1. Who is the main character?

2. In which country was he born? Justify by quoting from the text.

3. Explain how the main character is connected to the following places:

Langford

Winchester

Calcutta

Delhi

Massachusetts

4. What do we leam about his parents (origin, occupation, social status)?

5. What consequences did the father's job have on the life of his family?

6. In your own words, explain to what extent Langford was a new experience to the main character. Justify by quoting at least five details from the text. (40-50 words)

7. (1l. 35-36) "... he had slipped as best as he could into this world,...". Explain the sentence in your own words.

8. Why had his parents chosen Langford for him? (30-40 words)

9. (1. 39) "Still, he refused to forgive them ". Comment on the sentence and explain the character's feelings. (30-40 words)

10. Translate from "From Langford ... " (1.10) to "... used to going. " (1.14)

At the restaurant his father pulled out the admissions packet for Langford, showing photographs of the campus, smiling students gathered around classroom tables, teachers standing in front of blackboards, caught midsentence by the camera's lens. Academically it was far superior to the school he'd been attending, his father told him, mentioning the percentage of Langford graduates who went on to lvy League colleges. Amit realized, as his father spoke, that the position in Delhi had been accepted. Their house in Winchester already put up for sale. There was no question of his going to school in Delhi; it wasn't worth the trouble to adjust to education in a different country, his father lied, given that eventually Amit would be attending an American college. From Langford, during Christmas and after each academic year came to an end, Amit went to Delhi to be with his parents, staying in their flat full of servants in Chittaranjan Park, in a barren1 room set aside for his stays. He never enjoyed his visits to Delhi, his broken Bengali2 of no use in that City. It made him miss Calcutta, where all his relatives lived, where he was used to going. His parents had moved to Delhi the year of India Gandhi's assassination, and the riots that subsequently raged there, the curfews and the constant vigilance with which his parents had to live, meant that Amit remained cooped up inside, without friends, without anything to do. In that sense it was a relief to him to return to this peaceful town. Four years later his parents were back in America, moving to Houston. In Delhi his father had perfected a laser technique to correct astigmatism that earned him invitations to work and teach in hospitals all over the world. After a few years in Houston they'd moved yet again, to Lausanne, Switzerland. They lived in Saudi Arabia now.

At Langford, Amit was the only Indian student, and people always assumed that he'd been born and raised in that country and not in Massachusetts. They complimented him on his accent, always telling him how good his English was. He'd arrived when he was fifteen, for sophomore year, which at Langford was called the fourth form, and by that time friendships and alliances among the boys of his class were already in place. At his high school in Winchester he'd been a star student, but suddenly he’d had to work doggedly to maintain his grades. He had to wear a jacket every morning to his classes and call his teachers "masters" and attend chapel on Sundays. Quickly he learned that his parents' wealth was laughable compared to the majority of Langford boys. There was no escape at the end of the day, and though he admitted it to no one, especially not his parents when they called from Delhi every week-end. He was crippled with homesickness, missing his parents to the point where tears often filled his eyes, in those first months, without warning. He sought traces of his parents' faces and voices among the people who surrounded and cared for him, but there was absolutely nothing, no one, at Langford to remind him of them. After that first semester he had slipped as best as he could into this world, swimming competitively, calling boys by their last names, always wearing khakis because jeans were not allowed. He learned to live without his mother and father, as everyone else did, shedding his daily dependence on them even though he was still a boy, and even to enjoy it. Still, lie refused to forgive them.

Jumpa Lahiri, Unaccustomed Earth, 2008

¹ barren : empty

² Bengali : language spoken in the South of India

Comprehension

1. His name is Amit.

2. He was born in Massachusetts, United States : « At Langford, Amit was the only Indian student and people always assumed that he’d been born and raised in that country and not in Massachusetts” (l.22-23).

3. A. Langford is the school he enrolled in at age fifteen.

B. Winchester is the place where they lived before his father was transferred to Delhi.

C. Calcutta is the city where he used to visit his relatives.

D. Delhi is the city where his father earned a reputation developing a laser technique for correcting astigmatism.

E. Massachusetts is his birthplace.

4. His parents are Indian. His father is a scientist who travelled all over the world for his job. He became well-known for developing a laser technique to correct astigmatism. His parents are well-off and we can assume that his mother is a housewife and can afford to follow her husband on his trips.

5. Owing to his father’s job, Amit and his family constantly move from one country to the next: Switzerland, the United States, Saudi Arabia. Consequently, Amit often changed schools and has few friends.

6. Amit used to be a high achiever in his former schools and thought his parents were well-off. He suddenly realized that he had to work more at Langford and that his fortune was not as great as he thought it was: “at his high school in Winchester he’d been a star student, but suddenly he’d had to work doggedly to maintain his grades” (l. 26-27) “Quickly he learned that his parents’ wealth was laughable compared to the majority of Langford boys” (l. 29-30). Moreover, he had to adapt to stricter rules: “he had to wear a jacket every morning to his classes and call his teachers “masters” and attend chapel on Sundays” (l.28-29). “[…] calling boys by their last names, always wearing khakis because jeans were not allowed” (l.36-37). Last, he also learned to be independent: “he learned to live without his mother and father” (l.37).

7. Although Langford was a completely new experience, he did his best to somehow adjust to this new life.

8. His parents chose Langford because it would provide him with the best chance to enter an Ivy League college due to its high academic records. Not only was his father seduced by the academic superiority but also by the relaxed and cheerful study atmosphere.

9. Despite the fact that he enjoys his newly acquired independence, he must feel forgotten and abandoned by his parents who have taken him from place to place without asking for his opinion. Yet he regrets not seeing his parents as often as he would like to and as a result feels terribly homesick.

10. A Noël et à la fin de chaque année scolaire, Amit quittait Langford pour retourner à Delhi et retrouver ses parents dans leur appartement de Chittaranjan Park, tenu par de nombreux domestiques ; il logeait dans une chambre au confort spartiate mise à sa disposition pour les vacances. Il n’aimait pas séjourner à Delhi, son Bengali approximatif ne lui étant d’aucune utilité dans cette ville. Voilà pourquoi il regrettait Calcutta où vivait toute sa famille et où il avait l’habitude de se rendre.