EF11 Sentence Styles

Sentence styles

SIMPLE- SV SVV SSV
Jook liked to dance.


COMPOUND
SV ,SOBA SV
Jook liked to dance, and Wang Bak loved to watch her.

SOBA = so or but and

FANBOYS = for and nor but or yet so

for

Jook spent time with Wang Bak, for he was her friend. XXX

Jook spent time with Wang Bak because he was her friend.

; semicolon

Transitional words and phrases

therefore however

COMPLEX SENTENCES

ADVERB CLAUSES
because when if
WAE pp211-226

whenever
while
as soon as
since
until
so that
in order to
whereas
although/ even though

DEPENDENT CLAUSE, INDEPENDENT CLAUSE.
Whereas Poh Poh criticized Jook, Wang Bak only praised her.

INDEPENDENT CLAUSE DEPENDENT CLAUSE.
Wang Bak only praised Jook whereas Poh Poh criticized her.


ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

who that which

Jook Liang who was a five-year-old girl loved to dance. ESSENTIAL CLAUSE

Jook Liang, who was a five-year-old girl, loved to dance. NON-ESSENTIAL CLAUSE

Your mother, who is retired, plays mah-jong.
Your mother who is retired plays mah-jong. UNUSUAL

'who' is for people
'that' is for things or people
'which' is for things

'whom'? VERY FORMAL, FANCY
FORGET IT

To whom it may concern,


NOUN CLAUSES
know
understand
feel
concerned
believe
say

"that"
She knows that S V
She knows that you are lying.
Wang Bak believes that Jook is a wonderful dancer.
Jook doesn't feel that Poh Poh supports her.

"why"
Poh Poh doesn't understand why Jook wants to be Shirley Temple.

"how"
Jook knows how she can make Wang Bak feel less lonesome.
Jook knows how she can to make Wang Bak feel less lonesome. USUAL

NECESSARY SENTENCE STYLES:
SIMPLE
COMPOUND
COMPLEX

How comfortable do you feel with these sentence styles?


MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE IS SENTENCE COMBINING EXERCISES

EF 2/3 Simple and compound sentences

SIMPLE
1. company
The company has many lawyers.
She works for a toy company.
My company is on Georgia Street.

2. brothers
I have three brothers.
I have one brother.
My brothers found new jobs by themselves.
I love me brothers.

They are my brothers when they join the team.
COMPLEX SENTENCE

3. money
I lost my money yesterday.
I work to save money.
Money is nothing or everything.
Money does not bring happiness.
She saved a lot of money for travelling. GERUND
She manages her money very well.
He budgets his money carefully.
I have money in my pocket.
He wastes a lot of money on cigarettes.

4. house
I want to own a house in Vancouver.
He built his dream house by himself.
My house is very small but nice. It is 200 sq ft, and three floors.

***
My house is very small but nice. SIMPLE
My house is very small, but it is nice. COMPOUND
***

5. math
She is very good at math.
He studies math in college.
Math is fun.
I hate math.

COMPOUND
6. dogs
I love hot dogs, but she is vegetarian.
Dogs are nice, but cats are scary.
All dogs protect their owners, but cats don't care.

I have four dogs, and I have two cats in my house.

7. job
My job is very hard, but I love it.
My job is far from my home, so I get up early.
I have a fun job, so I enjoy it.
She has two jobs, so she works every day.
I love my job, but it makes me tired.
Tom works in a hospital, and he has another job in a restaurant.

8. work
I work hard every day, so I am tired.
Their work is simple, but they feel bored.
She works at the bank, but she works at home, too.

9. rent
Is it better to rent a house, or is it better to buy?
My rent is very high, so I am moving to a smaller city.
Do you want to rent a house, or do you want to rent an apartment?
I pay my rent every month, and I pay my son's rent.
I rented out my house, so I have to rent an apartment.
We are on vacation, so we rent a car.
It is our 50th anniversary, so we make a reservation at our favourite restaurant, Tim Hortons.

10. book
I don't watch TV, but I read books at night.
I don't watch TV, nor do I read books.
I don't watch TV, and I don't read books either.
I read books, and they are my best friends.
My friend bought a new book, so she can read it on her school break.
The book is very interesting, so I read it all night.

Eng11 Possible thesis statements

In paragraphs, discuss how Jook Liang's and Wong Bak's friendship was important to both of them.

