white Teeth and the election

There are a lot of ways that White Teeth is connected to the presidential election. The one I find most prevalent is how Clara is portrayed a lot like Cindy McCain is. Clara marrying Archie, a white man is shown by the author as being controversial. She is shunned from her family, which parallels to the marriage of Cindy to John McCain. So much is focused on Clara in a problematic way, which is unfair because Clara is genuinely a good person. Cindy McCain had a lot of press at the beginning of the election because she was shown in a poor light because of some things in her past, even though she is also a genuinely good person. I feel like both Clara and Cindy are viewed negatively and overlooked for their good deeds and the fact that they are normal people. I feel as if both women are judged by whom they are married to rather than their personalities and the fact that they are independent women. They are both much more than just a wife or a mother.

Other prevalent similarities between White Teeth and the election are moral and ethical debates. Scientific research and their moral and ethical debates force the candidates to take a stance whether they are for or against it, as in stem cell research. In White Teeth morality is a huge part in the Iqbal family, whether it is Samad and his "to the pure, all things are pure" saying or whether it is the moral debate that each Millat and Magid face separately. 

The last very obvious point I think is made both with the 2008 election and White Teeth is race and ethnicity. White Teeth has an array of multi-cultural characters and shows how they are caught between different cultures. The Iqbals are seen as being true to their Bengali culture but then becoming torn between the British culture they live in as well. It is also apparent that Clara is a black woman married to a white man, which is a lot like Obama's background.

The Business of Pulling Out

Many of the people who mingle in the affairs of other countries do so because they feel that they are responsible or are the most capable persons to make things better. The great irony of good intentions is that good intentions don’t necessarily result in good works or positive results. Even Zadie Smith writes with a pang of bitterness when Captain Charlie Durham “was not satisfied with simply taking [young Ambrosia Bowden’s] maidenhood. He had to TEACH her something as well” (p. 295). Even though Durham had made promises “that their secret child would be the cleverest Negro boy in Jamaica” (p. 296). Projects are begun and promises are made that are meant to educate and improve Ambrosia’s life, however Durham suddenly disappears. He has turned his attention abroad to attend other matters more than three months. He abandons Ambrosia.

Our involvement in the Middle East right now is a huge issue. When the U.S. had first jumped in, we felt like it was our responsibility to take charge and form an authority. Originally, we had concerns for our own security but once we were there, we started mingling with the affairs and involving ourselves deeper and deeper. Today, we’re at a stalemate. The next president will be key in deciding further involving ourselves or simply pulling out would be better.

~La Neu

racism a major plot line and a major issue

Maybe it was just me but just about every character in the book so far has expressed some racist slur or thought at one time or another.  Smith tells it like it is go back and count the number times this year someone said this and offended someone else racial.  Count the number of times someone dies because of their race, too gruesome instead count the number of times race has come up in the campaigns.  But we're not talking about how to address the issue we just here this guy used the race card, this dude hates these people, blah blah blah.  What about the example we are supposed to set for the rest of the world yet here we are in an election year and the racial tension so thick it could be cut with the proverbial knife.   Apparently race has been made an issue this election year so lets use that attention to work towards a solution instead of perpetuating the beast.  We owe it to the issue itself if nothing else, but i guess I'm just an idealist

Judging a book by its cover

The major similarity I have been seeing throughout the book and today’s politics are people’s connections with their roots. In the book the whole coming in terms with your original roots is a theme repeatedly used for the characters of the novel to not only distinguish who they are but also to convey who other people are, whether that is a truth or a deception. Obviously the book’s title can reveal a lot after only the beginning of the novel (the symbolism of teeth), but the truth behind the “root canal” I felt is the greatest reflection on the book so far. It is said in the book that “the first sign of tooth decay is something rotten, something degenerate, deep within the gums. Roots were what saved, the ropes one throws out to rescue drowning me, to Save their Souls”. No matter what happens in one’s life, teeth are always left behind. These teeth cannot be disguised as anything else than what they are. Sometimes people (especially in this book) want to try to mask their past or the character they are. Ethnic background is a major concern in this book as it is with the presidential election this year. Without having to state the obvious, Obama likes to play both sides of his ethnic background. He tends to use his white background when trying to collect the attention of white Americans and vice versa when trying to gain black American votes. I feel like coming from two different ethnic backgrounds, it could either hurt him or he could use it to his advantage. I believe he has been trying to be as general and normal as possible when trying to convey himself as a candidate. He has been smart to use his roots as a tool to help people view him as “one of their own”. I believe a major influence over people when choosing who to vote for, is the relativity of the two major candidates to one’s self. The more one can affiliate with a candidate and relate their own personal way of life with that candidate the better that candidate has to win their vote. Our history, background, and roots may provide possible insight on the people we are by simple prejudgments, but it might also just give more of a deception to the image of who people appear to be or how we want people to view ourselves.

