Two Kinds –Amy Tan

Friday 28th January 2022

❑ Reading logs on front table ❑ Opening Worlds Anthology

and exercise books on desk❑ Folder on shelves

Discuss with your partner: Looking at this background image, what do you think this short story might be about?

Learning Purposes

• To explore the context of an American-Chinese short story.

• To consider the presentation of themes within a short story.

• To explore how language and structure presents meaning in a short story.

Recap of previous learning• What other cultures did we discuss and

focus on last week? • How did the wedding in the story differ

from our own expectations of marriage? • Why is it important that we study

literature from different cultures?

Future learning• We are widening our appreciation of

literature from around the world. • We are developing our understanding

of how writers use language and structure to present meaning within short stories.

Starter – Family In your exercise book, draw an image that you would associate with family.

Surround your image with adjectives that you would use to describe families – this could be your own, or you might want to draw on ideas from books, films, TV shows…

You might want to consider the following:

• What families are like

• How people within families interact

Context - Amy Tan • Born in Oakland, California in 1952.

• Daughter of Chinese immigrant parents.Her mother moved to America shortly before the Communist takeover of China in 1949.

• Her mother had been forced to leave her three children behind from a previous abusive marriage in Shanghai.

• Her mother believed in ‘The American Dream’ – the idea that anything is possible in America if you work hard enough. You can achieve anything, regardless of who you are and where you came from.

• Amy Tan’s mother is a first generation immigrant – she re-settled in America.

• Amy Tan is therefore considered to be a second generation immigrant – she was born in America to immigrant parents.

Discuss: Why might there be conflict between first and second generation immigrants?

Two Kinds

Today’s story is from a larger collection of connected stories called The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan’s first novel which looks at characters searching for balance between their Chinese heritage and American lifestyle.

In this story, a young girl called Jing-Mei discusses how her mother obsesses over Jing-Mei’s possible future as a prodigy. The pressure of her mother’s expectations leads Jing-Mei to mostly give up, putting minimal effort into everything in an attempt to figure out her own identity.

Word of the Day: Prodigy

Prodigy (noun) – a person with exceptional qualities or abilities.

E.g. Mozart was a child prodigy, composing and performing great works from the age of 5.

Thinking about the context we have focused on, how do you think this key term will be relevant to the story?

Answer this question in a full sentence.

Reading

We will now read the first section of the story together, to line 135.

As we read, pay attention to the following points and make annotations in your copy to support your understanding:

• Presentation of Family

• Theme of Conflict (disagreement)

• Literary techniques – repetition, similes, tricolon…

• Links to context – The American Dream, first and second generation immigrants

GlossaryShirley Temple –American actress, singer and diplomatReproach - disapproval/ disappointmentListlessly – lack of interestModest – doesn’t show off about their achievements

Conflict A serious disagreement or argument. Difference of opinion.

Questions

Answer the following questions, using quotes to support your answers:

1. How does Jing-Mei’s mother’s desire to make her a prodigy link with The

American Dream? (l.1-13)

2. How does Jing-Mei initially respond to her mother’s desire to make her a

prodigy? (l.30-49)

3. What happens when Jing-Mei sees her mother’s ‘disappointed face’ again?

How does this show a change in Jing Mei’s character? (l.73-98)

Challenge: Structure – How is Jing-Mei’s new-found anger towards her mother mirrored in the structure of the sentences? (l.73-98)

Jing Mei’s mother’s desires link with The American Dream because she states that ‘you could be anything you wanted to be in America’ and that you could be the ‘best anything.’ This belief that you can achieve anything is the core idea of The American Dream.

Reading

Continue reading – l.135-217

As we read, make annotations in your copy to support your understanding:

• Presentation of family

• Theme of Conflict – disagreement

• Literary techniques – repetition, similes, tricolon…

• Links to context – The American Dream, first and second generation immigrants

GlossaryDiscordant – clashing sounds.Snotty – think you’re superior/ better

Quote Bank

Create a quote bank, finding two quotes as evidence for each of the following:

1. How Jing-Mei feels about her new piano lessons (l.135-145)

2. Jing-Mei’s feelings about her mother’s competition with Auntie Lindo (l.163-195)

Extension: How might Jing Mei’s feelings here link with the context we have explored?

The Recital

Continue reading from lines l.218 – 303

As we read, look out for the following:

• Presentation of family – how is this progressing?

• The theme of conflict – does this change?

• Literary techniques - repetition, similes, tricolon…

• Links to context

Fill in the first section of your worksheet, tracking how the conflict between Jing-Mei and her mother develops in this section.

GlossaryStricken - affected by an unpleasant feelingMadame Butterfly – an opera

The Argument

Read the next section, from lines 304–347.

In this section, Jing-Mei and her mother have a heated argument about the continued piano lessons.

Closely analyse this section, focusing on the language and structure techniques that Tan uses to present the conflict between the mother and daughter.

Language • Literary techniques: similes,

metaphors… • Word classes: verbs, nouns… Structure • Sentence types and lengths:

short sentences, imperatives, exclamatives…

• Techniques: Repetition, tricolon

Fill in the second section of your worksheet, selecting quotes from the text, to prepare for our analytical writing activity.

How does Tan present conflict within the mother-daughter relationship?

Using the evidence on your worksheet, produce an analytical paragraph answering this question.

Success Criteria✓ Topic sentence ✓ Embedded quotation✓ Close word analysis (or analysis of

technique)✓ Explanation of quote✓ Extension: Second word analysed. ✓ Challenge: Links to context e.g. first and

second generation immigrants✓ Concluding sentence ✓ Subject specific terminology✓ Analytical vocabulary

Tan presents conflict within the mother-daughter relationship through the use of [technique] during their heated argument. This is illustrated when it is stated that [‘quote’]. The use of the [technique or word class] highlights the hostility in their relationship because [close word analysis]. This emphasises the sense of conflict because [explanation]. This links with [context] because _________. Overall, Tan presents the conflict effectively through [summarise].

Relationship resolution…

As we read the end of the story, consider whether the conflict between Jing-Mei and her mother is resolved.

Discuss with your partner: What do you think is the significance of the song at that Jing-Mei plays both halves of in the final paragraph?

What does it tell us about her as an adult?

Plenary

Look at the adjectives that you used to describe families at the beginning of the lesson.

Answer the following questions under your writing tasks:

1. Do you feel that Jing-Mei and her mother have a relationship that fits with your chosen adjectives? Why?

2. What adjectives might you add to your mind-map to describe their relationship?