A Mind at Peace Novel

A Mind at Peace

1. Describe the period in which the novel is set. [Maximum word limit: 200] 2. How does the novel imagine the national self and the crisis in the narrative of identity caused by the historical rupture between the Ottoman Empire and the newly formed Republic of Turkey? What effects does this rupture have on the Turkish society? Does the novel engage in a critique of the secular national modernity of Ataturk? [Maximum word limit: 500] Snow 1. How is veiling or headscarf problematized as a site of ideological confrontation in the novel? Do you agree with Hande when she says “If a lot of girls in our situation are thinking about suicide, you could say it has to do with wanting to control our own bodies (p. 124)?” Do you agree or disagree with the state policy of issuing a dress code?

Discuss the rationale behind your agreement or disagreement. [Maximum word limit: 600] 2. How are the Kurds represented in the novel? How is their relationship with the state? Why did the officials not disclose their “findings” that the sharbat was poisonous to Turks but not to Kurds? [Maximum word limit: 500] 3. What are the views of Blue about the West? Do you agree or disagree with his views? Provide sound arguments for your agreements or disagreements. 4. Was the death of Sunay Zaim a case of murder or suicide? What do you think? [Maximum word limit: 200] “The Prisoner” and “A Wind Blew from Yemen” 1. Do you think the short stories “The Prisoner” and “A Wind Blew from Yemen” can best be read and analyzed using the feminist critical perspective? If yes, why? How do the stories depict women’s conditions in the patriarchal society of Turkey even after several decades of the launch of Ataturk’s modernization project? [Maximum word limit: 500] Return of The Spirit 1. What is the author trying to convey about the status of the Egyptian Nation by putting such an emphasis on social drama? 2. It is clear that Saniya is parallel to the goddess Isis, in what ways can you see her characterized this way and what does it say about the overall development of love stories throughout the book?