Possible thesis statements:

Jook Liang's and Wong Bak's friendship was important to both of them for several reasons. LAZIEST BORINGEST MOST STRAIGHTFORWARD WAY

Jook Liang's and Wong Bak's connection was very significant because they supported each other.

Despite being isolated in their respective worlds, Jook Liang and Wong Bak found a deep connection with each other based on mutual acceptance and respect.

Eng11 All Our Father's Relations interview

http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/864533571504/

http://allourfathersrelations.com/

EF2/3 Musical movies to watch (Musicals)

Julie Andrews
Mary Poppins
The Sound of Music

Debbie Reynolds
Singin in the Rain

EF2/3 Compound sentence quiz

1. practice
She practices violin, so she is good.

2. health
He exercises three days a week, so he has good health.
He is healthy, and he looks young.

3. body
Jonathan's body has a sixpack, but I have a two-litre bottle.

4. strength (n)
strong (adj)
She has strength in her legs, but her arms are weak.
I exercise everyday, so I am strong.
Michelle exercise everyday, so she has lots of strength.
strength- uncountable

5. time
We need more time, and we can finish our work.
You can go to bed, or you can finish your homework at that time.
I eat supper at the same time everyday, so my health is good.
I have to go to school, so I can't go skiing.
He studies at Churchill Secondary, but he doesn't like.
I want to go home, so I wait for the school bell.

6. sound
That sound is terrible, so I close the window.
That sound is terrible, so I plug my ears.
I love the sound of music, and it makes me happy.
Your idea sounds good, so let's go.

My car is making a strange rattling sound, so I have to take it to the mechanic.

I watched The Sound of Music,and I love it.

Carrie Fisher died in December, and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, died the following day.

EF2/3 Gerunds

1. shopping
She likes shopping.
I want to shopping. XXX
I want to go shopping.
I love shopping.
I hate shopping.
I can't stand shopping.
I prefer shopping.

2. practicing
The little boy hates practicing the violin.
Practicing is very helpful.
Practicing is useful for us.
I enjoy practicing tennis.
She finished practicing ballet at 6pm.

3. We hate moving to a new house.
Moving is a lot of work.
We postponed moving until May.
We tried moving the car, but it wouldn't start.

4. Keep trying!
He is trying to get a new job. XXX VERB
Trying to get a new job is difficult.

5. working
Working is good for you.
She is working very hard. XXX VERB
She likes working at the pizza shop.
He hates working for his crazy boss.
Working in the garden is very relaxing.
After working for 40 years, he retired.

6. reading
Reading, listening, and speaking are all useful skills for us.
She likes reading history books.
She kept reading the letter from her boyfriend over and over for five years.
The doctor suggested reading a diet book.
Reading philosophy books is difficult. They are too heavy for me. I like reading comic books.

Gerunds are tough going.
tough going = not easy

E10/11 Grabbers

Using Quotation:

Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, once said,
“racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” Indeed, Liang in “The Jade Peony” represents children of immigrants that need to be prepared for the world they live in. Liang faces rejection and racism throughout her young life and struggles to overcome it.  

Anecdote: a brief story that makes a point.

When I was 6, I moved to Canada from China. I felt very alone and rejected.

My grandparents immigrated from Austria in 1936, escaping the Nazis in their homeland.

Question:

Was Vancouver always a welcoming city to immigrants?

E10/11 Expanding a para into an essay

The Benefits of Living Alone

Living alone has several important advantages. First you don’t have to worry about making noise. You can play your music as loudly as you want. In addition, you can leave your things anywhere you want. You don’t have to hang your clothes up. Finally you have privacy. No one will interfere in your personal affairs. With these benefits, it is sometimes preferable to live by yourself.

The Benefits of Living Alone

One of the most exciting events in a person’s life is moving away from his or her family for the first time. Living alone is an important step toward independence and adulthood. With it come new responsibilities and freedoms. In fact, living alone has several important advantages.

            First, when you live alone, you don’t have to worry about how much noise you make. In the morning, you can wake up to loud music on the alarm radio. Then, when you are making breakfast, you don’t have to be careful about dropping spoons or slamming cupboard doors. When you come home after school or work, you can listen to the stereo at full volume. You can even go to sleep with the stereo still on. No one will tell you to be quiet.

