˮ. What does this mean? Do you find this to be true today? b

3

What can you do to help your hopes and dreams become reality? What advice would you have given the young couple to help them toward a better future?

At a show in Pittsburgh on 22 September 1984, Springsteen dedicated the song to union steelworkers in Pennsylvania who were fighting for better wages and working conditions:

Birth rates for females aged 1519, USA, 2018 (per 1,000 All teens

17.4

Hispanic

27.1

Black

24.9

White

12.5

Asian

4.3

Source: Pew Research Center, 2018

Writing

Writing a story 5

Writing a diary entry 6

150

“Thereʼs something really dangerous happening to us out there. Weʼre slowly getting split up into two different Americas. Things are gettinʼ taken away from people that need them and given to people that donʼt need them, and thereʼs a promise getting broken. In the beginning the idea was that we all live here a little bit like a family, where the strong can help the weak ones, the rich can help the poor ones. I donʼt think the American dream was that everybody was going to make it or that everybody was going to make a billion dollars, but it was that everybody was going to have an opportunity and the chance to live a life with some decency and some dignity and a chance for some self-respect. So I know you gotta be feelinʼ the pinch down here where the rivers meet.ˮ

Use “The Riverˮ as inspiration for a contemporary story about the young couple in the song.

“The Riverˮ is written from the boyʼs perspective.

How do you imagine the girl thinks about the situation? Write her diary entry from their wedding day.

Investigating

American protest music 7

Another American classic song that also focuses on the challenges of poverty is “In the Ghetto,ˮ recorded in a famous version by Elvis Presley.

The song was written by Mac Davis and was originally titled “The Vicious Circleˮ. Listen to the song, and compare it to “The Riverˮ. In what ways do the two songs differ and how are they alike?

Which one do you like better? Explain why.

8

Bruce Springsteen is known for his protest music.

Find a more recent protest song by Springsteen.

What is the message of the song?

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A young Langston Hughes working as a waiter in New York in the 1920s.

Before you read

Some jobs involve dealing with things many people find unpleasant, such as excrement, spit, trash, or foul smells.

Can you think of some jobs that involve these types of unpleasant elements?

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Langston Hughes 1902 1967) was one of the first black writers in the USA to receive literary recognition. His poems, plays, novels, and short stories drew attention to the black cause at a time when segregation was widespread. He lived long enough to witness the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. The poem was first published in the Marxist magazine New Masses in 1926.

spittoon spyttebakke (beholder å spytte tobakksspytt i, vanlig før i tiden) / spyttebakke (behaldar å spytte tobakksspytt i, vanleg før i tida) nickel femcentmynt USA dime ticentmynt USA brass messing cymbals cymbaler/cymbalar

152

Langston Hughes

Brass Spittoons Clean the spittoons, boy.

Detroit, Chicago, Atlantic City, Palm Beach.

Clean the spittoons.

The steam in hotel kitchens, And the smoke in hotel lobbies, And the slime in hotel spittoons: Part of my life.

Hey, boy!

A nickel, A dime, A dollar, Two dollars a day.

Hey, boy!

A nickel, A dime, A dollar, Two dollars Buy shoes for the baby.

House rent to pay.

Gin on Saturday, Church on Sunday.

My God! Babies and gin and church And women and Sunday All mixed with dimes and Dollars and clean spittoons And house rent to pay.

Hey, boy!

A bright bowl of brass is beautiful to the Lord.

Bright polished brass like the cymbals Of King Davidʼs dancers, Like the wine cups of Solomon.

Hey, boy!

A clean spittoon on the altar of the Lord.

A clean bright spittoon all newly polished – At least I can offer that.

Comʼmere, boy!

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How to make a reference to this text Hughes, Langston. 1926 2026. “Brass Spittoonsˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al.

Targets. 152. Oslo: Aschehoug.

Reading

Investigating

Understanding poetry

Low-wage jobs

1

Answer the following questions.

4

a

Who is the speaker? Use examples from the poem to support your answer.

b

In which environments does the speaker work and live?

c

Which poetic and literary devices does Hughes employ in the poem? See page 000 for a list).

What effect do these devices have?

d

What is the speakerʼs tone in the poem? Does it change?

e

What are some possible themes in the poem?

The speaker in “Brass Spittoonsˮ works in the service sector. Investigate what kinds of service or low-wage jobs Black Americans typically held in the 1920s and what barriers they faced if they wanted to access other parts of the labor market.

Suggested resources: • National Museum of African American History and Culture • Library of Congress: The African American Odyssey • PBS Learning Media • National Archives

Speaking Writing

Discussing poetry 2a The speakerʼs race is not explicitly mentioned in the poem, but it is implied. How so? b

What do you make of the last four lines of the poem? Do they convey a message?

c

What function do the Biblical allusions serve in the poem?

d

Do you imagine that it is possible to find dignity in jobs like the ones the speaker has? Give reasons for your answers.

Writing a five-paragraph essay 5

Create a research question and write a fiveparagraph essay related to what you found out in the investigation task above.

Writing

Writing a poem 3

Hughes writes about the daily life of the speaker.

Write a poem about your daily life, inspired by the form of Hughesʼ poem.

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Before you read

What do you think about when you hear “classˮ and “Britainˮ? Create a mind map. Some possible keywords are people or fictional characters, movies or TV series, places and events, occupations and activities.

Social Class and Inequality in Britain

commuter pendler/pendlar business casual pent uformell

154

When we think of social class in Britain today, certain images might come to mind: horse riders dressed in tweed on country estates; middleclass commuters in business casual on the London Tube; and workingclass blokes chatting in regional accents over fish and chips at the local pub. These modern images of social class have roots that stretch back thousands of years.

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One of the roots is peerage, a system of hereditary titles and privileges that has existed in Britain for more than a thousand years. After 1066, the barons, chosen by the King, formed the basis for the House of Lords, an institution that would wield political power for centuries. The peerage was part of the medieval feudal system with the monarch on top and the nobility right below. At the bottom were peasants, by far the largest group of people with the fewest rights and privileges. The feudal system laid the foundation for later social divisions.

Although wealth, privileges, and power were always unevenly distributed, the term social class did not come into use until the Industrial Revolution, a major turning point that would change Britain and the world forever. The upper class evolved from the established aristocracy and the new gentry who earned great fortunes in industry and business. The middle class consisted of business owners and professionals such as doctors and lawyers. The working class emerged because of the great need for manual labour in mines, factories, and transportation networks. While relatively small, the upper class maintained control over the political system, often at the expense of the middle and working classes.

