Vorschlag B1

Immigrants in Britain

Der vorliegende Vorschlag enthält in Aufgabe 3 alternative Arbeitsanweisungen.

Outline life in Britain as presented in the excerpt. (Material 1)

(30 BE)

Analyse Polly's attitude towards immigrants.

(30 BE)

Choose one of the following tasks:

3.1

"There is no us and them. There's just people. We're all migrants from somewhere." (Material 1)

Inspired by Polly's statement, write a letter to the author supporting Polly's view with references to material dealt with in class.

(40 BE)

3.2

Interpret the cartoon. (Material 2)

(40 BE)

Material 1

Amanda Craig: Hearts and Minds (excerpt from the novel, 2009)

In the novel – a portrayal of multicultural London and the intertwined lives of recent immigrants – the protagonist Polly Noble, a human rights lawyer and single mother, attends a dinner party organised by Hemani, a first-generation immigrant. She is driven to the party by Job, her regular driver with African roots.

Job laughs. Again, their gazes meet in the mirror. I shouldn’t be sitting in the back seat, Polly thinks.

Yet if she were to sit in front, she wouldn’t feel at ease. She talks to Job more than she does to Bill, or

to Theo: an odd thought.

A straggle of small shops along the Caledonian Road selling pet food, mirrors, ironware and food flash

past. It’s always a bit of a shock, leaving her own quiet street and seeing what lies just a block away;

the poverty and squalor, the ugly council buildings and run-down commerce. Polly is just old enough

to remember how English shops had once closed for half of Saturday and half of Wednesday as well

as all day on Sunday. She can remember her mother coming back triumphant from the corner shop

saying, ‘Open at eight p.m.! We’ve just become like New York!’

It is unthinkable now, to live as her parents had done, going to work only from nine till five and

enjoying the benefits of newly formed education and health services. What paradise it had seemed!

Now, in order to pay their exorbitant mortgages, and ever more exorbitant fuel prices, British adults

have to work long hours – the longest, it’s said, in Europe. Unless they are very rich, women are

expected to work as well as have children; without the little cafés, the cleaners, the au pairs, the

builders, and the late-night shops – all dependent on migrant labour – the professional classes could

not manage. But we too are being squeezed, Polly thinks. Even to get into a good prep school,

Robbie had had to compete against the sons of oligarchs and ambassadors, and every year her

children have to sit gruelling internal exams in order not to be chucked out to make way for more.

‘Job, how did you get to school?’ she asks.

‘I walked. Over hill, over dale, thorough bush, thorough briar.’

‘Was it far?’

‘Only five miles.’

‘Wasn’t it dangerous?’

‘Sometimes there were snakes.’

‘Oh.’ Polly closes her eyes, imagining a small boy in the bush. ‘How horrible.’

‘There are many snakes in Africa,’ says Job, laughing. ‘They are less dangerous than men.’

[...] ‘Would you go back if you had a different leader?’

‘Of course. I love my country, and my people. But until something changes, I have to stay here,

praying the police never stop me.’

‘If they do, Job, I’ll try to help you. You do know that, don’t you?’

‘Thank you,’ he says gravely. ‘I hope I will not need it, madam.’

They arrive in Muswell Hill, where Hemani and Daniel now live.

[...]

Ellen and Ivo are there already. Polly is delighted; alongside Daniel and Hemani they are her favourite

couple, for Ivo is always entertaining and full of good gossip, as is Ellen.

‘How’s work?’ Ellen asks and Polly sighs.

‘Grim. I used to be proud of living in a country which helps refugees,’ she says. ‘But now people think

I’m doing something bad.’

‘Does it ever occur to you, honey, that they might have a point?’

‘Ellen, you have a foreign nanny, don’t you?’

‘Sure,’ says Ellen oblivious. ‘You know, Tamara’s first words were in Mandarin?’

[Ellen shows them a picture of her and Ivo’s daughter.]

‘Beautiful,’ Polly says.

‘Ah, but you know why that’s so,’ says Hemani. ‘The more you mix up different gene pools, and

different nationalities, the more you get children in whom faulty genes are suppressed.’ [...]

‘That’s our problem, Polly.’ Ivo is on form, she sees. ‘We’re too English.’

‘Ivo, don’t be an idiot,’ says his wife.

[...]

‘Nobody is English anymore, have you noticed?’ Ivo says. ‘We’re all British.’

‘Excuse me’, says Daniel. ‘Whenever there is a World Cup match you can’t move without seeing

St George crosses hung from cars and council flats. The problem is that the English have become the

underclass, covered with colonial guilt.’

‘What, we should be singing the national anthem in front of the Union Jack in schools?’

‘At least reimpose proper border controls and ID cards.’

‘How can you say that, Hemani?’ Polly asks.

‘Because, obviously, too many new immigrants makes it bad for those of us who got here first,’ says

Hemani. ‘There’s a limit to how much a culture can absorb, and we’re long past it.’

