Literature lesson

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vmbo t, mavo, havo
• Leerjaar 2

The Martians Claim Canada

By

Suze Frijns

Edward Hermans

Merel Geschiere

Lesson aims

• By the end of this lesson, you can describe the concept of ‘Other’. 

• By the end of this lesson, you can clearly state the importance of the concept of ‘Other’,  while looking at literature outside the US and Britain.  

What are we going to do?

- Introduction

- Pre-reading

- While-reading

- Post-reading

The Martians Claim Canada 

Do you know this person?

What are Martians?

Grab your colouring pens!

And...

...Draw your own Martian!

Based on the title, how do you think the story will develop?

Three Parties

In the story, three parties can be distinguished

1. The Martians
   
2. The mushrooms
3. The people/ humans

"Luckily there is a mushroom – it’s the summer, however brief – and these Martians know how to talk to mushrooms, which they resemble somewhat in appearance."
After reading this passage, what can be concluded about the relationship between the Martians and the mushrooms?

How do the Martians describe people?

"You draw a line, you put up walls and gates and such, you say some people can’t come in and other people can’t go out"

What do you think about the Martians their view on people?

"‘Toasters,’ says the mushroom. ‘Frying pans. Microwaves. All those anti-mushroom devices."

How is the relationship between mushrooms and people?

What are some of the main themes of the story?

Introducing the concept:

"Other"

On the next slide, you will read different extracts of the story. 

Read them, and think about what all extracts might have in common.

• "You have a flag, which is a piece of cloth with some sort of pattern on it, and it waves around in the wind. Unlike mushrooms: we don’t wave anything." 
  

• "‘Toasters,’ says the mushroom. ‘Frying pans. Microwaves. All those anti-mushroom devices."

• " With the ones who didn’t die, things were sort of friendly at first, because the new people wanted animals. They wanted to put them on their heads, and also sell them to make lots of money. And the old people knew how to catch the animals. So things went on like that for a while.’ 'On their heads?’ ask the Martians. ‘Why?’  'Don’t ask me,’ says the mushroom. ‘They liked it, what can I say?"

Many things set the mushrooms/Martians apart from the humans. 

These differences cause a gap between the two.

This is the main essence of the concept of 'Other': 

The separation between two parties.

In society, what can create gaps between two parties?
(Think about two different parties: distinctive countries like e.g. India and France, followers of different religions, tourists and locals etc.)

Define the concept of "Other" for yourself:

The definition of 'Other'

In general terms, the ‘other’ is anyone separate from one’s self. 

The existence of others is crucial in defining what is ‘normal’ and in locating one’s own place in the world. 

The colonized subject is characterized as ‘other’ through discourses such as primitivism and cannibalism, as a means of establishing the binary separation of the colonizer and colonized and asserting the naturalness and primacy of the colonizing culture and world view. 

 

"Other" in the story

Is it the story about welcoming new kinds of people, or is it the story about not welcoming new kinds of people, especially those with different coloured caps and scales? Canada, land of opportunity, or Canada, land of unfair discrimination and exploitation? 

Why do you think it is helpful to read books from outside the US or Britain with regard to the concept of other?