Comprehension Questions

1. Write a brief character profile, including the significance of cultural and ethnic origins, for the following characters:
   
   (a)  Khan (the narrator)
   (b)  Eric
   (c)  Lucy
   (d)  Mala
   
   
2. Research and write a brief account of paranoid schizophrenia and at least one of the following cultural references in the story:
   
   •  The Illuminati
   •  Aliester Crowley
   •  Emmanuel Swedenborg
   •  James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake
   
   
3. Interpret and explain the meaning(s) of the title, “The Harmony of The Spheres”.
   
   
4. Identify and explain at least three instances of foreshadowing in the story.

Writing Tasks

1. Describe and elaborate on the conversation that Eric has with Khan (pp. 129-30) from Eric's point of view.
   
   
2. Write an imaginary book review for Eric's scholarly work on the occult, The Harmony of The Spheres . (N.B. For this task, you will need to research and familiarise yourself with the form of scholarly book reviews. See:
   • How to write a scholarly book review
   • Occult book reviews: http://www.philhine.org.uk/books/index_reviews.html; and
   http://www.occultworldledger.com/frameset.html
   (N.B. Some reviews are better than others.)
   
   
3. Rushdie uses oblique and explicit references to the occult to add, both, a sense of authenticity, and depth of meaning to his story. Write your own short story about relationships, utilising references to a subject that you are familiar with (eg. cricket, music, videogames, etc.) to bring it to life.