Wednesday, May 27

--Turned in screenplays at the beginning of class
--Today we did a graded partner discussion on the point of view shifts in Becoming Madame Mao. If you were gone today, get a copy of the assignment from the crate and complete it on your own, or look at the questions below and answer them on your own paper.
--Then, I handed out the fishbowl questions for "Daughter of the Yellow River", the story we'll be reading for next time. Make sure to read the questions and prepare responses for each since you don't know which question you will get in advance. The questions are on a yellow handout in the crate or you can see them below.
--We spent the last 30 minutes or so working on the storyboards in film groups. Storyboards are due next class, so be sure to have them done!
--HW: Read "Daughter of the Yellow River" and prepare for fishbowls; complete storyboard assignment


Practice with Point of View Shifts
Becoming Madame Mao

This story is confusing because it breaks a common convention in writing—the idea that all of a story should be told from one point of view. Writers usually choose to compose stories from either a third person omniscient viewpoint, in which case the narrator of the story can see everything that happens, or a first person viewpoint, in which case the narrator sees what happens from within the mind of one character.

Lately, some writers have been changing the usual customs around point of view. In fact, to change this convention is one hallmark of a form of writing that has become known as Post-Modernist. Post-Modernist writers tend to break a lot of rules in order to force their audience to see the world in a different way. Also, Post-Modernist writers use second person point of view (you), more often than writers have in the past.

However, no writer shifts point of view at random. Almost all audiences start a story expecting to hear it from a single point of view, and so stories that don’t do so tend to confuse their audiences at first. In other words, when they shift point of view, writers sacrifice clarity for another purpose. Our job today is to figure out to what purpose Anchee Min sacrifices an element of clarity.

With a partner, discuss and then answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.

1. In Becoming Madame Mao, which is historical fiction, author Anchee Min shifts the point of view of the story frequently. Describe the two points of view that Min uses. Where does the first point of view shift take place? (Explain whose perspective it shifts to and where it happens, i.e. page and paragraph.)

2. What is the effect of these point of view shifts? What do they do for our perception of the characters’ experiences? To answer this, think about how you felt as you read this piece.

3. Evaluate Min’s use of these shifts. Are the reasons her use of them worth the sacrifice she makes in terms of clarity? Why or why not? Write 2-3 sentences to explain


“Daughter of the Yellow River” Fishbowl Discussions

Fishbowl Reminders:
• I will randomly call up 6-8 people to participate in each fishbowl. You won’t know in advance which question you’ll get, so prepare for all of them!
• Share your own ideas about the question, as well as commenting/following up on others’ ideas. Be respectful of each other and listen attentively to their comments.
• Remember to speak to the other people in your group, not to me or the rest of the class.
• To get full credit out of 15 points, you should speak at least 2-3 different times with well-developed ideas.
• You will receive a separate score out of 5 points for offering at least one piece of thoughtful feedback in response to another group’s discussion.

Possible Questions:

1. Does age difference matter when it comes to relationships? If so, why? How is the age difference between Granny Duo and Grandpa Duo seen by society in the story? Do you think their age difference would be as big of a deal now, in our society? Why or why not?

2. How does Granny Duo stand out as an individual in her society? What kinds of values does she seem to possess or represent that make other people feel threatened by her? Do you think those same values still threaten people in American society today? Explain.

3. Do you think love is the most important value in a long-term relationship? If so, does that make it acceptable for Granny Duo to leave her husband for Ergeze? Or should she have stayed with him, even though she didn’t love him? Why or why not?

4. Look at the descriptions of the river on pg. 185-188. What kind of atmosphere is created by this description? Find some specific examples of how the river is described and discuss the effect this description has on the story.

5. How did you react to Grandpa Duo’s forgiveness of Granny and Ergeze’s actions at the end? Why do you think he was able to forgive them? Was he right to? Do you think that kind of forgiveness could happen in our society today? Why or why not?