Text Response -When Michael Met Mina

When Michael Met Mina-ESSAY

Sachi Ruaya-8B

[Note that the first three paragraphs are the introduction to the main topic]

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When Michael Met Mina. Michael and Mina portray two high school students (c.a. Year 11) at a Victorian School who are in the same homeroom. Michael is opposed to mass migration and refugees and Mina -who is a refugee herself- supports refugees making them hold a grudge against each other resulting in many arguments throughout the story. Despite this, they are attracted to each other and they also find out they have a lot in common.

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Michael’s biased ‘beliefs’, that are dictated mainly by his parents, have weakened as he gets to know Mina and what she has experienced as a refugee. He starts to slowly oppose his parents’ beliefs since Mina brought him to perspective.  Since Michael is attracted to Mina, he sought to know more about her. He "first- opposed to Minas’ beliefs in the debate with the influence of his parents, but as he learned more about Mina’s opinion and what she experienced as a refugee he started to understand the opposing side. Now even though he may not say what he really means on TV, he still stands for the side opposing Mina’s beliefs.

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Using this information (inclusive of context and the whole story), I conclude that this book aims to show the relationship and comparison "with lifestyle, experience and culture- between two people, each on the opposite side of a debate and how resettled refugees/migrants are treated, culturally and personally. The evidence of this is that Michael and Mina’s arguments are considered and motif in the story and since that the author decided to alter the point of views every chapter shows us this book is comparing them on what their opinion and reaction is on certain ‘things’, events, cultures and beliefs. In this essay, I will focus on how Mina is delineated from a different culture, social context and historical context.

 

 

 

 

 

===How Different Contexts Influence My Perspective ===

 

Mina, a character portraying a female high school student in the multi-award winning book ‘When Michael Met Mina’, is a refugee who fled from Afghanistan having experienced many hardships. As a bookworm reader, context determinants such as moods, attitudes and beliefs of a certain time, usually in the past (i.e. historical), physical setting in which a certain event happens (i.e. social) and the society that the characters are represented in and how it affects their behaviour and opportunities (i.e. cultural) that a certain character -or culture- is delineated from impacts my perspective on the book or text I am reading.

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One major historical event that took place before the story is that Minas’ younger brother and biological father died back at Afghanistan (Mina’s mother got remarried as Mina narrated, “My stepfather likes to…” " Mina) in which the author has clearly and directly states in the book on Page 69 with three vital quotes in the book from Minas’ perspective;

 “It seems a lifetime ago when I was in the camp in Pakistan, rocking my three-month-old baby brother, Hasan, to sleep…”

“Hasan died quietly. Just slipped away in his sleep one afternoon…”

“What wasn’t destroyed, we left behind, including my father in his grave”

Since these dreadful events occurred to Mina in the past, I felt sorry for her and an urge to ‘support her’ throughout the story. In sense, as a reader, I am brought to support her side of the debate. And ultimately, the fact that two of Mina’s male family members died gave me a somewhat emotional connection to Mina, influencing my perspective to support her in the debate.

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In accordance with the books’ historical context, following from Mina’s two family members’ deaths, Mina has experienced the harsh conditions of fleeing a country by a crowded boat and the cursed reality of detention centres in which is also stated in three key quotes in the book;

“You were smuggled out of a war zone, lived in a refugee camp, travelled here on a leaky boat and were locked in detention for months” "Mina’s Mother

“When I was in camp in Pakistan…”

“Before we found the boat that brought us to Australia,”-Mina

I have read beforehand about the harsh conditions that boat people experience such as the lack of space, weather conditions, lack of shelter and lack of food and I also heard many miserable stories relative to detention centres. Since Mina has experienced these, as the reader, I would respect her- as a character in the book- for enduring through such hardship. In closure, I would state this point as another reason to support her in the debate -as a contextual relationship with the last paragraph above- and to give me a better understanding of the possible reasons for her actions and behaviour.

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Mina’s historical context influences Mina’s social context and status in Australia "particularly at school and around the community- due to the fact that she is a refugee from Afghanistan. The students’ reaction on her first day at new school proves us it is ‘interesting’ to have a refugee from Afghanistan in your class;

“Wow, you’re Afghanistanian. That’s so cool!” “Different is cool. Are you a refugee?”-Jane, another student who sits beside Mina is one of her classes.

From this, it is clear that Mina will be viewed differently from the other students. Also, Mina was formerly enrolled at a girl’s school as revealed in this quote from Minas’ narration;

“Having been at a girl’s school, I feel like I’ve been dropped onto another planet”

 This would also be classified as a historical context that influences the present social context. Both of these historical contexts that influence Mina’s social context ultimately influences my perspective for two main causes. Foremost, having Mina viewed differently by her peers as a refugee makes the reader expect that she will be treated differently throughout the book on the first impression, however, the influence of Mina’s historical context, mentioned before, later in the book is evidence that this is not the main case. In addition, having the reader understand that she was formerly enrolled at a girl’s school will help them comprehend and acknowledge that what happened in the past that influences her actions, behaviour and opportunities. This happens to be an example of two contexts that influence each other that impacts the readers’ perspective.

 

Mina has been delineated from different context determinants that influence each other and gives some emotional connection to the reader, leaving me to be steered to support her. Ultimately, Mina’s endurance of certain dreadful moments that happened in her past influence both her social and cultural context in the present tense of the story. Digging in deeper to the texts and books you read by understanding the context and how it affects your frame of reference or how you would differently interpret the text is just one of the many steps in literature. And also, by doing so, can make you see a seemingly dull text an exciting, exquisite adventure as you explore many ways characters and cultures are delineated from.

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCE

 

[Figure 2] C.N. Trueman, “Vietnamese Boat People” (12 August 2017)

www.historylearning.co.uk

 

[Figure 1] “When Michael Met Mina” www.panmacmillan.com.au

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Matthew M Murill]

Great story, I love the plot and the characters you portrayed. I'm sure you can experiment with the shape of the text and everything will be fine.