During the Victorian Age, a gradual transfer of power from the upper class to the middle class began, often through reform acts. At the same time, Socialist ideas spread across Europe, and the workers demanded more political influence. By 1928, all men and women over 21 could vote. In the twentieth century, the House of Commons expanded its political power at the expense of the House of Lords, marking a significant democratic development. After 1945, an increasing number of people could also access education, and the number of typical middle-class jobs grew steadily. In the 1990s, both Conservative Prime Minister John Major and then Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair aspired to make Britain a classless society. The focus was on social mobility; the ability to climb in the social hierarchy through merit, not inherited wealth and privileges.

Health and social class have always been linked. In 1948, the National Health Service NHS) was founded. The goal was to give free, tax-funded healthcare to everyone, regardless of social status. In the following decades, the NHS expanded; the number of hospitals increased, and new medical technology was introduced. The NHS became a cornerstone of the welfare system and a source of British pride. In 2009, public satisfaction with the NHS reached a record high. Shortly after, however, the development came to a halt. After 2010, funding did not keep up with the soaring costs. An ageing population, more people with chronic conditions, and the Covid pandemic put a strain on the system. Longer waiting lists, personnel shortages, rising costs, ageing infrastructure, and multiple reorganizations are some of the challenges the NHS faces. In 2024, public satisfaction with the NHS was at its lowest ever.

peerage adelsstand hereditary arvelig/arveleg wield her: utøve, ha (makt) nobility adel peasant bonde, livegen gentry lavadel, herskap / lågadel, herskap at the expense of på bekostning av / på kostnad av classless society klasseløst samfunn / klasselaust samfunn

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social mobility sosial mobilitet (mulighet til å bevege seg mellom sosiale klasser) / sosial mobilitet (moglegheit til å bevege seg mellom sosiale klassar) merit fortjeneste, dyktighet / forteneste, dugleik ageing population aldrende befolkning / aldrande befolkning stagnate stagnere gig economy gig-økonomi (jobbmarked med korte oppdrag, ofte via digitale plattformer) / gig-økonomi (jobbmarknad med korte oppdrag, ofte via digitale plattformer)

156

The strained NHS is part of a greater picture of social inequality. In the wake of the global recession after 2008, it was reported that social mobility in the UK now meant moving downwards instead of upwards. One reason is that the growth in typical middle-class jobs stagnated. Furthermore, parental earnings are a much stronger predictor of an individualʼs earnings than previously. Also, housing prices have sharply increased, widening the gap between young people whose parents can offer financial help and those whose parents cannot. Moreover, social mobility relates to geography and demography. For example, social mobility is weaker in areas with lower wealth levels, such as the Midlands and the North East. In areas with high economic activity, higher shares of married households and better-performing schools, social mobility is stronger. Compared to other OECD countries, the UK has high income inequality and wealth inequality.

Child poverty, a major factor in social mobility, is high and expected to rise. 4.5 million children are growing up in poverty, and children who grow up with a single parent, in large families, with a disabled parent, and in Asian and Black families are more at risk. In 2023, the National Centre for Social Research published a report on British social attitudes. 77% of the respondents said that social class affects someoneʼs opportunities “a great dealˮ or “quite a lotˮ. 32% believed that it is very difficult to move from one class to another, which is almost double the proportion in 2005 17%.

Short-term, task-based work is not a new concept, but the rise of the gig economy has changed the job market in recent decades. Smartphones and digital platforms have changed how people find jobs and how work is structured. A 2018 survey found that 4.4% in Great Britain had worked in the gig economy in the last 12 months. They were commonly young, lived in the London area, and had the same education level as the general population. The most common jobs were in courier, transportation, and food delivery services. On the one hand, the survey found that more than half of the workers were satisfied or fairly satisfied with their work, particularly their experience of independence and flexibility. On the other hand, they were dissatisfied with work-related benefits and wages.

Moreover, a Cambridge study found that a majority feared unfair feedback, sudden work-hour changes and income drops. Around half said that they risked their health while working, and 42% reported physical pain resulting from work. These findings suggest that while the gig economy offers flexibility and independence, it also exposes workers to insecurity and stress. It illustrates how changes in the job market can create new opportunities but also reinforce existing forms of inequality.

Social class and social inequality continue to shape life in the UK, despite political promises of equality and social mobility. Historical class divisions created unequal access to power, wealth, and opportunity, and although democratic reforms, education, and the welfare state have improved conditions for many, significant differences remain. Factors such

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as income, geography, health, and housing still influence life chances, while changes in the labour market, including the growth of the gig economy, show how new forms of work can both create opportunities and reinforce social differences. Overall, British society has changed over time, but social class continues to play an important role in shaping peopleʼs opportunities and outcomes.

labour market arbeidsmarked/ arbeidsmarknad

How to make a reference to this text “Social Class and Inequality in Britainˮ. In Balsvik et al. Targets. 154157. Oslo: Aschehoug.

C A working-class teenager in the North East D A middle-class parent worried about housing costs E An NHS nurse or healthcare worker

Reading

Understanding the text 1a Read each paragraph carefully. Write down important keywords from each of them. b

What is the peerage system?

c

What was the feudal system?

d

When did the term social class come into use, and why at exactly this point in time?

e

Which three social classes emerged during the Industrial Revolution?

f

Which political changes democratized the UK during the late 1800s and 1900s?

g

What was the purpose of the NHS when it was founded?

h

Mention two of the main challenges NHS faces today.

i

What factors can make social mobility more difficult in the UK today?

j

According to the text, what are advantages and disadvantages of being a gig worker?

Writing

Writing a short text 2

Choose one of the following roles: A A gig worker in London.

B An upper-class teenager at a boarding school

Write a short text in the first person where you describe: • Your everyday life, both pleasures and difficulties.

• Which opportunities feel open to you, and which feel closed.

• How you see your future.

Your text should be grounded in reality and the factual text, but you can use creative and informal language.

Investigating

Social class and opportunity in the UK 3

Here are some broad claims about social class and opportunity in the UK. Choose one of them.

A Anyone can succeed if they work hard.

B Social class no longer matters in Britain.

C Education gives everyone an equal change to succeed.

D The UK healthcare system reduces social inequality.

Find two pieces of evidence, for example statistics, from reliable sources. Find out if they support, challenge, or disprove your chosen claim. Present your findings in groups.

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William Blake 17571827 was an English poet and artist. He is famous for combining poetry and art to explore topics such as childhood, imagination, and social injustice. He was largely unknown during his life but has later been recognized as one of the most influential writers of his time. “The Chimney Sweeperˮ was first published in Songs of Innocence in 1789.

