Course Recap for February 23

Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese

Today at the beginning of class, you took a short reading quiz over Yang's speech and Chen's article. We then spent some time discussing the text as a large group. I then gave a short presentation introducing the medium of comics; you can access that presentation HERE on the left-hand side of the course blog. I provided you with a handout on the basics of visual art that summarizes some of the key points of the presentation; you can access that document HERE. I then asked each of you to choose a significant image from Yang's American Born Chinese and to use a term from the handout to discuss its significance.

Critical Approaches to American Born Chinese: Chen and Yang

During the second half of class, I asked you to work with small groups in order to identify and examine the three narrative strands running through the comic, answer questions related to Chen's article, and examine Yang's discussion in his Printz speech of his depiction of the Chin-Kee character. You can access that exercise HERE. One group focused on the narrative threads chart, one group focused on the Chen article questions, and one group worked on a comparative analysis of the Chin-Kee character and the historical images upon which Yang based his representation. Each group presented their work, and we continued our discussion of Chen's article and Yang's speech and their relationship to the narrative strands in American Born Chinese.

Studying for the Midterm Exam 

At the end of class, I gave you suggestions for ways that you might study for the midterm exam. First, I suggested that you continue to practice writing about passages in a timed situation. Next, I suggested that you make table and list all of the possible critical ideas and terms that could be used to discuss the five primary texts: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Brown Girl Dreaming, and American Born Chinese. As a class, you identified the following terms/ideas for American Born Chinese: Chen's reverison, Nodelman's discussion of elements of visual dynamics (shapes, size, location and composition, figure and ground), Bang's discussion of space and line, Joseph's liminal character, Hintz and Tribunella's historical models of childhood, Bakhtin's the carnivalesque, Hintz and Tribunella's discussion of anthropomorphic fantasy, Trites's Entwicklungsroman and/or Bildungsroman, and Yang's discussion of his use of historical references to political cartoons in his creation of the Chin-Kee character. 

Remember: Beyond simply identifying that one of the above ideas/theories relates to the novel you are discussing, you should also explain the significance of the theory and relate it directly to the passage you are discussing and its significance to the novel as a whole. Keep in mind that the majority of your writing in part one of the exam should focus on your own analysis of the passage and its significance, while a much smaller portion of your discussion will focus on another critic's theory. You are using the critic's ideas to add weight to your own argument. Be sure to practice transitioning from your idea to the critic's idea, and then linking the critic back to your main point. Your midterm exam will take place next week on Tuesday during our regular class time (do not to miss class and be sure to be on time or early). This exam is open book, and all you will need to bring to class is your books and a pen. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me, contact me during office hours, or to set up a time to meet that works better for you. Once again, the best way to study for the exam is to write timed practice responses to significant passages in each novel AND to identify several critical ideas/terms that you could use to talk about each novel. Be sure to take some time to relax and breathe in between study sessions!

Key Questions From Class
What are the three interwoven narratives within American Born Chinese, and what major themes and conflicts emerge in each? How is stereotypical representation figured in the novel? How does this comic address issues of authenticity (especially compared to other texts we have encountered this semester)? What are the historical roots and origins of the Cousin Chin-Kee character? What was Yang trying to achieve with this representation? Where did the Chinese folktale “Monkey King’s Journey to the West” originate? How has this tale been altered for a western audience?

Homework

• Study for the Midterm Exam