Name:______________________
“Daughter of the Yellow River”
Answer 3 of the 4 questions below for next class. Make sure to prove that you have read by responding to the questions with evidence from the text. Each answer should be a least 1/2 page typed.
1. How does Granny Duo stand out as an individual in her society? What kinds of values does she seem to possess or represent that make other people feel threatened by her? Do you think those same values still threaten people in American society today?
2. Do you think love is the most important value in a long-term relationship? If so, does that make it acceptable for Granny Duo to leave her husband for Ergeze? Why or why not?
3. Is marriage an important social institution? Why or why not? Should Granny Duo have stayed with her husband in the end?
4. How did you react to Grandpa Duo’s forgiveness of Granny and Ergeze’s actions at the end? Why do you think he was able to forgive them? Do you think that kind of forgiveness could happen in our society today?
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Questions for white privilege reading
Directions Describe how you have been affected by two or three of the conditions McIntosh lists in the article. Examine the statement that racism is not “individual acts of meanness,” but “invisible systems conferring dominance on [a] group.” Answer the following questions:
How is racism perpetuated by the idea that it consists of random or unusual acts?
How can we begin to challenge racism once we begin to perceive it as systematized?
How can that perception help us make racism visible?
How can “visibility” contribute to change?
How is racism perpetuated by the idea that it consists of random or unusual acts?
How can we begin to challenge racism once we begin to perceive it as systematized?
How can that perception help us make racism visible?
How can “visibility” contribute to change?
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Wild Swans Study Guide
Name:_________
Excerpt from Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Study Guide
The basics of the story: (What is the story about?)
1. What is the general setting of this story (where and when)? What factors in the country of China are affecting people’s daily lives?
2. How does the setting of the house that the author’s grandmother lives in after she becomes a concubine to General Xue contribute to the oppression she feels?
3. List and briefly describe the main characters.
4. What is the major conflict in the plot of this story?
The themes of the story: (What does it mean?)
5. Identify the major themes of this story. For instance, you might consider:
∑ Lives of concubines
∑ Filial piety (a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.)
∑ Structure of Chinese society
∑
Name at least two themes being explored here and back them up through evidence in the story.
6. This story is written as a family biography. In what way might the fact that Jung Chang is writing a biography of her family affect the story? Answer in a short (3-4) sentences paragraph on the back of this sheet.
Bonus Question: How do you pronounce X and Q in proper names in this story?
Excerpt from Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Study Guide
The basics of the story: (What is the story about?)
1. What is the general setting of this story (where and when)? What factors in the country of China are affecting people’s daily lives?
2. How does the setting of the house that the author’s grandmother lives in after she becomes a concubine to General Xue contribute to the oppression she feels?
3. List and briefly describe the main characters.
4. What is the major conflict in the plot of this story?
The themes of the story: (What does it mean?)
5. Identify the major themes of this story. For instance, you might consider:
∑ Lives of concubines
∑ Filial piety (a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.)
∑ Structure of Chinese society
∑
Name at least two themes being explored here and back them up through evidence in the story.
6. This story is written as a family biography. In what way might the fact that Jung Chang is writing a biography of her family affect the story? Answer in a short (3-4) sentences paragraph on the back of this sheet.
Bonus Question: How do you pronounce X and Q in proper names in this story?
Friday, April 4, 2008
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Study guide (alternative to Shadow Magic)
Name:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Viewing Guide
Main Characters:
Li Mu Bai—Wudan-trained master fighter and close friend of Lu Shien
Sir Te—Friend of Li Mu Bai’s; recipient of the Green Destiny sword
Lu Shien—Strong female fighter and close friend of Li Mu Bai
Jen—Daughter of Governor Yu; in love with Lo
Dark Cloud (Lo)—Roaming warrior; in love with Jen
Jade Fox—Rebel female warrior who killed Li Mu Bai’s master
Directions: Please answer the following questions in 2-3 complete sentences.
1. What does Lu Shien tell Jen about the reality of being a fighter? How is it different from the glorified view she has?
2. What does Jen seem to desire most, something she sees marriage standing in the way of? Explain.
3. Explain the folktale that Lo tells Jen about the man who flew away.
4. What role does honor play in the lives of Lu Shien and Li Mu Bai?
5. What do you think Jen’s motivation is for what she does at the end of the film? Is she following Lu Shien’s advice of “staying true to herself”? Why or why not?
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Viewing Guide
Main Characters:
Li Mu Bai—Wudan-trained master fighter and close friend of Lu Shien
Sir Te—Friend of Li Mu Bai’s; recipient of the Green Destiny sword
Lu Shien—Strong female fighter and close friend of Li Mu Bai
Jen—Daughter of Governor Yu; in love with Lo
Dark Cloud (Lo)—Roaming warrior; in love with Jen
Jade Fox—Rebel female warrior who killed Li Mu Bai’s master
Directions: Please answer the following questions in 2-3 complete sentences.
1. What does Lu Shien tell Jen about the reality of being a fighter? How is it different from the glorified view she has?
2. What does Jen seem to desire most, something she sees marriage standing in the way of? Explain.
3. Explain the folktale that Lo tells Jen about the man who flew away.
4. What role does honor play in the lives of Lu Shien and Li Mu Bai?
5. What do you think Jen’s motivation is for what she does at the end of the film? Is she following Lu Shien’s advice of “staying true to herself”? Why or why not?
