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...did Mr Ormerod give you those sweets for nothing?

Anita and Me - Dialogue

Explore how Meera Syal uses dialogue in Anita and Me to reveal relationships, clash of cultures, and hidden tensions beneath the humour of everyday village conversations.

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Fascinating Fact:

Humour in dialogue exposes prejudice without normalising it, allowing the narrator to criticise attitudes while keeping a light touch.

In GCSE English Literature, studying dialogue in Anita and Me means looking at how Meena, Anita, and villagers speak. Their words, dialect, and jokes expose power, prejudice, loyalty, and conflict.

Key Terms

Dialogue: The spoken words between characters that reveal personality, relationships, and conflict.
Register: The level of formality or informality in language, such as slang, everyday speech, or polite standard English.
Code-switching: When a speaker changes language, accent, or style to suit different people, places, or situations.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How is dialogue used in Anita and Me for GCSE?

In Anita and Me, dialogue shows character and conflict. The way people speak in the village highlights class, local identity, and Meena’s struggle to fit in.

How does Meera Syal show prejudice through dialogue?

Meera Syal uses jokes, throwaway remarks, and casual insults in dialogue to show prejudice. The narrator’s tone encourages readers to question these attitudes rather than accept them.

How can I write about dialogue in my Anita and Me GCSE essay?

Choose a short quotation of speech, identify a language feature such as slang or code-switching, then explain what it shows about power, identity, or relationships in the novel.

Try These Related Quizzes

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

1 .

"Now, for the last time, did Mr Ormerod give you those sweets for nothing? Or did you take that shilling from mummy's bag and spend it on yourself?"

Mama

Mrs Worrall

Papa

Mr Mitchell

The novel opens with Meena being caught in a lie

2 .

"Coz this ain't naff old Wolverhampton anymore. This, Pinky, is Tollington. Right?"

Tracey

Meena

Anita

Sherrie

Meena adopts the strong local dialect whenever she most wants to prove her identity as a resident of Tollington

3 .

"She's been like this since she could talk! If it isn't rude things it is lies, always lies..."

Papa

Mama

Nanima

Auntie Shaila

Meena's mother is in despair at her daughter's habit of lying, exaggerating and inventing fantastical stories

4 .

"But really, Shyam-saab, you want your daughter to come home reciting hymns and what not? All that boring sitting around and amen this and that, no joy and those damn hard seats and that awful organ music, like a donkey in pain. Besides, you will confuse the girl"

Meena

Mama

Nanima

Auntie Shaila

Auntie Shaila, who is not actually related to Meena's family, usually speaks her mind openly

5 .

"These came this morning. She must have ordered them ages ago. She must have known she was going. And look, silly cow still don't know my size..."

Sherrie

Anita

Meena

Tracey

Meena learns to pity Anita when she sees how Deidre's abandonment of her daughter has affected her. Anita simultaneously recognises her mother's forethought in ordering her school uniform while seeing this as evidence that the abandonment had been long planned and that her mother does not care enough to know what size she is

6 .

"I mean, Mrs Lacey, it's not just about giving them stuff, is it? It's about giving them culture as well, civilisation. A good, true way of living, like what we have. It's all very well just saying hee-yaar, get on with it but they'll just tek us for mugs. They'll want fans next, radios, cookers. I mean, we ain't a charity, are we?"

Mr Ormerod

Uncle Alan

Reverend Ince

Hairy Neddy

Mr Ormerod is a devout Methodist concerned with converting people abroad to Christianity. He portrays the imagined recipients of his good-will as uncivilised and greedy for material goods

7 .

"Sam and me were having a very interesting talk about blame and responsibility. About how easy it is to get angry with others for what's going wrong in your own life. Have you got any thoughts on this, Meena?"

Auntie Shaila

Papa

Mr Mitchell

Uncle Alan

Uncle Alan focusses on trying to save Sam from his self-destructive path. He fails to consider how Sam's racism affects the much-younger Meena. In these lines he even tries to rope her in to his "rescue" of Sam

8 .

"I served in India. Ten years. Magical people. The best"

Mr Omerod

Mr Turvey

Uncle Alan

Reverend Ince

Mr Turvey, known to Meena as Mr Topsy, knows some Punjabi and is one of the only people in the village to be able to speak with Nanima. He has fond memories of the country even while recognising British culpability for its very recent colonial past

9 .

"Yow won't be stayin will ya? You can move on. How come? How come I can't?"

Anita

Sherrie

Deirdre

Sam

Meena finally confronts Sam near the end of the novel, letting him know how his racism affects her. Sam admits to jealousy and despair

10 .

"Maybe you'll now listen to me, Daljit. She's not picking up the right influences here. So many good children to play with and she always finds the bad ones. I said we should move..."

Mama

Papa

Nanima

Mireille

Meena's parents worry about the effects of her friendship with Anita

Author: Sheri Smith (PhD English Literature, English Teacher & Quiz Writer)