Selection 2: Short Story
Amy Tan: "Two Kinds"
In Chinese culture, dragons are symbols of power, goodness, fertility and VIGILANCE (wariness). At the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the dragon dance serves to give gratitude to the dragon and provide good luck and rainfall (fertility) in the coming year.
In the short story "Two Kinds," two WARY (alert) Chinese "dragons" face off in a battle of wills: one a strong-willed mother focused on her child's success and the other an equally stong-minded daughter who simply wants to be herself.
Unlike Fences, in "Two Kinds" the parent obsessively engages in promoting the child's success in extracurriular activities. Let's see what happens...
Discussion Board Assignment: "Two Kinds"
Generational conflict arises when what we want to do differs from what our parents want us to do. Have your parents ever expected you to do something you really didn't want to do (beyond taking out the garbage or some other menial task)? Write about your experience and how you felt at different points in the experience.
Respond to one (or two) students.
Reading: "Two Kinds"
Author's Biography: read the introduction to the author, Amy Tan, including the cultural environment in which she grew up [PDF].
Read the story "Two Kinds" linked here [PDF].
Make sure you know the vocabulary words linked here. The definitions and pronunciations of these words will be linked in the online textbook.
After reading "Two Kinds", go to the Assessments button in Blackboard and take the "Two Kinds" reading quiz. Make sure to contact your teacher if you have any questions before you take this quiz.
NEXT: Lesson 3 Writing
Amy Tan: "Two Kinds"
 The Chinese New Year Dragon Dance (San Francisco) |
In the short story "Two Kinds," two WARY (alert) Chinese "dragons" face off in a battle of wills: one a strong-willed mother focused on her child's success and the other an equally stong-minded daughter who simply wants to be herself.
Unlike Fences, in "Two Kinds" the parent obsessively engages in promoting the child's success in extracurriular activities. Let's see what happens...
Discussion Board Assignment: "Two Kinds"Generational conflict arises when what we want to do differs from what our parents want us to do. Have your parents ever expected you to do something you really didn't want to do (beyond taking out the garbage or some other menial task)? Write about your experience and how you felt at different points in the experience.
Respond to one (or two) students.
Reading: "Two Kinds" Author's Biography: read the introduction to the author, Amy Tan, including the cultural environment in which she grew up [PDF].
Read the story "Two Kinds" linked here [PDF].
Make sure you know the vocabulary words linked here. The definitions and pronunciations of these words will be linked in the online textbook.
After reading "Two Kinds", go to the Assessments button in Blackboard and take the "Two Kinds" reading quiz. Make sure to contact your teacher if you have any questions before you take this quiz. NEXT: Lesson 3 Writing
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