Unit 2
The Struggle to Be an All-American Girl
Date of Presentation:
Teaching Plan
Estimated Time of Lesson: 270 minutes, 6 sessions
Learning Objectives
(1) Rhetorical skill: basic features of English narrative writing
(2) Key language & grammar points
(3) Writing strategies: simile, metaphor
(4) Chinese American literature, culture shock and reversed culture shock
Pre-class Activity: Greeting, Course Rhythm and Task Description
Relationship to Current Unit: Unit 1 and 2, English narrative writing
Materials: Teacher’s Book (5), English-English Dictionary, Blackboard, PPT
Time Allocation:
S 1-2
1. Pre-reading: Picture Activation, Pre-questions 10 min
2. Global Reading: Text Introduction, Culture notes, Author, Structure 15 min
3. Detailed Reading (a): Text I: Paragraphs 1-7 65 min
S 3-4
4. Detailed Reading (b): Text I: Paragraphs 8-14 90 min
S 5-6
5. Consolidation Activities (a): Text Comprehension; Writing Strategies 20 min
6. Consolidation Activities (b): Language work; Oral Activities; Writing 70 min
7. Further Enhancement (Optional): Text II / Other Comprehensive Practices
Section One Pre-reading Activities
I. Picture activation
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
Are you familiar with what's in these pictures? What are they?
Moc but kowtow chop suey
II. Pre-questions
● It is generally believed that its not easy for a person to adapt himself/herself to new or strange living surroundings even within his/her own country, not to say in a foreign country. However, if he/she takes the right attitude, adaptation can be achieved in the shortest possible time. What do you think?
Tips: Attitude is everything!
Winkelman's five stages of cultural adaptation:
Honeymoon phaseCulture shockAdjustment phaseAcceptance and Adaptation phaseReentry shock
● Nowadays, people have more chances to meet others from various cultures. They are likely to find some difficulties or obstacles in communication. What do you think are the essentials of successful cross-cultural communication?
Tips: Direct experience is the best way to begin to learn any culture; appropriate topics of conversation; use of humor ;(open for discussion)
Section Two Global Reading
I. Text Introduction
In this poignant remembrance, the author recalls the unforgettable, sorrowful experiences of her childhood when she was forced to learn Chinese, which did not interest her.
II. Culture Notes
1. Chinese American literature (华裔美国文学) is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of Chinese descent. The genre began in the 19th century and flowered in the 20th with such authors as Sui Sin Far, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Amy Tan.
Chinese American literature deals with many topics and themes. A common topic is the challenges, both inner and outer, of assimilation in mainstream, white American society by Chinese Americans.
2. Little Women (Paragraph 6): published in 1868-1869, written by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), is a two-part novel describing essentially the author's own family and its domestic adventures.
3. Black Beauty (Paragraph 6): written in 1887 by the British author Anna Sewell, who had a strong love for horses and managed to expose through the book the cruel treatment the horses experienced.
4. Nancy Drew (Paragraph 6): one of the several popular children's fiction series characters created at the beginning of the 20th century by the Statemeyer Syndicate Company under pseudonyms. Nancy was depicted as being bold and independent, gentle and well-mannered, which made her one of the most popular heroines of modern times.
5. Cinco de Mayo (Paragraph 12): a commemorative celebration on May 5, among Mexican communities in Mexico and North America, of the Mexican defeat of French troops at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
III. Author
Elizabeth Wong, born on June 6, 1958 in Los Angeles, California, is an award-winning contemporary American playwright, television writer, college professor and social essayist. She is the author of such critically acclaimed plays as Letters to a Student Revolution (1991), Kimchee & Chitlins (1994), China Doll (1996), and Dating & Mating in Modern Times (2003), and one of the co-authors of Return to the Upright Position (2002). She wrote for ABC the situation comedy All American Girl in 1994, the second sitcom centered on a person of Asian (Korean) descent.