            Another advantage of not having a roommate is that you can leave your things anywhere you want. You don’t have to wash the dishes before you leave for work. You can even leave the butter and jam on the kitchen table instead of putting them back in the refrigerator. You can leave your dirty clothes wherever you take them off and pick them up when you decide to do laundry. Books don’t have to put on the bookshelf and cd’s don’t have to be put away. You can create your own chaos and no one will be disturbed.

            Most important, when you live alone you have the benefit of having privacy. No one will interfere in your private affairs. No one will read your email or listen to your phone calls. No one will listen to the messages on your voice mail and find out who is angry with you or who wants to see you. You can leave your letters out, you can put up pictures of special people, and you can walk around in your in your underwear, or less. Your home is your private haven.

            Many people argue that having a roommate is a big help, especially for students. Certainly there are some comforts in having a friend to live with, but there are also some pluses to living on your own. Having your own apartment means you can be noisy, be messy, and keep your privacy.

Eng10/11 JP Ch3 notes

Thought Questions Chapter Three: The Jade Peony

1.              What are Father and Wong Bak working on at the beginning of the chapter?  Why is there so much secrecy?

         Searching for documents: immigration papers/citizenship papers/head tax papers/papers to prove that he paid off his debts to Canada.

Secrecy is because they don't want Liang to be sad.

2. Why is Wong Bak returning to China?

Chinese Bones: From the CPR

Wong Bak is returning to China to return the “bones of the dead Chinese...who died in Gold Mountain.”

“The bone shipment,” Wong suk kept on, “that's all the bones of the dead Chinese, the Chinese who died in Gold Mountain.”

1.Statement : Liang wants to be like Shirley Temple

2.Evidence: “i started to dream about my friendship with Shirley Temple”

3.Explain:

In the novel The Jade Peony, Liang wants to be accepted and “dreams about [her] friendship with Shirley Temple.” Her desire to be friends with Temple, shows that she desperately wants to be a part of American society.

EF2/3 semicolons

; semicolon

semi = 1/2 half

: colon ; semicolon

Vancouver is a nice city, but it is very expensive.

SV, SOBA SV.

Enough for EF2/3

NEW WAY- HIGHER LEVEL WAY

Vancouver is a nice city, but it is very expensive.

Vancouver is a nice city; however, it is very expensive.

; however,

It is rainy, but she takes the dog for a walk.

It is rainy, but she takes the dog for a walk.

It is rainy; still, she takes the dog for a walk.

; still,

She runs in half-marathons, and she plays soccer twice a week.

marathon = 40k

half marathon = 20k

She runs in half-marathons, and she plays soccer twice a week.

She runs in half-marathons; in addition, she plays soccer twice a week.

She runs in half-marathons; moreover, she plays soccer twice a week.

; moreover,

BMO Race

5k, 10k

She wants to go to Europe for vacation, so she is saving her money.

She wants to go to Europe for vacation, so she is saving her money.

She wants to go to Europe for vacation; as a result, she is saving her money.

She wants to go to Europe for vacation; therefore, she is saving her money.

HIGH FREQUENCY- therefore however also

Repetition- repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat 

, and

EF2/3 C-54

1. She got into the car, and her husband drove her to the airport.
2. The sun is shining, and the birds are singing, and the flowers are blooming. XXX
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the flowers are blooming.
4. I'm going fishing with my brother tomorrow, so I won't be able to come to your party.
5. I tried to call Karen, but there was no answer, so I left without her.
6. He didn't want to leave the house, for he was worried he would miss her phone call. LOW FREQUENCY
He didn't want to leave the house because he was worried he would miss her phone call. COMPLEX SENT
He was worried he would miss her phone call, so he didn't want to leave the house.

7. Are you going to buy the green shirt, or do you like the blue one better?
8. His father is eighty years old, but he looks much younger, and he has lots of energy.
His father is eighty years old, but he has lots of energy, so he looks much younger.
9. They cannot come for dinner, but they will be here later, so we can talk or play cards.

poker face=no expression

Quiz

1. family
I love my family, but they hate me.

2. school
The school is far from my home, so I have to leave early.

3
4
5
6

,SOBA

SV ,SOBA SV.

EF2/3 E-53

1. Jack bought me a pair of earrings, and Jill gave me a matching necklace.
Jack bought me a pair of earrings, so Jill gave me a matching necklace.