‘Oh I hate all this us and them!’ Polly exclaims passionately. ‘When we invaded places like Africa and

India, we broke down a door, and now we don’t like it that they come here, just as we went there.

Well, tough. It’s not a question of morality. There is no us and them. There’s just people. We’re all

migrants from somewhere.’

Amanda Craig: Hearts and Minds, London 2009, S. 196-199

Material 2

(24 Wörter)

Monte Wolverton: Brexit cartoon, 28.06.2016, URL: https://www.cagle.com/monte-wolverton/2016/06/brexit-nationalistisolationism (abgerufen am 24.02.2022).

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Note:
Our solutions are listed in bullet points. In the examination, full marks can only be achieved by writing a continuous text.

The excerpt from the 2009 novel "Hearts and Minds" by Amanda Craig is about the life of a multicultural Britain in nowadays time depicted. It gives insight into an economically and socially dysfunctional society, characterized by different national identities and double standards regarding immigration.

Introduction and referring to the task

London is marked by many run-down and poor neighborhoods, full of public housing and small stores that are open around the clock to pay for living expenses
the seemingly easier life their parents once led has long since been consigned to the past
nowadays, exorbitant rents, gasoline prices, and basically the cost of living as well as poorly paid jobs force them to work long hours and overtime
single mothers are particularly affected, unless they are wealthy like our protagonist

Main Body
Life in Britain

London is home to all types of immigrants
there are illegal ones who live in constant fear of being stopped and caught by the police.
furthermore first generation legal immigrants who have managed to rise socially and now make their home in London's affluent suburbs and move in upper class circles

Life of immigrants

in the text excerpt, the different and often double-moral views on immigration become clear
some advocate stricter immigration laws, but are themselves dependent on migrant workers, like the couple in the text
some who even have a migration background themselves are in favor of stricter laws and increasing border controls
negative consequences for already established migrants who have worked their way up the social ladder are feared if more refugees come to the UK
the desire of many to be British has relegated the English to a kind of underclass, which some also regret
Polly - the protagonist points to British imperialism as one of the main reasons why people immigrate to the UK
and is convinced that cross-cultural and ethnic barriers are irrelevant, since everyone immigrated from somewhere

View of the upper class

In the excerpt of the novel human rights lawyer and single mother Polly Noble, the protagonist, is on her way to a party of her friend (who is a 1st generation immigrant) Polly's attitude towards immigrants is evident both on the drive and at the party.

Introduction
Referring to the task and the text

Polly, in her role as employer and lawyer, has a compassionate attitude toward her driver Job $\rightarrow$ Job is an undocumented African immigrant
She has a close relationship with him and talks to him more than to her boyfriend and ex-husband
Polly shows interest in his life in Africa and asks about his past
although her interest and image of life in Africa is based on superficial clichés
Job uses a quote from Shakespeare to illustrate what a difficult time he went through and also shows that he is educated $\rightarrow$ which Polly does not respond to (which emphasizes her rather superficial interest)
he expresses his fear of being stopped by the police, to which Polly responds empathetically and assures him of her support if that should happen
She pities Job and treats him with a slightly condescending sense of superiority $\rightarrow$ she fails to meet him at eye level

Main Body
Conversation with her driver Job

Polly's mixed feelings about Job and her dismissive thought of sitting next to him show that she also has racial bias against him
although they have a friendly and close relationship, she prefers to sit in the back
the background for these dismissive feelings is not elaborated upon

Polly's racial bias

she is shocked by the poverty around her as she drives through the run-down neighborhoods
however, by comparing her own privileged inconvenience with the suffering of the poor, she directly puts it into perspective again
she also does not see the privilege of being able to afford a private education for her son at all, but sees him as a victim in competition with offspring of "Russian oligarchs

"!"

relativizes immigrants' situation by comparing to own inconvenience

at the dinner party, Polly encounters a couple she accuses of double standards on immigration the couple once argues that stricter immigration laws are needed, while at the same time hiring a Chinese nanny
she passionately argues that all Britons are immigrants from somewhere and speaks out clearly against the effects of British imperialism in the past
although she thus does not openly oppose immigration, it could be argued that she nonetheless leaves out issues of equal opportunity and class division

Condemns double standards of others

all in all, it can be concluded that Polly's actions are themselves marked by double standards and ambivalence, even if she is not really aware of it
on the one hand, it is her job as a lawyer to treat immigrants equally and fairly.
on the other hand, however, she supports the exploitative system

Conclusion

3.1

Dear Ms. Craig,

with this letter I would like to refer to the quote of the protagonist Polly "There is no us and them. There's just people. We're all migrants from somewhere." from your novel Hearts and Minds in which the abhorrence of distinguishing between different ethnicities or even immigrants and Britians is expressed
even though I can wholeheartedly agree with this statement
especially in industrialized countries, this vision is far away from reality
I had to make the experience in the recent past that this view is not very widespread

