Wei-Lei and Me (Aditi Gouvernel)

1. 1.  What word in the opening sentence means ‘short and flat’?
2. 2.  What is so ‘Australian’ about Barry West?
3. 3.  What is the opening interaction between the two characters about?
4. 4.  What is the protagonist’s home country?
5. 5.  What word means “noble and splendid”? (p75)
6. 6.  In what way is the protagonist’s home country “aristocratic”?
7. 7.  Where did the protagonist’s father move his family to? Why?
8. 8.  What is the protagonist’s attitude towards the citizenship ceremony? (pp75-6)
9. 9.  How is Barry West the antagonist?
10. 10.What is the irony of the comments made by Amy and Cris? (p76)
11. 11.What is “you have to face the world” a metaphor for? (p76)
12. 12.What is the teacher’s hair compared to? Is this an example of a metaphor or simile? (p77)
13. 13.How is the children’s cruel creativity put into action once Wei-Lei arrives? (p77)
14. 14. Explain the relevance of the ‘cat and toy’ metaphor. (p77)
15. 15.How does the children’s cruel creativity have a more sinister side?
16. 16.What does the protagonist mean by “the afternoon passed like a death sentence”? (p78)
17. 17.Why does the protagonist see everything Indian “lit by a spotlight”? (p78)
18. 18.How does the story build to a climax? (p79)
19. 19.What is the irony of Barry’s fate? (p80)
20. 20.Explain what the protagonist means by “as our faces changed, so did Canberra” (p81).
21. 21.What do you think the protagonists’ definition of being Australian would be? (p81)

why does it matter?

Read any story that we haven't read yet and write a review of the story and explain why it matters. Why should anyone care about the story/read?


 Baked beans and Burnt Toast
Backed beans and Burnt Toast is about a Asian Girl growing up in Australia but being 1st born in Australia and dealing with the fact that she really isn't Asian but really isn't Australian either. The reason I think we should read this story is because it asks us "where do you come from?" because in PG 332 "Where are you from Jacquie? Carlingford'" and "Yes but where was the hospital? oh in Chatswood I think" in these 2 quotes the author is asked where she comes from and she replies in Australia both times but because her looks are Asian and she is from Asian heritage they would think she is born in Asia not 1st born Australian. When she goes to Hong Kong she is asked in Cantonese if she speaks Cantonese but she cannot because she was born bred and raised in Australia and never learnt Cantonese. The Author then goes on to write "Lost in the gray area where the borders blur. East meets west, an ABC (Australian born Chinese)." This quote highlights what this story is about the 1st borns in a country who haven't learnt their ancestral language but are thought of what their parents are not where they were born.

Conversations with my Parents by Oanh Thi Tran

1. What is ironic about the way the author and the father become close? What has to happen to the father?

They become close when the Father falls ill and has to go to the Hospital and the child starts asking questions about his life, 

2. How would you characterise the conversation that the author has with her parents?

He has non sentimental conversations almost like they don't love the Author

3. What is it that worries the author most about these conversations?

That he never is able to say he misses them or that he loves them

4. There is a gap between the author’s need to express feelings common in western countries and her family’s lack of desire to express their feelings verbally. How does the family still express their feelings for their child, just not verbally?

They keep talking about him or talking to him as well as asking how his day is and how he is going.

Teenage Dreamers by Phillip Tang

1.What are the first two sentences of the story and how do they create a tension in the story?

The opening sentences are short creating tension in addition it describes how the author's father has supernatural powers and that he could predict how and when the person will die.

2. What has happened to the author’s father as a result of his wife’s death?

The author's father started to become obsessed Leslie Cheung after his wife's death he went to his movies and would listen to his songs and he even predicted his death.

3. Consider how the father lives his life and conducts himself and the other people in the theatre for the film the author and his father are watching. How does this relate to the title of the story?

The father was constantly knowing when people are going to die and how the person would die this drove him insane and he doesn't care about what other people think about him

My First Kiss by Lian Low

My First Kiss by Lian Low

1. How does the author describe Malaysia in regards to showing affection?
In Malaysia you aren't allowed to shoe indecent exposure like kissing, hugging or any affectionate behavior especially homosexuality

2. What happens to the author when she hits puberty?
When she hits puberty her male friends start to distance themselves as she distances herself from other people

3. What is the author’s experience at school when she first arrives to Melbourne?
She makes only Asian Friends and doesn't like being in a school where she isn't challenged

4. What is it that made the author feel that she wasn’t Australian even though she spoke English fluently?
She had a Malay accent and when she spoke it came out way too easily and was extremely noticeable

5. What else was it about the author that further alienated her from her peers?
She had crushes on girls from movies

6. What does the use of description like ‘crash hot’ do to the audience’s perception of the author?
That she tries to use slang allot

7. What opportunity does university give the author? What is it about university which would allow her to express herself more freely?
University gives freedom and it allows her to orchestrate things, It allows people to express themselves because that is what universities want

8. What role does creativity play for the author? Why do you think that creativity would be so important to her?
Creativity plays a very important part for the Author because she can express her homosexuality and its import for her because she used to enjoy when she was younger watching the movie stars and having crushes on them

Lessons from my School Years by Ray Wing-Lun

1. There is a stark contrast created in the opening of this story between what the narrator had been doing before entering school and what will be expected at school? What is this contrast and what does it immediately create in the story?

