Vocabulary Expansion: Understanding Common English Words and Their Contexts, Lecture notes of Numerical Methods in Engineering

Download Vocabulary Expansion: Understanding Common English Words and Their Contexts and more Lecture notes Numerical Methods in Engineering in PDF only on Docsity! HANIF KUREISHI My Son the Fanatic Surreptitiously, the father began going into his son's bedroom. He would sit there for hours, rousing himself only to seek clues. What bewildered him was that Ali was getting tidier. Instead of the usual tangle of clothes, books, cricket bats, video games, the room was 5 becoming neat and ordered; spaces began appearing where before there had been only mess. Initially Parvez had been pleased: his son was outgrowing his teenage attitudes. But one day, beside the dustbin, Parvez found a torn bag which contained not only old toys, but computer disks, W video tapes, new books and fashionable clothes the boy had bought just a few months before. Also without explanation, Ali had parted from the English girlfriend who used to come often to the house. His old friends had stopped ringing. For reasons he didn't himself understand, Parvez wasn't able to bring up the subject of Ali's unusual behaviour. He was aware that he had become slightly afraid of his son, who, between his silences, was developing a sharp tongue. One remark Pawez did make, 'You don't play your guitar any more,' elicited the mysterious but conclu- sive reply, 'There are more important things to be done.' Yet Parvez felt his son's eccentricity an injustice. He had al- ways been aware of the pitfalls that other men's sons had fallen into in England. And so, for Ali, he had worked long hours and spent a lot of money paying for his education as an accountant. He had bought him good suits, all the books he required and a computer. And now the boy was throwing his possessions out! - - The TV, video and sound system followed the guitar. Soon the room was practically bare. Even the unhappy walls bore marks where Ali's pictures had been removed. Parvez couldn't sleep; he went more to the whisky bottle, even when he was at work. He realised it was imperative to discuss the matter with someone sympathetic. Parvez had been a taxi driver for twenty years. Half that time he'd worked for the same firm. Like him. most of the other drivers were Punjabis. They preferred to work at night, the roads were clearer and the money better. They slept during the day, avoiding their wives. Together they led almost a boy's life in the cabbies' office, playing cards and practical jokes, exchanging lewd stories, eating together and discussing politics and their problems. But Parvez had been unable to bring this subject up with his friends. He was too ashamed. And he was afraid, too, that they would blame him for the wrong turning his boy had taken, just as he had blamed other fathers whose sons had taken to running around with bad girls, truanting from school and joining gangs. For years Parvez had boasted to the other men about how Ali excelled at cricket, swimming and football, and how attentive a scholar he was, getting A's in most subjects. Was it asking too much for Ali to get a good job, now, many the right girl and start a fam- ily? Once this happened, Parvez would be happy. His dreams of doing well in England would have come true. Where had he gone wrong? But one night, sitting in the taxi office on busted chairs with his two closest friends watching a Sylvester Stallone film. he broke his silence. 'I can't understand it!' he burst out. 'Everything is going from his room. And I can't talk to him any more. We were not father and son - we were brothers! Where has he gone? Why is he torturing me?' And Parvez put his head in his hands. Even as he poured out his account the men shook their heads and gave one another knowing glances. From their grave looks Parvez realised they understood the situation. 'Tell me what is happening!' he demanded. The reply was almost triumphant. They had guessed something was going wrong. Now it was clear: All was taking drugs and sell- ing his possessions to pay for them. That was why his bedroom was emptying. 'What must I do then?' Parvez's friends instructed him to watch Ali scrupulously and then be severe with him, before the boy went mad. overdosed or murdered someone. Parvez staggered out into the early morning air, terrified they were right. His boy - the drug addict killer! To his relief, he found Bettina sitting in his car. Usually the last customers of the night were local 'brasses' or prostitutes. The taxi drivers knew them well, often driving them to liaisons. At the end of the girls' shifts, the men would ferry them home, though sometimes the women would join them for a drinking session in the office. Occasionally the drivers would go with the girls. 