Feathers from a Thousand Li Away

Feathers from a Thousand Li Away (3-4) 1. What images does a swan suggest? 2. What hopes does the mother have for the swan in the new country? 3. How is the mother affected by the immigration process? 4. What emotions is the mother feeling? 5. What tone does this vignette set?

Joy Luck Club (5-32) 1. What’s the club June’s invited to join? 2. Why did Suyuan organize the first JLC? 3. “Your father is not my first husband. You are not those babies” 4. What does June mean when she says “An-mei…has no spine”? 5. What elements does Suyuan suggest (19)? 6. “Not know your mother…your mother is in your bones” (31) 7. “They are frightened. In me, they see their own daughters, just as ignorant, just as unmindful of all the truths and hopes they have brought to America” (31). Scar (33-41) 1. How does An-mei react when her mother returns? 2. Why does her mother cut her arm and put her flesh in the soup? 3. What scars does An-mei carry?

The Red Candle (42-63) 1. What are advantages of arranged marriages? Disadvantages? 2. Why does Huang Taitai treat Lindo so poorly? 3. Why does Lindo say she sacrificed her life? That she would “never forget” herself (53)?

The Moon Lady (64-83) 1. What does Ying-Ying think of her daughter? 2. What’s significant about the Moon Lady? 3. When Ying-ying finally sees the Moon Lady up close, what’s her reaction? 4. What did Ying-Ying wish for? What does she mean by this?

Bicycle Vignette (87) 1. What’s the mother’s fear? The daughter’s attitude? 2. Why does the daughter fall?

Rules of the Game (89-103) 1. What does Waverly learn from chess? 2. What is she planning at the end of the chapter?

The Voice from the Wall (104-121) 1. How is Lena controlled by her fears? 2. Lena is half Chinese, half English-Irish. How is her life different from that of her friends? 3. What does Lena realize about her neighbors? Half and Half (122-140) 1. Why is the last boy called “Bing” and not “John?” 2. Why does An-Mei return to the ocean to try to find Bing? 3. Why does she write Bing’s name in pencil? 4. Parallel An-Mei’s loss of faith and Ying-Ying’s loss of faith in the Moon Lady. 5. “And I think now that fate is shaped half by expectation, half by inattention” (140)

Two Kinds (141-155) 1. Why does June’s mom pressure to play piano? 2. How does June react to the competition with Waverly? 3. Why does June say such mean things to her mom? She calls these “magic words” (153) 4. Title of her song “Pleading child” and “perfectly contented” (155)

Mirror Vignette (159) 1. Why will the happiness turn the opposite way? 2. Mirror as reflection…why is the daughter surprised at hers?

Rice Husband (161-181) 1. What’s Lena afraid her mom will see? 2. What’s Lena’s response to her mom’s superstition about rice? Why does she feel responsible about Arnold’s death? 3. How does $$$ play a role in Lena and Harold’s marriage? 4. Why does Lena cross out the words “ice cream” on the refrigerator door? 5. 181 – broken vase, knew it would happen

Four Directions (182-205) 1. How does Waverly’s mom “wear her down”? 2. What does Waverly find appealing about Rich? 3. Why does Waverly’s trick (with Auntie Suyuan) work with her mom? 4. In her hands I always became the pawn (199) 5. Why would Waverly invite her mom on her honeymoon to China?  183- Mom is a horse  186-mink coaat  190-invisible wall, lost magic armor

Without Wood (206-220) 1. Significance of Rose’s dreams about Old Mr. Chou? 2. Why does Rose let the garden get overgrown? What’s symbolic? 3. Why won’t she sign the divorce papers? 4. What’s Mr. Chou doing in the second dream? What is meant by weeds? 5. Born without wood (213) 6. Choosing from best opinions (213)  241 – assimilation – flaw with American version Best Quality (221-236) 1. Jade pendant – June’s reaction 2. What does June feel about Waverly? 3. “Only you pick that crab” (234) 4. “My life’s importance” (221) 5. “Necklace” meaning for Suyuan (235)

Grandmother Vignette (239) 1. “Threw away my foolish innocence…taught my daughter to shed her innocence” (239) 2. Can you lose innocence but not hope?

Magpies (241-273) 1. How does An-Mei view life in her uncle’s house? 2. Why is Second wife powerful? 3. Why does An-Mei plan her death just before the lunar New Year? 4. “No choice…she can lose her chance forever” (241) 5. Turtle and tears …swallow your tears (244) 6. Could not name unhappiness (256-57) 7. To live your life like a dream….(272)  245 – Journey to Tientsin  244- tears  260-cheap price v. sapphire ring – how does second wife get An-Mei’s mom

Waiting Between the Trees (247-287) 1. What side of Ying-Ying’s personality do we see? 2. Why is “Clear Reflection” an appropriate name for her? 3. Why is she called the tiger lady? 4. tell her about my past, penetrate her skin (274) 5. She is the daughter of a ghost (286)

Double Face (288-305) 1. Why doesn’t Waverly like it when Mr. Rory says she looks like her mom? 2. What’s the mother’s attitude toward Waverly? 3. When you go to China…you are an outsider (288) 4. I couldn’t teach her about Chinese character…how to know your own worth (289) 5. I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she is not proud of me (291) 6. Why did Lindo name her daughter Waverly?  Lindo – church and bank – values of society - architecture

A Pair of Tickets (306-332) 1. How does June see her dad as they travel to China? 2. Why does Canning Woo have a “milk” name? 3. What’s June’s reaction to the story about the babies? 4. Did Suyuan get her wish? 5. Original title – Wind and Water – which title is better and why? 6. All the different ways we leave people in the world (330) 7. Together we look like our mother (332)  How did Suyan’s family die? How did she know they were all gone?  June and Canning both feel guilt about Suyan’s death