Homework Help: English

Posted by Mary on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 3:53pm.

Hi I am writting an essay on a book called 'Funny Boy' I have to answer this question:

Selvadurai raises questions about the nature of identity—national, familial, sexual, postcolonial, ethnic, racial—and how the suppression of one’s burgeoning or forming identity is problematic. Discuss the problems characters (three or fewer) in the novel face. Are clear resolutions to the problems of identity given?

I have started writing my thesis statement..which is very prelimanary at the moment:

The nature of identity in Funny Boy is highly negotiated and becomes fragmented as seen through Arjie, Aunt Radha and Arjie’s mother. Each character has a unique identity however, this individual identity is kept hidden and oppressed because of the identity characters are expected to have according to the social constraints and the norms of the society in Sri Lanka. This constant suppression leads to the characters living dual lives and facing various problems in the struggle towards forming an identity as clear resolutions are not provided for the problem of identity.

I just needed to know if the argument i am making is answering the question. Also it feels like an introduction rather than a thesis. I was thinking of discussing the overlap between national, familial, sexual, postcolonial, ethnic, racial in relation to identity either briefly in the intro and throughout the essay as i prove my argument. please help. thank u

English - SraJMcGin, Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 6:19pm
Try some of these sites for information:

http://www.google.com/search?q=Funny+Boy&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Sra
English - Mary, Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 6:36pm
how is this? How can I make the intro sentence better. please help.

Do the terms national, familial, sexual, postcolonial, ethnic and racial hold the same meaning? Ofcourse not. However, Selvaduri’s Funny Boy uses these concepts in such a way that the boundaries of these terms begin to collapse in one another, where familial becomes political and sexual becomes national. This mixing of boundaries results in the nature of identity in Funny Boy to become highly negotiated and fragmented, as seen through Arjie, Aunt Radha and Arjie’s mother. Each character has a unique identity however, this individual identity is kept hidden and oppressed because of the identity characters are expected to have according to the social constraints and the norms of the society in Sri Lanka. This constant suppression leads to the characters living dual lives and facing various problems in the struggle towards forming an identity as clear resolutions are not provided for the problem of identity.

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