Characters
The pet who served as a friend to a lonely Chuna.
Who is Barry?
CULTURE: Food
American: "greasy, bland"
Korean: "Spicy/flavorful"
What is cultural assimilation?
The process in which a minority group or culture assumes the behaviors, values, rituals, and beliefs of their host nation's majority group.
QUOTE: No kid ever forgot my name.
CONTEXT: Said by Robin Ha in page 52 of Almost American Girl.
"No kid ever forgot my name" (Ha 52).
The teacher who wrote notes to Robin and helped her learn English.
Who is Mrs. Halls?
CULTURE: City Layout / Housing
Korean: Smaller houses, more of a city landscape, easier to walk to restaurants.
America: Bigger houses, rugs in the bathroom, more rural landscape.
What is acculturation?
Taking some parts of the majority culture, while still keeping traits from your home country.
What is a visual metaphor?
A visual metaphor uses the pictorial representation of an object to suggest an association or similarity.
Context: Robin says this on page 38 of Almost American Girl.
"Where are the birds?" (Ha 38).
The bully who made Robin feel even less comfortable at school.
Who is Brian?
VALUE: Gender Roles
America: Robin is not judged as harshly for not being married, Robin feels more free to be independent.
Korea: Women expected to act "demure", women face pressure to marry, men seen as the providers.
Who is one character who has acculturated? Explain.
Robin, Robin's mother.
How does the reader know when there is a flashback scene?
Beige/sepia tones in the colors.
QUOTE: Students used to stare in bewilderment when I brought handvo, a traditional Gujarati snack, to lunch.
CONTEXT: From an article by Jay Patel on page 2.
"Students used to stare in bewilderment when I brought handvo, a traditional Gujarati snack, to lunch." (Patel 2).
The friend that Robin made at a comic drawing class.
Who is Jessica?
VALUE: Emphasis on physical beauty
Korea: Robin sees people who had just had plastic surgery on the train, more of an expectation to meet a specific beauty standard.
Robin's step family.
How does the reader know when Robin can't understand something in English?
Squiggles and random characters in the dialogue.
QUOTE: The year that I moved from Korea to America was probably the most difficult time of my life.
CONTEXT: This quote was said by Robin Ha in an interview by Nancy Powell on page 1 of Comics Beat.
"The year that I moved from Korea to America was probably the most difficult time of my life" (Powell 1).
The person who tricked Robin into missing class picture.
Who is Ashley?
Value: Obedience to family
Korea: Robin is expected to act very respectful and reverent to her mother/adults.
America: Robin's step-family acts rudely to their parents and talks back.
Is Robin's mother a migrant or a refugee? Explain.
Migrant.
What type of narrative is this graphic novel?
Autobiographical memoir.
QUOTE: Don't be rude to your grandmother.
CONTEXT: Said by Robin's mother to Robin in Almost American Girl on page 134.
"Don't be rude to your grandmother" (Ha 134).