Part 1: Feathers from a Thousand Li Away
Chapter 1: Jing-mei Woo: The Joy Luck Club
Opening Activity- Answer Questions:
1. Why was the first Joy Luck Club
started in Kweilin, China?
2. What did the first members do at
meetings?
3. Why was the second Joy Luck Club
started in San Francisco, California?
4. What did the second set of
members do at meetings?
Part 1: Feathers from a Thousand Li Away
Chapter 2: An-mei Hsu: Scar
1. Why does Popo tell An-mei stories
about things like ghosts and melons?
2. How does An-mei feel about her
grandmother, Popo? Why?
3. In An-mei’s life, who has power, and
who does not? Why?
4. What action causes An-mei to start
to love her mother? Why?
Part 1: Feathers from a Thousand Li Away
Chapter 3: Lindo Jong: The Red Candle
Chapter 4: Ying-ying St. Clair: The Moon Lady
Opening Activity- Answer Questions:
1. How do Lindo’s husband, Tyan-yu, and her
mother-in-law, Huang TaiTai, treat her? Why?
2. What is the significance of the red candle for
Lindo’s marriage?
3. How does Lindo gain freedom from her
arranged marriage?
4. What is the structure of Ying-ying’s family?
5. How are women and men portrayed in The
Moon Lady’s story?
6. Why is Ying-ying so obsessed with the Moon
Lady?
Part 2: The Twenty-six Malignant Gates
Chapter 5: Waverly Jong: Rules of the Game
Chapter 6: Lena St. Clair: The Voice from the Wall
Opening Activity- Read the passages on
the handout; then write a paragraph on
each of the following topics:
Ch. 5: Analyze the relationship between
Lindo and Waverly. Interpret the meaning of
the chess metaphor.
Ch. 6: Analyze the relationship between
Ying-ying and Lena. Interpret the meaning of
the baby metaphor and the sword metaphor.
Part 2: The Twenty-six Malignant Gates
Chapter 7: Rose Hsu Jordan: Half and Half
Chapter 8: Jing-Mei Woo: Two Kinds
Opening Activity- Analyze the meaning of each passage.
Chapter 7
1. “…you can never make up your mind about anything,” he said.
And I protested, “But it’s only with things that aren’t important.”
“Nothing is important to you, then,” he said in a tone of disgust… (Tan 120)
2. …My mother shouts for me to stop them. And right after I pull Luke off
Mark, I look up and see Bing walking alone to the edge of the reef. In the
confusion of the fight, nobody notices. I am the only one who sees what
Bing is doing…Bing walks one, two, three steps…And I think, He’s going to
fall in. (Tan 125)
Chapter 8
3. The girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. This girl and I were the
same. I had new thoughts, willful thoughts…I won’t let her change me, I
promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not. (Tan 134)
4. …A few years ago, she offered to give me the piano, for my thirtieth
birthday. I had not played in all those years. I saw the offer as a sign of
forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed. (Tan 143)
On a half sheet of paper, write a
question about The Joy Luck Club.
You do not need to write your name
on it. The question may be about
something you don’t understand, or it
may be a discussion question that
you would like the class to share their
opinions on.
Part 3: American Translation
Chapter 9: Lena St. Clair: Rice Husband
Chapter 10: Waverly Jong: Four Directions
Opening Activity- Find and write down a passage
(and page #) that answers each question.
Chapter 9: Rice Husband
1. Why does Lena believe she is responsible for
killing her neighbor, Arnold?
2. What bothers Lena about her husband, Harold,
and their marriage?
Chapter 10: Four Directions
1. Why does Waverly think that her mother, Lindo,
hates her fiancé, Rich?
2. What makes Waverly’s relationship with Rich so
important to her?
Part 3: American Translation
Chapter 11: Rose Hsu Jordan: Without Wood
Chapter 12: Jing-Mei Woo: Best Quality
Opening Activity- Find and write down a passage
(and page #) that answers each question.
Chapter 11: Without Wood
1. What makes Rose realize that Ted loves her when
they are dating? (p. 118)
2. How does Rose stand up for herself when Ted
comes over to pick up the divorce papers?
Chapter 12: Best Quality
1. Why do Jing-mei and Waverly argue during the
Chinese New Year’s crab dinner?
2. What does the jade pendant that Suyuan gives
her daughter, Jing-mei, symbolize? Explain.
Opening Activity
Write two quiz questions (with
answers) for Chapter 13: An-mei
Hsu: Magpies p. 215-241.
Opening Activity
Write two quiz questions (with
answers) for each of the following
chapters:
Chapter 14: Ying-ying St. Clair:
Waiting Between the Trees p. 242252
Chapter 15: Lindo Jong: Double
Face p. 253-266
Opening Activity
The whole novel leads up to Jing-mei’s trip to
China to meet her half sisters that her
mother, Suyuan, left behind.
List either:
a) Your predictions about what spending
time with her sisters will be like for Jingmei, OR
b) Your opinions about why Jing-mei
meeting her sisters is the climactic event
in the novel