2. I was very hungry, so I went to kitchen to make a sandwich.

3. She applied for the job, but they hired someone else.

4. Do you want to go over to Jim's house, or would you rather stay here?

5. He was ready to leave, but something told him to stay a little longer.

Eng11 JP Ch2 Group discussion

1. Describe the relationship between Jook-Liang and Poh-Poh.

- special, learns about old China, discourages her "girl child", "useless"(28)

- Jook Liang studies dance to prove that she is useful

- "too much spoil"(33,37) Poh-Poh protective, still helping

Old Chinese culture- 

 jealous of Wang Bak's attention to Jook

Poh-Poh difficult childhood, repeating the way she was treated, repeating her experience

"No more teach!" 

cultural conflict, person vs person conflict

  2.What do we learn about Poh-Poh’s childhood in China?

born family not value girls, abandoned by father

worked as "house daughter" beaten, abused

"learn or die."

discrimination- gender, sexism, class

 3. Why does Poh-Poh pay so much attention to Sek-Lung?

health problems from birth- always sick (27)

youngest- baby of the family

he’s a boy- culture, tradition

girl is useless in a family

boy carried the family name

NOW- women keep their name if they want

change you name, hyphenate your name

Sarah Jones-Chen

 4. What is some evidence of cultural conflict within Jook-LIang?

-wants to be Shirley Temple- movie actress, big star 30s

-conflict about boy/girl “useless” “not useless”

-person vs herself dreams of Jook and what she wants

-person vs person JL vs PP

-person vs culture Old Chinese culture, Canadian culture

-confuses Chinese and western stories- Monkey King/Cheetah

5. Describe the relationship between Jook-Liang and Wong Bak.

-close, spend days together, sit together

more family than friend

“You are my little girl, my family”

“Bandit Princess”- prince- Robin Hood?

appealing to her sense of adventure

loves her dancing

he loves his stories

adopted uncle

- acceptance between the two of them

JL criticized by PP, not by WB- he accepts her

unconditional love

she accepts him – ugly, twisted, monkey face

- both important for self-esteem, self-confidence, self-believe

-highly valued by each other

he buys her ribbons, she dresses up and tap dances

EF2/3 Compound Sentences C-51, 52

1. Jim cut the grass, and Ed weeded the garden.
Jim cut the grass, so Ed weeded the garden.

2. I was very tired last night, so I went to bed early.

4. The sun is shining, but it is still cold.
The sun is shining, so it is warm.

5. Mr. Smith earns a lot of money, but he never saves any.
Mr. Smith earns a lot of money, so he never saves any.

6. Jack needs a new jacket, so because he lost his leather one.

Jack needs a new jacket, for he lost his leather one. UNUSUAL TO USE 'FOR"

He lost his leather one, so Jack needs a new jacket.

Jack lost his leather jacket, so he needs a new one.

7. Tom had no money, so Jack lent him ten dollars.

8. We have to leave in ten minutes, or I will be late for my appointment.

1. The refrigerator was empty, so I went to the grocery store.

The refrigerator was empty, so she bought some staples.

The refrigerator was empty, so she bought a month's worth of food.

2. She had a headache, so she took some medicine.

She had a headache, so she went to sleep early.

She had a headache, so she didn't finish her homework.

3. The soup was too hot, so I couldn't drink it.

The soup was too hot, so he burned his mouth.

The soup was too hot, so she let it cool down.

4. The car wouldn't start, so he took the bus.

 The car wouldn't start, so we will be late.

The car wouldn't start, so she called her father.

The car wouldn't start, so we need to fix it.

5. The chair was broken, so I bought a new one.

The chair was broken, so she couldn't sit down.

6. The room was stuffy, so we opened the window.

The room was stuffy, so she didn't go in.

7. It started to snow, so I got my umbrella.

It started to snow, so I stayed (at) home.

8. She went back to school, so she can finish her grade 12.

She wants to learn, so she went back to school.

She went back to school, so she quit her job.

She went back to school, and she visited her teacher.

EF2/3 Sentence test examples

1. family
I love my family. SV
My family has five members.

2. parents
My parents live in Japan.
My parents are on vacation.
my parents are on vacation
capital letter punctuation

3 adult
Her son is an adult.
SHEC is an adult school.

4. cities
Vancouver is a nice cities. XXX
Vancouver and Toronto are big cities.
Canada has many small cities.

