1) Why do you think the novel Home Fire begins with the story of Isma's airport interrogation? Discuss the meaning of this incident and how it relates to other events in the novel, as well as the effect it had on you, the reader.

2) Think about how media (social media and traditional media) functions in Home Fire. How does this compare with the Chorus in Antigone? What are these works suggesting about how media influences our perceptions of the world? How relevant is this point in American society today?

3) Karamat Lone is the antagonist of Home Fire in the same way Creon is the antagonist in Antigone. Do you think either or both of these leaders is a villain (see definition of this term from earlier this semester)? How so or why not? Can you understand their perspective? Do you agree with their actions?

 

1. The novel Home Fire begin with Isma's airport interrogation to put impact on the reader at the introduction part of the novel by portraying the conflict of the story early. It started through the interrogation towards Isma scene to provide impact on the readers' mind that there is a strict discrimination and struggle experienced towards people like Isma, a 28-year-old Muslim hijabi woman who has her Muslim background and wears hijab as a symbol that she came from a family with non-familial male adults and shows that their social status is dependent on whoever is the eldest in their family which was technically her (having no parents left alive). The meaning of the beginning of the story in the airport interrogation of Isma is that their is a crucial issue between Muslims and other classification of people in the society (Muslim over Christians or Muslim over British conflicts) and that the Muslim family which was represented by Isma and her family experienced such situations (which includes discrimination, unnecessary interrogation, negligence to their own rights as human which was shown in the scene where Karamat declined their request regarding their brother going home and knowing about their father's story of death right away just because they're Muslims). The impact of this to the readers is that the reader will find the story interesting even at the very first part of it because more than the excitement provided by the scenario chosen to be put in the first part, the reader will find it interesting too because this shows an actual scenarios that is related to an actual experiences or event in a real-life situation of the Muslims' struggle for their unique identity while living as an actual citizen in Britain.

2. The functions of media in Home Fire is quite similar and also has its difference from the use of Chorus in Antigone. As in the Home Fire the use of media on the side of the ISIS is to cover scenarios of execution and use and send this towards the British council to show their power and their desire on the other hand other Muslims who's not part of ISIS and even the British or Christians in the story uses media to reveal truth and to relay messages which would be impossible to relay alone and without the media. Also through the media, news and articles about the truth of what's happening behind the lives of Home Fire's character which was different from Antigone in a way that in Antigone it shows the truth but is less harsh compare to Home Fire who films execution while both uses media in the same way of portraying the truth in spite of how harsh and hurtful the impact may be. This works suggest that media influences our view of the world by knowing that through media or social media (especially through news), the truth and facts will be heard no matter how harsh it may be. It suggests that through media, the world will be seen without filter but only through the lense full of facts. Its relevance to American society is that it shows that the media have been and will be of great help in revealing truth and societal issues and in improving these issues revealed.

3. Karamat and Creon weren't villain though relating to the meaning of villain to which a villain is an important character to appear in the advancement of a plot, yes they're villain only in that sense but to see them in the meaning of a villain as a criminal or law-breaker, they aren't. As seen in the story, both Karamat and Creon portrayed as an antagonist are antagonist only because they are against that will of the protagonist but if analyze both of them are fighting not just for their own will and betterment but for the will and betterment of many in the society they stand for. Karamat was even pro in the interrogation of Isma because she is against what ISIS is doing (as shown and describe in the film seen and done by Parvaiz in the execution of a woman). Karamat is not doing it because he wants to but because he is also fighting for something just like what the ISIS and Muslims do. Regarding to whether their perspectives is agreeable or not, in some parts where they fight for their rights and beliefs they're probably acceptable or agreeable but in some parts where they believe and act that in order to prevent debacle within and against their groups, they fight and even kill people from the other group they are against of. This is like looking for peace for your own but refuses to provide one towards the other group.