Mistress of spices reading guide

MISTRESS OF SPICES Reading guide.

1. The word ‘mistress’ has several different meanings. Read the Decide which of the following dictionary definitions is intended by the author in her title The Mistress of Spices:

1. a woman who is having a sexual relationship with a married man 2. a woman who is in control of a situation: + of Helen is very much mistress of her own affairs.

3. Br E old-fashioned a woman school teacher.

4. old fashioned a woman who owns an animal.

5. old-fashioned used for talking to or about a woman.

2. What do you think are the main differences between the lifestyles and culture of people from a village in India and people from a big city in America?

3. What sort of problems do you think a person from a village in India would have as an immigrant in America?

4. Make a record of how spices are used to help the characters in the story.

Complete the chart below: CHARACTER Lalita Haroun & Hameda Jagjit Raven Tilo The gradfather & his family

SPICES

REASONS

RESULTS

5. “I have broken too many of the rules, and now I must be punished”. Complete the table below by answering the following two questions: a) Which of the Mistress rules does Tilo break? b) What do you think are the reasons for each rule?

Nº

1

RULE

Do not look in a mirror.

REASON

It is important not to be vain because a Mistress must not want anything for herself. She is there only to help others.

2

3

4

6. What do you think is the meaning of the following quotes from the book? 

“Each day has a color, a smell.”



“...don't create snakes out of ropes. You have enough to worry about.”



“Hope not built on reason brings disappointment only.”



“The mark of a wise man is that he changes his mind when he sees mistake.”



“Ah, now I have learned how deep in the human heart vanity lies, vanity which is the other face of the fear of being unloved.”



“Sometimes I wonder if there is such a thing as reality, an objective and untouched nature of being. Or if all that we encounter has already been changed by what we had imagined it to be. If we have dreamed it into being.”