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Persepolis fishbowl questions
Answer three of the following to get credit for the fishbowl discussion:
The New York Times hails Persepolis as "the latest and one of the most delectable examples of a booming postmodern genre: autobiography by comic book." Why do you think this genre is so popular? Why did Satrapi chose this format in which to tell her story? What does the visual aspect add that a conventional memoir lacks? How does Persepolis compare to other comic books? Would you call this a comic book, or does it transcend this and other categories? Where would you place this book in a bookstore? With memoirs, comic books, current events?
Written as a memoir, is Persepolis more powerful than if Satrapi had fictionalized the story? Why or why not? Compare this book to other memoirs you have read. What are the benefits and drawbacks of memoirs?
In an Associated Press interview, Satrapi said, "The only thing I hope is that people will read my book and see that this abstract thing, this Axis of Evil, is made up of individuals with lives and hopes." And in her introduction to Persepolis, she explains that she wrote this book to show that Iran is not only a country of "fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism." How does Satrapi go about challenging this myth? How does Persepolis dispel or confirm your views on Iran? In what ways does reading this book deepen your understanding and knowledge of Iran, and the current situation in Iraq?
How is Persepolis organized and structured? What has Satrapi chosen to emphasize in her childhood? How is the passage of time presented? Describe Satrapi's drawings. How do the drawings add to the narrative of the story?
Describe the writer's voice. Is it appealing? Which aspects of Marji's character do you identify with or like the most, the least? Did your reaction to the little girl affect your reading experience?
How did the revolution exert power and influence over so many people, including many educated and middle class people like Satrapi's parents? Why did so many people leave after the revolution? Why do you think Marji's parents send her off to Austria while they stay in Tehran? Why don't they leave/escape as well?
"Every situation has an opportunity for laughs." (p. 97) Give some examples of how the ordinary citizens of Iran enjoyed life despite the oppressive regime. What made you laugh? How does Satrapi add comic relief? How are these scenes relevant to the story as a whole?
What kinds of captivity and freedom does the author explore in Persepolis? What stifles or prevents people from being completely free? How do they circumvent and defy the rules imposed on them and attempt to live ordinary lives despite revolution and war? Give some examples of their small acts of rebellion.
"In spite of everything, kids were trying to look hip, even under risk of arrest." (p. 112) How did they do this? What do you think you would have done had you been a child in this environment? What acts of rebellion did you do as a teen? In way ways is Satrapi just a normal kid?
What is the role of women in the story? Compare and contrast the various women: Marji, her mother, her grandmother, her school teachers, the maid, the neighbors, the guardians of the revolution.
What is Satrapi suggesting about the relationship between past and present, and between national and personal history? What role does her family history, and the stories of her relatives, play in shaping Marji?
The New York Times hails Persepolis as "the latest and one of the most delectable examples of a booming postmodern genre: autobiography by comic book." Why do you think this genre is so popular? Why did Satrapi chose this format in which to tell her story? What does the visual aspect add that a conventional memoir lacks? How does Persepolis compare to other comic books? Would you call this a comic book, or does it transcend this and other categories? Where would you place this book in a bookstore? With memoirs, comic books, current events?
Written as a memoir, is Persepolis more powerful than if Satrapi had fictionalized the story? Why or why not? Compare this book to other memoirs you have read. What are the benefits and drawbacks of memoirs?
In an Associated Press interview, Satrapi said, "The only thing I hope is that people will read my book and see that this abstract thing, this Axis of Evil, is made up of individuals with lives and hopes." And in her introduction to Persepolis, she explains that she wrote this book to show that Iran is not only a country of "fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism." How does Satrapi go about challenging this myth? How does Persepolis dispel or confirm your views on Iran? In what ways does reading this book deepen your understanding and knowledge of Iran, and the current situation in Iraq?
How is Persepolis organized and structured? What has Satrapi chosen to emphasize in her childhood? How is the passage of time presented? Describe Satrapi's drawings. How do the drawings add to the narrative of the story?
Describe the writer's voice. Is it appealing? Which aspects of Marji's character do you identify with or like the most, the least? Did your reaction to the little girl affect your reading experience?
How did the revolution exert power and influence over so many people, including many educated and middle class people like Satrapi's parents? Why did so many people leave after the revolution? Why do you think Marji's parents send her off to Austria while they stay in Tehran? Why don't they leave/escape as well?
"Every situation has an opportunity for laughs." (p. 97) Give some examples of how the ordinary citizens of Iran enjoyed life despite the oppressive regime. What made you laugh? How does Satrapi add comic relief? How are these scenes relevant to the story as a whole?
What kinds of captivity and freedom does the author explore in Persepolis? What stifles or prevents people from being completely free? How do they circumvent and defy the rules imposed on them and attempt to live ordinary lives despite revolution and war? Give some examples of their small acts of rebellion.
"In spite of everything, kids were trying to look hip, even under risk of arrest." (p. 112) How did they do this? What do you think you would have done had you been a child in this environment? What acts of rebellion did you do as a teen? In way ways is Satrapi just a normal kid?
What is the role of women in the story? Compare and contrast the various women: Marji, her mother, her grandmother, her school teachers, the maid, the neighbors, the guardians of the revolution.
What is Satrapi suggesting about the relationship between past and present, and between national and personal history? What role does her family history, and the stories of her relatives, play in shaping Marji?
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