IV. Structural Analysis
Part 1
(P1) the background of the text
Part 2
(P2-7) her bitter experiences in the Chinese school
Part 3
(P8-11) the language gap within the extended family
Part 4
(P12-14) sorrow for not having been able to become a real American
Section Three Detailed Reading
THE STRUGGLE TO BE AN ALL-AMERICAN GIRL
Elizabeth Wong
I. Analysis
1. Paragraph 1 Analysis
This paragraph, the beginning of the narrative text, provides the background of the story. From this we readers learn that the Chinese school on Yale Street where the author and her brother used to go 10 years ago, continues to exist there, remaining remarkably and stoically the same, despite its new coat of paint and its fence.
2. Paragraphs 2-7 Analysis
Paragraphs 2-6 dynamically and vividly describe the children's forced walks to the Chinese school, the stern principal, their classroom, the polite formality with which lessons started, etc.
Paragraph 7 tells us why the author did not want to learn Chinese.
3. Paragraphs 8-11 Analysis
These paragraphs, the third part of the text, specifically and humorously relate the generation gap in the family: between the writer and her grandmother, and between her brother and mother, presenting a sharp contrast in their language competence.
4. Paragraphs 12-14 Analysis
These paragraphs make up the last part of the narrative text. The writer winds up her narration on a note of regret.
II. Questions for Paragraphs:
Paragraph 1: questions
1. Why do you think the school was newly painted?
As the Chinese school is rather old, its outside must have been discolored and dirty. To make it look attractive, the school was newly painted as a kind of face-lift.
2. What does the existence of the old school imply?
The Chinese school is still there, which implies that still there are many Chinese children attending Chinese lessons in the school. Although they live abroad, Chinese parents never forget their own culture and their own language and require that their children learn their mother tongue.
Paragraph 3: question
What do you know about the headmaster of the Chinese school according to the author's descriptions?
He was a stern man who treated the children strictly.
Paragraph 4: question
How did the author describe the classroom where they attended Chinese lessons?
There were little chairs in an empty auditorium. The room smelled like Chinese medicine, an imported faraway mustiness. Like ancient mothballs or dirty closets.
Paragraph 5: question
What else was stressed in the Chinese school besides the emphasis on speaking, reading and writing?
Politeness was also emphasized in the school. The lessons always began with an exercise in politeness. With the entrance of teacher, the best student would tap a bell and all the children would get up, kowtow and chant, "Sing san ho, " the phonetic for "How are you, teacher?"
Paragraph 6: question
What things did the writer consider to be more important and more useful than learning Chinese?
She considered the following things to be more important and more useful: doing multiplication tables, naming the satellites of Mars, writing reports on Little Women and Black Beauty.
Paragraph 7: question
What did the author think of her grandmother's Chinese?
She thought that her grandmother's Chinese sounded rhythmless and patternless, that it was quick, it was loud, and it wasn't beautiful, and that her Chinese sounded pedestrian.
Paragraph 8: question
What do you know about the author's English proficiency?
She spoke English very fast and very well so that she was able to keep up with the world outside Chinatown.
Paragraph 8: activity
Discussion
In what way did the author exhibit her preference for American culture over Chinese culture? (Tip: refer to Paragraphs 4-8)
She hated that smell of the school auditorium while she favored such scents as the soft French perfume that her American teacher wore in public school. She did not like learning the Chinese language, which she thought sounded pedestrian, nor did she like the Chinese calligraphy, etc.
Paragraph 9: question
What can you infer from the author’s descriptions of his brother’s attitude toward Chinese culture?
He was more radical than the author in his antagonism (对抗) towards Chinese culture, and in his sad earnest effort to be 100% Americanized.
Paragraph 10: question
How was the author’s mother’s level of English?
She was not able to speak English well. She spoke pidgin English, and she had trouble pronouncing some words, particularly words with the “r” sound.
Paragraphs 12-14: questions
Did the writer enjoy the Chinese New Year? Why?
No. She didn’t like it very much. She wasn’t used to it.
Does the author think that she has become Americanized?
Yes, she does.
III. Language Work of Paragraphs
Paragraph 1
“Despite the new coat of paint and the high wire fence, the school I knew 10 years ago remains remarkably, stoically the same.”
Paraphrase Although covered with a new coat of paint and enclosed with a high wire fence, the school I knew 10 years ago continues to be the same, showing remarkable defiance of the vicissitudes of time
fence n. structure of rails, stakes, wire, etc., esp. one put round a field or garden to mark a boundary or keep animals from straying
e.g.
