YALIT/Crit

OF Interest from the Adbooks list

Given our discussion last week, I thought you'd find this post from a reader to a listserv I use interesting re: ABC.

"I have been thinking about stereotypes as portrayed in AMERICAN BORN
CHINESE, and in particular the student who was offended by them. I do
wonder if maybe the student missed the idea that Yang was lampooning
rather than endorsing a stereotype. This book would be a fascinating
one to use in a classroom to explore the idea of stereotypes. Many of
my students believe that a stereotype "doesn't count" if it's
complimentary, such as saying all Asians are math whizzes.

I teach one night a week at a learning center with primarily Asian
clientele, mostly Chinese but a few from Korea and India. Most of the
students are American born, with one or both parents foreign born. The
value that their parents place on education is unmistakable, as
evidenced by the fact that they spend a lot of money to send their
children to this center, even though most of them are already
excellent students. Many of the children attend magnet programs for
the gifted, or have plans to apply to one in the future. I was
reminded of my students by the opening scene in ABC, when the mom
tells the story to illustrate how important it is for her son to
pursue a professional career. Although my learning center students are
probably too young for ABC, since they are just 9 or 10, I would be
interested to hear the reactions of middle school students, Asian and
otherwise."

Are students prepared for Chin-kee

I noticed that our conversation about ABC didn't turn to the character Chin-kee until near the end of class.  If we, as potential teachers, are so uncomfortable dealing with this figure, I wonder how prepared our students will be.

I grew up in a very affluent, but rural, school district.  Despite the enormous resources this school offers its students, I was not prepared to encounter difference when I left for college.  I have been wondering how I, let alone a student at a school with similar demographics and much fewer resources, would have reacted to Chin-kee.  I hope it would have been similar to the feeling of revulsion I feel toward him now.  But, perhaps I would have found it comical.  Not because I was aware that he was a stereotype created to interrogate our image of stereotypes (although I'm still unsure if that is how we can see him), but because this reinforces stereotypes that I have learned from family, media, and other sources.  Maybe I would have thought that this stereotype was sanctioned, because the author was Asian American.  Maybe, even examining the character critically, I would have thought that he represents something authentic about the Asian American experience because he functions almost as a reminder of "Danny's" authentic self.

If, as teachers, we shy away from this character the way we did the other night, I am afraid that students, especially from schools that lack diversity, may not fully understand the nuances behind a character like this.  I'm not sure that I have the best answer for how to approach this problem.  I think we could use the work to interrogate stereotypes in a historical perspective, or perhaps discuss, as the author does, the way in which minority writers re-appropriate stereotypes or harmful language in order to deprive them of their power.  But we need to do something other than talk around Chin-kee.

Something else...

I noticed since I have been reading all these graphic novels is the use of bold font.  I never noticed before just how frequently and deliberately this bolding is used in the comic format.  It acts as a continual guide for the reader in how to deliver the lines/read the lines to themselves.  It is an uber-controlling version of punctuation.  An author might use italics occasionally in a traditional text for emphasis, but in comics/graphic novels this bolding is used to completely dictate where emphasis is placed.  It tends to generate a more aural experience for the reader, you can really hear the ways the characters are delivering their lines, if you are paying attention to the bolding. The exchange between Jin and Wei-Chen on 189-191 is a particularly good example, I think.  I wonder when that started or why, it doesn't seem to be more or less necessary whether your reading a comic or a traditional novel, but almost all comics use it with great effect.  On the flip side, it is almost never used in traditional texts.  Just something I noticed. 

"Chinese Backstreet Boys"

Here's the video that is on the last page of ABC. Hmm...  The picture in the book is exactly the same as the opening.

voice

I can't help but notice when a book makes a point about voice. It is something that my students have such a difficult time with because they are get so focused on structure. As teachers we need to make sure that we teach structure, but again, I am finding that voices get lost. Therefore, I couldn't help but notice in ABC the pictures at the beginning of every chapter. When Jin's picture is on the front page, his mouth is closed, and he has this puzzled look on his face. But when other characters are presented, they are always open-mouthed, as if they are screaming. I didn't notice this until Joe? Andrew? pointed out the picture on the very last page of the book. Check out Jin's expression. He is no longer puzzled. In fact, he has the same expression as the other characters-that open mouth. I may be stretching things a bit here, but since so much of the book focuses on themes dealing with identity, it seems to make sense. This has me thinking about seminar topics...What constitues voice in a character? And in the journey of identity, how do authors portray the successful hero-or rather-what characteristics define a character who has found their voice? 

Visual Understanding

"Today's young people need the knowledge and skills to deal with persuasion in an age of images."

I'm having coffee with the EJ article by Gretchin Schwarz, and one thing strikes me about last night's ABC conversation: with few exceptions, no one said anything about the VISUAL component of ABC!!! Did anyone else notice that we were pretty fixated on literary analysis? This is proof, of course, of how graphic novels can promote the "goals of traditional literacy" as outlined by Schwarz. O.K., I'm convinced. But why didn't we talk about the pictures? It's interesting to me that our discussion about pictures began when someone asked our 6th grade guest about her favorite part, and we were refered to the picture of Chin-Kee.

Schwarz comments that graphic novels can be more challenging to analyze than traditional print, since they require analysis of visual elements: color choice, placement, framing, positioning, etc. When I was commenting on Steve's post about archetypes, I looked at the herbalist's wife on p 29 and for the first time became aware that the background frame on her prophetic words is black!

