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HOMEWORK ABOUT THE MOVIE THE FIRST GRADER

1. Does the movie portray the culture of Kenya? ExplainYes it does, the documentary has shown the cultural shift from a British Colony to

a Republican Country in 1964- The independence of Kenya. It is important to

highlight that the great majority of todays Kenyan residents do not value the

necessary cruel struggles, voracious battles as well as discriminatory treatment

that a generation had to suffer to obtain freedom- Maruges one.

At the end, this was the main thematic of the whole documentary how to become

free thanks to education.

2. What are the characteristics of the class portrayed in the movie?

It is presented as a homogeneous class before Maruges arrival. All children came

from a same generation whose freedom is taken for granted. The classes are givenpeculiarly in a crowded space. There are few chairs for too many pupils but there

is enough motivation to overcome this difficulty from the educators perspective

along with the children point of view. The great majority of children have

neglected their native language. The language in which the classes are offered is

English.

3. Do you consider age to be an obstacle for being admitted into school? Explain

Age is a perception of time reflected upon our physical appearance; it has nothing

to do with the learning process. It is recommended to place alike students in a

classroom to diminish differences among them. School is available to anyone who

wants to become a better individual; this is the reason why age is not an

impediment to start formal education. On the other hand, values, ethics, and

perspective differ from age to age. Thus, older students in normal conditions

should be placed in adult community schools.

4. Is age a factor of culture? In other words, does and old person have a

different culture from a younger person?

Of course, each generation beholds a different set of values, code of ethics and

perception of life itself. Therefore, younger people do have a different way tosolve old-time problems.

5. Do tribes have different cultures?

Indeed, they do have unalike cultures because they solve problems differently

from other tribes, and their perceptions of family, signs and life is quite unrelated

to each other.

6. Was Maruge discriminated just because of his age?

Being an eighty-four-year-old ex-Mau Mau fighter who wants to register in the

first grade at the local community school is a hard task for Maruge. Firstly, it isbecause people of the same age in Kenya possess prejudice on educating the elder.

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Second, the government leaders, at the time Maruge was trying to register in

school, were totally disconnected to their past and to the battles that Maruges

generation did for liberty. Maruge was also discriminated because of his way of

perceiving life and because of his disconnection to the global world in which

Kenya has evolved since independence so far.

References

The First Grader (2010) - IMDb. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 16 Jan.

2012. .