Jade Peony
Part Three: Jung-Sum, Second Brother
Chapter 8
1. What illness kept Sek-Lung from going to school?
2. What causes the young Sek-Lung so much confusion as a small boy?
3. What are “paper sons” or “paper uncles”?
4. What does it mean to be born “mo no” (the direct translation but also
what it implies about the generation of “mo no” children)? How were
“mo no” children dangerous?
5. How does Sek-Lung demonstrate he is not “mo no” when his mother
receives the package from China at the end of the chapter?
6. What are some of the hints that Stepmother is not as happy with her
position as was implied in the earlier parts (there are at least two)?
Chapter 9
1. What is the great concern of Sek-Lung’s parenst at the opening of the
chapter?
2. What is embarrassing about Poh-Poh’s actions? Have you ever felt that
way about an older person in your family?
3. What does Sek- Lung and Poh-Poh’s secret world entail?
4. How does Poh-Poh plan to return to the family home after her death?
5. Why do you imagine the character of the juggler plays such an important
role in Poh-Poh’s life?
Chapter 10
1. What do yo think is wrong with Sek-Lung? Make your diagnosis as precise
as possible.
2. Why does Sek-Lung want to go to school?
3. Why didn't Sek-Lung's family want to spend time with him after Poh-Poh's
death?
4. What were some of the incidents that Sek-Lung viewed as confirming
Poh-Poh's return?
Chapter 11
1. Why do you think Sek-Lung's father and his family were so resistant to
honouring Poh-Poh the old-fashioned way and bowing?
2. What do you think Brother Jung whispers to Poh-Poh during their final
ceremony (p. 191)?
3. What do you make of Sek-Lung's ghostly visitations? What purpose do you
think they serve?
Chapter 12
1. How does Sek-Lung undergo a transformation after Poh-Poh dies?
2. What was the only attack on Canadian soil by the Japanese? (This is not
really important to the book but is a pretty cool Canfact)
3. How do the Chinese-Canadians and others begin to treat the JapaneseCanadians they encounter in the neighbourhood? How do they justify it?
4. What type of teacher does Miss E. Doyle seem like to you? Give some
examples (two) that support your opinion.
5. What effect do the stories of Miss Doyle's brother have on Sek-Lung's
class?
6. Why do you think Miss Doyle handled the situation with Tammy Okada
the way she did?
Chapter 13
1. What was Sek-Lung's occupation while everyone else in the family was
working hard?
2. What event dooms Sek-Lung to being babysat by Mrs. Lim?
3. How did Meiying end up with Mrs. Lim? How does her story parallel the
life story of other characters in the novel?
4. What are some of the events (list two) that make it so that no on seems
to want Sek-Lung around?
5. What discussion tells us that Chinese-Canadians are starting to evolve a
sense of their own identity and are looking to establish themselves as
Canadian for the first time?
6. How do the other children treat the Japanese-Canadian kids at school?
What groups or individuals attempted to protect the kids (two are
mentioned)?