Listen&Learn: Midnight’s Children

Learn about an award-winning magical story of India.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• independence: the state of being free from another country’s rule
• telepathy: the ability to read people’s thoughts
• rival: someone who competes with someone else
• unique: different, unusual
• allegorical: having a meaning that is different from the literal meaning
• interpret: to think about the meaning of something

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

Midnight’s Children is a 1981 novel by Indian-British Salman Rushdie. It tells the story of a boy named Saleem, who is one of 1,001 children born around on the first day of India’s independence from Britain. Each of these children was born with a magical power. Saleem has the power of telepathy, as well as a very strong sense of . He was switched at birth with another boy named Shiva, who becomes his rival later in life. Midnight’s Children won the 1981 Booker Prize. It is for its unique use of language and its allegorical elements. Saleem’s character is often interpreted as an allegory for India itself.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. The “Midnight’s Children” all have
   a. secret languages
   b. magical powers
   c. hidden identities
   
2. Saleem and Shiva are
   a. best friends
   b. siblings
   c. rivals
   
3. In 1981, Midnight’s Children
   a. became a movie
   b. was banned
   c. won the Booker Prize

Discussion/essay questions

1. Salman Rushdie’s work has often been controversial. Rushdie was sued by Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi for content in Midnight’s Children. His 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses, was so controversial that it caused serious threats against his life. What are the consequences of censoring writers? Do you think there is ever a good reason to ban a book? Why or why not?

Transcript

Midnight’s Children is a 1981 novel by Indian-British author Salman Rushdie. It tells the story of a boy named Saleem, who is one of 1,001 children born around midnight on the first day of India’s independence from Britain. Each of these children was born with a magical power. Saleem has the power of telepathy, as well as a very strong sense of smell. He was switched at birth with another boy named Shiva, who becomes his rival later in life. Midnight’s Children won the 1981 Booker Prize. It is famous for its unique use of language and its allegorical elements. Saleem’s character is often interpreted as an allegory for India itself.

Answers to comprehension questions

1b 2c 3c