HW Due Tuesday, April 28

The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan

1. Analyze the excerpt from Amy Tan’s “Four Directions:”
My mother was doing it again, making me see black where I once saw white. In her hands, I always became the pawn. I could only run away. And she was the queen, able to move in all directions, relentless in her pursuit, always able to find my weakest spots. (199)

2. Analyze the excerpt from Amy Tan’s “The Rules of the Game:”
“Ma, it’s not how many pieces you lose,” I said. “Sometimes you need to lose pieces to get ahead.” (98)

3. In the poem, “Night Light,” what does the mother’s action in lines 4 and 5 demonstrate about her concern for the child? Explain.

4. Identify and describe the speaker of the poem, “Night Light.” What kind of person is the speaker? How do you know?

5. In the poem, “Night Light,” what does the phrase “blue irises” (line 9) refer to?

6. In the poem, “Night Light,” what idea about the parent and child is conveyed in lines 13 and 14? Explain.

7. Compare and contrast the parent child relationship in “Night Light” to Waverly’s relationship with her mother. Where do you see similarities? Where do you see differences?


* Thes essay on the worksheet will be done in class TOMORROW. Do NOT do it tonight for homework.

HW Due Monday, April 27

Read and annotate Amy Tan's "Four Directions."

Also- Finish your "found" poems to share in class!

HW Due Friday, April 24

Vocabulary Packet due.

Questions for "The Rules of the Game."

*Bring in a poem that you have written (optional homework).

HW Due Wednesday, April 21

Write a letter to Amy Tan, the author of "The Moon Lady" about her story. Demonstrate your knowledge of the five grammar/style rules we have been focusing on in class:

1.Form the possessive singular of a noun by adding ‘s.
2.In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.
3.Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.
4.Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause.
5.Use a semicolon if two or more clauses are grammatically complete and not joined by a conjunction.

* Cite the grammar rule in parenthesis after the sentence that reflects it.

SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR LETTER:
- Talk about the imagery she uses. Do you like it? Dislike it? Why?
- Tell the author about how you connect to the characters.
- Make suggestions to Amy Tan about how the story could have ended differently.

HW Due Tuesday, April 20

“The Moon Lady”
Amy Tan

Directions: Respond to each question and cite page numbers for reference.

1. How is Ying-ying’s culture like or unlike your culture in its treatment of girls?

2. Is there anything that you see differently, think differently about, or will do differently as a result of reading this story? Explain.

3. Why does the Amah tell Ying-ying that she must keep her wishes secret?

4. How did Ying-ying wind up in the water?

5. What is the ultimate fate of the Moon Lady?

Spring Break Assignment

Spring Break Assignment

Read and annotate Amy Tan’s “The Moon Lady” from The Joy Luck Club. Use post-it notes for your annotations. Notes taken in your notebook or on a separate sheet of paper WILL NOT count for credit.

Annotation focus: Symbols, Theme, Imagery, Ways in which Ying-ying undergoes change. Then, complete the tasks that follow. Record the page numbers that inspired your response for each question.


1. Describe how the incident at the Moon Festival affects the main character, Ying-ying.

2. To what degree does Ying-ying’s culture contribute to her transformation?

3. Analyze the literal and symbolic implications of the word lost, as it is used in the story.

4. Trace the changes in Ying-ying’s character before and after the incident at the Moon Festival.

5. Pose three interpretive questions about this story.

6. Draw a symbol to represent Ying-ying’s character.

7. Speculate about how and why Ying-ying changes.

8. How are you being positioned by the author to read this text?

9. How is Ying-ying’s culture like or unlike your own?

10. How are you being positioned by your culture to respond to this text?

* NOTE: If you left school without a copy of Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club, then it is your responsiblity to borrow the book from the library, or purchase a copy of it. You may be able to download it for free at www.googlebooks.com. Otherwise, Strand Bookstore in Union Square sells used books for less!

Homework Due Friday, April 3, 2009

Complete the prewriting packet we worked on in class. Tomorrow, we will be writing our Eyewitness Essays!!!!