The contrast between the childhood of the author and the start of school he wants to be  like his father and mother and he respects them for their jobs and personalities compared to the boring time he had at school.

2. The author continues this theme of contrast at the start of the story. How does he do this in his description of his experience of Sydney’s North Shore?

The description of the North Shore states the authors desire for a happy life and where he wants it to take him.

3. What was the father’s background in business before he opened the fruit shop? What has helped him become successful?

The father lacked any schooling in business before the opening of the fruit shop but his personality to others and how he loves to do work allowed him to be successful.

4. The narrator’s description of his father is complex. What makes the father a complex character?

The description of the father ranges from his loving personality by chatting to all the customers to the hard work carrying the fruit cases lust for knowledge in practicing Calligraphy and practicing English

5. (91) How does the author describe his role in doing ‘things that counted’?

he describes his role in doing things that counted include, how he was able to make the school perform better against other school on an average basis better through his application to accedemics

6. What experience does the author have at school while keeping to himself? What does he learn from this experience?

The experiences that the author have at school while observing the other boys at school are that some boys are rough and others are nice and eventually he is able to be friends with all of them through observing them

7. How would you characterise the narrator’s tone in regards to the events that are occurring around him?

The narrators tone in regards to the events that were occurring him is a scientific emotionless state lacking emotion by only stating the bear facts of the events happening around him.

8. How does the narrator characterise the ways that one could ‘get the strap’ and ways that one could avoid it?

The narrator characterise the ways one could "get the strap" by listing many possible ways one could be punished for and stating that there were not many ways to not "get the strap".

9. What event evokes a racist speech to the class by the teacher?

The racist speech the teacher makes about how Asians can never contribute anything to the country makes the author to become even more quite in class and in school becoming like a ghost.

10. What effect did the author’s experience with ‘Strap Happy Jack’ have on him?

The effect 'Strap Happy Jack' had upon the author forced him to become quite around other people in school to protect himself from racism and other teachers.

11. What was the one advantage school provided the author?

The one advantage the school provided to the author was discipline but failed because all were punished whether they worked hard or not.

12. What did the author do at his school? What was his motivation for doing it? What did he feel was lacking at school?

The author started a workshop program where the best students would present papers on the biggest topics in each subject. The author was motivated to this to help other students to do well in their HSC.

13. What did the parents want their son to do at school? What did the author fear would happen by obeying his parents?

The authors parents wanted him to learn the way and what the teachers wanted to learn. The author's feared that if he obeyed his parents he he will spend all his time learning what they want he wouldn't have time to learn to think and do things for himself.

14. At school, what did the author learn about his own type of thinking and how to use it?

The author learnt that he had different ideas about what was important and he just had to find the opportunity to use the kind of thinking he had.

The Early Settlers by Ken Chau

techniques: pun, alliteration, vulgar slang, ambiguous pronouns

The Early Settlers by Ken Chau

1. How does this title refer to two groups of ‘settlers’? Who are they? they are the early and late settlers

2. How is the first line of the poem successful at being ‘forceful’ regarding the Great-Grandfather’s presence in Australia? It says that he is there indicating that he is there

3. What action are the ‘early settlers’ doing that gives them equally a strong presence? That they are entrenched in something

4. How is the intention of the Great-Grandfather juxtaposed to the beliefs of the ‘early settlers’? Her Great-Grandfather is working while it says that the early settlers are nearly terrorists

5. What action does the Great-Grandfather do that ties him both to the ‘early settlers’ and to his own culture? He is a settler
6. How does this short poem highlight the irony of the hatred that immigrants experience when they come to a 'settled' land like Australia? They all treat each other with the same suspicion and the same xenophobia and they are all migrants. 

The Relative Advantages of Learning my Language by Amy Choi

The author makes us consider what it really means about understanding someone's language? What basic human skill/ability is the author highlighting that cuts across all cultures? The Ability to be kind

 Describe a time when you were at fault for not communicating with someone because of your own selfishness or lack of compassion. When I am angry at someone and wont listen to their side of the Argument

The Relative Advantages of Learning my Language by Amy Choi

1. The author opens the story with an anecdote. What is the anecdote and what effect does it have on the reader? It has the effect of making us sympathetic as well as a shock value to the story because the Authors Grand Father dies and she treated him so badly as well as not being able to learn the language to listen to his stories.

