Background
Challenges
PERSONALITY TRIATS
VALUES / VIRTUES
100
What was Sam's religion by birth and what religion did he convert to?
He was a Buddhist but later converted into a Roman Catholic so that he could marry Poldi
100
Being Chinese, what was one of the biggest challenge Sam had to face when moving from country to country? How did he decide to deal with these challenges?
Discrimination and racism. He never gave up.
100
What kind of a husband was Sam?
An ideal husband who took the time to take good care of Poldi . He even builds a villa for her in Austria. His love for Poldi was described as "great love" by Poldi's childhood sweetheart.
100
Sam wanted to erase the western and European perspective of Chinese people in the movies. What was that perception and how did westerners and Europeans display it?
Chinese people were looked at as bandits and they were portrayed as such in the movies. Sam decided not to participate in the movies for this reason which also goes to show that the respect he had for his culture was very important for him and that he wasn't just in it for the money or fame.
200
Why did sam have to cut off his braid?
In 1908, Pu Yi, The child King became the Emperor. He was the last Emperor. After the emperor was overthrown by republicans , Those who refused to cut their braid were executed. Not wanting to be executedwith the Qing Dynasty even though he lived far away from China Sam cut his braid and could no longer do his hair tricks.
200
True or False: Sam was very tall , diligent and hardworking.
False. Ann Marie Fleming described Sam as being quite short, but he was diligent and hardworking.
200
True or false Sam performed magic as a necessary method of getting wealthier and ending his times of poverty he experienced as a child in China?
False, he performed because of his love for magic he developed in his childhood due to the poverty he experienced.
200
When Sam married Poldi, was their any change in his personality? if YES , state the changes .
he became (a) more open minded (b) more accepting of other cultures (c) incorporated other cultures into his act
300
How did being Chinese affect Sam's work?
(A) In 1932 it was made difficult for Sam and his troupe to travel in Canada and the U.S. due to the Chinese Immigration Act and U.S.'s Chinese Exclusion Act. (B) Discrimination and racism (c) He incorporated his ethnicity to bring out the best in his performance
300
What made it hard for Poldi and Sam's children to live in China
The cultural difference was huge for Poldi and she was a foreign woman. She was not Chinese but Austrian.
300
How was Sam's social life, and was he good at decision making? Give examples
(a) has a good social life ( for eg- we see all the letters he had written to people , his pictures with different people ) (b)he was a clever person and was good at making decisions for himself and his family (the time when he escaped the Japanese military soldiers pg 129) (c) very popular magician during those time. (d) respected person
300
Sam wanted his daughters to marry into tradition chinese family even though he himself married a "foreign" woman. Why do you think this is so? What does this show he values?
Sam perhaps felt that because his daughters were rarely living in china they would start to lose the chinese values and the chinese traditions would be lost throughout the generations. He thought that marrying into traditional chinese families would ensure that the values of his culture are past on. It shows that despite living away for china, he greatly values his culture, and his chinese values and beliefs.
400
Why did people enjoy Long Tack Sam performance so much other than the fact that he was talented?
Due to small amount of cultural interaction, Sam's performances were considered exotic and from a place they didn't think existed.
400
We know from the book that Sam can be sneaky and resourceful. What does he do when he doesn't have his visa while crossing the Russian border?
He cut out a red label with chinese writing from the back of a chinese tea box and presented it as his visa.
400
How did Sam want others to view the Chinese culture as? How was his attitude towards racism?
He wanted others to view Chinese as very beautiful people and his culture as very beautiful as well. Even though he was face with many racism he was hardworking and used racism as an advantage in some of his shows as it made his show look exotic .
400
In order to take his family out of the war in Austria , what does Sam decide to do ?
Sam had to keep his family together , and did not want leave his successful career in America too , so he decides to bring his family to America . There his family joined him in hismagic acts.
500
How can Long tack Sam father be best described?
His father was a traditional Chinese father and was (a) Strict (b) An important official (c) very restricting (d) honour and respect from society was important to him
500
According to Ann Marie Fleming, Poldi's neighbour describes Sam and Poldi's love as "great love". How does he prove his love when war breaks out in europe? What does this say about his character?
Sam made Poldi his assistant and incorporated his daughters in his act to keep his family together and bring his family out of war situation . (a) Family man (b) kind (c) compassionate
500
What kind of a father was Sam? *Hint* Think Chinese traditions.Why do you think this is so?
Sam as a father: a strict parent wants his daughters to work in discipline and aim for perfection protective won’t let his daughters work in the movies wants his daughters to marry into respectable Chinese families( when they go against his decisions,he decides to cut off ties with them)
500
What was one of Long Tack's Sam's biggest priorities relating to how Chinese culture was presented in the eyes of the public?
Long Tack Sam wanted Chinese culture to appear exotic, beautiful and elegant , so he tried to incorporate these elements into his acts.
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