Before you read

What emotions or memories do you associate with being a child?

William Blake

The Chimney Sweeper When my mother died I was very young, And my father sold me while yet my tongue, Could scarcely cry weep weep weep weep.

So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.

Thereʼs little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head That curled like a lambs back, was shaved, so I said.

Hush Tom never mind it, for when your headʼs bare, You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.

And so he was quiet, & that very night, As Tom was a sleeping he had such a sight, That thousands of sweepers Dick, Joe, Ned & Jack Were all of them locked up in coffins of black, chimney sweeper feier/feiar soot sot bare naken, ubedekt / naken, udekt

158

And by came an Angel who had a bright key, And he opened the coffins & set them all free.

Then down a green plain leaping laughing they run And wash in a river and shine in the Sun.

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Then naked & white, all their bags left behind, They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind.

And the Angel told Tom, if heʼd be a good boy, Heʼd have God for his father & never want joy.

And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark And got with our bags & our brushes to work.

Thoʼ the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm, So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm

How to make a reference to this text Blake, William. 1789 2026. “The Chimney Sweeperˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al.

Targets. 158159. Oslo: Aschehoug.

• Parliament UK • The Victorian Web • BBC Teach

Reading

Understanding poetry 1

Answer the following questions.

a

Speaker and environment

What do you make of the poemʼs last couplet? Is there a particular message?

Blake published counterparts of many poems from Songs of Innocence in the collection Songs of Experience, including “The Chimney Sweeperˮ. The collections were published as one in 1794 with the title Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. Find “The Chimney Sweeperˮ from Songs of Experience, as well as the illustrations for both poems. Compare the two poems and their illustrations, keeping the phrase “the two contrary states of the human soulˮ in mind.

Investigating

Writing

Who is the speaker? What is his environment like? b

Songs of Experience 4

Poetic and literary devices Which poetic and literary devices does Blake employ in the poem? See page 000 for a list).

What effect do these devices have?

Speaking

Discussing poetry 2

Child labour 3

The speaker in “The Chimney Sweeperˮ is a young boy who works as a chimney sweeper.

Research child labour during the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian Age. Suggested resources: • The National Archives UK • The British Library • BBC Bitesize

Writing a longer text 5

Create a research question and write a fiveparagraph essay related to what you found out in task 3.

Write a five-paragraph essay comparing the two versions of “The Chimney Sweeperˮ from task 4.

6

Find another poem whose subject matter is child labour or child poverty. Write a comparison between “The Chimney Sweeperˮ and your chosen poem.

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Sarah Crossan 1981, born in Dublin, Ireland, and Brian Conaghan 1971, a Scottish author, are both prize-winning writers. In 2017 they published a novel in verse together. In We Come Apart we meet two teenagers, Nicu who is an immigrant from Romania, and Jess who comes from a poor and violent background. They become friends and sweethearts, and bond over their painful pasts and their hopes for the future. In “My Futureˮ we hear Jessʼ voice.

Before you read

Can young people choose to become whatever they like regardless of social background? Why / why not?

Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan

My Future Now weʼre studying for proper exams, itʼs not just Mr Morgan banging on about us fulfilling our potentials.

Every teacher is like, “Itʼs about time you lot took school seriously,ˮ and “If you applied yourself, you could blah blah blah,ˮ and “What do you want to do after your exams anyway?

Have you thought about college?ˮ I could say, “Well, I wanna be a doctor with my own practice down Harley Street and make four hundred quid an hour.

But if that isnʼt possible

maybe I could work in films, and make stuff that everyone watches.

Or if, you know, like, I donʼt get great results, I could do an apprenticeship or something like my aunt Helen who works as a hairdresser on a cruise ship.ˮ But the thing is, it doesnʼt matter what I want, how smart I am or what results I get – people like me never get out of places like this.

How to make a reference to this text Crossan, Sarah and Conaghan, Brian 2017 2026. “My Futureˮ. Reprinted in Balsvik et al. Targets. 160. Oslo: Aschehoug.

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Reading

A Critical Eye

Understanding literature

Opportunities

1

Answer the following questions.

5

a

What is the main question asked in the first stanza?

b

What professions or occupations does Jess see herself in? Does she really believe in these options, in your opinion?

c

How does Jess conclude in the final stanza?

Create two columns. In the first one, write down what factors that enhance your educational and professional opportunities as a young person in Norway. In the second one, write down what factors that limit these opportunities. Mark which of the factors in both columns rest with you and your family (such as your parentsʼ wealth) and which factors rest with the Norwegian society (such as affordable student loans).

Speaking Writing

Understanding literature 2

Work in pairs or small groups. What kind of poem is this? Comment on form and literary devices. See page 000 and 000.)

3

What limits or constraints do you think shape Jessʼs idea of her future? How do these affect the way she speaks about her future?

4

Considering what you know or what you find out about social mobility in the United Kingdom, discuss why Jess might feel that there is no way out.

Writing a longer text 6

Write a text in which you reflect on your opportunities. Use the lists you made in task 5 as a starting point.

Investigating

Social mobility in the UK 7

Is Jessʼs perception of her future rooted in reality?

Find out what statistics say about social mobility in the UK.

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Film Corner Title: Sorry We Missed You Production year: 2019 Director: Ken Loach Writer: Paul Laverty Stars: Kris Hitchen, Debbie Honeywood, Rhys Mcgowan, Katie Proctor Running time: 1h 41m Genre: Drama

Before you read

What kind of job would you prefer: a job with a fixed income and fixed hours or a more flexible job where the pay is based on your performance and you can work as many or as few hours as you want? Give reasons for your answer.

Sorry We Missed You Sorry We Missed You follows a working-class family in Newcastle in the late 2010s. The Turners struggle to keep their heads above water, torn between day-to-day survival and the distant hope of owning their own home. When the father, Ricky, takes on a gig job as a parcel delivery driver, the promise of independence and quick money soon clashes with the harsh realities of a system where flexibility and risk benefit the employer, not the worker. Meanwhile, the mother, Abby, works long hours in a demanding job as a home carer where saving time and money is the highest priority. While working hard in the hope of giving their children a brighter future, Ricky and Abby gradually notice that their everyday family life suffers, and that their efforts do not bring them closer to their dream of financial stability.

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Speaking

Investigating

Understanding the film

The North East

1a What is Rickyʼs motivation for taking the gig job?

3

b

What are some benefits and risks in Rickyʼs job?