2. What is the author’s view of the Chinese language in the 2^nd paragraph? She thinks it is stupid and a waste of time

3. What is symbolic about the house that the Grandfather mistakes for his own? What does it say about the assimilation of his family into Australian culture? What does it say about his understanding of Australian culture? What is ironic about the inhabitants of this house? Its symbolic because the house is nigh on the same as their house it says that they assimilated baddly because the house owners are Pakistani and are immigrants which highlights the fact that they don't understand what a classic aussi house is

4. What does the death of her grandfather inspire the author to do? It makes her learn Chinese

5. Why is she motivated to know Chinese? What is it she wants to ensure she is able to, regretting that she couldn’t do it with her grandfather? She is learning Chinese so she can learn from older people, she regrets that she couldn't listen to her Grandfather

Growing Up Asian in Australia: Intro + Pigs Questions

Introduction by Alice Pung

1. What were Asian-Australians referred to as when the author was growing up? Power-Points

2. How does she interpret this title? She interpreted it as a good thing as unlocked potential

3. What did this title actually refer to? Did the author find this demeaning? Why/why not? The title refereed to the Australian Power point plugs, the author didn't find this demeaning because the power points were white

4. ‘All that untapped potential! All that electrifying brain power!’ What techniques are being employed by the author? How does they highlight he misunderstanding? the Techniques used in this statement are repetition of all that which indicates misunderstanding because its the complete opposite

5. What did the teen author take away from teen fiction? What did she feel that she needed to do? Why? What does this say is essential to fitting in to a culture? The teen fiction made her feel she needed plastic surgery to make her look better, it makes the culture of now days think that beauty is everything

6. Who are the authors that she turns to? Why? John Marsdon and Robert Coriner because they wrote raw honesty about her age

7. In the third paragraph how does the author use repetition. How does it highlight the focus of this book? It highlights the amount of things is 1st for people.

8. What metaphor does the author use to highlight the writers and the writing style in the third paragraph? that they are the tree giving the fruit not a fruit getting plucked from a tree

9. Why does the author use a quote in the 4^th paragraph? What does it say about her reaction to the stories in the book?  Because she compiled these books together and called it her book and it is what is said in the quote change it and it makes it about you.

10. On page 2 the author talks about the themes that she loosely choose for the collection. What are they and why is it ironic that they show up in this book? they are that they are written by 1st generation Asians, 

11. At the bottom of pg 3 on to page 4 the author says that sociologists have described Asians as the ‘model minority’. What is meant by this? What difficulties arise out of this label for young Asian-Australians? It is meant that they will always do work and always get good marks, it is a problem because it puts massive pressure on these children to do well and make lots of money

12. What are the editor’s hopes for the collection of stories? Questions about Identity, place and perspective

Pigs from Home by Hop Dac

1. How does the author start this story which is in direct contrast to the title of the story? What effect does this have on the reader and their expectations of the story? The start is that the author hates pigs but the story's title is about pigs which is contradictory

2. What core Vietnamese value is instilled in the author? that every Vietnamese family is self sustaining

3. What is humorous about the mother’s ‘flair for natural medicine’ in regards to her personality? that natural medicine is the most unreliable medicine.

4. How does the description of the killing of pigeons continue the style utilized in the introduction of the story? that they have everything they need at their house and don't need to buy anything.

5. What is the author’s opinion of pigs? Give two quotes to support your conclusion. the author thinks that pigs are repulsive and disgusting. "of all the animals you can keep pigs are the worst smelling.pig shit is the most repulsive of all the shits. No pig has ever been a friend of mine." Page 1 line 6 1st paragraph. "I have never trusted pigs something about them makes me nervous and I would hurry out of the enclosures while the feeding frenzies take place" 

6. In the paragraph on pgs 53-54, give two examples of alliteration employed by the author. one occasion, 

7. On pg 54 what simile is used to describe pigs? How does this simile work for the situation it is used? an ocean it means that they could change at a moments notice.

8. What simile does the author use to describe her mother sunning herself? How does this relate to the core focus of the story? 

9. What does the author describe as ‘the divide between the old world and the new’? What do you think is meant by this statement? the fact that they could kill anything while the new couldn't, that the old and new are seperating

10. What is the author’s reaction to the slaughter of the pig at night? What statement does the author make about the neighbours which displays the way he feels about the whole experience? What is important about including this statement? he thought it was disgusting if they had heard the commotion meaning that they hope they  hadn't because he was embarrassed about what happened

11. Why don’t the parents have pigs anymore? How does this relate to the description of the burial of the last pig they owned? they have pork given to them by a pig farmer it relates to the burial because the last pig was killed by a snake which means they didn't take care of it

12. How would you characterise the description of the mother’s treatment of the pig’s blood? Is it appetising? it is made into food and sounds disgusting

13. What is ironic about the way the author has a popular Vietnamese dish? What is it about the way the author describes the experience of having pigs that makes it ironic? he has it with pigs blood which is a tradition from home

14. How does this story relate to the title Pigs from Home? because in the end he has pigs blood which reminds him of home

15. Why do you think this story is in the Battlers section of the book? becasue he has battles