Growing Up Asian in Australia: Intro + Pigs Questions

Introduction by Alice Pung

1. What were Asian-Australians referred to as when the author was growing up? Power-Points that are used to power things not used on a computer

2. How does she interpret this title? She interprets this title as being very smart with untapped potential

3. What did this title actually refer to? Did the author find this demeaning? Why/why not? This title actually refers a power point that is flat and ugly but she doesnt understand because they are white. She finds this demeaning because she though that it meant that she was smart but actually it means she is ugly.

4. ‘All that untapped potential! All that electrifying brain power!’ What techniques are being employed by the author? How does they highlight he misunderstanding? The author is using repetition "all that" to highlight the misunderstanding of the asian and that they totally didnt understand what it meant

5. What did the teen author take away from teen fiction? What did she feel that she needed to do? Why? What does this say is essential to fitting in to a culture?  The author talks about teen fiction and that growing up is hard being asain and the bullying that comes with it. she feels that 

6. Who are the authors that she turns to? Why? She turns to authors that are asain or of different cultures to tell us about how many other people from different cultures have written books about it

7. In the third paragraph how does the author use repetition. How does it highlight the focus of this book? The author uses repetition on "First" this highlights that the focus on the book will be based around firsts 

8. What metaphor does the author use to highlight the writers and the writing style in the third paragraph? ???

9. Why does the author use a quote in the 4^th paragraph? What does it say about her reaction to the stories in the book? The author uses the quote to tell us that the book is about her and the only thing changed about the story is the name

10. On page 2 the author talks about the themes that she loosely choose for the collection. What are they and why is it ironic that they show up in this book? She picks out traits that have been worthy of collective national pride because she wants to show that these heroic characters are not confined to those with white faces and first fleet heritage  

11. At the bottom of pg 3 on to page 4 the author says that sociologists have described Asians as the ‘model minority’. What is meant by this? It means that they are hard working, studying hard, conforming to the ecpectations and ideas of the domination culture 

12. What are the editor’s hopes for the collection of stories? She hopes that they help bring to the forefront questions of identity, place and perspective. Because the stories deal so insight-fully with the chalenges of coming to terms with multiple identies 

Pigs from Home by Hop Dac

1. How does the author start this story which is in direct contrast to the title of the story? What effect does this have on the reader and their expectations of the story? the author startes the story with a story about how she used to feed the bigs that were kept at her house and that they were actually disgusting. the expectations for this story are that the story is going to be straight foward with little stories with meaning 

2. What core Vietnamese value is instilled in the author? That they have live animals that they kill in their back yard

3. What is humorous about the mother’s ‘flair for natural medicine’ in regards to her personality?  I dont know

4. How does the description of the killing of pigeons continue the style utilised in the introduction of the story? The killing of the pigeons continues the style utilized in the introduction because they are going out and killing the pigeons and that they are not a tradition australian family

5. What is the author’s opinion of pigs? Give two quotes to support your conclusion.  She thinks they are foul untrustworthy animals. “and she took a massive bit from the chickens buttock” “they barged in there thinking they were the top people

6. In the paragraph on pgs 53-54, give two examples of alliteration employed by the author. 'blowing raspberries on the bellies of babies' and 'feeding frenzy'

7. On pg 54 what simile is used to describe pigs? How does this simile work for the situation it is used?  A pig is like an ocean is the simile used and it works because you can't turn you back on the ocean or you will get dumped by the wave and can't turn your back on a pig because it will bite you.

8. What simile does the author use to describe her mother sunning herself? How does this relate to the core focus of the story? Tanning like a rotisserie as it shows that the Chinese are into cooking

9. What does the author describe as ‘the divide between the old world and the new’? What do you think is meant by this statement? It means that the new world and the old world is divided because the old world would just kill an animal as second nature but the new world would never kill and animal

10. What is the author’s reaction to the slaughter of the pig at night? What statement does the author make about the neighbours which displays the way he feels about the whole experience? What is important about including this statement? She is against this because she thinks that the neighbors must be thinking that that family is crazy it is important because she doesn't want to be seen as weird to the people on the bus and at school but it is normal for her family

11. Why don’t the parents have pigs anymore? How does this relate to the description of the burial of the last pig they owned? .They don't have pig any more because they have a friend that gives them a pork that they can eat. As the last pig was killed by her fater and his friends.