FutureMouse to the Rescue...

CNN.com's Election Center says Stem Cell research is a "salient" issue in the 2008 Presidential Election. In connection with White Teeth, I can't help but think how relevant fictional Marcus's endeavors are in the reality of eugenics, which have an effect on politics today. As we delve deeper into science, more moral and ethical questions are raised. Like the girl at Heathrow in the novel, voicing her fears about the prospect of clones, we have to look out for what these things could potentially become. This in mind, I think of the quote (which I believe is from the Bible) which has become popularized by recent comic book films: "With great power comes great responsibility" or something to that effect. I think this is completely relevant to the field of science, and to politics in general. We need to elect someone who will take everything into consideration before making decisions. It is their responsibility.

In White Teeth, Smith repeatedly brings up the idea of prophecy. Well, what does a prophet do, what is their function? The way I see it, a prophet is someone who can look to the future and predict what will happen based on their knowledge of the past and its correlation with the current situation in the present. People are rightly concerned about the potential problems with eugenics because they have seen people misuse science and power in the past (didn't Smith also mention this in the section on World War 2 in regard to Dr. Sick and the Nazis?). We need to be careful how far we go "Playing God" and what effects it could have on society. So, do we need a "prophet" in the White House? Maybe not in name, but we need to elect someone who is willing to look at every issue from every possible perspective and make decisions that will be the best for the country and its citizens in the long-run in a moral and ethical way.

I think Stem Cell Research dovetails with the "bigger" issue of abortion and the sanctity of life. Where do we draw the line on what's a person? If we can't agree that a baby in the womb is a baby rather than a cluster of cells, when does the cluster of cells in a lab become a human? When do they start receiving rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness as well? Or do they? This reminds me of the movie "The Island" where the clones that are made for spare parts take on their own lives and feel things like any other human. As far out as these ideas seem, I think they are valid to wonder about and evaluate the likelihood of things like this happening in the future. Where is the responsibility to say enough's enough? Who is there to check the power that comes with these leaps and bounds in the name of "Science"?

What if Archie had the opportunity to choose Irie's eye-color -- to make them stay blue? Or if Clara could choose to make Irie slim like herself, instead of big like her Grandma? How would this help the problems they have in their lives --or would it inevitably bring new ones?

Mostly Magid and Obama

Even though we are half way through the book the connections we made earlier in the term are still pretty relevant to now. The first one is Clara being the odd one out. There is some focus on Clara, mostly a form of controversy. It is mentioned a few times on how she was rejected by her family for marrying a white man. People tend to focus on the negatives when it comes to her. I feel Clara is unfairly portrayed. She is much more than Archie’s wife and Irie’s mother. I am still trying to figure out who Clara really is. A lot of press has died down about Cindy McCain but she was portrayed in a similar way. More on some of actions and who she as married to then what she was really about. There is much more to Cindy like there is much more to Clara. Even though we have seen a little bit of who they are I am still waiting for the overall picture of who they are individually.
Another connection is Obama and Samad’s son Magid. Some people feel that Obama is not a true black person because his mother is white. People have trouble connecting with him because they do not relate to him. Barack Obama is a well educated multiracial man with controversy about his religion. People like to place people in certain categories. Whether it is right or not it helps people to connect on a bigger level. Unfortunately Obama leaves people a little confused. Magid is more or less going through a phase. His father is a Muslim who wants his son to be a great Muslim man. Magid ends up becoming very English. He is out of the norm and different. He is not exactly what you would expect him to be and there are less Muslim English men then there are just Muslim men. He is trying to discover who he is with obstacles. There is nothing wrong with either Obama or Magid it is just going to take time for certain people to understand where they are coming from. Especially if that place is so different from you.