Title: Voices and Value – Communication Challenges Across Differences Communication is more than just talking—it’s how we express identity, emotion, and connect with others.
Faglig kvalitetssikret av lærere og toppstudenter · Følger læreplanen (LK20) · Sist oppdatert 2026-10-02
Compare communication challenges in an English-language story of your choosing with either the short story "Who Said We All Have to Talk Alike", the song "Talk", or one of the films in the preparation material. Your chosen story may be a film, TV series, short story, novel, song, game or other work of fiction.
In your text:
Briefly introduce your chosen stories.
Discuss relevant communication challenges in your stories, giving examples.
Reflect on what we can learn about communication from the stories you chose.
Title: Voices and Value – Communication Challenges Across Differences
Communication is more than just talking—it’s how we express identity, emotion, and connect with others. In both the short story “Who Said We All Have to Talk Alike” by Varsha Shah and the film The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith, we meet characters who face major communication challenges, not because they lack words, but because society often judges how and when they speak. These stories highlight how language, class, and status can affect one’s voice and sense of belonging.
In “Who Said We All Have to Talk Alike”, the main character is a young girl who proudly speaks in her own dialect—a mix of English and her cultural background. However, when she speaks in class, her teacher corrects her and tells her to “talk properly.” This moment is painful for the girl, who feels that her voice—and by extension, her identity—is not respected. Her way of speaking becomes a barrier, not because it is wrong, but because others refuse to accept it. The communication challenge here is social: being judged or silenced because you don’t sound like those in power.
In The Pursuit of Happyness, the main character, Chris Gardner, is a homeless father trying to get a job as a stockbroker. He is smart and determined, but he often finds it difficult to communicate in professional settings. He wears old clothes, comes late to meetings, and doesn’t “look” or “sound” like the others. Even when he speaks well, people doubt him because of his appearance and background. Chris struggles to be taken seriously, and he must prove his worth not just through his words, but by working harder than everyone else.
Both characters face similar challenges: their voices are undervalued because of how they speak or who they are. In Shah’s story, the girl’s dialect is considered “wrong.” In the film, Chris’s poverty makes people question his intelligence and ability. In both cases, language becomes a symbol of power, and those who don’t match the “standard” are pushed to the side.
From these stories, we learn that communication is deeply connected to identity and equality. It’s not enough to say that everyone has a voice—we also have to ask: Are all voices respected? Are all ways of speaking accepted? These stories show the harm caused when people are told they must “change” their voice to be heard.
They also teach us that effective communication is about more than grammar or accent. It’s about listening, respecting difference, and giving people the space to express themselves fully. Whether it’s a student in the classroom or a father trying to change his life, everyone deserves to be heard—just as they are.
Task 4bPerson 1: "SIX!". Person 2: "NINE!". Just because you are right, does not mean I am wrong. You just haven't seen life from my side.
Create a literary text where a character in an English-speaking country faces communication challenges. Your text should reflect the illustration on the left.
In your text:
Create your own characters.
Explore challenges related to communication.
Include a clear conflict.
Answer
Title: Six or Nine?
It was Jamie's first week at the London marketing office. Fresh out of university and eager to impress, she had been asked to work on the team’s biggest campaign of the year. The office was buzzing with deadlines and last-minute edits, and Jamie was determined not to mess up.
On Thursday morning, she sat across from Mark, the senior designer. They were going over the final layout for a product launch poster. At the center of the poster was a large, bold number — “6” — printed in modern font with sleek design.
“Perfect,” Jamie said, nodding. “The six matches the product version. Good job!”
Mark frowned. “What do you mean six? That’s a nine.”
Jamie blinked. “No, it’s definitely a six. That’s what the version number is. Version six.”
Mark rotated the paper. “But look at it from here. The top of the layout hangs in the store window. From outside, this is a nine. We agreed on version nine last meeting.”
They stared at the number. Both saw something different. And both were sure they were right.
Frustration built quickly.
“I don’t understand how you can’t see it,” Jamie said, tapping the paper. “We wrote ‘version six’ in the draft email!”
“That draft was old,” Mark said. “It was updated. Everyone moved on. You’re new, Jamie. Maybe you missed the final brief.”
Jamie felt her cheeks burn. “So it’s my fault now?”
The office went quiet around them. Tension filled the space between their desks. What had started as a simple misunderstanding was quickly turning into an argument.
It wasn’t just about a number anymore.
After a long silence, their manager, Priya, walked over. “Everything okay?”
“No,” they both said.
Mark gestured at the poster. “She says it’s a six. I say it’s a nine.”
Priya smiled slightly and turned the paper sideways. “It’s both, depending on how you look at it.”
Jamie and Mark glanced at each other.
“The real issue,” Priya continued, “is not the number. It’s the lack of clear communication. We should have made the version number obvious in the layout. And we should have included Jamie in the last update meeting. That’s on us.”
The tension eased. Jamie let out a breath. Mark gave a small nod.
Later, as they adjusted the design together, Jamie looked over and said, “You know, from your side, it really does look like a nine.”
Mark chuckled. “From yours, definitely a six.”
They both laughed.
Moral: Just because someone sees things differently doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Sometimes, all it takes is looking from another angle.