'A ride in exchange for a ride,' it was called. Bettina had known Parvez for three years. She lived outside the town and on the long drive home, where she sat not in the passenger seat but beside him, Parvez had talked to her about his life and hopes, just as she talked about hers. They saw each other most nights. He could talk to her about things he'd never be able to discuss with his own wife. Bettina, in turn, always reported on her night's activities. He liked to know where she was and with whom. Once he had rescued her from a violent client, and since then they had come to care for one another. Though Bettina had never met the boy, she heard about Ali con- tinually. That late night. when he told Bettina that he suspected Ali was on drugs, she judged neither the boy nor the father, but became businesslike and told him what to watch for. 'It's all in the eyes,' she said. They might be bloodshot; the pupils might be dilated; he might look tired. He could be liable to sweats, or sudden mood changes. 'Okay?' Parvez began his vigil gratefully. Now he knew what the problem might be, he felt better. And surely, he figured, things couldn't have gone too far? With Bettina's help he would soon sort it out. He watched each mouthful the boy took. He sat beside him at every opportunity and looked into his eyes. When he could he took the boy's hand, checking his temperature. If the boy wasn't at home Parvez was active, looking under the carpet, in his drawers, behind the empty wardrobe, sniffing, inspecting, probsng. He knew what to look for: Bettina had drawn pictures of capsules, syringes, pills, powders, rocks. Every night she waited to hear news of what he'd witnessed. After a few days of constant observation, Parvez was able to report that although the boy had given up sports, he seemed healthy with clear eyes. He didn't, as his father expected, flinch guiltily from his gaze. In fact the boy's mood was alert and steady in this sense: as well as being sullen, he was very watchful. He returned his father's long looks with more than a hint of criticism, of reproach even; so much so that Parvez began to feel that it was he who was in the wrong, and not the boy! 'And there's nothing else physically different?' Bettina asked. 'No!' Parvez thought for a moment. 'But he is growing a beard.' One night, after sitting with Bettina in an all-night coffee shop, Parvez came home particularly late. Reluctantly he and Bettina had abandoned their only explanation, the drug theory, for Parvez had - if Parvez ventured any criticism, Ali always had a brusque reply. On one occasion Ali accused Parvez of 'grovelling' to the whites; in contrast, he explained, he was not 'inferior'; there was more to the world than the West, though the West always thought it was best. 'How is it you know that?' Parvez said, 'seeing as you've never left England?' Ali replied with a look of contempt. One night, having ensured there was no alcohol on his breath, Parvez sat down at the kitchen table with Ali. He hoped Ali would compliment him on the beard he was growing but Ali didn't appear to notice. The previous day Parvez had been telling Bettina that he thought people in the West sometimes felt inwardly empty and that people needed a philosophy to live by. 'Yes,' said Bettina. 'That's the answer. You must tell him what your philosophy of life is. Then he will understand that there are other beliefs.' After some fatiguing consideration, Parvez was ready to begin. The boy watched him as if he expected nothing. Haltingly Parvez said that people had to treat one another with respect, particularly children their parents. This did seem, for a moment, to affect the boy. Heartened, Parvez continued. In his view this life was all there was and when you died you rotted in the earth. 'Grass and flowers will grow out of me, but something of me will live on -' 'How?' 'In other people. I will continue - in you.' At this the boy ap- peared a little distressed. 'And your grandchildren,' Parvez added for good measure. 'But while I am here on earth I want to make the best of it. And I want you to, as well!' 'What d'you mean by "make the best of it"'?' asked the boy. 'Well,' said Parvez. 'For a start . . . you should enjoy yourself. Yes. Enjoy yourself without hurting others.' Ali said that enjoyment was a 'bottomless pit'. 'But 1 don't mean enjoyment like that!' said Parvez. 'I mean the beauty of living!' 'All over the world our people are oppressed,' was the boy's reply. 'I know,' Parvez replied, not entirely sure who 'our people' were, 'but still - life is for living!' Ali said, 'Real morality has existed for hundreds of years. Around the world millions and millions ofpeople share my beliefs. Are you saying you are right and they are all wrong?' Ali looked at his father with such aggressive confidence that Parvez would say no more. 7 One evening, Bettina was sitting in Parvez's car after visiting a client when they passed a boy on the street. 