Read the excerpt from Does My Head Look Big in This? By Randa Abdel-Fattah. At Hidaya the hijab was part of the uniform. But I u
sed to take it off as soon as I stepped outside the school gates because man oh man do you need guts to get on public transportation with it on. At the end of the school day the trains would be absolutely packed with schoolkids. I could keep wearing it if I hopped on with a group of Hidaya students because I wouldn't feel so exposed. But the problem was that I had to change trains to get home and there was no way I had the courage to go the distance alone with it on. Which phrases from the text best show the narrator's attitude? Select three options. "need guts" "outside the school gates" "group of Hidaya students" "so exposed" "no way I had the courage"
Randa Abdel-Fattah's debut novel "Does My Head Look Big in This?" tells the story of a young Palestinian-Australian girl who is in a conflict between her traditional beliefs and her adoptive home of Australia. The story delves into the courageous girl's life, and how Muslim girls who are in a dilemma between maintaining their beliefs and trying to fit in with the Australian people can relate to her own experience.
In the given excerpt from the text, the speaker admits she did put on the hijab within the school's premises. But once out of that atmosphere, she would remove them in order to blend in with the common population. Certain words like<em> "need guts", "so exposed",</em> and <em>"no way I had the courage"</em> show how she feels intimidated, weak, or even unsure of keeping the hijab and be open about her religion and identity. The phrases show her insecurity over her true self and belonging. So, she'd instead remove the hijab and 'pretend' to be like a 'normal' Australian teen.