12. How would you characterise the description of the mother’s treatment of the pig’s blood? Is it appetising? not very nice and no i don't find it very appetizing

13. What is ironic about the way the author has a popular Vietnamese dish? What is it about the way the author describes the experience of having pigs that makes it ironic? She hates the pig but it does mean a lot to her because of what she did as a child and all the looking after them that she did

14. How does this story relate to the title Pigs from Home? The story relates to "pigs from home" because they had pigs that lived at their home

15. Why do you think this story is in the Battlers section of the book? Because Hop Dac hatted pigs but had to for them and clean up after them

Chapter 14: Bruno Tells a Perfectly Reasonable Lie

(150-1) What information do we get that makes the reader start to feel that he is becoming less innocent and more ignorant? When Bruno sneaks out through the back of the house and finally Bruno is there waiting for him He does not ask if he is okay he just says that he is sorry and he only said it because the soldier is so scary.

(151-3) What is interesting about the weather and how does it relate to the overall emotion of this stage in the book? The current weather relates to the emotion in the book because pavel has probably just been killed or really badly injured and Schmul is also bruised and upset at Bruno because of what he did

(153) What does Bruno accidentally say to Gretel? Bruno accidentally says to gretel that he has a friend but then he says that they are imaginary.

(155) What is it that motivates Bruno not to tell Gretel the truth? How does this portray Bruno as being selfish? Bruno is motivated not to tell the truth because he does not want to get in trouble from Gretel, mother and father or possibly just doesn't want gretel to become friends with Schmul as well. Bruno is selfish because either he doesn't want to get in trouble or he doesn't want to share his only friend with his sister

(158) What is it that Bruno realises when he starts recounting what Shmuel tells him? Why do you think that this is when he finally starts to realise what Shmuel is experiencing?

(159) What is ironic and hypocritical about what Gretel tells Bruno regarding imaginary friends? It is ironic and hypocritical that Gretel tells Bruno about his imaginary friends because just a couple of weeks ago she had hundreds of dolls and gretel would talk to then and interact with then but they were not real but she was telling bruno not to have them

Chapter 13: The Bottle of Wine

(134) How does the initial paragraph frame Bruno's state of mind?
The initial paragraph frame shows Bruno has given up on going back to Berlin and that he wont be seeing his friends any time soon.
(136) What does the question Bruno asks Maria show about his development?
The question Bruno asked Maria shows Bruno's development about becoming more of and adolescent and more curious about whats  happening where he is and he's curious about the people, he's thinking about things more.
(137) What is important about Maria's reaction to Bruno's question?
It is important because she doesn't want to say anything about him being a Jew because she doesn't want to get in trouble off father and she doesn't know if shes allowed so she waits for him to make his question more direct.
(138) Why does Bruno want to tell Shmuel about Pavel? What does this highlight about Bruno's understanding of what is going on?Bruno wants to tell Shmuel about Pavel because he wants him to know hes a nice man and also because Maria had just told a secret about him to Bruno. This highlights that Bruno doesn't know whats going on.                                                                                                        (140) What do the boys argue about? Who does Bruno defend? Who is right/wrong? Why?
The boys argue that there are/aren't any good soldiers. Bruno defends his father by repeating "except my Father". In this argument I think that they're both right because from Bruno's perspective, he is right and same for Shmuel. Shmuel is on the bad end so of course he's going to say that they're all bad. 
(140) Shmuel says 'You don't know what it's like here.' and Bruno reacts by saying 'You don't have any sisters, do you?' He says this to avoid an answer to Shmuel. What does this show about Bruno's understanding of what is happening?
This shows that Bruno has absolutely no idea about what is happening over the other side of the fence and that he is still absolutely innocent. 
(141) What connection do the boys have regarding Lt. Kotler?
The connection the boys have with Lt. Kotler are that they both dislike him and think that he is annoying
(142) What has changed in the the way Bruno sees Pavel?
What's changed in the way that Bruno sees Pavel is that he has sympathy for him and thinks that he has feelings just like him and everybody else. 
(143) What important words are used to describe the way the father eats and addresses Bruno? What makes them important? How do they relate to the scene and the father as a character?"no son of mine" - not giving him respect and using his name
 "attacking a leg of lamb" - a vicious motion                                                   What makes these important is that is gives us more detail about the scene and adds more of drama into the scene. 