'That's my son,' Pawez said suddenly. They were on the other side of town, in a poor district, where there were two mosques. l Parvez set his face hard. Bettina watched him. 'Slow down then, slow down!' She said, ' 'He's good-looking. Reminds me of you. But with a more deter- mined face. Please, can't we stop?' 'What for?' 'I'd like to talk to him.' Parvez turned the cab round and stopped beside the boy. 'Coming home?' Parvez asked. 'It's quite a way.' The sullen boy shrugged and got into the back seat. Bettina sat in the front. Parvez became aware of Bettina's short skin, gaudy rings and ice-blue eyeshadow. He became conscious that the smell S of her perfume, which he loved, filled the cab. He opened the win- dow. While Parvez drove as fast as he could, Bettina said gently to Ali, 'Where have you been'?' 'The mosque,' he said. 'And how are you getting on at college? Are you working hard?' 'Who are you to ask me these questions?' he said, looking out of the window. Then they hit bad traffic and the car came to a stand- still. By now Bettina had inadvertently laid her hand on Parvez's shoulder. She said, 'Your father, who is a good man, is very worried about you. You know he loves you more than his own life.' 'You say he loves me,' the boy said. 'Yes! ' said Bettina. 'Then why is he letting a woman like you touch him like that?' If Bettina looked at the boy in anger, he looked back at her with twice as much cold fury. She said, 'What kind of woman am I that I deserve to be spoken to like that'?' 'You know,' he said. 'Now let me out.' 'Never,' Parvez replied. 'Don't worry. I'm getting out,' Bettina said. 'No, don't!' said Parvez. But even as the car moved she opened : the door and threw herself out and ran away across the road. Parvez shouted after her several times, but she had gone. Parvez took Ali back to the house, saying nothing more to him. Ali went straight to his room. Parvez was unable to read the paper, watch television or even sit down. He kept pouring himself drinks. i I 107 H a n ~ f Kureishi At last he went upstairs and paced up and down outside Ali's 185 room. When, finally, he opened the door, Ali was praying. The boy didn't even glance his way. Parvez kicked him over. Then he dragged the boy up by his shirt and hit him. The boy fell back. Parvez hit him again. The boy's face was bloody. Parvez was panting. He knew that the boy was un- 390 reachable, but he struck him nonetheless. The boy neither covered himself nor retaliated; there was no fear in his eyes. He only said, through his split lip: 'So who's the fanatic now?' Annotations title: fanatic (n.): someone who has extreme political or religious ideas and is often dangerous - 1 surreptitiously (adv.): done secretly or quickly because you do not want other people to notice - 2 rouse (v.): to make someone start doing something, especially when they have been too tired or unwilling to do it - 2 clue (n.): information that helps you understand the reasons why something happens - 3 bewilder (v.): to confuse some- one - 7 outgrow (v.): to no longer d o or enjoy something that you used to do, because you have grown older and changed - 8 attitude (n.): the way that you behave towards someone or in a particular situation, especially when this shows how you feel - 18 elicit (v.): to succeed in getting infor- mation or a reaction from someone, especially when this is difficult - 18 conclusive (adj.): showing that something is definitely true - 20 eccen- tricity (n.): strange or unusual behaviour - 21 pitfall (n.): a problem or difficulty that is likely to happen in a particular job, course of action, or activity - 23 accountant (n.): someone whose job is to keep and check financial accounts, calculate taxes, etc. - 30 imperative (adj.): extremely important and needing to be done or dealt with immediately - 31 sympa- thetic (adj.): caring and feeling sorry about someone's problems - 34 Punjabi (n.): someone from the Punjab, a large area in eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The Punjab was a single province in the period of British rule. but it is now two states: one in Pakistan, which contains the city of Lahore. and one in India, which contains the city of Amritsar, a holy place for followers of the Sikh religion. Many of the people who live in the Indian Punjab are Sikhs, and some of them would like to become independent from India - 36 cabby (n.): (infml.) a taxi driver - 37 prac- tical joke: a trick that is intended to give someone a surprise or shock, or to make them look stupid - 37 lewd (adj.): using rude words or move- ments that make you think of sex - 43 truant (v.): (usually: play truant) (infml.) stay away from school - 45 attentive (adj.): listening to or watch- ing someone carefully because you are interested - 46 A's: best marks - 46 scholar (n.): an intelligent