Amina's Voice Symbols and Motifs
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Amina's Voice by Hena Khan
By Liane Hicks
Amina's Voice is an award winning novel by Hena Khan that tells the story of Amina, a Pakistani-American girl starting middle school and dealing with all the challenges of growing up while grappling with bigotry in her school and community. Engage students with premade Storyboard That activities!
Storyboard Description
Students can track the different symbols and motifs present in the novel and create a spider map that labels, defines and illustrates them.
Storyboard Text
- NAMES
- FOOD
- Names, their correct pronunciation, and ties to family, heritage, and identity is a motif seen throughout the novel. Soojin explains to Amina that she is going to adopt a new "western sounding" name when she gains her American citizenship. This is a common practice and she is excited to choose a new name for herself. However, the thought of Soojin changing her name makes Amina question whether her identity is changing as well, and if so, their friendship.
- AMINA
- SOOJIN
- Food is a recurring motif throughout the novel. Amina describes how some of the teasing she and Soojin received from their classmates was over the different types of food they brought to lunch. Soojin's family owns a deli and are excellent cooks of Korean food. Amina's mother cooks lavish Pakistani meals to show her love for her family. Emily's mother bakes peanut butter cookies that are Amina's favorite and are a sign of their friendship.
- MUSIC
- AMINA'S VOICE SYMBOLS AND MOTIFS
- SONG: A Change is Gonna Come
- "It's been a longA long time comingBut I know, a change gonna comeOh, yes it will"
- Music is a central theme of the novel as it is Amina's passion and her way of expressing herself, her "voice". She is afraid to play and sing in front of others, but throughout the novel her confidence grows and Amina discovers the power music has to not only express oneself but also to comfort and to unify.
- Amina sings a soulful rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come." This song was written about the civil rights movement in the 1960s in the fight for equality for African Americans. It symbolizes the fight against all forms of injustice and bigotry, and Amina sings it with feeling and conviction.
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