At last, I was able to share with my students my all time favourite book. I was convinced then that Steinbeck was not about the displaced of Oklahoma but of Mirpur. They had recently (I first read the book in 1973) been forced out of their family homes where they had lived for many generations. Now they would have to resettle in other parts of Pakistan where, often, like the migrants in the book, they were treated as unwelcome aliens by their fellow citizens inside their own country. Like Steinbeck’s ‘Oakies’ they were called names such as ‘MPs’.
We then got onto some writing. Given below is a contribution from my students.
What I see in the mirror
If I really analyse what I see, I only capture a small insight of what I really am. It is rare to be able to know someone and gain an understanding of them from one glance at their reflection.
But the little part that I do see complements my extrovert personality. It allows me to see who I am; something you cannot know just by thought.
When I look in the mirror, I make sure I see the things people miss, how my eyes seem to change colour depending on where I am, how my mischievous smile hints that I have something up my sleeve. Truth is, you never really understand for yourself who you really are, until you explain what you see in the mirror.