How do you see math? Is it
an easy subject or difficult
for you?
Who are cleverer at
math? The boys or the
girls? Why?
What is this? And what is used for?
Abacus:
a frame with small balls which slide along wires. It’s used as a
tool or toy for counting.
What are they trying to tell us?
Our story is connected in a way to the story "Lost Boys." They
are connected because in both of the stories the main
characters come from another country to America. They both
experience hardships when they come to this country and have
to learn how to live in a whole new world. Also, they both end
up learning how to live here and overcome the obstacles they
faced.
In the story, Lensey had to move to America. She had a difficult
time because Lensey was the smartest in the school because in
China math was more enforced. After she graduated from the
high school, she went on to college and got a major in math.
She started translating math papers from Chinese to English as
her job. When China stopped producing those papers she
started writing. She then realized that writing was her true
passion. What else are they showing?
The story tries to show us that the culture in China is
very different compared to the culture in the U.S. For
example,
in China the women are the ones who are in charge of
the money and who are very good with numbers.
In America, the girls are considered "unattractive" if they
are good at math.
1. Why did Namioka do so well in math as a
young child?
2. In the United States, how did Namioka’s
classmates regard her talent for math? Why?
3. According to Namioka, what is the typical
Chinese attitude about girls’ and women’s
abilities in the area of math?