and well-educated person - 51 busted (adj.): broken - 59 glance (n.): a quick look - 59 grave (adj.): serious - Hanif Kureishi 67 scrupulously (adv.): doing something very carefully so that nothing is left out - 68 severe (adj.): someone who is severe behaves in a way that does not seem friendly or sympathetic, and is very strict or disapproving - 70 stagger (v.) to walk or move unsteadily - 72 relief (n.): when some- thing reduces someone's pain or unhappy feelings - 73 brass (n.): (d.) prostitute - 75 liaison (n.): a secret sexual relationship between a man and a woman, especially a man and a woman who are married but not to each other - 75 ferry (v.): to carry people or things a short distance from one place to another in a boat or other vehicle - 91 judge (v.): to form an opinion about someone, especially in an unfair or criticizing way - 93 bloodshot (adj.): if your eyes are bloodshot, the parts that are normally white are red or pink - 94 dilated (adj.): if something dilates, it becomes wider - 94 liable (adj.): likely to do or say something or to behave in a particular way, especially because of a fault or natural tendency - 94 sweat (n.): a state of nervousness or fear, in which you start to sweat, even though you are not hot - 96 vigil (n.): a period of time, especially during the night, when you stay awake in order to pray, remain with someone who is ill. or watch for danger - 99 mouthful (n.): an amount of food or drink that you put into your mouth at one time - 103 sniff (v.): to try to find out or discover something - 103 probe (v.): to look for some- thing or examine something. using a long thin object - 104 capsule (n.): a plastic container shaped like a very small tube with medicine or other substances inside that you swallow whole - 104 syringe (n.): an instru- ment for taking blood from someone's body or putting liquid, drugs, etc. into it, consisting of a hollow plastic tube and a needle - 105 rock (n.): a small amount of a very pure form of the illegal drug cocaine that some people use for pleasure - 109 flinch (v.): to move your face or body away from someone or something because you are in pain, frightened, or upset - 110 alert (adj.): giving all your attention to what is happening, being said, etc. - 11 1 sullen (adj.): angry and silent, especially because you feel life has been unfair to you - 112 hint (n.): a very small amount or sign of something - 112 reproach (n.): criticism, blame, or disapproval - 118 reluctantly (adv.): slowly and unwillingly - 120 resemble (v.): to look like or be similar to someone or something - 122 donate (v.): to give something, especially money, to a person or an organization in order to help them - 131 mutter (v.): to speak in a low voice, especially because you are annoyed about something, or you do not want people to hear you - 131 relieved (adj.): feeling happy because you are no longer worried about something - 133 establish (v.): to find out facts that will prove that something is true - 136 LAHORE: a major city of Pakistan and the capi- tal of the province of Punjab. It is estimated to have approximately 6.5 million inhabitants. This makes it the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi - 137 KORAN: the Qur'an, the holy book of the Muslims - 138 MAULVI: an honorific Islamic religious title often, but not exclusively, W given to Muslim religious scholars - 138 ceiling (n.): the inner surface of the top part of a room - 140 indignity (n.): a situation that makes you feel very ashamed and not respected - 142 mullah (n.): a Muslim teacher of law and religion - 143 rove (v.): if someone's eyes rove, they look con- tinuously from one part of something to another - 147 oddly (adv.): in a strange or unusual way - 147 condemn (v.): to say very strongly that you do not approve of something or someone, especially because you think it is morally wrong - 148 devotions (n.): prayers and other religious acts - 160 mac (n.): (infml.) mackintosh, a coat made to keep out the rain - 162 moor (n.): a wild open area of high land, covered with rough grass or low bushes and heather, that is not farmed because the soil is not good enough - 163 unimpeded (adj.): happening or moving without being stopped or having difficulty - 165 tremble (v.): to shake slightly in a way that you cannot control, especially because you are upset or frightened - 173 im- minent (adj.): an event that is imminent, especially an unpleasant one, will happen very soon - 175 poppadum (n.): a large circular piece of very thin flat Indian bread cooked in oil - 179 castigate (v.): to criticize or punish someone severely - 179 insolent (adj.): rude and not showing any respect - 187 gambling (n.): when people risk money or possessions on the result of something which is not certain, such as a card game or a horse race - 189 wince (v.): to suddenly change the expression on