Notes

Discussion notes:
- Zain's point about how Lillian perceived her 3 differing cultures(American, Indian, and the aspects that set her apart from Mr.Pirzada) made me think about how a lot of the burden to undo stereotypes and educate the next generation lies on the parents, and how childhood is such a crucial part of character development. Lillian's dad was determined to educate Lillian on what was happening in their home country, and that reminded me of when my parents first told me of the END SARS campaign in Nigeria, our home country. Lillian and I were both raised in America though our parents were immigrants, but my parents made me aware of the various news and conflicts in our home country, which helped me to reconnect with my ethnicity and avoid having an unstable sense of self.
- Hiba's question about how the situation may have been different if the story took place in India made me consider how the large barrier between the US and Asia was beneficial in Lillian's case because there would have been more tension between the family and Mr.Pirzada since their housing of Mr.Pirzada would have to have been kept a secret for the sake of their lives. Learning about the war while being on American soil helped Lillian see the conflict objectively rather than be swayed to one specific side. She mentioned near the beginning of the story how she didn't understand why Bengali people were burning each other's homes when they shared many aspects of their culture and values.
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