We have been studying ‘Refugee boy’ by Benjamin Zephaniah in literacy and have just discovered that Alem, the key character in the story, has been denied his application for asylum in England. He now faces court where he will be questioned.
Focus for literacy: To create a persuasive speech in the role of Alem
Purpose: To persuade the court to reconsider their decision and grant Alem asylum in England.
Thinks to consider: Why should Alem be granted asylum in England?
Why is it not safe for him to return home?
Why should be remain in England? (Think about all the positive things Alem has achieved since arriving in England eg friendships, academic performance, the Fitzgerald family etc)
Remember those persuasive devices!
Me and Jamie think Alem should be granted refugee status because if his family are dead and they send Alem back he will not know and he will be in the middle of war all by himself.
If he was sent back to Ethiopia, what would he not know?
where his parents are
Elaborate on what you mean by this please Luke
That he might not know where his parents are and he will be by himself in the middle of war
Alem would not know where his parents are and he doesn’t even know if they are alive or not.
Attiqa and Erin
We think that Alem should be allowed to stay in England. Yes we agree he should be with his parents but he has been informed by his father that he does not know about any of his family members whereabouts . Due to the horrendous war in Africa , Alem is better off in safe hands with the Fitzgerald’s .
That is a very good point
I agree Alem should stay in England. After all he is only a child and he is not 20 years old. In my opinion Alem should stay in England where its safe.
If he does not know a the whereabouts of his parents, how would his father be able to inform him about anything?
He doesn’t know the whereabouts of his mother and auntie. His father may have sent him a letter however Alem doesn’t know where his father is now.
Yes I think he should be able to have asylum in England because if he went back he would either die which would be tragic. If he doesn’t die from that he may die from a lack of food and water.
Good point
Yes, this is a good comment.
I think Alem should be granted refugee status because he is making great progress in his writing and reading.
so?
He can get a good education and a good future
How would this benefit England
You need to elaborate
What good things will come from this?
If Alem got sent back to Africa, where would he stay? For all he knows his mother and father might be dead, but they might not.
Yes you are right Holly and if Alem doesn’t get granted asylum the court should at least wait until Alem’s father writes to him again.
Me and Shannon think Alem should be granted asylum in England because his parents are nowhere to be found. He doesn’t know whether they’re in Ethiopia or Eritrea. He doesn’t know if they’re alive or dead. So it is not safe for him to return because his family are gone.
Lovely.
I think that Alem should be granted asylum in England because he doesn’t know weather his mother or farther are alive or not so it wouldn’t be safe for Alem to be looking around for them.
But if he does find his Mum and Dad he will be happier with them and not strangers
Yes but if the war is going on he will not be safe.
Why else isn’t it safe for him?
Its not safe for Alem because there is a war going on.
I think Alem should be granted refugee status because he is making great progress in his writing and reading
Do you think there is any other reason why Alem should stay in England.
Why else?
Good point. How will this benefit England?
Alem should be granted refugee status because he likes the Fitzgerald family that he lives with and he has just felt comfortable in England.
What benefits would he have from remaining with the Fitzgeralds?
He will get food ,clothes, warm showers in the winter and new clothes
Me and Erin think that he should go back home due to his interest in architecture which will help immensely in Africa.
Also he has been drawn away from his family for too long and not seeing them for too long could make him worry more than he already is worrying for them.
I agree that a really good point
~By Rosalinda~
Alem should be granted refugee status because he has a lot to show and in the future he will be a wonderful asset to Great Britain as his mental capacity is at an extremely high level. As well as that Alem can bring many ideas to the table in the category of Architecture because it is his main passion.
Lovely comment!
I think you’re reason is strong and convincing. You’re vocabulary is really good. well done.
I think Alem should be given the permission to stay in ENGLAND.
Why?
Because he will die. As a result of this his family will be very upset and troubled
Very good comment William.
That is a very good point.
Elabarate more
Good point Will! But do you think you could expand further on this .
WHY
why?
You need to explain why you think he should stay,William
Why
why
~By Mia~
Alem should be granted refugee status because it would be terrible if he arrived home when his family weren’t to be found or even dead.This could cause many mental issues for example :depression,anxiety. As the war is still going on,he may get badly hurt.His knowledge is huge ,this could help in many ways.Alem enjoys reading ,Science and writing but his love for Architecture is different .He wants to help the world by building or creating many structures.Do you want an intelligent boy like Alem to be a rolemodel to your kids?Well please grant him refugee status.
I am immensely grateful for your time please reconsider your decision.
well done Mia
Yeah well done Mia I agree with all of this .
Good comment
Wow that is really good !!!!
You could make a counter argument for that cant you?
You could make a counter argument for that can’t you?
Alot of interesting information about Alem.
Well done Erin and Attiqa !I agree with you.
I dont
Why don’t you agree with us Jamie ?
Why?
Alem is only a boy but some people in the war might of followed him and sneaked in to England so why can’t he do it
That is a good point Jamie it isn’t fair is it
Is there any other reason why you disagree with this .
I think Alem should stay in England as whilst being in here he has developed more on his academic achievements and is reaching high goals this could be beneficial for England as he has a lot to say.
He should because his mental skill are shooting up he is a great asset for a great country.
well said Bradley