What do they reveal about chamoiseau attitude
1. Patrick Chamoiseau divides School Days into two parts, “Longing” and “Survival.” How do the two sections relate to each other? What do they reveal about Chamoiseau’s attitude about his early education?
2. On page 30 of our text, the narrator informs us that the Little Boy has often heard his Papa tell the Baroness, “…that at such places, you went in a sheep only to come out a goat.” What does the Papa mean? Does this warning match the Little Boy’s experience or any other character’s experience?
3. None of the principal characters in the novel have names. Our narrator calls himself the Little Boy, and those characters outside his family are identified by labels: , “The Teacher,” “Monsieur Le Directeur,” and “Big Bellybutton,” which is a nickname and an attribute. Why name family members and Mam Saliniere (but not the Papa)? What is the significance of the label-names they do have? What is the effect upon the reader? What might be the author’s purpose in doing this? Is he successful?
4. Think about the relationships between language and culture, language and status, and language and power. How does the novel address these connections? How are these connections related to the Papa’s warning to the Baroness?
5. Consider the conflict between Big Bellybutton and the Teacher. Why has the Teacher targeted Big Bellybutton for special humiliation? What do we learn about Big Bellybutton’s internal character? How is this conflict related to the Papa’s warning?
6. The narrator spends a lot of time and space describing the marbles game, “mab.” How does this section relate to the experiences at school, both on the playground in the classroom?