5. culture
His culture is very interesting.
Vancouver is a multi-cultural city.
I love my culture.
You have a different culture.
SV

6. career
I go to school to get a career.
She has a good career.
I want a career.
He has a career in engineering.
My mother is a career criminal.

7. spouse
I have one spouse.
I love my spouse.
I met David's spouse yesterday.
He is looking for a rich young blind spouse.

8. different
That is a different idea.
You are different than me.
We are not very different.
People are not very different.

9. relatives
My relatives are not here.
My relatives visit and don't leave.
She has many relatives all over the world.

10. special
I'll have the special, please.
She has a special ring.
I have a special car.
Kurdish food is very special.
She is a special girl.

Eng11 Incorporating material into your sentences

borrow text from the book

"fine features"
Stepmother was a young woman who had "fine features"(5).

grammatical- has to be a sentence
Stepmother was a young woman: "fine features"(5).
When she came from China, she had been a "young woman" (5) who had no family.

borrow a few words 1,2,3,4

proof, evidence

Poh-Poh was called the "Old One" (6) because of the deep respect that the family held for her.

PRACTICE QUESTION

“What does Wong Bak look like?”

The old man reminded Jook Liang of a "half-flopped puppet" (16) the way he was bent over and twisted.
He had "gnarled, thick fingers" (17) that looked like they had done hard work all of his life.

He had "Powerful legs"(16).
He had "[p]owerful legs"(16).

square brackets- minor changes, just for grammar

When Wang Bak walked in, "Even Stepmother stared" (17) at him.
When Wang Bak walked in, "[e]ven Stepmother stared" (17) at him.


The old man was a "wide-eyed, wet-nosed creature" (17) who had a strange twisted face.





PROOF, EVIDENCE
INCORPORATE
GRAMMATICAL
SHORT (2-3 WDS)
[ ]
... ellipsis


The old man was a "wide-eyed, wet-nosed creature" (17) who had a wet nose.

The old man was a "wide-eyed ... creature" (17) who had a wet nose. GRAMMATICAL

...... etc.
"I like cats, dog, fish, monkeys ......"
"I like cats, dog, fish, monkeys, etc."
"I like cats, dog, fish, monkeys, and so on."
"I like cats, dog, fish, monkeys ..."

E11 JP Ch1 Notes

Jade Peony: Chapter One Thought Questions


    1. (we drew the family tree on the white board)

She came from China. She came as a housekeeper/nanny to help with duties. She became more a part of the family. Poh Poh accepted her as part of the family. Old traditions dictate that young women were brought into the household to be a housewife to the man. (a form of arranged marriage). She does her duties as a wife and takes care of the family.

1933. Based in China Town. Vancouver. Chinese culture. Chinese family—recently immigrated. Following Chinese traditions.

Chinese/Japanese propaganda game to help fund raise to encourage overseas fund raising to free China. Three enemies: warlords, Japanese soldiers (Tojo), communists. Often using rather grotesque stereotypes.

Day of Shame—July 1st   Canada passed the Exclusion Act.Kept Chinese from entering Canada. Before 1923.

Worried about meeting for the first time—Poh Poh's friend from Old China-worried that he will scare the kids because he has a scar on his face. The father wants the kids to respect Wong Bak's. They are more worried that kids will disrespect Wong Bak. Perhaps by laughing at him or staring at him.

