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Feathers from a Thousand Li AwayAs you read the introduction to this first section of the book, try to answer these questions:In the story, what was the swan before it became a swan?On her journey to America, what three things does the woman tell the swan about her future life?Why would the woman give her daughter the swan?Why did the woman forget what she had dreamed about once she arrived?When the woman was old, why had she still not given her daughter the swan feather? What is the other reason that the woman does not give?In her dream while traveling to America, the woman had hoped her daughter would “always be too full to swallow any sorrow.” When she was old, the woman “had a daughter who grew up speaking only English and swallowing more Coca-Cola than sorrow.” Why does it seem that “sorrow” has now become a positive image for the woman?You are the narrator's daughter. Explain why you believe your mother has not given you the swan feather. Why is your life more than “a thousand li away” from where your mother started her journey? Why does your mother think that you would not be able to understand her “sorrow”? Does your life in America represent success or failure in your mother's eyes?The Joy Luck Club As you read this chapter, try to answer these questions:Why is Jing-mei Wood about to replace her mother in the Joy Luck Club?What is the Joy Luck Club?When and where, in America, did her mother start the Joy Luck Club? How old was Jing-mei at the time? In what year, therefore, was Jing-mei born? Jing-mei is 36 at the time she tells the story. What year is “NOW” in the story?What made her mother think of creating the Joy Luck Club in America and before then, in China?What was her mother’s Kweilin story? What happened to the mother’s two babies?Why does Jing-mei feel that she cannot replace her mother at Joy Luck?Before she knew her mother’s Kweilin story, how did Jing-mei think of the Joy Luck Club?Why did her mother always criticize other people? Why did Jing-mei’s mother criticize her? What “element” did Jing-mei represent in her mother’s eyes?What was her mother’s position at the mah jong table? Why was that significant to Jing-mei?Why did Jing-mei believe that she and her mother had difficulty communicating with each other?Why was Auntie Lin’s daughter Waverly Jing-mei’s rival?Why do her aunties give Jing-mei a check for $1,200?Why does Jing-mei have doubts about her ability to realize her mother’s dream? What do her aunties tell her she can say about her mother?What thoughts run through Jing-mei’s mind when she realizes that her aunties believe that she represents each of their daughters? How is she similar to their daughters?Choose one of these writing assignments. Use the space below to take notes, etc. Type your response in a Word Document and submit it via e-mail. The subject of your e-mail should be Essay #1. You need to save your essay as: YourLastName_E1_EssayChoice For example: Acla_E1_POV or Acla_E1_Describing_Personalities1. Describing PersonalitiesJing-mei's mother characterizes people according to the elements of wood, fire, and water. Describe yourself. Which element do you represent according to her mother's definition? Describe family members or friends who represent the other two elements according to her mother's definition. Give examples from your life and the other people's lives to support your statements.2. Point-of-View WritingYou are a victim of war. Your country is being invaded by enemy troops. During bombings, you "scurr[y] to the deep caves to hide like wild animals" and when it seems relatively safe again, you "come back out like newborn kittens scratching [your] way back to the city". Write about your hardships and what you do to keep joy in your life. How do you maintain your dignity as a human being as you struggle to survive?ScarAs you read this chapter, try to answer these questions:Why did An-mei Hsu think her mother “was a ghost”?How did she know her father?At what age did she meet her mother? Look at the analogies in the chapter. How did she “see” her mother?Why did An-mei not call her mother by name?According to Popo, why had An-mei’s mother brought shame to the family?What happened to An-mei at the dinner table? How did the pain of the wound reflect an inner pain?How did Popo get An-mei to recover? What did she say to her that gave her the will to get better? How did she nurse her back to good health?How did An-mei’s mother teach her how a daughter honors a mother? Why did she come to love her mother? What was the relationship between Popo and An-mei’s mother?Choose one of these writing assignments. Use the space below to take notes, etc. Type your response in a Word Document and submit it via e-mail. The subject of your e-mail should be Essay #2. You need to save your essay as: YourLastName_E2_EssayChoice For example: Acla_E2_POV or Acla_E2_Personal_Experience1. Point-of-View Writing"Many times Popo said aloud to all who could hear that my brother and I had fallen out of the bowels of a stupid goose, two eggs that nobody wanted, not even good enough to crack over rice porridge. She said this so that the ghosts would not steal us away. So you see, to Popo, we were also very precious". You are very little. Your parents are telling you the same kind of story in order to scare the ghosts away. Explain why you like or dislike the story. Does