Greeting and Introduction

in my opinion, this statement can serve as a guiding principle for a future that is characterized by social and economic equality and unity
the basis for this is a peaceful, tolerant and respectful coexistence between groups of ethnic and cultural minorities and their host societies
the "us" instead of an "us and them" promises a togetherness of all people of this world regardless of origin, religion, skin color and social status
the image of a perfect world that Polly has created through this simple blunt statement has impressed me very much and created a perfect vision of the future

Main Body
Polly's message

there are examples in literature of poems, short stories and song lyrics that address immigration and origin
I am particularly reminded of the quote "We're all migrants from somewhere" and a statement by the well-known writer Benjamin Zephaniahs "However you look at it, we all came here from somewhere. [...] Britain by definition is multicultural."
with this statement he clarifies his view that British society consists of a cultural mix.
he further emphasizes this fact in his poem "The British," which is structured like a recipe
it begins in the time of the Picts and Scots and continues with the most important historical stages up to the present day
Zephaniahs ends the poem with an appeal "Give justice and equality to all.", because these are the conditions for a harmonious and peaceful society
I fully share this opinion with him, because for a just world with equality and unity we need human rights that are unrestricted by ethnicity, religion, skin color and an advocating policy

Example of Benjamin Zephaniah

classics such as Gran Torino also tell the story of immigrants in the USA who suffer exclusion and discrimination
or the memoir "Emigration" (1999) by Frank McCourt, who tells the story of his time as an immigrant in the U.S., a time in which his life was marked by poverty, exclusion and exploitation
in which he cleaned hotel lobbies for a pittance, lived on a diet of bananas, and could not get his illness treated

Further literary examples

immigrants are often seen by traditionalists as enemies, as those who want to steal their labor and take over their land
without taking into account the fact that economies depend on workers and societies could learn from each other
every human being deserves fair treatment, equal opportunities and equal rights

living conditions for immigrants

All in all, these are the reasons why I admire and appreciate Polly for this statement and hope it would become reality in the future, even though I regretfully doubt it.
Kind regards,
Stefanie

Conclusion and Closing

3.2

The cartoon by Monte Wolverton published online in 2016 deals with Brexit and shows which signal the United Kingdom would send to the outside world in which they would leave the EU and which two opinions are held within the country on this topic.

Introduction

the cartoon shows a fortress with the flag of the United Kingdom on an island
instead of a gate at the front of the fortress hangs a large sign with the inscription "Isolationist UK, Europeans and Foreigners go away"
two speech bubbles from inside the castle can be seen:

one of them with a large font says that now, the UK can return to its former glory
the second, with a slightly smaller font, finishes the first sentence and says that the UK can return to its former arrogance, exploitation, thievery, cruelty, and slavery

Main Body
Description of the cartoon

by depicting the UK as a castle with high walls, the cartoonist shows the intention of Brexit to close itself off from the outside world (especially Europe) and not to let any foreigners into the country
the fortress is illustrated with only tiny entrances that are inaccessible; from the pier, a long staircase leads up, but only to an unreachable window, so no one who goes ashore can get in
the high walls of the castle are analogous to the great and insurmountable hurdles immigrants face to settle in the UK
only the upper windows in the towers of the fortress are illuminated, symbolizing that the society sees itself as far above the rest of the world's population
therefore considers themselves to be something better, out of reach of those who try to enter

Interpretation:
Fortress $\rightarrow$ the country

there are two speech bubbles in the cartoon that are symbolic of the divided opinions that are held in the country about the Brexit - 52% were in favor and 48% were against leaving the EU
the voice of advocacy is loud, believing that isolation will make the UK great again as many problems within the UK have been blamed on immigrants - as evidenced by the large and partially bold font
the voice of the opponents is a bit quieter - the writing in the speech bubble is a bit smaller - and enumerates where this isolation of the UK will lead, namely to the past exploitation, arrogance, theft, cruelty, and slavery referring to the colonial era
the message contained in the statement of the supporters is quite extreme and shows the nationalistic tendencies that prevail in the country

Speech bubbles $\rightarrow$ the society

the situation in the UK brought about by Brexit was exaggerated by the author in the cartoon nevertheless very aptly illustrated
the UK has isolated itself with Brexit, especially from Europe but also from the rest of the world and thereby brought itself into an economic plight
the choice of words on the huge sign is colloquial and reminiscent of an offended child, whereby the author expresses sarcasm and shows that he feels the decision is not very well thought out
by "stonewalling" - as the cartoonist has very aptly depicted, made not only imports and exports more difficult, resulting in rising prices, but also the immigration of specialists, creating, for example, a shortage of doctors

Valuation

all in all, the author has portrayed the situation in the UK in an exaggerated but also a very accurate caricature
through the rather sarcastic choice of words, he expresses his skepticism and illustrates the discord of the population

Conclusion

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