Terminology
Bildings Roman
Aphorism
Acrostic
irony
extended metaphor
hyperbole
allegory
satire
allusion
Culture
Democracy
Authoritarian Government
Introductory Activity - Haroun and the Sea of StoriesWeb search
1. / Salman Rushdie
http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth87&state=index%3Dr
1. What is the name of Rushdie's first novel, and what year was it produced?
2. Why was the fatwa issued against Rushdie?
3. In his author statement, what does Rushdie say that writing does?
2. / The fatwa announcement
http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/burning/sr-death.html
Here is the announcement of the fatwa that was given against Rushdie after writing The Satanic Verses.
3. / Fatwa Definition
http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/islam/bldef_fatwa.htm
After reading this definition, write a definition of a fatwa in your own words.
4. / Chronology of Fatwa
http://atheism.about.com/library/misc/blrushdie.htm
1. What date and year was the fatwa placed on Rushdie?
2. What year was Rushdie's first public appearance after the fatwa had been placed against him?
3. How much money was Rushdie wanted for on Feb. 12, 1997?
What is Culture?
All of Rushdie's novels and stories contain criticism about life in India, parody (mockery) and also love of India's politics, religions, cultures and lifestyles. Let’s examine culture and its parts!
American Culture / Indian CultureHaroun’s World versus the REAL India
Although Haroun and the Sea of Stories does not take place in the true India, it does happen in a world similar geographically similar. Therefore, this map may be helpful in helping you to understand the world which we are about to enter!
Quotes of Interest
Page / Beginning and End of quote / Why important…
- Chapter 1 ~ The Shah of Blah
1. Explain possible meaning of the two "nicknames" of Rashid Khalifa.
2. Why does Haroun think of his father as a Juggler?
3. Contrast Mr. Sengupta and Oneeta Sengupta.
4. What was the value of Rashid's stories to the politicians?
5. On the top of p.24, the author gives us Haroun's unspoken thoughts, followed by some action as seen through Haroun's eyes. This is called 3rd person limited narration. It will be used throughout the rest of the book. Locate another example on p. 26.
Chapter 2 ~ The Mail Coach
1. What is a figure of speech? Use a literature book or an online reference to compare a literary definition to that given by Butt. Locate an example of a figure of speech. Apply Butt's definition to the example.
2. What is the explanation for places known by letters of the alphabet? Do you see a pattern in the letters used? Explain the possible advantages to the author of replacing Indian place names with letters.
3. What phrase does Rashid use when he is impressed by something his son has done? Explain this figure of speech.
4. What is the connection between “Khattam-Shud” and the feelings of Haroun on the top of p.38?
Chapter 3 ~ The Dull Lake
1. Explain how the weather seems to echo the emotions of Haroun, Rashid and Buttoo.
2. In what ways is the line between made-up and real becoming blurred?
3. Reread p.17. To what "subscription" is Rashid referring?
4. What is the unusual pattern in the Water Genie Iff's speech?
Chapter 4 ~ An Iff and a Butt
1. What is the usual context of adults saying, "No if's, and's or but's!" How might this apply to the story Rushdie is telling and to Haroun in specific?
2. Summarize the meaning of Iff's speech on p.63. Copy down the 2 most important sentences he speaks. What personality trait of Haroun is he gently criticizing?
3. What clues lead Haroun to conclude that the Hoopoe is a machine? What else is odd about it?
4. Explain why Haroun can not make use of the Wishwater.
5. What is the cause of the pollution?
Chapter 5 ~ About Guppees and Chupwalas
1. Explain briefly what Kahani is, how it can exist unknown to us, and what its major characteristic are.
2. Why don't the Guppees and the Chupwalas talk to each other or cross the border (see if there really is an explanation in the chapter).
3. What is Mali's job? How does his physical nature help him to do it well?
4. Summarize the metaphor Rushdie uses to create and describe the Gup army.
5. Why is war declared with Chup? What are the two purposes of the war?
Chapter 6 ~ The Spy's Story
1. What trait of the Gup is revealed in Iff's response to Haroun's question about punishing spies?
2. How is Blabbermouth a proper name for a Gup?
3. For reason has Batcheat been kidnapped? And, while you are at it, tell me why you think Rushdie has spelled her name the way he has (look its meaning up in the Names appendix).
4. Summarize Blabbermouth's complaints against Batcheat. How is this Page different from other Guppees?
5. What is Blabbermouth's skill and why does she show it to Haroun?
Chapter 7 ~ Into the Twilight Strip
1. Look up "lamination" and compare its meaning to the use of the word on page 116.
2. In general, how would you characterize the Gup culture, society, and way of solving problems?
3. Explain the word play in the center of page 118. Copy the key words and phrases. (Look for something about power and army)
4. Write a paragraph that begins with one of these sentences: What is the point of giving persons Freedom of Speech if you then say they must not utilize same? OR Is not the Power of Speech the greatest Power of all? Use specific examples from current events or from your life experience to illustrate your point.
5. What important understanding does Haroun arrive at on page 125?
Chapter 8 ~ Shadow Warriors
1. How does the Shadow Warrior speak? How does this relate to the following passage describing Indian Folk Dance?
2. How does Mudra say the people of Chup feel about the rule of Khattam-Shud? (132)
3. What is the relationship of a shadow and a person in the land of Chup? What is surprising about this relationship?
4. Think about a person’s feelings versus a person’s appearance. What is Rushdie trying to express about a person’s authentic self through the character of the shadow? Read the passage on page 134.
