Final Class Discussion Hello, hello. If anyone would like to sign up to lead a
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Final Class Discussion
Hello, hello.
If anyone would like to sign up to lead a discussion, interpret a passage, offer an insight about the class, or share something you learned about yourself or the material we covered in the course – I would like to offer you a little extra credit. Come and share a little something or a big something in exchange.
I would love to talk in-depth about any of the questions listed there, but what would be best is if you all choose questions to respond to and share your thoughts with us in class. So please go forth and type your name (+ a page number to direct the class) under at least two of the discussion questions located in the Google doc.
Also, just for funsies, when you type your name, can each of you pick a color that hasn’t already been chosen by one of your classmates under the same discussion question? Thanks!
I’m looking forward to our last regular meeting in a bittersweet way!!
Warmly,
Karen
Viet Thanh Nguyen, “Fatherland”
“Fatherland” is a short story about a young woman who returns to Vietnam to visit her father who she’s been out of contact with for most of her life. He remarried and had three children and named them after Vivian (whose given name is Phuong) and her two brothers who live in the states.
Analyze the Nam Kha restaurant scene (184-186). What does this scene reveal about Vivian, her father, and Phuong?Karen (190 – this connects the restaurant scene to another passage), who else would like to speak on this first discussion question??
You can be purple or something else.
Analyze the conversation on the Ferris wheel (199-203), and the final photo burning scene. Discuss what we learn about Vivian and Phuong from her reaction.
Considering Mr. Ly’s statement, “I knew you would come back to see the one I named after you,” (190) why might Mr. Ly believe this would pull his children back to Vietnam?
Compare Vivian with Phuong. In this juxtaposition what is Nguyen’s attitude toward these two women?
Jenny Zhang’s “We Love You Crispina” (PDF)
Discussion Topics and Questions
Choose a passage from “We Love You Crispina” that surprised you or made you laugh. Describe the author’s writing style and draw a connection to a topic she raises in the story. Discuss how the tone affects the way the reader may interpret the passage.
Describe Cristina’s relationship with her mother.
Cristina’s experiences at school: discuss ESL, transferring schools, the impact teachers have on her learning (including Cristina’s father!), peer to peer relations, or some other aspect of her schooling you find interesting.
Discuss the passage: “Then there was one year, the year when I had to repeat first grade because I hadn’t done any of the assignments…My itching came back with a vengeance—it hadn’t been that bad since the six months before my family immigrated to New York” (p. 14). What is the significance of Cristina’s itchiness? What does it reveal to the reader about how her body is reacting to her environment and living conditions?
Jenny Zhang’s “You Fell into the River and I Saved You!”
“You Fell into the River and I Saved You!” takes place years after “We Love You Crispina.” She’s a child when we meet her and in “You Fell” she’s a young adult leaving home to live abroad and reflecting on the times she’s had with her family.
Choose one “Reunion” and discuss how it contributes to the rest of the story.
Consider why the short story is not organized chronologically. What may be meaningful about the placement of the “reunion” that you chose the analyze?
Discuss Cristina and Fang’s relationship. Specifically, consider how and why the titular memory (“You Fell into the River and I Saved You!” p. 285) is important to Cristina and significant to the stories Jenny Zhang (the author!) tells. How has Cristina’s relationship with her mother changed since she was separated from her after “We Love You Crispina”?
Discuss the family dynamic in “Reunion #5.” Compare and contrast Emily and Cristina’s relationships with their parents. Try to go beyond “Emily doesn’t understand her parents in the same way that Christina does.” I recommend focusing on a couple of specific details and expanding on those.
Heping, Cristina’s father, makes a promise he knows he can keep (296) to bring the whole family together for his father’s 100th birthday. What is this promise doing for Cristina and her mother? How are their reactions different from one another? How does it relate to any other story we’ve discussed in this class? Have there been any other promises or dreams that characters hold on to? Perhaps, you can compare Cristina’s mother and father’s attitudes toward “ridiculous” or unrealistic promises.
Compare any SPECIFIC aspect, passage, image, symbol, motif, or theme in this short story to any other short we have discussed as a class.
Misc. – Add your own discussion question below!
