Road to Chlifa

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“School Committee to Benefit Refugee Students”

In this activity, students will design goals for an inclusive integration committee working to benefit refugee students in schools.

Through both the narrator and Karim’s narratives, Karim struggles with settling into his new life in Montreal. Imagine that you are part of a student committee working for the benefit of refugee students at your school. The committee would like to provide helpful ways to assist these students in their new environment. In a small group, create a list of 4-5 goals and objectives for this committee. Then choose 1 goal from your list and create a logical plan for achieving the goal.

Review Sections 1 and 3 of the novel in designing your list of goals and objectives. Using the text for details, consider the following questions:

• What supports or programs would have been more helpful to Karim in adjusting to his new school?
• What parts of Karim’s experience in his new school were beneficial?
• What are some activities or actions that might be planned to better support refugee students in the classroom?
• How might inclusion in student life and extracurriculars (e.g., athletics, clubs, student government, the arts) be better supported for refugee students?

After outlining your goals and plan, share your ideas with the class in a presentation. Throughout presentations, compare the variety of ways in which your classmates have approached the topic. In your notes or a reading journal, catalogue the 3 strongest plans; briefly comment on what makes them particularly strong ideas.

Teaching Suggestion: If the school already has such programming in place, this activity might be used as an exercise in analyzing the existing program’s goals, components, and benefits and finding ways to improve upon them. Students might work in small groups to complete the activity; to increase efficiency, group members may consider dividing the bulleted questions for individual completion followed by sharing ideas.

Differentiation Suggestion: For an approach that involves extended research and additional critical thinking, students might select one region in either Canada or the US and analyze the presence of resettlement and integration programs for refugee students in schools. Students can study these programs before designing goals for their own committee, using guiding questions such as the following: Are the programs feasible and effective? What suggestions would you make to programming? Explain.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. This book includes several scenes that depict or mention violence against women.

• Overall, what message is conveyed by the novel regarding violence against women? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 examples from the text that support your topic sentence and discuss the ways in which gender and violence are connected.
• In your concluding sentences, connect the theme of Legacies of Violence to this topic.

2. Maha shares her thoughts regarding the unicorn in the tapestry.

• Generally, how does Maha’s fantasy of the unicorn in the tapestry compare with her real experience with Black Beard? (topic sentence)
• Where do fantasy and reality align regarding her Maha’s focus on the unicorn and Black Beard? Where do they diverge? What does each animal represent? Discuss at least 3 points of analysis that support your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentences, explain the overall lesson suggested through the inclusion of these animals in the story.

3. Consider the use of ruins and myths from past civilizations (e.g., Greek and Roman) in the novel.

• What overall effect does the inclusion of these ruins have on the story? (topic sentence)
• Identify at least 3 instances in the story in which a character interacts with ruins, and analyze the effect of these scenes on the overall narrative. Use textual details and points of analysis that support your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentences, summarize the way in which Classical Mythology and Lebanese Culture frame Karim’s journey.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider the narrator’s idea of Lebanon contrasted with Karim’s description. How does imagery of Beirut contribute to this contrast? How do images of Lebanon’s natural settings contribute? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explain and analyze the ways in which the anonymous narrator’s imagined Lebanon contrasts with the real Lebanon in Karim’s view. What is a likely reason that Marineau included the narrator’s opinion of the setting?

2. While Karim finds Maha to be bright, inquisitive, and insightful beyond her years, she has a reputation as a difficult child. What does her rejection of social norms say about her character? How does it influence Karim? What is the significance of her burial? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, analyze Maha’s character traits and draw conclusions about her influence on Karim. Consider Maha’s gender, social classes, and overall characterization in your answer.

3. Béchir urges Karim to write a list of 21 things he likes about Montreal. The final list indeed contains 21 items, although one is redacted. What is the significance of this list, the items on it, and the redacted item? How does this list connect Karim’s past with his present? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, analyze and discuss the significance of this list and draw conclusions about its purposes.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. In what way does the narrator believe that the class wants to interact with Karim?

A) They want to use him for personal gain.

B) They want to punish him for being a foreigner.

C) They want to praise him for his bravery.

D) They want to deter him from becoming involved in the school.

2. Which phrase best describes Karim’s response to the songs in French class?

A) A happy memory

B) A negative impetus

C) A listless ennui

D) A deplorable disgust

3. Which phrase best describes how Dave treats women?

A) With respect

B) With kindness

C) With violence

D) With adoration

4. Which of the following phrases best describes Pascale’s point of view of her identity?

A) Comfortable with her multicultural identity

B) Concerned about fitting in with Quebecois culture

C) Disheartened with the loss of her native tongue

D) Distraught by her lack of friends in Canada

5. How does Section 2 differ from Section 1?

A) It is a flashback to prior events.

B) It is three years in the future.

C) It switches to Karim’s life in Quebec.

D) It centers on the narrator’s past.

6. Which statement best describes how Karim feels about Lebanese people leaving their country?

A) It is unimportant and exaggerated.

B) It is unpatriotic and cowardly.

C) It is safe and necessary.

D) It is expensive and scary.

7. Which of the following words best summarizes how Maha describes Nada’s death?

A) Emotional

B) Emboldened

C) Brazened

D) Detached

8. To which animal does Karim compare himself and his daily life in Lebanon?

A) A bird

B) A cat

C) A rat

D) A shark

9. Which statement best summarizes Antoine Milad’s opinion on the state of affairs in Lebanon?

A) The past was much better than the future will be.

B) People often idealized the past, as there were many problems.

C) Lebanon was never a peaceful country.

D) All of Lebanon’s problems will evaporate when peace is achieved.

10. Which reason best describes why Karim does not want to go into the cave?

A) He thinks it is boring.

B) He is nervous to be separated by Maha.

C) He is triggered by the memory of being in the cellars.

D) He is ashamed that he is afraid of the dark.

11. To whom does Karim frequently compare Maha throughout the novel?

A) Nada

B) My-Lan

C) Béchir

D) Milad

12. On their journey, Maha remarks to Karim that “When I say one thing, I often feel like I could say the opposite and it would be just as true.” Which of these ideas best aligns with Maha’s sentiment in this quote?

A) Irreverence

B) Indecisiveness

C) Inwardness

D) Industriousness

13. Which mystical creature do Maha and Karim reference throughout the novel?

A) A centaur

B) A goblin

C) A unicorn

D) A fairy

14. With which emotion does Maha openly struggle throughout the novel?

A) Jealousy

B) Fear

C) Depression

D) Apathy

15. Which sentence best describes Karim’s sentiments toward My-Lan by the end of the novel?

A) He loves her.

B) He is disgusted by her.

C) He abhors her.

D) He appreciates her.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. What is the structure of the novel? How does the structure affect the plot? Explain the time periods and the narrators.

2. How do the settings link to Karim’s growth as a character?