Even as progressive as we are, we are still most comfortable with traditional literary analysis. I hope that our conversation next week might delve more into the visual as I'm eager to see how this plays out in classroom discussion.

American Born Chinese

Hi, Everybody,

The information about monk Wong Lai Tsao and Monkey King can be found at the comment on Mr. Stearns' post if you need.

American Born Chinese

Dear Class,

After tonight’s discussion, I add  more questions here for next Thursday’s discussion about American Born Chinese:

1. Can you list the twelve disciplines the Monkey King has achieved?
2. Do you think Jin Wang’s first love experience normal compared with American kids?
3. Will you change yourself in order to fit into a new atmosphere IF you were in a foreign land? Why or Why not?
4. What is the relationship between Danny and Jin Wang? Between Jin Wang and Wei-Chen?
5. How do you deal with the bully if you were a classroom teacher now?
6. Do you agree that the image of Chin-Kee in American Born Chinese has negatively influenced the reputation of the Monkey King in The Journey to the West ?(see my post)
7. Which character is your favorite one? Why?
8. What is your understanding of the Chinese people before and after reading American Born Chinese? (according to your observation or experience)
9. Do you think Wei-Chen is going to be like his father Chin-Kee?
10. Finally, prejudice and discrimination are very sensitive issues. I wonder how you are going to handle them in your class. Please use Jin Wang and Wei-Chen’s examples.

Archetypes in ABC

I really didn't say what I wanted to say as far as this subject was concerned, so I apologize to all… there is just so much to say about ABC on so many different levels.

In relating what I found out about Jungian archetypes on a Carl Jung page by Dr. C. George Boeree to ABC, these were my interpretations:

● The shadow -   …"the shadow becomes something of a garbage can for the parts of ourselves that we can't quite admit to…. Next time you dream about wrestling with the devil, it may only be yourself you are wrestling with!"

Does anyone see Chin Kee here as Jin's shadow? The monkey king also struggled to define himself and as a result he was able to help Jin with his struggle.

● "The persona represents your public image. …comes from a Latin word for mask... the persona is the mask you put on before you show yourself to the outside world… At its best, it is just the "good impression" we all wish to present as we fill the roles society requires of us. But, of course, it can also be the "false impression" we use to manipulate people's opinions and behaviors. And, at its worst, it can be mistaken, even by ourselves, for our true nature: Sometimes we believe we really are what we pretend to be!"

"Danny" is the persona that Jin portrays. "The Great Equal Sage of Heaven" would be the persona of the monkey king.

● "The anima is the female aspect present in the collective unconscious of men

The anima may be personified as a young girl, very spontaneous and intuitive, or as a witch, or as the earth mother. It is likely to be associated with deep emotionality and the force of life itself."

Does anyone think of the herbalist's wife in this regard?

● "father, who is often symbolized by a guide or an authority figure."

The monkey king is a father… there are many fathers in this story.

●"family, which represents the idea of blood relationship and ties that run deeper than those based on conscious reasons."

Jin's mother on Chin Kee: <… I thought he was your sister's son!> 

This next one is blatantly obvious:

●"the child, represented in mythology and art by children, infants most especially, as well as other small creatures. The Christ child celebrated at Christmas is a manifestation of the child archetype… The child archetype often blends with other archetypes to form the child-god, or the child-hero."

●"hero is one of the main ones. He is the mana personality and the defeater of evil dragons. Basically, he represents the ego -- we do tend to identify with the hero of the story -- and is often engaged in fighting the shadow, in the form of dragons and other monsters. The hero is, however, often… ignorant of the ways of the collective unconscious."

The monkey king is out to help Jin to defeat Chin Kee (Jin's shadow) and Danny, (Jin's persona). At first the monkey king is ignorant of the ways of the collective unconscious, but he finds that he has only been trapped by his own pride and misconceptions.

●"The hero is guided by the wise old man. He is a form of the animus, and reveals to the hero the nature of the collective unconscious."

TZE YO TZUH is a good example of this archetype.

● "the trickster, often represented by a clown or a magician. The trickster's role is to hamper the hero's progress and to generally make trouble."

Cousin Chin Kee ? The monkey king seemed to be out to "generally make trouble" in the beginning.

●"Mana,… or spiritual power …[represented by fertilization and fertility] spirits are being called upon to… heal someone. [sometimes represented by the phallus, semen, corn, seed]

Is the milk tea a symbol of mana? Milk = fertility, Tea is purported to have healing qualities… both Jin and Wei Chen have begun a healing process.

___________________________

Other observations:

Chin Kee:  Could Chin Kee be seen as a "Stock Character?" (see definition on Answers. com or Wikipedia, the same words verbatim).

Christian Undertones: Wei Chen = Jin's "Guardian Angel?"  Angels = "Emissaries?"

Reading American Born Chinese in a Texas MIddle School

Hi there,

I thought this post (from a listserv I belong to) from a middle school teacher in Tx. would be interesting after our discussion tonight:

"I read this book last week during our 7th grade independent reading time, chuckling the whole time I read. The kids kept eyeing me and saying, " I can't believe she's reading a comic book."

Now, my boys are racing though it--at least five of them have read it in the past week. I have a sign-up sheet to check out the book, and the list keeps growing. The good news is that the book is so short that no one has kept it longer than overnight. Two of the boys who have already read the book are Asian, and they thought the book was hilarious. They are writing book review cards on ABC as we speak--I'll share those later."

Sheila Newell
Language Arts/ESL Teacher
Long Middle School
Houston, TX