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Allusions
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Tax That:
In Chapter 7, Millat, Magid, and Irie visit an old man as part of their community service after being caught with marijuana at school. As they arrive, the three teenagers point at various objects they'd like to "tax," a peculiar feature of their shared dialect:
“Tax that,” she said, pointing to a rather beat-up motorbike leaning by Kensal Rise tube. “Tax that, and that,” indicating two BMXs beside it.
Millat and Magid jumped into action. The practice of “taxing” something, whereby one lays claim, like a newly arrived colonizer, to items in a street that do not belong to you, was well known and beloved to both of them.
Related Themes:
Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Chalfenese:
In Chapter 12 the narrator introduces the reader to the Chalfen family and their unusual ways. Perhaps their most peculiar practice is their insular dialect, whose vocabulary is largely based on their own last name:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Bottom line: the Chalfens didn’t need other people. They referred to themselves as nouns, verbs, and occasionally adjectives: It’s the Chalfen way, And then he came out with a real Chalfenism, He’s Chalfening again, We need to be a bit more Chalfenist about this. Joyce challenged anyone to show her a happier family, a more Chalfenist family than theirs.
Related Themes:
