Sunday, October 26, 2008

Chapter 5

5 Comments

1. Niang and Joseph wanted more children and the size of the family grew larger.
2. Adeline's grandmother died.
3. Gregory ignored James and Adeline because they were too young to be playmates.
4. Edgar was considered the bully sibling to Adeline.
5. James is Adelines 3rd brother that she loved most and considered a friend to her.

4 Questions

1. What was her relationship like with her other siblings?
2. How many children did Niang and Joseph have?
3. Did Adeline make any friends in school?
4. Do James look after Adeline a lot?

3 Vocabulary

1. Radical - origin
2. Plummeted - a burden
3. Sutras - A scriptural narrative, especially a text traditionally regarded as a discourse of the Buddha

2 Literary Terms

1. "When she died, she was just fifty five" - Imagery
2. " Six Buddhist monks came to keep watch, dressed in long robes." - Imagery

1 Overview

This chapter is about Adeline and he siblings and later on with an unexpected death of her grandma.


Chapter 4

5 Comments

1. Adeline's family was very wealthy, they had more money than anyone else.
2. Joseph later found a new wife who is half French and half Chinese.
3. Everyone in the family calls Joseph's new wife Niang.
4. Joseph was widowed after the death of his wife died giving birth to Adeline.
5. The family was not bothered by Joseph's new marriage but the marriage created a distance from the rest of the family.

4 Questions

1. Why did Joseph marry
Jeanne Virginie Propsperi and not someone else?
2. Even though the family was not bothered by the marriage, how did they really feel about the marriage?
3. Why were the children not able to keep their Chinese name?
4. Is Niang going to be taking over the entire family...make things under her rules?

3 Vocabulary

1. Surrogate - substitute
2. Exquisite - a special beauty or charm
3. Consulate - the position

2 Literary Terms

1. " I think Niang was happy at first" - Irony
2. " Ye Ye voiced his objection" - Irony

1 Overview

This chapter is about what was happening after Joseph married Jeanne.



Chapter 3

5 Comments

1. Aunt Baba was considered a wealthy young girl in the late 1920s of Shanghai.
2. Shanghai became more modern with huge department buildings, fashion, and Hollywood movies.
3. Restaurant waiters adopted the style of wealthy whites by wearing a tuxedo.
4. Jun - Pei was born with a paralyzed right arm.
5. Aunt Baba's best friend Miss Ren married a guy name Joseph.

4 Questions

1. Why were the other girls in Shanghai not considered rich?
2. Did all waiters in Shanghai wore tuxedos?
3. Is it still intimidating to people if people in Shanghai wear tuxedos now?
4. Why did Adeline's mom died after giving birth to her?

3 Vocabulary

1. Forceps -
an instrument, as pincers or tongs, for seizing and holding objects, as in surgical operations.
2. Obstetrician -
a physician who specializes in obstetrics
3. Penicillin -
any of several antibiotics of low toxicity

2 Literary Terms

1. "A dark cloud hung over the entire family" - Metaphor (page 23)
2. "Her condition worsened" - Foreshadow (page 23 showed that something bad will happen to the mom soon)

1 Overview

This chapter is about what is happening during the late 1920s in Shanghai, Joseph meeting Aunt Baba's best friend, and what was happening when Adeline's mom was giving birth to her.


Monday, October 13, 2008

Chapter 2

5 Comment
1. In 1918, all dynasties of China had ended because the last Qing emperor had been deposed.
2. World War I happened not long after the end of the Qing dynasty, there were already soldier in Tianjin, China where Adeline lived.
3. British and Japanese money were pouring into China when the first world war ended.
4. School was kind of important because they all wanted to improve their English, but family aslo matters and thats why Father didn't go to a university.
5. Father had so much faith in his son's company he invested his entire life saving on his company and he had 200,000 taels of silver which is around 1million U.S dollars.
4 Questions
1. Is owning a company a very important thing to the family that Father had to invest all his life savings to the company?
2. Why is there a French Concession..was France taking over China at the time?
3. Did Joseph have any money of his own...he had money from Father and Grand Aunt?
4. Does Joseph care about anything else other than having money for his company?
3 Vocabulary
1. dreary - causing sadness or gloom
2. adjoining - being in contact at some point of line
3. infiltrated - to move into
2 Literary Terms
1. "...the young business tycoon." - metaphor
2. "...hot dry summers and bitterly cold winters." - imagery
1 Overview
This chapter is about what was happening to the Yen family after World War I had ended and it was mostly about Joseph Yen and his company.

Chapter 1

5 Comments
1. This memoir took place when girls in China had to get their feet bounded.
2. Shanghai was China's centre for trade and industry.
3. Back at Adeline's time, they had arranged marriages such as her Grand Aunt's younger sister was arranged to marry a guy but he died of tuberculosis.
4. Her Grand Aunt founded her own bank and it is a Women's Bank.
5. Grand Aunt was like the most successful person out of everyone in the family.
4 Questions
1. Why do girls have to bound their feet?
2. Why do they have arrange marriages?
3. Was it hard to become successful if you were a girl or a woman back then?
4. Did Adeline come from a wealthy family? Her Aunts and Uncles are able to wear expensive clothing and they also set up their own business.
3 Vocabulary
1. magistrate - a civil officer with the administration of the law

2. brothels - a house of prostitution
3. concubines - a woman who cohabits with a man without being legally married to him
2 Literary Terms
1. " A devout Buddhist, he was tall and slender..." - imagery
2. " She was the first child in the Yen family to be given a foreign education." - foreshadow
1 Overview
In this chapter it is about Adeline introducing all the different member of the Yen family to the readers.