5. What does Haroun decide to do? Who does he take with him?
Chapter 9 ~ The Dark Ship
1. What does the dark water do to the Water Genie’s shoe? Why do you think the water is so poisonous?
2. Rushdie wants us to view a world without stories in a certain way. What is ironic (not expected) about the appearance of the personal guards of Cultmaster Khattam –Shud’s appearance? (148) How does this appearance display Rushdie’s opinion of a world without stories?
3. What is strange about Cultmaster Khattam –Shud’s appearance?
4. Think about stories bad guy explains his evil plan to the good guy.
Chapter 10 ~ Haroun’s Wish
1. Explain the Cultmaster’s evil plan? How will he destroy the Ocean of Stories?
2. What idea about stories does the great plug represent?
3. How does Mali save the day?
4. In the Austin Power’s movies Dr. Evil always explains his evil plan to Power’s before leaving Powers to die in some strange and creative way. How does this same thing take place in the book? Why might Rushdie do this?
5. What is Haroun’s wish? In making the wish – Haroun must keep wishing for a certain amount of time. Why is this important and what happens as a result?
Chapter 11 ~ Princess Batcheat
1. What happens in the juggling scene?
2. How do the people of Chup react to the army of Gup?
3. How does Cultmaster Khattam –Shud come to his Khattam –Shud? What is ironic about it?
Chapter 12 ~ Was it the Walrus?
1. What is Haroun given as a reward? What is his wish?
2. What happens when Rashid Khalifa tells his story? What does this resemble?
3. Why is Haroun concerned about his wish?
4. What is the happy ending and how does he come to terms with it?
Character Chart (with descriptions from the book)
Haroun – “a happy young fellow” and our protagonist
Rashid Khalifa - Haroun’s father, “whose cheerfulness was famous throughout that unhappy metropolis.” “The Shah of Blah”; “the Ocean of Notions” he can “read” the language of gesture.
Soroya - his wife. Everything changed “the day she stopped singing.”
Mr. Sengupta - “stick thin, whiny voiced, and mangy…” neighbor to the Khalifas, runs off with Soraya, and hates imagination.
Butt - driver of the Number One Super Express Mail Coach to the Valley of K”
Snooty Buttoo - The politico “permanently surrounded by exactly one hundred and one armed soldiers”
Iff, the Water Genie - a small, ancient looking man, no bigger than himself (Haroun), wearing a huge purple turban on his head and baggy silk pajamas gathered at the ankles. This little fellow sported an impressive set of whiskers, of a most unusual color: the palest, most delicate shade of sky blue.
Butt the Hoopoe - a tiny crested mechanical bird that was giving him a sidelong look through one highly intelligent eye… grown large as large as a double bed. . . The force of their acceleration pushed Haroun deep into the comfortable, thick and somehow hairy feathers on the Hoopoe’s back.’ ‘No bird could fly so fast. Is this a machine?’ He has “a large, booming voice that was somehow identical to the Mail Coach Driver’s.’
Mali, the Floating Gardener - ‘Floating Gardeners are like the hairdressers of the sea of stories. Brush, clean, wash, condition,’
The Plentimaw Fishes – Bahga and Goopy - note pun “There really are plentimaw fishes in the sea.” They are ‘hunger artists because when they are hungry they swallow stories through every mouth and in their innards miracles appear; a little bit of one story joins onto and idea from another, and hey presto, when they spew the stories out they are not old tales but new ones.’ They always go in twos.
The Walrus - Called that because of his ‘thick, luxuriant walrus mustache.’ Which to Haroun looks like ‘a dead mouse.’ He seems to be the most powerful man in Gup. ‘He reminds me of Snooty Buttoo.’
Princess Bacheat – princess and daughter to King Chattergy, who is kidnapped described as ugly to all but Prince Bolo
King Chattergy he seems a figurehead – ‘’a frail, small white-haired gentleman wearing a circlet of gold and a tragic look’
Prince Bolo - fiancé to Princess Batcheat, daughter of the king. ‘They have seized her, he cried in his dashing, foolish voice.’
General Kitab - his name means book – ‘A weatherbeaten old gent” with a rectangular uniform of finely tuned gold-inlay leather. Commands the Guppee “Library” seems much more “with it” than Prince Bolo.
Blabbermouth - a Page. Pages are dressed in half familiar stories (Bolo and The Golden Fleece. They are all boys except for Blabbermouth. A master juggler. A poor sense of direction
The Speaker of the House – “plump fellow who talked unstoppably”
The Shadow Warrior (Mudra) - The warrior was a striking figure, too. His long sleek hair hung to his waist in a thick ponytail. His face was painted green with scarlet lips. Exaggerated black brows and eyes, and white stripes on his cheeks, . . . His athleticism and swordsmanship were beyond anything that Haroun had ever seen. number 2 to Khattam-Shud, a warrior in favor of peace.
Khattam-Shud – The Cultmaster and antagonist in the story. Described as “skinny, scrawny, measly, weaselly, clerical type, exactly like all the others.’ . . .’Now came another surprise: the Cultmaster began to speak.’ “prince of silence” “foe of speech”
The Chupwalas – followers of Khattam-Shud, who sew their mouths shut as a sign of their allegiance.
The Guppees – those who live in Gup City and love talking, speech and stories
FIND THE MEANINGS TO FOLLOWING WORDS IN THE BACK OF THE BOOK
Abhinaya ______
Alifbay ______
Batcheat ______
Bat-Mat-Karo ______
Bezaban ______
Bolo ______
Chup ______
The Dull Lake ______
Goopy and Bagha ______
Gup ______
Haroun and Rashid ______
Kahani ______
Khamosh ______
Khattum-Shud ______
Kitab ______
Mali ______
Mudra ______
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