Make a list.

c

What are Abbeyʼs working conditions like, and how are they affected further by Rickyʼs job?

d

How does the familyʼs financial situation affect the choices Ricky and Abby make?

e

In what ways do Rickyʼs and Abbyʼs jobs affect their home life and the well-being of their children?

f

Why do you think it is so important for Ricky and Abbey to own their own home?

The filmʼs setting, Newcastle, is in the North East, the region that was the centre of the Industrial Revolution. Investigate how the economy and social conditions in the North East have developed since the Industrial Revolution, and how the region now compares with other areas of the country.

Suggested resources: • BBC Bitesize – Case study: the North East – The North/South divide in the UK • Office for National Statistics – The North East – Mapping Inequality in the UK • North East Evidence Hub

Analysing the film 2a How does the film portray the gig economy? b

Describe the setting. What role does the setting play?

c

How are Rickyʼs and Abbyʼs jobs shown to both reflect and affect their identities?

d

In the film, individuals like Ricky, Abby, and Seb are often blamed when things go wrong. What does the film suggest about the system around them? Does the film challenge the idea that responsibility lies only with the individual?

e

How does the film use everyday situations, such as work routines and family interactions, to create realism?

f

What message does the film communicate about social mobility and modern family life in the UK?

g

The filmʼs title refers to the phrase on the note that delivery drivers leave when the recipient is not at home. Could the title have other meanings?

Writing

Writing a five-paragraph essay 4

Create a research question and write a fiveparagraph essay based on what you found out in the investigation task.

5

Write a five-paragraph essay in which you compare certain aspects of the film Sorry We Missed You and the short story “Job Historyˮ.

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Applying Your Knowledge There are failing schools in a lot of these communities, failing to give kids the educational leg up that really makes it possible for kids to have opportunities later in life. These things are all important. I donʼt mean to discount these structural barriers. But when I look back at my life and my community, something else was going on, something else mattered. Itʼs difficult to quantify, but it was no less real.

Speaking

Making a presentation 1

In small groups, discuss the following statements.

• Poverty is mainly the result of individual choices.

• Hard work is enough to move up in society.

• Low-paid work is essential, but undervalued.

• Modern societies still need a working class.

• It is fair that jobs requiring less education are paid less.

So for starters, there was a very real sense of hopelessness in the community that I grew up in. There was a sense that kids had that their choices didnʼt matter. No matter what happened, no matter how hard they worked, no matter how hard they tried to get ahead, nothing good would happen. So thatʼs a tough feeling to grow up around. Thatʼs a tough mindset to penetrate, and it leads sometimes to very conspiratorial places.ˮ

Choose one statement each and decide to what extent you agree. You can use the scale in the introductory activity as a starting point. Prepare to explain your reasoning behind your opinion. Use examples from at least two of the texts you have worked with to support your opinion. Present as a group.

Writing

Summarising 2

In 2016, J.D. Vance published his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. The same year, he gave a Ted Talk about “Americaʼs forgotten working classˮ. Write a paragraph in which you sum up what Vance thinks are the causes of poverty and lack of social mobility.

J.D. Vance: Americaʼs forgotten working class | TED Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/j_d_vance_america_s_forgotten_ working_class

Commenting 3

“And one of the things weʼve learned, unfortunately, is that upward mobility isnʼt as high as weʼd like it to be in this country, and interestingly, itʼs very geographically distributed. So take Utah, for instance. In Utah a poor kid is actually doing OK, very likely to live their share and their part in the American Dream. But if you think of where Iʼm from, in the South, in Appalachia, in southern Ohio, itʼs very unlikely that kids like that will rise. The American Dream in those parts of the country is in a very real sense just a dream.

164

So why is that happening? So one reason is obviously economic or structural. So you think of these areas. Theyʼre beset by these terrible economic trends, built around industries like coal and steel that make it harder for folks to get ahead. Thatʼs certainly one problem.

Thereʼs also the problem of brain drain, where the really talented people, because they canʼt find high-skilled work at home, end up moving elsewhere, so they donʼt build a business or non-profit where theyʼre from, they end up going elsewhere and taking their talents with them.

At the end of the 1990s, writer Barbara Ehrenreich went undercover in working class jobs to write a documentary book called Nickel and Dimed. In the book, published in 2001, she writes:

“But guilt doesnʼt go near far enough; the appropriate emotion is shame – shame at our own dependency, in this case, on the underpaid labor of others. When someone works for less pay than she can live on – when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently – then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life.ˮ Comment on the main idea of this excerpt. Explain whether you agree or disagree and why.

Writing a longer text 4

Write a text in which you explore how work, poverty, and social inequality are experienced in the texts in this chapter. Use examples from at least two texts to support your points.

Suggested topics: • Poverty and economic insecurity • Inequality in everyday life • Hopes and ambitions • Pride, dignity, and identity

7 A Global Language

7 A Global Language

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Applying Your Knowledge Writing

2

Communicating According to the 2025 Future of Jobs Report World Economic Forum), these are the top five core skills needed for the workforce:

What do you think about the future society Duncan describes? Write a short response for the comment section of an online newspaper.

Writing a five-paragraph essay 3

Write a five-paragraph essay about the following topic: Nature, nurture, or conscious choice? To what extent do we control who shapes our lives? nature v. nurture = arv vs. miljø In this essay, we want you to reflect on how much we actually get to actively choose the people who are the most influential to our lives.

Suggested structure: Introduction

Introduce the main topic in an engaging way.

1st paragraph

Which influential people do we typically

2nd paragraph

Which influential people do we typically

get to choose?

Source: World Economic Forum

1

Choose the skill which you believe will be the most important for workers in 2050.

a

Define this skill in your own words.

b

Explain why you think it will be essential in the future. Give your text a suitable title.

Writing a response Duncan Thomasen 55, an AI artist and film editor from the UK, predicts that by 2035, AI will be fully embodied in childrenʼs toys and by 2050, there will be an entire generation raised by AI

“I think weʼll really see the shift by around 2035, when AI becomes fully embodied in things like teddy bears, dolls or action figures.

Once that happens, especially for the younger generations, AI companions could feel like teachers, friends, even siblings. Maybe growing up with a teddy that knows you from birth, that bond could be just as strong, if not stronger, than with a casual human connection. And so by 2050, we could have an entire generation raised with AI toys, books, schools, even fridges and houses that all have personalities.

At that point, the bond could become a familywide experience much like the way we bring pets into our lives.ˮ

Source: Talker News, 26 August 2025

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not get to choose?

3rd paragraph

Reflect on a conflict or challenge that arises here.

Conclusion

Conclude by engaging the reader, without repeating yourself.