1. The backyard is enclosed with a high wire fence.
2. The field is surrounded with a stake fence.
stoic n. person showing no feeling of dislike, worry when faced with sth. unpleasant
stoically adv. with great self-control and a strong will to endure pain, discomfort, or misfortune without complaining about it or showing signs of feeling it
an absolute stoic in the face of mishaps
e.g.
1. She behaved stoically during the final phase of her husband's illness.
2. They endured all kinds of hardships stoically.
Note: Incidentally, the adverb stoically could be considered as an example of personification (拟人), indicating that the school, just like a man, has withstood the test of time without too much obvious change.
Paragraph 2
sneak vi. go quietly and secretly in the direction specified
e.g.
1. He stole the money and sneaked out of the house.
2. The cat ate the food and sneaked off.
3. A thief took all the jewels and sneaked away.
the empty lot: the vacant or unoccupied area or land
lot n. an allotment or portion of land set aside for a special purpose
Collocation: parking lot: an outdoor lot for the parking of motor vehicles
tot lot: a small playground for young children
“No amount of kicking, screaming, or pleading could dissuade my mother, who was solidly determined to have us learn the language of our heritage.”
Paraphrase No matter how desperately my brother and I resisted going to the Chinese school, kicking, yelling, or repeatedly begging, we could not make our mother change her mind, because she was determined to get us to learn Chinese, our mother tongue, which had been passed down from generation to generation.
plead v. make repeated urgent requests; offer sth. as an explanation or excuse, esp. for failing to do sth. or for doing sth. wrong
e.g.
1. He pleaded with his parents for a more understating attitude.
2. She pleaded with him not to leave her alone.
3. The boy pleaded to be allowed to ride on the tractor.
4. They asked him to pay for the damage, but he pleaded poverty.
dissuade vt. stop somebody from doing sth. by persuasion
e.g.
1. He wrote a book to dissuade people from using tobacco.
2. Jim's father tried to dissuade him from marrying Mary.
heritage n. such things as works of art, cultural achievements and folklore that have been passed on from earlier generations
e.g.
1. These ancient buildings are part of our national heritage.
2. She is the only heir who is entitled to the heritage.
Paragraph 3
“Forcibly, she walked us the seven long, hilly blocks from our home to school, depositing our defiant tearful faces before the stern principal.”
ParaphraseFrom our home to school there are seven long groups of buildings bounded by streets on all sides and erected on hilly slopes. She forced us to walk past these blocks, leaving both of us in front of the grim and serious headmaster, our faces showing rebellious reluctance and wet with tears.
forcibly adv. effected by force used against opposition or resistance, obtained by compulsion or violence
e.g.
The policemen arrested the protesters forcibly.
deposit vt. lay or put sth. down; put money in a bank, esp. to earn interest
e.g.
1. He deposited his papers with his lawyers.
2. The money he's deposited in the bank is enough for a new car.
defiant adj. openly opposing or resisting someone or sth.
e.g.
1. The trade union adopted a defiant attitude toward the boss's threat.
2. The hardliners are angrily defiant of the government‘s refusal and threaten to take action.
sway v. waver, oscillate irregularly
e.g.
1. She swayed her body in time with the music.
2. The wind is swaying the tall grass.
3. She swayed the cradle with her foot until the baby went to sleep.
4. The trees were swaying gently in the wind.
clasp vt. hold sb. or sth. tightly in the hand; hold sb. tightly in one’s arms
e.g.
1. She was clasping a knife.
2. The couple clasped hands briefly before saying good-bye.
3. He clasped her to his chest.
the stern principal the girm and serious head of the Chinese school
twitching hands hands that were moving spasmodically(痉挛地);hands with muscles moving rapidly and involuntarily; hands that were violently jerking
"I recognized him as a repressed maniacal child killer, and knew that if we ever saw his hands we'd be in big trouble."
Paraphrase In my opinion, the principal was a man who suffered from suppression of emotions and who was so stern and severe that he would be liable to beat up a child. And I knew if we ever saw his twitching hands, we would be in for severe physical punishment, extreme pain, anxiety and worry, etc.
maniacal adj. violently mad; extremely enthusiastic
e.g.