Wong Sin Saang, Wong Kim Lein, Monkey King, Old Wong, Wong Suk, Maulauhm Bak

E11 Jade Peony Thought Questions

The Jade Peony Thought Questions

Part One: Jook Liang, Only Sister

Chapter One

1.    Draw a family tree showing the relationships in Jook Liang’s family.

2.    Describe Stepmother’s position in the family.

3.    What is the setting of the story?

4.    Why had the “ENEMIES OF FREE CHINA” game been imported to Canada?

5.    What was the “day of shame”?

6.    Why was father worried about Wong Bak’s visit?

7.    Wong Bak is called by several names.  What are they?

Chapter Two

1.    Describe the relationship between Jook-Liang and Poh-Poh.

2.    What do we learn about Poh-Poh’s childhood in China?

3.    Why does Poh-Poh pay so much attention to Sek-Lung?

4.    REWRITE What is some evidence of cultural conflict within Jook-LIang?

5.    Describe the relationship between Jook-Liang and Wong Bak.

Chapter Three

1.    What are Father and Wong Bak working on at the beginning of the chapter?  Why is there so much secrecy?

2.    Why is Wong Bak returning to China?

Part Two: Jung-Sum, Second Brother

Chapter Four

1.    Why is Jung-Sum so happy about his new pet?

2.    According to Poh-Poh, what do turtles represent in Chinese culture?

3.    Why does Jung-Sum call the turtle King George?

4.    Why does Dai Kew give Jung-Sum a dollar?

Chapter Five

1.    What chore is Jung-Sum given at the beginning of the chapter?

2.    What does Poh-Poh say about Jung-Sum that suggests he may be different from other boys?

3.    When Jung-Sum first meets Poh-Poh, who does he think she is?

4.    What has happened to Jung-Sum’s parents?  What was his live like with them?

5.    How does Jung-Sum feel about boxing?

6.    Describe the history of the coat, and its transformation.

7.    Describe Gee Sook.

8.    Why does Poh-Poh frequently say, “I die soon”?

Chapter Six

1.    What evidence is there of Old Yuen’s bad luck?

2.    Describe Frank.

3.    What does Jung-Sum learn about himself after the fight?

Chapter Seven

1.    How does Frank treat Jung-Sum?  How does Jung-Sum feel about this?

2.    What gift does Frank give Jung-Sum?

3.    According to Poh-Poh, what does the moon represent?

4.    How does Father react to Poh-Poh’s stories?  Why?

5.    Describe Poh-Poh’s jade peony.

Chapter Eight

1.    What frustration does Sek-Lung have about family names in Chinese?

2.    What conflict does Sek-Lung feel about being Chinese and being Canadian?

3.    Who is Chen Suling?

4.    What does Third Uncle say about the term “Stepmother”?

Chapter Nine

1.    What do we learn about Grandmama’s past?

2.    Why does Grandmama make her last windchime?  Why is the making of the windchime a source of conflict in the family?

3.    What do the colours pink and white represent in this chapter?

4.    What does Grandmama leave Sek-Lung?  What does this gift symbolize?

5.    What comment does this chapter make about love?

Chapter Ten

1.    Why couldn’t Sek-Lung go to school like his sister and brothers?

2.    Who teaches Sek-Lung?  How do they feel about this?

3.    Who does Sek-Lung believe will help him get to school?

4.    How does the family react to Sek-Lung’s belief that he has seen Grandmama’s ghost?

5.    Discuss the quotation, “The World of Chinatown was the world of what if.

Chapter Eleven

1.    What does Kiam think about ghosts?

2.    What does Sek-Lung think that Grandmama wants him to tell the rest of the family?

3.    How does the family try to finally free itself of Grandmama’s ghost?

4.    According to Sek-Lung, what has caused his health to finally improve?

Chapter Twelve

1.    What does the jade peony remind Sek-Lung of now?

2.    How does the childrens’ play echo what is taking place in the world?

3.    What is the attitude of many people in Vancouver to the Japanese and Japanese Canadians?

4.    Miss Doyle rules with “compassionate terror.”  Explain.

5.    What does Miss Doyle emphasize when talking to the class about the day’s battles?  Who is the hero of many of her stories?

6.    What is Sek-Lung referring to when he says, “We had glimpsed paradise.”

Chapter Thirteen

1.    What does the story of the fireflies indicate about the attitude of older Chinese to education?

2.    Describe Sek-Lung’s bombing run debacle.

3.    Describe Mrs. Lin.

4.    What does father worry about?

5.    Give example of how anti-Japanese sentiment is permeating the family and community.

Chapter Fourteen

1.    Where does Meiying take Mei-Lung?  Why is he surprised?

2.    Why is Meiying’s relationship doomed from the start?

Chapter Fifteen

1.    How does Sek-Lung feel about Kaz?

2.    What evidence shows Stepmother knows what is going on between Kaz and Meiying?

3.    How does Meiying win over Sek-Lung?

4.    What evidence shows all is not well with Meiying?

5.    What are some examples of increasing anti Japanese sentiment?

6.    What are some examples of tension within the family regarding this anti-Japanese sentiment?

7.    What does Stepmother reveal about her feelings about her position in the family?

8.    What happens to Meiying?

9.    What is the significance of the final scene in the novel?