11 Skills

11 Skills

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Vocabulary

1 Learning Vocabulary Reading and actively using a language are the keys to acquiring new vocabulary. Remember that you do not need to understand every word to grasp the meaning – the context (the other words in the sentence and the topic of the text) often makes it clear.

Making word lists is an old and proven method. Each time you meet a new word, write it down with examples of usage and learn how to pronounce it. Words you write down and test yourself on will most likely stick in your memory.

Many apps and websites can help you drill new vocabulary, but research shows that handwritten notes are better retained than typed notes. In the end, find the method that works best for you.

How to interpret a dictionary entry Dictionaries give you the correct spelling, pronunciation, definition and usage of a word. They usually note whether a word is American or British English, and whether it is formal, informal or old-fashioned (archaic).

–– head word –– part of speechd –– pronunciation

–– difficulty level –– definition

–– examples of use

–– related words

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Forming words Words can be formed by combining two words, as in postman. They can also be formed by adding prefixes or suffixes to a root or stem word.

Knowing the most common prefixes and suffixes lets you recognise many new words at a glance.

Common prefixes Prefix

Meaning

Examples

com-, co-

with

compassion, cooperate, correlate

de-

opposite, remove

defrost

dis-

not, opposite of

disagree

e-

electronic

email, e-commerce, e-book

en-, em-

cause to, put into

enable, embrace

ex-

out, previous

export, ex-boyfriend

in-, im-, il-, ir-

not

injustice, immortal, illegal, irregular

inter-

between, among

interact, international

mis-

wrongly

mistake

non-

not

nonsense, non-profit

over-

over

overlook

post-

after in time

postpone, post-war

pre-

before in time, place

prefix, pre-war

re-

again

return, remake, repeat

Suffix

Meaning

Examples

-able, -ible

can be done

comfortable, doable

-er, -or

one who

worker, actor, blogger

-ion, -tion, -ation, ition

act, process

occasion, attraction

-ity, -ty

state of

infinity

-less

without

hopeless

-ment

action or process

enjoyment

-ness

state of, condition of

sadness

-ous, -eous, -ious

possessing the qualities of

dangerous

-ish

having the characteristics of

foolish

-ify, -fy

to make or become

glorify

-y

full of, condition of

messy

Common suffixes

Practising your skills How many new words can you make from the following words using prefixes and suffixes? happy, friend, grace, sleep, joy, take, child, lock, safe

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Understanding the meaning of words A word does not always have one fixed meaning – it can mean different things to different people and in different situations. This is worth keeping in mind when you read texts or talk to others.

Denotation and connotation A word can have both a denotative and a connotative meaning. The denotative meaning is the literal definition you find in a dictionary. The connotative meaning is the associations – positive or negative – that the word triggers. The denotative meaning of summer is the “season between spring and autumnˮ. What associations does the word summer give you?

Are they positive or negative connotations?

Synonyms Synonyms are words with the same meaning. Some are interchangeable (almost / nearly), while others differ in register: put up with and endure mean the same, but endure is more formal. Synonyms help you vary your writing.

Antonyms Antonyms are words with the opposite meaning, such as small/large, few/ many or possible/impossible. When you learn a new word, also find its antonym to expand your vocabulary.

Homonyms Homonyms are words that sound and are spelled the same but have several meanings. The word run, for example, has many meanings and can be both a verb and a noun.

Set phrases An idiom is an expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words. Idioms are difficult to translate and often donʼt exist in other languages. A piece of cake means something is easy. Pigs might fly means something will never happen.

A collocation is two or more words that often go together, learnt as a whole phrase: to make progress, free time, fast asleep.

Practising your skills In pairs, find at least two more phrases for each category in the table. Think of expressions you have heard in debates, interviews, or podcasts. Share your lists with another pair.Listening

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2 Listening Strategies Listening is an essential skill in many daily activities – and especially when you are learning a foreign language. Before we explore strategies for becoming a more active listener, take a few minutes to think about your own listening habits:

Practising your skills Discuss the following statements in small groups.

•

You can listen to songs in English all day, without really listening to the lyrics.

•

Understanding a foreign language allows you to listen in on other peopleʼs conversations!

•

From a language-learning perspective, itʼs best to watch a film or TV-series without any subtitles at all.

•

The main challenge of having a conversation with a native speaker of English, is that there is no option to “pauseˮ, “reduce speedˮ or “activate subtitlesˮ.

Different purposes call for different listening strategies. You will often meet different listening tasks in class, in assessments and at exams. The strategies below can help you prepare for these situations and manage your time.

1 Listening for details Listening for details means picking out specific information from a recording, for example, finding out when the next bus is leaving or what artist is playing on the radio.

2 Listening to summarise Listening to summarise means explaining the main content of a recording in your own words. Practising this helps you catch the essence of what you hear, whether it is a story or a podcast.

3 Listening to elaborate and explore Listening to elaborate and explore means commenting on and developing the main ideas of a recording and using them in your own reflections.

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Pre-listening strategies: the three Ps Are you PREPARED? Your personal mindset and physical surroundings matter.

• Do you have a working environment that helps you concentrate?

• Are you motivated for the task? What can you PREDICT? The more you know about the recording and the questions before you start, the better.

• Do you know anything about the content of the recordings?

• Have you been given any instructions, titles or questions beforehand?

Do you have a PLAN? A clear plan or set of strategies boosts your confidence and helps you focus.

• How will you take notes? This may depend on the type of questions – multiple choice or open answers.)

• How will you manage your time? Will you have a chance to listen more than once?

While-listening strategies: the three Rs RELAX Donʼt panic if there are difficult words you donʼt understand. The context – what comes before and after – will often help you grasp the meaning of the sentence.

REACT Note down key words as you listen. Thereʼs no time for full sentences – capture phrases that stand out as important.

REPEAT If you can, listen to difficult passages more than once.

After-listening strategies: the two Cs CHECK Re-read the question and make sure your answer covers exactly what it asks.

CORRECT Re-read your answers and correct any language errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation).

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Speaking

3 Oral Discussions Oral discussions are a common form of assessment in English class. During these discussions, you will explore and reflect on different topics in small groups. The goal is not to give a speech, but to share ideas, respond to others and develop your thinking together.

The advice below will help you prepare and succeed in this setting.

1 Preparation is key!

A subject-specific discussion rarely flows smoothly without preparation.

Therefore, it is important that you have done some work beforehand.

Remember to: • Read the relevant pages in your textbook.

• Review your notes.

• Reflect on the topic and form your own opinions.

• Prepare a few examples or arguments you can use in the conversation.

