1. LEAVING by M.G. Vassanji
CHARACTERS – Aloo & Mother
Determined and persistent
Both Aloo and Mother portray these qualities.
hard, to the point of selling her business andmoving to
a quieter part of town where it is more conducive to
study.
university he could find.
en he finds out that his family may not be able to
afford the necessaryexpenses, he does not give up but
suggests other ideas to solve the problem.
Loving and selfless
Mother has great love for the childrenandare willing
to make sacrifices for their sake. After having lost her
husband at a young age, she did not remarry for fear
that her children would be sent to a children’s home.
Thus, she raised her five children on her own.
their own lives.
gives himher permissionto studyinAmerica as itis what
he aspires to do.
Obedient and filial
not bring upthe matter of going to America
againwhenhe sees how upset Mother has becomes. In
fact, he prepared to study agriculture at the local
university.
never drink or smoke, or marry a white woman, which
shows that he is an obedient and filial son
Ambitious
children. She wants them to studyhard andget a good
education, and is even willing to close her shop and
relocate to enable her children to concentrate on their
studies.
He aspires to go to an
America university instead of studying agriculture at
home. He is excited to see the world beyond his native
county.
Perceptive
viewpoint of Mother and Aloo.
point in the story, the narrator suddenly gets
an insight into Mother’s life and the sacrificesshe hadto
make, andbegins to have a deeper understanding of her
as a person.
America.
THEMES MORAL VALUES
Determination
Persistence
Family Love
Selfless
Obedience
Be determined
Be persistent
Family love is our priority
Be selfishless
Be obedient
2. From the short story ‘Leaving’ by MG Vassanji, write about a character that you
think is a good role model for teenagers.
From the short story ‘Leaving’ by MG Vassanji, a character that I think is a
good role model for teenagers is Aloo. He is a good role model for teens because he
is resourceful, obedient and hard-working.
The first reason why I say he is a good role model is because he is
resourceful. Resourceful is defined as able to deal well with new or difficult
situations and to find solutions to problems. It is an admirable trait to have.
Aloo is resourceful because when he is offered to study in the university, he gets
agriculture instead of medicine. Nonetheless, he does not resign to his fate.
Instead he does research and looks at prospectus of universities abroad. He also
writes letters to overseas universities to find a place. His resourcefulness pays
off when his mother sees the prospectus and finally lets him go. Aloo’s
resourcefulness is why he is a good role model for teenagers.
The second reason is because Aloo is obedient to his mother. Obedient here
means that doing, or willing to do, what you have been told to do by someone in
authority, in this case, his mother. Aloo is obediant to her because he does not
fight her back when she says she does not want him to leave him. He accepts her
mother’s will even though he really wants to study overseas. By being obedient, he
did not hurt his mother’s feelings that in the end she softens and understands his
ambition. Aloo as an obediant son is why he is a good role model to teenagers.
The third reason why Aloo is a good role model for teenagers is that he is
hard-working. Hard-working is a person who puts a lot of time and energy in doing
something. Aloo is hard-working as he puts a lot of energy into researching overseas
universities after Mr Velji returns from America and tells him of the opportunities
to study there. He writes letters to universities and reads a lot of prospectus. He
never gives up until he finally gets a place in Caltech University, one of the
leading universities in America. His hard-working attitude is why I say he is a
good role model for teenagers.
In conclusion, Aloo is a fantastic role model for teenagers because of his
resourcefulness, obedience to his mother and his industrious attitude.
