Status Updates From Fundamentalisti vastoin tah...

When Changz first got back to America, his life was clearly very hard. A lot of people were being stereotypical and racist towards him and others just because of how they looked, which is totally unfair and very sad to think about. I think all those unnecessary actions are what eventually cause him to leave after just eight months and move back home.

I was shocked when it was revealed that Changez took pleasure in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and I was surprised by how someone who has so far been very friendly could have this opinion. I think the reason that Changez thinks this is because, to him, America is a perfect place, so seeing such a violent attack gave him the perspective that this could happen to any country, which was a powerful message for him.

Hamid shows that Changez’s hard work and discipline can’t control how others see him. Despite his efforts to succeed, larger forces outside his control change his life. The simple language reveals his gradual loss of control, making readers uneasy. This ties to Non-Sibi, as Changez is judged more by what he can’t join than by his actions.

After 9/11, Changez was acting kinda weird. He started smiling after he saw what was happening to his home country. This was not usual him. On page 73, he says, "I knew merely that my feeling would be unnaceptable to my colleagues, and I undertook to hide them as well as I could. He feels some kind of pleasure when the tragedy happened, and he does not even know why himself

I’m interested in Changez, but not in a specific way. He’s a character I’m still trying to understand, and I’m not sure how I feel about him yet. He seems genuine, but almost too kind, which makes me question his intentions. Because of the situation he’s in, he may feel pressured to act this way. At the same time, he kind of annoys me. I’m hoping that as I keep reading, I’ll figure him out more.

After reading about Erica and her venting to Changes and getting drunk on wine, I felt like she is still not over her ex dying to cancer. I think this because after she got drunk she was touching and talking to Changes in an act to try to seduce him. Ithink this shows she is not over he ex because she does not act like this sober. Changes recognized she was drunk and was respectful and didn't take advantage of Erica.

Changez's reaction to 9/11 doesn't surprise me. Most were shocked when he smiled, but I understand. He had a small grudge against the US, and that's valid, he explained that he's not a sociopath. I'm on board with him. Then, Changez experiences blatant racism when security guards check him more excessively than his colleagues. I'm starting to see why his U.S experience went bad. I'm excited to see how he responds.

I understand Changez's feelings because I had a similar moment before. When I was in 7th grade, I got to know some 9th-grade brothers after I joined the Varsity tennis team. When I hung out with them, I felt like Changez when Jim sat his arm around his chair. I felt cool and accepted like one of the popular kids. Despite these feelings, I was sometimes anxious because I knew the relationship might not last forever.

When Changez is in Manila, he's praised heavily for his work. I'm happy for Changez because all of his hard work is starting to pay off and his coworkers are noticing the effort he puts into his job. As I kept reading however, I am sad to see that Changez found pleasure in the events of 9/11. My view of Changez has changed and I am starting to dislike him. I am still excited to read further and see what happens next.

At the start he gives us a clue of what this chapter is about flying bugs that hit stuff. Then he goes on to talk about how someone saw him with envy because of his expensive car and we can see how he's actually enjoying his wealth and job. Then during a trip he sees the news about 911 happening and since then people treat him differently even the airport security. Will he go back to Lahore because of this?

Erica's relationship with Chris continues to be a barrier between Changez and her. Changez feels a deep infatuation towards Erica, the same way that Erica does for Chris. I predict that this relationship will die out, because love has to be mutual. I believe Hamid is trying to show that, like Erica's name, Changez loves Am(erica), but America does not love him back, especially after what just happened on 9/11.

Changez keeps on comparising Pakistan and America and his personal view of it all. Something I saw was when Changez was talking about the flying creatures as immigrants and some survive and some don't. He mentioned them stuggling and crashing into a large building. He is referenceing what happened on 9/11. The flying creatues symbolize the plane and then the large building symbolizes the twin towers.

The part that stood out to me the most was the paragraph about the bats flying above their heads. What is cool about bats is that they are mammals, but can fly. So this means that they are something in between the two 'the gray area' I think this is how Changez feels in America- stuck between two sides, belonging neither to Pakistan or America. He's like a bat in the dark, trying to find a place to really fit in.

I notice that Changez is starting to question the values he once admired. Things that used to excite him now feel uncomfortable. This makes the story feel more reflective and thoughtful. It shows how experiences can change the way someone sees the world.

On page 72, Changez says, "I stared as… New York's World Trade Center collapsed, and then I smiled.” After hearing this, I was honestly disgusted with Changez. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized there had to be more to why he reacted this way to such a horrible attack. On the other hand I can't think of any valid reasons to smile at the murder of thousands of innocent people.

After reading to page 100, Changez is still working for Underwood Sampson. Changez is having a lot of success with his job, and he is gaining a lot of respect from his coworkers. Changez and Erica are also turning into a romantic couple, but Changez still feels that since Erica still has Chris on her mind, he can't fully connect with her. After 9/11, Changez has been noticing how the world has been changing since.

At first, Changez’s life in America seems successful, but beneath the surface, it grows unstable. Hamid shows this through a gradual tonal shift, revealing that outside forces shape Changez. It’s disturbing that hard work and talent no longer protect him. I empathize with Changez because his discomfort comes not from his mistakes, but from how others start to view him with suspicion.

I found it shocking when Changez says he felt happy instead of pain after the incident, but it helped me understand him. His reaction is not about people dying, but about America losing power. Even though he works hard and succeeds, things like racism are out of his control. I predict this feeling will keep growing and eventually push him away from the American life he is trying to fit into and come back home.

Changez’s sense of belonging changed after 9/11, when he found that the country he admired now viewed him with suspicion as the staring at the airport and public spaces and the sudden shift in how partners marked as an outsider. There was subtle discomfort and awareness that he was being watched, evaluated, and pushed to the pale. These moments accumulated that he changed his mind that America is unsecure to him.

Changez's view of the American dream has finally changed. After hearing about 9/11 on TV, it changed him completely. What to think was a perfect place to have a great life turned into a nightmare. When he was going to the airport and trying to fly from a business trip, he was stopped and checked because of his race. I felt horrible that he had to deal with this because he did nothing and was still under suspicion.

Changez’s smile as the Twin Towers fell reflects not joy, but realization. In that moment, Changez understood that the attacks would forever change his life in America as a Muslim man. He smiled to cover up his crushed emotions deep inside, a mix of irony and awareness. I am interested to see where their book goes next. I feel that this attack will mess up his relationship with Erica and her family.

I think the author was trying to show that Changez's relationship with Erica is a metaphor for being American. As she obsessively grieves her past, Changez feels invisible. He realizes he can only be with her if he pretends to be someone else, just as he can only be American by ignoring his Pakistani roots. It is a sad thing, the more he defends his home, the more America treats him like an enemy.

These couple of pages have been interesting to read. Changez was a day out from coming back to New York from a business trip when he heard the news about the attacks on the twin towers, and he smiled at it. Changez says that he is not crazy after he admits this, but it seems like he is. He may have smiled due to the relief of him not being in New York in that situation. But either way, his actions were interesting.

I am confused about why Changez smiled when he saw both towers slowly falling. I am mad because of how people are looking at Changez after coming back to New York. I feel bad for Changez because of how the officer who inspected his passport was arrogant and disrespectful to him. I am confused about why Erica is thinking more and more about Chris after the 911 attack.