2 Be an active participant Finding the right balance between dominating the conversation and being too silent can be challenging. Just remember that the aim is to help the group develop ideas together.

You can: • Share your opinions.

• Ask relevant questions.

• Build on what others are saying.

• Encourage quieter group members to speak.

3 Be a good listener Listening is just as important as speaking in a discussion. Pay attention when others are talking and avoid interrupting them. You do not always have to agree, but you should respond to what others say and build on their ideas.

Try to: • Refer to other peopleʼs ideas.

• Avoid repeating points already made.

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4 Give reasons for your views When you share an opinion, try to explain why you think that way. This helps make the discussion more interesting.

You can: • Give examples.

• Explain your reasoning.

• Refer to something you have read, watched or learned in class.

Final tips: • Prepare notes, not a full script.

• Practise speaking about the topic with a classmate.

• It is okay to pause and think before answering.

• Accept that mistakes are a part of learning.

• Stay calm and trust the preparation you have done.

Useful phrases Presenting ideas

One key reason why It is evident that Research indicates that

Citing sources

According to ...

As pointed out by ... ... states that

Asking for clarification

Can you explain what you mean by ...?

Could you give an example?

Why do you say that?

Agreeing

Youʼre absolutely right.

Thatʼs a very good point.

I couldnʼt agree more.

Partly disagreeing

Thatʼs quite true, but I agree with you in principle, but I agree with you to a certain extent, but Another perspective might be ...

Disagreeing

On the other hand, However, one must consider that Despite the fact that

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Fishbowl Discussion A fishbowl discussion allows students to explore complex or controversial topics in a structured and respectful way. It encourages listening, critical thinking, and participation.

Preparation Each motion needs five students: one moderator, two who are for the motion, and two who are against it.

• Brainstorm arguments for and against the motion, and formulate your position in one clear sentence.

• Support your arguments with evidence: facts and statistics (logos), credible experts (ethos), and emotional appeals (pathos).

• Identify counter-arguments and prepare rebuttals supported by evidence.

• Listen to what your opponents actually say and acknowledge their views respectfully.

• You may bring one page of key words and notes.

Setup Arrange two circles of chairs. The inner circle (the “fishbowlˮ) is for the moderator and the four debaters; the outer circle is for the listeners.

How it works The inner circle discusses one motion at a time, with a debate lasting 1015 minutes.

The outer circle listens silently and takes notes on the arguments.

After each debate there are 5 minutes for questions.

The moderator must: Research both sides and prepare guiding questions to use if the discussion stalls.

Introduce the topic and rules clearly.

Ensures everyone speaks, keep the conversation on topic and respectful, and manage timing Not share personal opinions – only facilitate the discussion.

Debrief After the discussion, the class reflects together: • Who “wonˮ the debate, and which arguments were the strongest?

• Did anyoneʼs opinion change?

• How could participants improve next time?

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13 Writing a Five-Paragraph Essay A five-paragraph essay is a useful model for organizing your text: an introduction, three main body paragraphs and a conclusion. The name is just a guide – your essay may have six or seven paragraphs, as long as the introduction and conclusion frame a well-developed main body. More experienced writers can deviate from the model if they create flow and structure in other ways.

Planning your essay Getting started is often the hardest part. Test ideas with a partner, and use the question words to dig deeper: what, which, when, where, who, whom, whose, why, whether and how. Jot down ideas on paper, post-it notes or your computer. Make mind-maps and lists, then sort your material into arguments, examples and statistics, and group what belongs together.

The more carefully you organize, the easier it is to write good paragraphs.

What fits into the introduction, into each main body paragraph, and into the conclusion?

Choosing a structure Start by outlining your argument(s), paragraph by paragraph: what is the main point of your first paragraph? Of your second? Of your third? Below are five approaches you can use.

A Pros and cons

D Cause and effect

Introduction

Introduction

Main body

Arguments for (pros)

Main body

Arguments against (cons)

Description of the issue

Discussion of the arguments Conclusion

B Claims and evidence

E Problem-solution

Introduction

Introduction Claim 1 + evidence

Possible solutions Why these solutions may work Conclusion

Introduction Similarities Differences Discussion of similarities and differences Conclusion

The problem (where, when, who, what)

Claim 3 + evidence

C Compare and contrast

Main body

Main body

Claim 2 + evidence

Conclusion

328

Consequences of the issue

Conclusion

Main body

Causes of the issue

11 Skills

Writing an introduction The absolute minimum of an introduction is three sentences: • Your opening sentence – your hook – has one job: to grab the readerʼs attention and make them want to read on. Ideas for an opening sentence: – a famous quote on the subject – a surprising fact or statistics – refer to current debate on an issue – an anecdote or a personal experience – a rhetorical question.

• The transition sentence links the hook to your thesis – often by commenting on the opening sentence and narrowing the focus.

• Your thesis is a statement or a question that tells the reader exactly what your text will be about. Refer back to the task in your thesis, ideally using some of the same words, to make sure you answer every aspect of the question.

Sample text: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn,ˮ wrote the futurist Alvin Toffler in 1970. In a time when AI-generated images, deepfake videos and political bots fill our feeds, his words feel more urgent than ever. This essay will explain what media literacy is and argue that today, being media literate is just as essential as being able to read – because without it, we cannot tell truth from manipulation, and democracy itself becomes harder to defend.

opening sentence transition sentence thesis

Practising your skills Choose one of the writing tasks in the book (for example task 4 page 22 or task 2 page 56) and write two different introductions answering the same task.

Choose two of the ideas for an opening sentence presented above.

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Writing the main body paragraphs Pay attention to each paragraph. The reader should always be able to see clearly what its point is.

• Topic sentence: A good paragraph opens with a topic sentence that states its main point.

• Supporting ideas: Support your topic sentence with evidence and examples. This could be statistics, facts, (literary) examples, etc.

Explain how the evidence supports your point.

• Transition/concluding sentence: Link each paragraph to the next. One easy way is to end with a question that the next paragraph answers.

A transition can also be more subtle. The key is that each paragraph follows on logically from the one before.

Sample text: topic sentence evidence and examples explanation concluding sentence

Reading every day helps you become a better writer. Studies of school children consistently show that pupils who read for fun have richer vocabularies and write more varied sentences than those who do not. This is because we pick up new words and sentence patterns from what we read, often without realising it. So, if you want to improve your writing, the easiest place to start is by picking up a book.

Sample text: topic sentence evidence and examples explanation and analysis

transition sentence

For a list of linking words, see page 000.

