The Relative Advantages of Learning my Language by Amy Choi

The author makes us consider what it really means about understanding someone's language? What basic human skill/ability is the author highlighting that cuts across all cultures?

 Describe a time when you were at fault for not communicating with someone because of your own selfishness or lack of compassion.

The Relative Advantages of Learning my Language by Amy Choi

1. The author opens the story with an anecdote. What is the anecdote and what effect does it have on the reader?

2. What is the author’s view of the Chinese language in the 2^nd paragraph?

3. What is symbolic about the house that the Grandfather mistakes for his own? What does it say about the assimilation of his family into Australian culture? What does it say about his understanding of Australian culture? What is ironic about the inhabitants of this house?

4. What does the death of her grandfather inspire the author to do?

5. Why is she motivated to know Chinese? What is it she wants to ensure she is able to, regretting that she couldn’t do it with her grandfather?

Growing Up Asian in Australia: Intro + Pigs Questions

Introduction by Alice Pung

1. What were Asian-Australians referred to as when the author was growing up?

2. How does she interpret this title?

3. What did this title actually refer to? Did the author find this demeaning? Why/why not?

4. ‘All that untapped potential! All that electrifying brain power!’ What techniques are being employed by the author? How does they highlight he misunderstanding?

5. What did the teen author take away from teen fiction? What did she feel that she needed to do? Why? What does this say is essential to fitting in to a culture?

6. Who are the authors that she turns to? Why?

7. In the third paragraph how does the author use repetition. How does it highlight the focus of this book?

8. What metaphor does the author use to highlight the writers and the writing style in the third paragraph?

9. Why does the author use a quote in the 4^th paragraph? What does it say about her reaction to the stories in the book?

10. On page 2 the author talks about the themes that she loosely choose for the collection. What are they and why is it ironic that they show up in this book?

11. At the bottom of pg 3 on to page 4 the author says that sociologists have described Asians as the ‘model minority’. What is meant by this? What difficulties arise out of this label for young Asian-Australians?

12. What are the editor’s hopes for the collection of stories?

Pigs from Home by Hop Dac

1. How does the author start this story which is in direct contrast to the title of the story? What effect does this have on the reader and their expectations of the story?

2. What core Vietnamese value is instilled in the author?

3. What is humorous about the mother’s ‘flair for natural medicine’ in regards to her personality?

4. How does the description of the killing of pigeons continue the style utilised in the introduction of the story?

5. What is the author’s opinion of pigs? Give two quotes to support your conclusion.

6. In the paragraph on pgs 53-54, give two examples of alliteration employed by the author.

7. On pg 54 what simile is used to describe pigs? How does this simile work for the situation it is used?

8. What simile does the author use to describe her mother sunning herself? How does this relate to the core focus of the story?

9. What does the author describe as ‘the divide between the old world and the new’? What do you think is meant by this statement?

10. What is the author’s reaction to the slaughter of the pig at night? What statement does the author make about the neighbours which displays the way he feels about the whole experience? What is important about including this statement?

11. Why don’t the parents have pigs anymore? How does this relate to the description of the burial of the last pig they owned?

12. How would you characterise the description of the mother’s treatment of the pig’s blood? Is it appetising?

13. What is ironic about the way the author has a popular Vietnamese dish? What is it about the way the author describes the experience of having pigs that makes it ironic?

14. How does this story relate to the title Pigs from Home?

15. Why do you think this story is in the Battlers section of the book?

Writing Letters

Choose two of the following and put them in ONE blog post indicating which ones you have chosen:

• Bruno to his Grandmother right before going on his final adventure (imagine she was still alive)
• Pavel to his family regarding living in the camp and working for Bruno's family.
• Shmuel to his family back in Poland (if they were still alive) about his life in the camp and his best friend Bruno.

• Pretend that the father resigned when Bruno couldn't be found. What would the letter to the 'Fury' be like?
• Write a letter from the mother to the father upon leaving to move back to Berlin without him.
• Write a letter from Gretel to Bruno after he went missing.

Holocaust Art: "It Takes But One" by Elizabeth Denholm and Alyssa Dziurlaj

What visual techniques are employed in this painting?

How do these visual techniques highlight major thematic elements of holocaust art and literature?

Holocaust Poetry #3: 'Daniel' by Laura Crist

How is juxtaposition used in this poem to highlight an important theme of Holocaust literature?


How is descriptive language used to enhance the reader's reaction to the poem?

 Daniel
	Laura Crist

And the child held her hand
A child tiny for almost eight,
Deep blue eyes that dominated his face,
When he explained new events to her,
     that funny doggy,
     that pretty rock,
And the freckles on his cheek,
No one saw a sunrise more perfect,
     to her,
She so vividly smells the fragrance of
     his hair,
     his ears,
     his breath in the morning
She vividly hears that little heartbeat,
     that was hers
     always hers,
     and the laughter,
     that raspy little laugh,
     when he caught her in a conundrum.
All this,
But this is merely the surface,
As she watches her little God sheared,
     and stripped,
For the gas chamber.

Chapter 15: Something He Shouldn't Have Done

(163) Why doesn't Bruno like Kotler? What does he observe and not understand about Kotler when his father is away?

(163) What is meant when Kotler uses the cliche 'Don't worry, this one knows which side his bread is buttered on.'?

(165) How would you describe the interaction between Kotler and Bruno?

(166) What surprise does Bruno get?

(167) How is juxtaposition used when Bruno compares his hand to Shmuel's?

(168-9) Does Bruno understand the pressure that Shmuel is under?

(171-2) What dramatic situation unfolds and what is Bruno's reaction?

(173-4) What does Bruno think of himself because of the way he reacts? How is the major theme 'fear' portrayed in this scene? What does it do to Bruno and Shmuel?

(175) What does Bruno say that prompts Shmuel to offer his hand in friendship? How is this symbolic?

Chapter 14: Bruno Tells a Perfectly Reasonable Lie

(150-1) What information do we get that makes the reader start to feel that he is becoming less innocent and more ignorant?

(151-3) What is interesting about the weather and how does it relate to the overall emotion of this stage in the book?

(153) What does Bruno accidentally say to Gretel?

(154-5) Is Bruno able to consider Gretel's feelings? How do you know?

(155) What is it that motivates Bruno not to tell Gretel the truth? How does this portray Bruno as being selfish?

(158) What is it that Bruno realises when he starts recounting what Shmuel tells him? Why do you think that this is when he finally starts to realise what Shmuel is experiencing?

(159) What is ironic and hypocritical about what Gretel tells Bruno regarding imaginary friends?