“Two Kinds” by Amy Tan
Elements of Literature Fourth Course
pg. 95 - 103
Agenda:
1. The Do Now
1. Current Events article - Wall Street Journal
2. Word(s) of the Day
1. Ingredients of a Short Story
2. Theme and Its Purpose
3. Essays, Grades, & Expectations
1. Comparative Essay
2. Summer Reading Assignment
3. Genesis
4. Chromebooks - Nearpod Session
1. 15 open-ended questions
2. 2 poll questions
5. Round Table Discussion
6. Excerpts from The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
7. Homework
1. “Typhoid Fever” by Frank McCourt
1. pg. 366 - 371
The Do Now
Elements of Literature Fourth Course
pg. 95 - 103
Believe it or not, “Two Kinds” is already the fourth short story we’ve read this year.
We’ve already been through an ice storm, a post-apocalyptic world, and a bet that didn’t really
seem to pay off for any one involved. Here, we have a story about a mother and daughter. It is a
simple story for the most part. Or at least, it is told simply. It is not vague and mysterious like
“Babylon”. It is not philosophically complicated like a Russian short story, such as “The Bet”.
And it seems like it at least doesn’t have an ambiguous ending as “Ice Storm”. Of course, we’ll
have to talk about that ending though.
So with that said, before we dive into dissecting and breaking down “Two Kinds”, let’s
talk about a few ways we can relate the story back to ourselves and current events by looking at
this article about Joey Alexander, a jazz prodigy.
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/09/28/12-year-old-jazz-prodigy-joey-alexander-turns-tocomposing/
Word(s) of the Day
Elements of Literature Fourth Course
pg. 95 - 103
Since “Two Kinds” is a relatively simple story with a relatively clear beginning, middle
and end, let’s go over what makes up a short story. That way, when we start talking about “Two
Kinds”, we can better understand what Amy Tan was doing as a talented, natural writer.
Let’s review our short story ingredients. And let’s do so by using our previous story, “The
Bet”, as an excellent, sterling example. “The Bet” is a useful example because how plain-spoken
and factual the narrator speaks. As we review, keep in mind the importance of exposition and its
use in progressing a story forward.
Sorry! But… Before we start talking, let’s remember why we learn such things in the first
place. One reason why we truly want to understand these concepts and literary terms is because
of the novels we read ahead. If we are able to understand the parts of a short story, then we will
have a better grasp and understanding of the longer, more thoughtful stories we read in the winter
and spring. As Edgar Allen Poe once defined it, a short story ought to be read in a single sitting,
offering the reader a single effect. Nicely put, Poe. However, a novel, a story containing more
plot and characters, may be more complicated and difficult to figure out. There may be two
effects, three effects, five effects, etcetera. So, let’s make sure we can break down a story’s
basic, literary structure before we start dealing with complicated relationships and plot twists.
Exposition -> Rising Action -> Climax -> Falling Action -> Denouement
Initial Situation -> Conflict/ Complication -> Crisis/ Turning Point -> Ripple Effect -> Resolution
Death/ Isolation -> 15 Years -> Pillow -> Forfeit -> The Moral (?)
Essays, Grades, & Expectations
Elements of Literature Fourth Course
pg. 95 - 103
1. Comparative Essay
1. Due Now
2. If you’re having trouble getting started, please attend SAP.
2. Summer Reading Assignment
1. Due Wednesday, September 30th
2. Due tomorrow for Day 2 students.
3. Due today for Day 1 students.
3. Google Drive - First Summative
1. rooneylbhs@gmail.com
1. Preferred method
2. Printed copies are still accepted.
1. No longer required
Excerpt from The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Elements of Literature Fourth Course
pg. 95 - 103
My daughter wanted to go to China for her second honeymoon, but now she is afraid.
"What if I blend in so well they think I'm one of them?" Waverly asked me. "What if they
don't let me come back to the United States?"
"When you go to China," I told her, "you don't even need to open your mouth. They
already know you are an outsider."
"What are you talking about?" she asked. My daughter likes to speak back. She likes to
question what I say.
"Aii-ya," I said. Even if you put on their clothes, even if you take off your makeup and
hide your fancy jewelry, they know. They know just watching the way you walk, the way you
carry your face. They know you do not belong."
My daughter did not look pleased when I told her this, that she didn't look Chinese. She
had a sour American look on her face. Oh, maybe ten years ago, she would have clapped her
hands - hurray! - as if this were good news. But now she wants to be Chinese, it is so
fashionable. And I know it is too late. All those years I tried to teach her! She followed my
Chinese ways only until she learned how to walk out the door by herself and go to school. So
now the only Chinese words she can say are sh-sh, houche, chr fan, and gwan deng shweijyau.
How can she talk to people in China with these words? Pee-pee, choo-choo train, eat, close light
sleep. How can she think she can blend in? Only her skin and her hair are Chinese. Inside - she is
all American-made.
It's my fault she is this way. I wanted my children to have the best combination:
American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these two things do not mix?
I taught her how American circumstances work. lf you are born poor here, it's no lasting shame.
You are first in line for a scholarship. lf the roof crashes on your head, no need to cry over this
bad luck. You can sue anybody, make the landlord fix it. You do not have to sit like a Buddha
under a tree letting pigeons drop their dirty business on your head. You can buy an umbrella. Or
go inside a Catholic church. In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances
somebody else gives you.
She learned these things, but I couldn't teach her about Chinese character. How to obey
parents and listen to your mother's mind. How not to show your own thoughts, to put your
feelings behind your face so you can take advantage of hidden opportunities. Why easy things
are not worth pursuing. How to know your own worth and polish it, never flashing it around like
a cheap ring. Why Chinese thinking is best. No, this kind of thinking didn't stick to her. She was
too busy chewing gum, blowing bubbles bigger than her cheeks. Only that kind of thinking
stuck.
"Finish your coffee," I told her yesterday. "Don't throw your blessings away."
"Don't be so old-fashioned, Ma," she told me, finishing her coffee down the sink. "I'm my
own person."
And I think, How can she be her own person? When did I give her up?
Homework
Elements of Literature Fourth Course
pg. 95 - 103
1. Please read “Typhoid Fever” by Frank McCourt in your text books.
1. Pg. 366 - 371
2. Also available on Mr. Rooney’s Teacher Page in a .pdf file
1. Includes Reading Check questions
2. Please remember the concept of Theme, and Making Connections Across Stories
2. Please complete all writing assignments as soon as possible.
1. Comparative Essay
2. Summer Reading Assignment
3. Plan for a Concise, One-Paragraph Summative Due at the End of Next Week.
1. More information to follow next class.
2. Based on Rough Draft of Comparative Essay
3. To Include Rubric
3. Hand in all forms.
The A+ Path
Leads to SAP.
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
and by appointment.
brooney@longbranch.k12.nj.us
rooneylbhs@gmail.com