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The most pressing reason to be media literate today is the sheer volume of misinformation we meet every day. A 2024 Reuters Institute study found that nearly six in ten young Europeans had recently shared a news story they later realised was false. The cause is rarely stupidity – it is speed. Social media rewards emotional reactions, not careful reading, and AI now makes it possible to fabricate convincing images and quotes in seconds. Without the habit of pausing to check the source and ask who benefits from a story, even smart users become carriers of someone elseʼs agenda. And misinformation is only the start; media literacy also shapes how we form our own opinions.

11 Skills

Writing a conclusion While the introduction grabs your readerʼs attention, the conclusion leaves them with a strong message. It is what readers remember best – the place where all the pieces fall into place. Donʼt introduce new arguments or new information; show how the arguments you have already made lead to a final point.

In your conclusion you have to: • Use a transition signal that signals that this is your conclusion, see the list on page 000.

• Refer back to your thesis to come full circle – but rephrase it in a fresh way rather than simply repeating it.

• Show how you have answered your thesis – and thereby the original task – by briefly synthesizing your main points. This gives the text a sense of closure.

• Write a strong finish that makes the reader think about your topic. This is where you answer the question “So what?ˮ by using any of these techniques: – What is the bigger picture, the broader significance?

– If this is the situation today, what does that mean for the future?

– Now that you have argued your points, tell your reader to take action and do something: make a call for action.

– Ask a final question in which you directly challenge your reader.

– Appeal to pathos, logos or ethos (see page 000 appeal to your readerʼs emotions, sense of logic or quote a final authority on the topic.

Sample text: In conclusion, media literacy today is no longer an extra skill for journalists and researchers; it is a basic survival kit for anyone with a phone in their pocket. As we have seen, it protects us from manipulation, helps us form our own opinions and keeps democratic debate alive in an age of algorithms. Tofflerʼs warning was sharper than he probably knew: the new illiterates are not those who cannot read words, but those who cannot question them. The good news is that media literacy can be learned – and unlearned, and relearned – if we are willing to slow down the next time a headline makes us furious.

transition signal referring back to the thesis showing how the thesis is answered the finish: a call to action

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Sample Essay: Media Literacy Task: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.ˮ Alvin Toffler, 1970 Write a text in which you reflect on the significance of media literacy today. In your text, you should explain what media literacy is and argue why it is essential that we are media literate.

Learn, Unlearn, Relearn: The Case for Media Literacy “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn,ˮ wrote the futurist Alvin Toffler in 1970. In a time when AI-generated images, deepfake videos and political bots fill our feeds, his words feel more urgent than ever. This essay will explain what media literacy is and argue that, today, being media literate is just as essential as being able to read – because without it, we cannot tell truth from manipulation, and democracy itself becomes harder to defend.

Before we can argue why media literacy matters, we need to be clear about what it is. Media literacy is the ability to access, analyse, evaluate and create messages across different media – from a news article in The Guardian to a thirty-second TikTok clip. A media literate reader does not simply take in information; they ask who made it, why it was made, and what has been left out. UNESCO describes media literacy as a basic competence for the 21st century, on par with traditional reading and writing. So what does this skill look like in practice, and why is it now so urgent?

The most pressing reason to be media literate today is the sheer volume of misinformation we meet every day. A 2024 Reuters Institute study found that nearly six in ten young Europeans had recently shared a news story they later realised was false. The cause is rarely stupidity – it is speed. Social media rewards emotional reactions, not careful reading, and AI now makes it possible to fabricate convincing images and quotes in seconds. Without the habit of pausing to check the source and ask who benefits from a story, even smart users become carriers of someone elseʼs agenda. And misinformation is only the start; media literacy also shapes how we form our own opinions.

A second reason why media literacy is essential is that it protects us from the quieter danger of the echo chamber. Algorithms on YouTube, TikTok and X are designed to show us more of what we already agree with, which means our feeds gradually shrink to a single political colour and a single emotional tone. Without media literacy, it is easy to mistake this narrow stream for the whole picture, and to assume that anyone who disagrees must be either evil or stupid. A democracy, however, depends on citizens who can listen to opposing views and change their minds when the evidence demands it. In other words, media literacy is not only a personal skill – it is part of the social glue that holds a free society together.

In conclusion, media literacy today is no longer an extra skill for journalists and researchers; it is a basic survival kit for anyone with a phone in their pocket. As we have seen, it protects us from manipulation, helps us form our own opinions and keeps democratic debate alive in an age of algorithms. Tofflerʼs warning was sharper than he probably knew: the new illiterates are not those who cannot read words, but those who cannot question them. The good news is that media literacy can be learned – and unlearned, and relearned – if we are willing to slow down the next time a headline makes us furious.

Practising your skills a

Read paragraphs 2 and 4. Can you identify the components of a paragraph explained on page 000?

b

Which of the essay structures outlined on page 000 does this sample essay follow?

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11 Skills

14 Revising your text Improving your sentences The tips below can be helpful when you revise your text, after the first draft, or as a checklist while you write.

Tip 1 Do not write more than 2025 words in a sentence.

Long sentences can be difficult for the reader to follow.

Tip 2 Add information to make your sentences more interesting.

Use pre-modifiers (adjectives) and post-modifiers (relative clauses or prepositional phrases) to add detail to a noun.

Tip 3 Add viewpoint and commenting adverbs.

These adverbs (e.g. unfortunately, obviously, finally) tell the reader something about your opinion.

Tip 4 Use linking words.

Linking words help the reader navigate your text. Common examples are: however (contrast), moreover and in addition (adding), above all, finally (emphasis) and to sum up (conclusion).

Linking words and phrases Linking words and phrases help you to connect your ideas and show how one point leads to the next. You can think of them as bridges that will help your text flow better and make it easier for the reader to understand your message.

See the next page for a list of useful linking words and phrases.

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20 Citing and Referencing Citing your sources helps readers check them. This section presents the Chicago style for citing and referencing. You will refer to each source twice: once in the text itself, and again in the reference list at the end.

Referring to sources within the text When you refer to a source in your text, insert the authorʼs name and the date of publication in parentheses. If you quote from someoneʼs publication, you must also refer to the page number. The author of a publication can also be a university, an organisation or a government department. You refer to them in the same way as do for a person.

One author Workers in teams tend to adopt particular roles Belbin, 2010.

Two authors This manual attempted a definitive ruling on the uses of the apostrophe Shields and Taylor, 2016.

OR Shields and Taylor 2016) discuss the various uses of the apostrophe.

Three or more authors Johnson and others 2014) highlighted some potential problems with user-generated content.

If you cannot establish the author of a text, use the title instead.

