Noughts and Crosses

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

The story is about two groups: the Noughts and the Crosses

Read along with the next two excerpts from the book. 

What do they tell you about these two groups?

1

At the far end of the road, there was a huge crowd outside my school. And they were shouting and chanting. (...)

‘NO BLANKERS IN OUR SCHOOL. NO BLANKERS IN OUR SCHOOL.’

The slogan was shouted out over and over again. Callum and three other Noughts were surrounded by police officers who were trying to push their way through the crowd to get to the school entrance. More police stood in an arm-linked line trying to push the crowd of Crosses back into two orderly groups. 

I ran faster, but the closer I got, the less I could see. I pushed and elbowed my way through the crowd.
‘Callum! CALLUM!’  

‘NO BLANKERS IN OUR SCHOOL . . .’

 

1

At the far end of the road, there was a huge crowd outside my school. And they were shouting and chanting. (...)

‘NO BLANKERS IN OUR SCHOOL. NO BLANKERS IN OUR SCHOOL.’

The slogan was shouted out over and over again. Callum and three other Noughts were surrounded by police officers who were trying to push their way through the crowd to get to the school entrance. More police stood in an arm-linked line trying to push the crowd of Crosses back into two orderly groups. 

I ran faster, but the closer I got, the less I could see. I pushed and elbowed my way through the crowd.
‘Callum! CALLUM!’  

‘NO BLANKERS IN OUR SCHOOL . . .’

 

2

‘Hi. I’m Sephy Hadley.’ I thrust my hand under the nose of the nought girl I was sitting next to. She had a dark brown plaster on her forehead which stuck out on her pale white skin like a throbbing thumb. ‘Welcome to Heathcroft.’ 

She looked at my hand like it was about to bite her. Wiping her own hand on her tunic, she then took mine and shook it slowly. ‘I’m Shania,’ she said softly.   (…)

‘How’s your head?’ I asked, pointing at the plaster.

‘It’s OK. It’ll take more than a stone step to dent my head.’

I smiled. ‘That plaster’s a bit noticeable.’

‘They don’t sell pink plasters. Only dark brown ones.’ Shania shrugged.

My eyes widened at that. I’d never really thought about it before, but she was right. I’d never seen any pink plasters. Plasters were the colour of us Crosses, not the noughts.

2

‘Hi. I’m Sephy Hadley.’ I thrust my hand under the nose of the nought girl I was sitting next to. She had a dark brown plaster on her forehead which stuck out on her pale white skin like a throbbing thumb. ‘Welcome to Heathcroft.’ 

She looked at my hand like it was about to bite her. Wiping her own hand on her tunic, she then took mine and shook it slowly. ‘I’m Shania,’ she said softly.   (…)

‘How’s your head?’ I asked, pointing at the plaster.

‘It’s OK. It’ll take more than a stone step to dent my head.’

I smiled. ‘That plaster’s a bit noticeable.’

‘They don’t sell pink plasters. Only dark brown ones.’ Shania shrugged.

My eyes widened at that. I’d never really thought about it before, but she was right. I’d never seen any pink plasters. Plasters were the colour of us Crosses, not the noughts.

Crosses

Noughts

Adapted to television series - aired on BBC in March/April 2020

Noughts & Crosses

The book Noughts and Crosses is an alternate reality fiction based in a 22nd-century parallel universe. Their world, technologically at least, is similar to the one we live in today: about the same jobs, same type of government etc. 

One key difference: equality between races is lacking and there aren't many laws or constitutions to protect from discrimination. 

Noughts & Crosses

The Crosses (darker-skinned people) the race with the individuals owning most of the wealth, good jobs, different and better schools etc. 

The second race, the noughts (lighter-skinned people) are at the poorer end of society usually doing manual labour or being servants to Crosses, with poor schools – if any at all.

Point of view:

Two different perspectives – Callum's and Sephy's (Persephone) – and their experiences of their entwined but very different worlds. 

The chapters alternate, with even chapters being Callum's and odd ones Sephy's.

What are themes of this book?

Themes

Racism

Terrorism

Justice

Heroes

Forbidden love

What is your impression of Noughts and Crosses so far?

1. I like it.
2. It's okay.
3. I don't like it.
4. The topic sounds interesting.

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