your face as a reaction to something painful or upsetting - 189 fastidious (adj.): very careful about small details in your appearance, work, etc. - 193 disgust (n.): a strong feeling of dislike, annoyance, or disapproval - 194 censure (n.): the act of expressing strong disapproval and criticism - 195 lose one's temper: to suddenly become very angry so that you cannot control yourself - 200 conscience (n.): the part of your mind that tells you whether what you are doing is morally right or wrong - 202 wicked (adj.): behaving in a way that is morally wrong - 207 relish (v.): to enjoy - 209 smother (v.): to completely cover the whole surface of something with something else, often in a way that seems unnecessary or unpleasant - 215 annoyed (adj.): slightly angry - 215 perplexed (adj.): confused and worried by something that you do not understand - 21 8 implicated (adj.): involved in something bad or harmful - 220 burp (v.): to pass gas loudly from your stomach out through your mouth - 220 choke (v.): to be unable to breathe properly because something is in your throat or there is not enough air - 224 miserably (adv.): in an extremely unhappy way, for example because you feel lonely, cold, or badly treated - 227 quell (v.): to end a situation in which people are behaving violently or protesting, espe- cially by using force - 228 infidel (n.): an offensive word for someone who has a different religion from you - 229 Christers (n.): (sl.) Chris- tians - 229 route (v.): to defeat completely - 230 sink (n.): a large open container that you fill with water and use for washing yourself, washing dishes, etc. - 230 hypocrite (n.): someone who pretends to have certain W beliefs or opinions that they do not really have - 230 adulterer (n.): someone who is married and has sex with someone who is not their wife or husband - 236 cause (n.): an organization, belief, or aim that a group of people support or fight for - 241 mend your ways: to improve the way you behave after behaving badly for a long time - 244 usher (v.): to help someone to get from one place to another, especially by showing them the way - 246 swallow (v.): to move (food or drink) down the throat - 257 rip off (v.): to remove something quickly and violently - 26 1 scrape (v.): to rub against a rough surface in a way that causes slight damage or injury - 262 haul (v.): to move somewhere with a lot of effort, especially be- cause you are injured or tired - 265 dislodge (v.): to force or knock some- thing out of its position - 265 pitiless (adj.): showing no pity and not caring if people suffer - 269 accounting/accountancy (n.): the profession or work of keeping or checking financial accounts, calculating taxes, etc. - 273 usury (n.): the practice of lending money to people and making them pay - 277 purity (n.): the quality or state of being pure - 284 prayer mat (n.): a small cloth on which Muslims kneel when praying - 288 cult (n.): an extreme religious group that is not part of an established religion - 288 superstitious (adj.): influenced by superstition (= the belief that some objects or actions are lucky or unlucky, or that they cause events to happen, based on old ideas of magic) - 289 stick by (phrasal v.): to remain loyal to a friend when they have done something wrong or have problems - 294 endure (v.): to be in a difficult or painful situation for a long time without complaining - 294 reproach (n.): criticism, blame, or disapproval - 296 venture (v.): to do or try something that involves risks - 296 brusque (adj.): using very few words in a way that seems rude - 297 grovel (v.): to praise someone a lot or behave with a lot of respect towards them because you think that they are important and will be able to help you in some way - 298 inferior (adj.): lower in rank, not good, or not as good as someone or something else - 303 contempt (n.): a feeling that someone or something is not important and deserves no respect - 3 14 fatiguing (adj.): extremely tiring - 315 haltingly (adv.): if you speak or move haltingly, you stop for a moment between words or movements, especially because you are not confident - 3 18 heartened (adj.): if you are heartened, someone or something makes you feel happier and more hopeful - 323 distressed (adj.): very upset - 329 pit (n.): a hole in the ground, especially one made by digging - 332 oppress (v.): to treat a group of people unfairly or cruelly, and prevent them from having the same rights that other people in society have - 339 confidence (n.): the belief that you have the ability to do things well or deal with situations successfully - 343 mosque (n.): a building in which Muslims worship - 346 determined (adj.): showing determination (= the quality of trying to do something even when it is difficult) - 353 gaudy (adj.): clothes, col- ours, etc. that are gaudy are too bright and look cheap - 354 conscious