It has been stated that the disease occurs more frequently in men (Preventing Coronary Heart Disease, 2013.

Reference list Organize your sources in alphabetical order at the end of your text.

Textbook Balsvik, L., K. Furuset Jensen, J. S. Henry, J. Kagge, S. Nygaard-Joki, R. Pihlstrøm, and S. P. Raustøl.

2026. Targets. Oslo: Aschehoug.

Factual text Crystal, David. 2003. “Why a Global Language?ˮ In English as a Global Language, 128. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Novel, short story or poetry collection Hamid, Mohsin. 2007. The Reluctant Fundamentalist. London: Penguin.

Poem in a poetry collection Angelou, Maya. 1978. “Still I Rise.ˮ In And Still I Rise, 4142. New York: Random House.

Film, video or broadcast Citizen Kane. 1941. Orson Welles, dir. USA RKO Radio Pictures.

Article online Milman, O. 2019. “UN launches drive to suck back carbon and reverse climate change.ˮ The Guardian, 17 September 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/17/un-climate-change-carbongeoengineering-capture-storage-restoration-forum.

Website British Council. 2019. “Our favourite compound nouns in European languages.ˮ https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/europe-language-compound-nouns.

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12 Grammar

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Contents Word Classes

330

Sentences

Verbs

331

Complete and incomplete sentences

344

331

Phrases, clauses and sentences

344

Regular verbs

331

The basic sentence patterns in English

345

Irreglar verbs

331

Adverbials

345

Finite and non-finite verb forms

The infinitive

331

The order of adverbials

The -ing form

332

The position of adverbials of frequency 346

332

Verb tenses

333

Non-finite clauses

Active and passive

336

Adverbial clauses

346

Reporting verbs

336

Relative clauses

348

Possessive adjectives and pronouns

336

Comment and viewpoint adverbials

345

Subject-verb agreement

Pronouns

Reduction of relative clauses

346 346

348

337

Noun clauses

348

Reflexive pronouns

337

Sentence types

349

Relative pronouns

337

Punctuation

349

Indefinite pronouns Nouns

338

The Comma

348

338

The Apostrophe

348

Quotation marks

348

Countable nouns

338

Uncountable nouns

339

Countable or uncountable nouns

339

Articles

339

Possessives (the genitive)

341

Some/any Comparison of adjectives

Capitalization

351

339

Determiners

Adjectives

341

Language Work

338

341

Words and Phrases

338

341

Troubleshooters (for Norwegians)

340

342

Sentence Building

342

Adverbs with two forms

342

Traits of English

344

Comparison of adverbs

343

Taking Your English Further

347

Adverbs

346

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12 Grammar

Word Classes Words are put together to form sentences. Sentences form texts. We group words into different parts of speech or word classes. In English there are nine word classes.

Part of speech

Description

Examples

Verbs

Denote actions or states.

Action verbs: bring, read, learn, do, think Stative verbs: seem, like, smell, prefer, be, look, taste

Nouns

Names of things, persons or places.

Common nouns: house, cat, idea, man Proper nouns: Marie, London, Scotland

Adjectives

Modify nouns.

happy, red, lucky, old, new, blue: a red house.

Adverbs

Answer questions such as: “How?ˮ, “Why?ˮ,

They came here. Where?

“Where?ˮ “When?ˮ, “How much?ˮ, etc.

They will be here later. When? She is very happy. How much?

Pronouns

Modify a verb.

She sings nicely. / She often sings.

Modify an adjective.

That is terribly difficult.

Modify an adverb.

She is almost always right.

Modify a whole sentence.

Hopefully, the rain will stop.

Take the place of a noun.

My sister is kind. ⟶ She is kind.

he, she, him, us, they, etc.

Determiners

Placed in front of a noun and help determine

My/That/One/A train arrived.

what the noun is referring to.

Prepositions

Articles

a/an, the

Possessives

my, his, her, our, etc.

Demonstratives

that, this, these, those

Quantifiers

one, four, all, some, any, etc.

Placed in front of a noun or pronoun, and are

They are in town.

used to show the relationship between words

The book is on the table.

in a sentence.

Look at him!

The overview continues on the next page.

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Conjunctions

Link words, phrases, clauses and sentences together.

Coordinating conjunctions join two elements

and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet;

together.

We paid and entered.

Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join

both ... and, either ... or, neither ... nor, not only

elements together.

... but also, whether ... or; Either you pay or I have to pay.

Subordinating conjunctions introduce a

because, since, although, unless;

subordinate clause.

Unless you pay, you cannot enter.

Since you have paid, you can enter.

Interjections

Word or expression that on its own conveys

Hello! Wow! Ouch! Yes.

emotions, greetings, exclamations

Verbs

Verbs are used to describe an action or a state.

Finite and non-finite verb forms Verbs which have the past or the present tense are called finite verbs. The infinitive, present participle/ gerund (-ing form) and the past participle are non-finite verbs.

Example

Tense

Finite or non-finite?

Mary sings a song.

Present tense

Finite

Mary sang a song yesterday.

Past tense

Finite

It was difficult to sing.

The verb has the infinitive form

Non-finite

Singing is difficult.

The verb has the gerund form (-ing

Non-finite

form) It was a tune sung by everyone.

The verb has the past participle form

Non-finite

Regular verbs Regular verbs have -ed added to the root in the past and the past participle.

348

Infinitive

Past

Past participle

smell

smelled

smelled

walk

walked

walked

paint

painted

painted

12 Grammar

Irregular verbs Verbs that do not have -ed in the past and past participle are irregular. Because they do not follow a specific pattern, we need to learn how to conjugate each of them individually. Examples of such verbs are commonly used verbs such as see, go, and have. Please visit the Targets website for a list of the most common irregular verbs.

The infinitive The infinitive is the base form. This is the form we find in dictionaries.

The infinitive marker is to.

Here are some examples: Use

Example

Where we would use an at-clause in Norwegian.

He told Mary to close the door. Han sa at ...)

To express purpose

He bought a present to give to his girlfriend.

In order / in order not + to infinitive to express purpose.

We left at six oʼclock in order to catch the train.

To express official arrangements or things to be done

The managing director is to visit the office tomorrow.

we can use to be + to infinitive.

To be about + to infinitive to refer to actions that will

The class is about to begin.

happen soon.

Unlike Norwegian, there is never a preposition in front

I am glad to see you. (glad for å)

of a to infinitive.

The -ing form We make the -ing form by adding -ing to the infinitive: Sing-ing: Singing is fun!

The -ing form may function as a verb, an adjective or as a noun in a sentence.

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