1. The maniacal expression on his face scared his wife to death.
2. These young men are maniacal about football matches.
maniac n. lunatic, crazy person
manic adj. behaving in an unusually excited way
Note: -mania (suffix) crazy for, extremely enthusiastic
e.g. Beatlemania 披头士迷
kleptomania 偷窃狂
Paragraph 4
“The room smelled like Chinese medicine, an imported faraway mustiness.”
Paraphrase The room gave off a smell very similar to that of Chinese medicine, a stale, mouldy, and damp smell drifting in from a faraway place.
“Like ancient mothballs or dirty closets.”
Explanation: This is a prepositional phrase, but it stands alone like an independent clause. In fact, it is part of the previous sentence.
The writer intended to make it stand alone like a sentence, because she wanted to emphasize the permeation of the room with a very bad smell just like that given off by mothballs or found in dirty closets.
mothball n. a small ball made of a strong-smelling substance, used for keeping moths away from stored clothes, books, etc.
e.g.
1. She regularly puts mothballs in her wardrobe.
2. She placed two mothballs in the pockets of each of the woolen sweaters and jackets.
closet n. a cupboard or small room for storing things
e.g.
This is a very spacious apartment with three big bedrooms, a large hall, a sitting-room, two toilets, a big kitchen, a closet, and two balconies.
“I favored crisp new scents.”
Paraphrase I preferred fresh smells that were characteristically pleasant.
“Like the soft French perfume that my American teacher wore in public school.”
Explanation: This is another prepositional phrase. It can, of course, be included in the foregoing sentence. A sentence fragment is believed to be more attractive, more impressive and more emphatic. Here, this prepositional phrase provides a vivid example of the writer’s favored scents.
scent n. a characteristic or particular odor; especially one that is agreeable
e.g.
the scent of flowers / perfume
Paragraph 5
tap a bell: strike a bell lightly
tap bell a signal bell giving a single ring, as one announcing the approach to a certain floor of an elevator
chant vt. say, utter, talk or repeat monotonously; sing or intone (a psalm)
e.g.
1. The pupils chanted, "How are you, teacher?”
2. She is chanting a melody.
Paragraph 6
“Being ten years old, I had better things to learn than ideographs copied painstakingly in lines that ran right to left from the tip of a moc but, a real ink pen that had to be held in an awkward way if blotches were to be avoided.”
Paraphrase As a ten-year-old girl, I had more interesting things to learn than ideograms which were to be written by hand after models, one stroke after another, in lines that ran right to left, from the tip of an ink pen which I had to clasp in a clumsy way if large ink marks, instead of Chinese characters, were not to be made.
ideograph n. ideogram; symbol used in a writing system that represents the idea of a thing; any sign or symbol for sth.
e.g.
1. Chinese characters are ideographs.
2. The dictionary includes some ideographs.
painstaking adj. taking pains or marked by the taking of pains, expending or showing diligent care and effort
e.g.
a most painstaking worker
the results of scholarly, painstaking investigation of historical sources
painstakingly adv.
blotch n. a large, discolored mark, usually irregular in shape on skin, paper, material, etc.
e.g.
His face is covered in ugly red blotches.
To me, that picture of his, though said to be a masterpiece in the world of fine art, is merely a mess of blotches.
multiplication table a table of the products of a set of numbers multiplied in some regular order; usually a table of the products of the first 10 or 12 integers multiplied
heroine n. the principal female character in a literary or dramatic work
e.g.
I identified with the heroine of the novel.
The novelist makes his heroine commit suicide at the end of the book.
Paragraph 7
“The language was a source of embarrassment.”
ParaphraseThe language caused me to feel self-conscious or ashamed of my racial origin.
disassociate vt. separate people or things in one's thoughts or feelings
e.g.
1. The teacher disassociated the two ideas.
2. You cannot disassociate the Government's actions from the policies that underlie them.
Collocation
dissociate oneself from sb. or sth: say that one does not agree with or support sb. or sth.
nag v. scold or criticize continuously; worry or hurt sb. persistently
e.g.
