Exploring Cultural Identity and Self-Discovery in Immigrant Narratives Essay paper

Assignment Question

For this reading response assignment, read the short stories “Pair of Tickets”, by Amy Tan and “Volar”. Your task is to analyze each of the designated texts. Pick two or more prompts from the prompt list below to guide you and write a one-page (about 350-400 words) response per story. Identify the prompt(s) you are responding to at the top of each page. Review the instructions and general rules before choosing prompts. 1. What do you think the author’s purpose is? Why did he/she write this particular story or poem or play (or even this specific scene)? 2. How does the title work with the text? Does it illuminate an idea, focus your attention on something specific, subvert your expectation? What was your assumption before you read the work, and how did your understanding change after reading? 3. What can you tell me about the theme of the work? (Remember that a general concept like “love” or “revenge” isn’t a theme on its own—what does the story/poem say about that general concept, and how?) 4. What is the overall tone (the quality of language) of the work? What sort of language does the author use, and how does it affect your reading? 5. What is the structure of the work, and how does that affect your reading experience? For example: Is it a comic? Is it a poem with a strict rhyme/meter scheme? Is it an entire story in which each word is tattooed on a different person? 6. What point of view is the author using, and what effect does that have on the work and your perception of it? (Note that POV is different from narrative voice.) 7. What is the narrative voice? Does it distance you or draw you in? What impact does it have on the story? (Note that narrative voice is different from POV.) 8. What kind of symbolic/figurative language does the author use? Is there a system in play? Does specific imagery apply to particular characters or situations? 9. Where is the work’s setting in time or place and how does the text use that setting? Is it vague or specific? Real or imaginary? Would the work have a similar impact if set in a different time or place? 10. How is the plot organized? Is it in chronological order? Is there a framing story? What impact does that have on your reading experience? 11. What character interested you, and why? For this prompt, include a line from the text that characterizes each, and label your character as protagonist/antagonist (if applicable), major/minor, flat/round, and static/dynamic. 12. Could you connect with any of the characters? Could you see yourself in one of the characters, even in a minor way? How did this affect your response to the text? 13. What motivations were at work in the text? What drove the characters to act as they did? 14. What was a key conflict in the text? Is it external or internal? How did that conflict determine character or influence actions in the plot? 15. Compare or contrast this text with a related text (either in class or outside). Be specific: How are they similar? How are they different? 16. Consider this text in terms of modern events.Does the text help you see the event in a new way? Or does the modern event color your reading of the text?