Literary Devices
The opposition between the soup that burns An-mei and the one that's supposed to help Popo.
What is Juxtaposition?
The Scar on An-mei's neck represents which childhood memory?
What is when she was burned by hot soup?
Rose struggles with this internal conflict after Bing's death.
What is guilt?
An-mei’s mother becomes this secondary wife in a wealthy man’s household and is classifed as this.
What is a concubine?
Both vignettes center around a life-altering experience involving this stage of life.
What is childhood?
Rose searches the family Bible for Bing’s name, believing it might predict his return.
What is a symbolic representation of faith?
Bing dies in this location.
What is the beach/ocean?
Both stories show daughters gaining awareness through this painful process.
What is growing up/maturity
Family members refer to An-mei’s mother as this after she leaves the family.
What is a ghost?
In each story, a traumatic event forces the daughter to reconsider her perception of this person.
Who is her mother?
The scar serves as a visible reminder of which larger idea?
What is sacrifice and strength?
After Bing disappears, rose's mother goes to the beach and does this.
What is prays and begs God to return him?
The recurring themes of loss and sacrifice are a representation of his literary effect
What is motif?
The belief that consuming a loved one’s flesh could heal illness reflects this traditional value.
What is sacrificial healing practice?
In both stories, a mother reacts strongly after this kind of life-threatening situation occurs.
What is the danger of losing a family member?
The Bible in "Half and Half" being under the table is represenation of this.
What is lost faith?
In "Scar" An-mei's mother returns to the family home after being away for this reason.
What is because Popo is dying
After Popo dies, An-mei understands that her mother showed strength by doing this.
Making a sacrifice by cutting her own flesh.
The authority structure in Popo’s household reflects this social system, dominated by the oldest and wise.
What is a patriarch/matriarch?
Each vignette centers around a childhood memory connected to this serious topic?
What is death and accepting death?
What symbol is used to show An-mei's mother's physical devotion?
What is her cutting a piece of flesh for the soup for Popo?
Why An-mei's mother is originally classified as a concubine? (His name)
What is marrying Wu Tsing?
The conclusion Rose comes to at the end of the vignette.
What is fate is shaped half by expectation, half by inattention?
The act of demonstrating the profound cultural principle of honoring elders is performed by An-mei's mother. (What is it called)
What is filial piety?
Both stories demonstrate how a single moment can shape a person’s understanding of this.
What is identity and a persons persepction of identity.