1. She nagged at her child all day long.
2. The problem had been nagging me for a long time.
3. Everybody knows that he's got a nagging wife.
“a fragile woman in her seventies who could outshout the best street vendor. Her humor was raunchy, her Chinese rhythmless and patternless.”
Paraphrase Already over 70 years old, she was physically weak and feeble, but she was able to speak loudly, even more loudly than the loudest of the street vendors. She was coarse, and her Chinese was without any rhythm or pattern or proper way of expression.
fragile adj. easily damaged or broken; delicate; weak; not strong or healthy
e.g.
1. This is fragile vase; please handle it with care.
2. A fragile girl is vulnerable to illness.
3. The old lady is increasingly fragile after operation.
raunchy adj. coarse or obscene; having or showing a sexual desire
e.g.
1. He seldom feels raunchy.
2. That man often tells raunchy stories and cracks raunchy jokes.
“It was not like the quiet, lilting romance of French or the gentle refinement of the American South. Chinese sounded pedestrian. Public.”
Paraphrase Her Chinese was quite different from the elegant and romantic French or the graceful, cultured sounds of the American South. Chinese sounded very dull, incapable of arousing imagination or inspiration. It sounded average and commonplace, without any distinctive or noble characteristics.
lilting romance: romance characterized by a light, lively or very cheerful rhythm; works of a literary genre with romantic love or highly imaginative unrealistic episodes forming the central theme, marked by a light sprightly rhythm
refinement n. refining or being refined; culture or elegance of manners, taste, language, etc.
e.g.
1. The refinement of oil, sugar, etc. has been improved.
2. He is a gentleman of great refinement.
3. All the refinements of the 20th century technology are very surprising.
pedestrian adj. dull, lacking imagination or inspiration; of or for pedestrians
e.g.
1. The text provides a pedestrian description of the events that were actually very exciting.
2. Life in the rural areas can be pretty pedestrian.
3. The highway is flanked by pedestrian walkways.
Paragraph 8
chaotic and frenzied: completely disorganized and wildly excited, agitated, or frantic; in a state of complete disorder or confusion and extreme excitement or wild activity
talking gibberish: talking nonsense; talking unintelligibly; engaging in unintelligible talks
sweetly adv. amiably, pleasantly; charmingly, attractively
e.g.
1. She smiles sweetly whenever she comes across her colleagues.
2. She smiles and nods sweetly before she begins to talk.
cluck vi. make a noise that a hen makes when calling her chicks; express sth. by making a similar sound
e.g.
1. The hen is clucking, while calling her chicks.
2. Whenever she has made progress, her mother will cluck and say, "You are a nice girl."
do well: be successful or prosperous; be making a good recovery from an illness
e.g.
1. The patient is doing pretty well after the operation.
2. Mother and baby are doing well. (母子平安。)
Paragraph 9
"My, doesn't she move her lips fast, " they would say, meaning that I'd be able to keep up with the world outside Chinatown.
Paraphrase "My goodness, doesn't she speak English fast?" they would say, meaning that I would be able to keep pace with the world outside Chinatown.
be fanatical about sth: be obsessively enthusiastic about sth.
e.g.
1. He was fanatical about tidiness.
2. He is fanatical about keeping fit.
“He was especially hard on my mother, criticizing her, often cruelly, for her pidgin speech —smatterings of Chinese scattered like chop suey in her conversation.”
Paraphrase He treated my mother with severity, criticizing her, often mercilessly, for her speech containing elements of both Chinese and English — words and expressions of Chinese dispersed like chop suey in her conversation.
Episode: Pidgin English（洋泾浜英语，不纯英语）
The term "pidgin" itself is a corruption of the pronunciation of the English word "business" by the Chinese.
Certain expressions from Chinese English Pidgin have made their way into colloquial English.
Long time no see (好久不见)
look-see (看见)
no can do (不能做)
no-go (不行)
where-to? (去哪？)
Time: from the 17th century
Reasons:
Not easy to learn Chinese
English is barbarian's language
Outcome: Pidgin English
Varieties:
Cantonese; Shanghai; Ningbonese
Detailed Reading
System of Pidgin English: 700 words
Simple and odd Grammar and syntax
Decline in 1900s
Chinese Pidgin English began to decline in the late 19th century as standard English began to be taught in the country's education system.
