Anita And Me Character Quotations edexcel 2-Post-1914-Literature

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GCSE English Literature exam questions usually focus on a theme, a character or a relationship between two or more characters. Examiners reward responses that track the development of characters or themes through the text.

When revising, try to consider quotes in terms of their dramatic or narrative effects — how the words are spoken, what attitudes or relationships are presented and why these ideas have been shown to the audience.

We’ve included the best Anita and Me quotes — with detailed analysis — to help you to revise and organised them by the following characters:

Meena Kumar
Anita Rutter
Daljit Kumar (“Mama”)
Shyam Kumar (“Papa”)

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Examiners say that the best way to answer the question on Anita and Me is to consider how characters interact with each other, or how their relationships convey Syal’s ideas. For example, you could revise some key quotations about the way Meena’s relationship with her father differs from her relationship with her mother, and the contrasts presented through Meena’s friendships.

Using short quotations as support for your points will help you write a concise and coherent essay. That’s why we’ve included a “key word or phrase” from every one of our longer quotations to help you memorise only the most important parts of each quotation.

Meena Kumar

“I’m not lying, honest, papa!” – Meena, Chapter 1

Illustration of Meena as a person with long dark hair wearing a light pink shirt, looking to the side with a neutral expression. — **Meena Kumar**

Key word or phrase to memorise: “not lying” and “honest”

What the quotation means: Anita insists to her father that she is telling him the truth and that she did not steal money from her mother to buy sweets

Theme: Family relationships

This line opens Syal’s novel, and introduces key themes about character development:
- Syal introduces Anita’s conflicts with juxtaposition in “lying” and “honest”
- Anita’s problems with her father centre around honesty here and further on in the narrative
Syal creates sympathy for the child protagonist as she is introduced as “pleading” with her father

“‘Coz this ain’t naff old Wolverhampton anymore,’ I said. ‘This, Pinky, is Tollington. Right?’” – Meena Kumar, Chapter 6

Meena Kumar	Key word or phrase to memorise: “ain’t naff old Wolverhampton”	What the quotation means: Meena proudly tells her old friend Pinky that she should adapt to their new town Tollington like she has done, and that their old town, Wolverhampton, is unfashionable (or “uncool”)	Theme: Cultural identity
Syal conveys the challenges of dual-culture through her protagonist: Meena rebels against her parents’ preference for Indian friends and instead chooses English friends Here, she shows pride for Tollington, implying a dismissal of her old life Her need to conform and fit in with her new friends is conveyed in her changing dialect: Syal presents Meena’s new identity through her use of British slang such as “naff”

“It was an accident. I saw it. Tracey’s lying if she says anything else” – Meena Kumar, Chapter 13

Key word or phrase to memorise: “an accident” and “Tracey’s lying”

What the quotation means: Meena tells the police that Sam was not responsible for Tracey’s fall in the pond as she wants to protect him from their judgement and give him a second chance to change

Theme: Violence and abuse

Meena’s reference to “lying” highlights her development regarding the idea of honesty:
- Her insistence that it was accidental conveys her sense of justice
- Her response implies compassion as she does not seek vengeance

Anita Rutter

“Them’s gippos, them is. Tinkers. Yow’ll catch summat. Mum told me” – Anita Rutter, Chapter 5

Anita Rutter	Key word or phrase to memorise: “catch summat” and “Mum told me”	What the quotation means: Anita warns Meena not to go near the caravans because her mother told her that the travellers (“gippos”) who live there will give her germs and that they are “Tinkers” (thieves)	Theme: Cultural identity
Syal illustrates parental and societal influence through Anita’s attitudes and beliefs: Anita’s attitudes have been taught to her by her mother Anita hears and sees discriminatory behaviour from her peers, like Sam Syal’s depiction of the casual discrimination in the town highlights how it is normalised: Here, Anita appears unaware of the ideas behind her words She perpetuates racist attitudes with her advice that all the people in the caravans are unhygienic

“I mean, they’m miles better than Fat Sally’s poxy Biba scarves…How come yow never wear these then?” – Anita Rutter, Chapter 10

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Illustration of Anita as a woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a calm expression, wearing a light blue top. — **Anita Rutter**

Key word or phrase to memorise: “poxy Biba scarves” and “you never wear these”

What the quotation means: When Anita visits Meena’s house, she compliments her Indian scarves (“dupattas”); she says that they are much nicer than the worthless British brand that Sally owns and asks her why she never wears them

Theme: Cultural identity

English Literature GCSE EDEXCEL

Anita And Me Character Quotations edexcel 2-Post-1914-Literature

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Meena Kumar

Anita Rutter

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