it make you feel good about yourself or does it scare you so much that you have nightmares at night?2. Assessing Personal ExperiencesA scar leaves the trace of a physical wound. But where are the "scars" of emotional wounds found? Write about a scar from an emotional wound and how it surfaces every now and then in your life. What incident or incidents have made you feel vulnerable in this way? Explain what you do to dress this wound and make yourself feel whole again.The Red Candle As you read this chapter, try to answer these questions:How does Lindo Jong criticize her daughter Waverly? Why does she say to her about “keep[ing her] parents’ promise”?What happened to Lindo Jong at age 2?How did Lindo Jong know that all girl babies in China were not “worthless”? What did she look like and smell like?How were the customs of the Taiyuanese countryside different from the customs of the cities?What was the name of Lindo Jong’s house and who lived there? Why was the name of the house prettier than it actually was?Where did Lindo Jong first see her future husband? What did she think of him at the time?What happened to Lindo Jong when she was twelve? Where did her family go and where did she go?Why was all the heavy furniture and bedding left behind? What did it represent? What gift did her mother put around her neck, and what advice did her mother give her?What was the Huangs’ house like?How was Lindo Jong received at the house? What kind of life did she first lead? Why did Huang Tatai put her through such training?How did Tyan-yu behave?What did Lindo Jong eventually think of her life when she became age 16? Why did she believe she had no choice about getting married? What promise did she make to herself?What was the wedding ceremony like? Describe the different parts of the ceremony.At her marriage, what did the red candle represent?How did the matchmaker’s story differ from the true story?What were Lindo Jong’s feelings for Tyan-yu?What did Hyang Tatai hope for, and what did she do to Lindo Jong to ensure that this would happen?What did Lindo Jong do to get out of her marriage? How did she make her mother-in-law realize that she was not her son’s “true spiritual wife”? What did her behavior here tell you about Lindo Jong as a person?What did Lindo Jong receive for her “doomed marriage”?Choose one of these writing assignments. Use the space below to take notes, etc. Type your response in a Word Document and submit it via e-mail. The subject of your e-mail should be Essay #3. You need to save your essay as: YourLastName_E3_EssayChoice For example: Acla_E3_CC or Acla_E3_Summarizing_Responding1. Comparing and ContrastingDescribe the events before, during, and immediately after Lindo Jong’s wedding ceremony. Then compare these events to those of marriage ceremonies in your own culture. How are they similar? How are they different?2. Summarizing and RespondingWrite a one-paragraph summary of what Lindo Jong does to get out of her marriage. Then in another paragraph, explain what you think of her actions. Do you admire her for her ingenuity, or do you dislike her for her dishonesty? What would you have done if you had been in her situation?The Moon Lady As you read this chapter, try to answer these questions:Why does Ying-ying St. Clair criticize herself when she first starts to tell her story? How does this self-criticism extend to her relationship with her daughter? What does she mean when she says, “We are lost, she and I, unseen and not seeing, unheard and not hearing, unknown by others”?What does she also not like about her daughter’s life?Why is the story of the Moon Lady important for her to tell?Who is the Moon Lady, where does she live, and what can she do for us, according to Amah?How does Amah explain to Ying-ying the differences between a secret wish and a selfish desire?How did Ying-ying’s clothes all get red?How did Ying-ying fall into a fish net?Why did the strange woman know that Ying-ying wasn’t a beggar girl?Why did they put her on shore?What is the Moon Lady’s fate? On what one day of the year does she see her husband (Master Archer of the Skies)?How does Ying-ying identify with the Moon Lady? What happened to both of them in “one small moment”?What happened to the Moon Lady when Ying-ying asked for her secret wish?What was Ying-ying’s secret wish and why does she remember it after so many years?Choose one of these writing assignments. Use the space below to take notes, etc. Type your response in a Word Document and submit it via e-mail. The subject of your e-mail should be Essay #4. You need to save your essay as: YourLastName_E4_EssayChoice For example: Acla_E4_Wishful_Thinking or Acla_E4_Analogies1. Wishful ThinkingThe Moon Lady has come to earth for a day and will grant you your secret wish. Write about your secret wish and why you want to have it fulfilled. What distinguishes your "secret wish" from a "selfish desire?"2. Responding to the Moon-Sun AnalogiesAccording to the legend told in this chapter, these two analogies are possible:1. moon: woman = sun: man, meaning that the moon is to woman as the sun is to man; 2. woman: yin = man: yang, meaning that woman is to yin ("the darkness within, where untempered passions lie") as man is to yang ("bright truth lighting our minds"). What is your reaction to these analogies? Do you agree? Why or why not? ................
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