Chinese Pidgin English loan words in Shanghainese
摩托車(motorcycle)，三明治(sandwich)，
阿司匹林(aspirin)，课程(course)，派司(pass)，
抬头(title)，朱古力(chocolate)，一打(dozen)，
一听(tin)，德律风(telephone)，雪纺绸(chiffon)，
发嗲(dear), 噱头(shit), 大班(banker)
chop suey: the English transcript for the Chinese characters “杂碎"
A chop suey is a Chinese-style dish of meat stewed and fried with bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and onions, and served with rice.
“... he would say in exasperation”.
Paraphrase he would say rather angrily.
“When he tripped over his own tongue, he'd blame it on her: "See, Mom, it's all your fault. You set a bad example."
Paraphrase When he committed a minor error in speech, he would find fault with her, "See, Mom, you're to blame for it. You so often make errors that my speech is affected."
Paragraph 10
What infuriated my mother most was when my brother cornered her on her consonants, especially "r".
Paraphrase: What made my mother extremely angry was when my brother put her into a difficult or awkward situation by asking her to practice her consonants correctly, in particular the consonant "r". // My mother was extremely enraged when my brother put her into an embarrassing situation by finding fault with her consonants and demanding that she pronounce them again and again, in particular the consonant "r".
infuriate vt. make sb. extremely angry
e.g.
The man was finally infuriated by her never-ending nagging.
corner vt. get (a person or animal) into a position from which it is hard to escape; put sb. into a difficult situation
e.g.
1. The interviewer cornered the politician with a particularly tricky question.
2. He corners the secretary on his way to lunch and says what he has to say right in his ear.
Paragraph 11
“I finally was granted a cultural divorce. I was permitted to stop Chinese school. “
Paraphrase After two years' endeavor to write with an ink pen and recite the Chinese words with endless meanings, I finally was allowed to stop. I was given permission not to go to Chinese school any more.
Paragraph 12
“I thought of myself as multicultural.”
Paraphrase I felt that I had been brought up in a home where Chinese and American culture both had an influence on me.
Paragraph 13
“At last, I was one of you; I wasn't one of them.”
Paraphrase In the end, I became one of you; I was no longer one of them
In this sentence, the author was indicating that she had become Americanized.
taco n. a sort of Mexican food, a crisp fried corn tortilla filled with meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and hot sauce
Paragraph 14
“Sadly, I still am.”
Paraphrase Unfortunately, I am still a Chinese.
The word sadly could be taken as an instance of sarcasm, showing however hard our author tried, she remained to be a Chinese instead of becoming Americanized.
Section Four Further Enhancement
I. Lead-in Questions
Discussion: How does the title of Text II strike you? What story would it be?
Text II
NO NAME WOMAN
Maxine Hong Kingston
II. Notes of Text II
1). Maxine Hong Kingston (汤亭亭; born on October 27, 1940) is a Chinese American author and Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. She has contributed to the feminist movement with such works as her novel The Woman Warrior, which discusses gender and ethnicity and how these concepts affect the loves of women.
2). every young man who went 'out of road' (paragraph 2) every young man who left home in search of a better life
3). Bali (paragraph 2)an Indonesian island (巴厘岛)
4). loosed the spirits-of-the-broom over our heads (paragraph 7) dispelled evil. In the traditional Chinese society, the broom was believed to have magic powers of dispelling evil. Since adultery was associated with evil or the infliction of harm, to sweep a broom through the air was meant to dispel evil.
5). I found her and the baby plugging up the family well (paragraph 8) I found that your aunt had jumped, together with her newly born baby, into the family well; therefore, I was unable to get water from the well.
6). Chinese-Americans (Paragraph 11) residents of the United States who trace their ancestry to China or to Chinese ethnic populations in other countries. Chinese Americans claim ancestral ties to China and Southeast Asia, and other parts of the world. According to the 2000 U.S. census, some 2.4 million Chinese Americans live in the United States. They constitute the largest group of Asian Americans.
III. Fun Time & Memorable Quotes
1. Fun Time
2. Memorable Quotes
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
— Eleanor Roosevelt
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
— Arthur Schopenhauer
Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.
— Helen Keller
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