(145) We learn Lt. Kotler's first name - 'Kurt'. What is it about the sounds in his full name that are important? 'Kurt Kotler'
Alliteration is used to make him stand out a bit more and to make everybody notice him.
(146-7) What do we learn about Kotler's father? What is Bruno's father's reaction/suggestion regarding Kotler's father leaving Germany for Switzerland?
We learn that Kotlers father left Germany at the start of the War and h Bruno's father doesn't talk to Lt. Kotler anymore. Bruno's father reacts in a serious manner regarding why he would leave the "fatherland" in its time of need. He suggests that Kotler's father might have been anti Germany or a Jew. 
(148) What happens to break the tension at the dinner table? What does Kotler do and what are everyone's reactions? What does Bruno decide regarding disagreeing with anyone anymore after seeing what happens to Kotler? What does this relate to historically in regards to the Nazis?
Gretel says she wants to visit Switzerland then Pavel goes to fill up the wine glasses and spills it on Kotler's lap. Kotler yells at Pavel and we assume he kills him or hurts him very badly. Everyone just sits there and doesn't do anything because they are scared. He decided not to disagree with anyone if that's what happens at Out With. This relates to people not speaking up for whats wrong and just staying quiet because "its better off them than me".

Holocaust Art: "It Takes But One" by Elizabeth Denholm and Alyssa Dziurlaj

Holocaust Art: "It Takes But One" by Elizabeth Denholm and Alyssa Dziurlaj

What visual techniques are employed in this painting? Juxtaposition is used to compare the hand of one person to the person in the crowd with to other Jews. The black in the middle and background is seeping through into red in the foreground. the people in the background are faceless and dark because they do not want to be seen by 

How do these visual techniques highlight major thematic elements of holocaust art and literation

Holocaust Poetry #3: 'Daniel' by Laura Crist

How is juxtaposition used in this poem to highlight an important them of Holocaust literature?

The juxtaposition in the poem is the through the poem it is very nice and happy and then we get to the last line and it suddenly changes and that is all taken away. it is very brutal. it is decenceitizing 

How is descriptive language used to enhance the reader's reaction to the poem? It is used to enhance the readers reaction by evoking sympathy and makes everybody feel sorry for her and make them feel more sadness 

Daniel
	Laura Crist

And the child held her hand
A child tiny for almost eight,
Deep blue eyes that dominated his face,
When he explained new events to her,
     that funny doggy,
     that pretty rock,
And the freckles on his cheek,
No one saw a sunrise more perfect,
     to her,
She so vividly smells the fragrance of
     his hair,
     his ears,
     his breath in the morning
She vividly hears that little heartbeat,
     that was hers
     always hers,
     and the laughter,
     that raspy little laugh,
     when he caught her in a conundrum.
All this,
But this is merely the surface,
As she watches her little God sheared,
     and stripped,
For the gas chamber.

Evaluating your Partner's Performance Jack VIGNES

Jack Vignes

Today in class we are going to listen to a discussion for 5-10 min on each chapter (11 + 12).

During the conversation you are to take notes on:

- participation 8/10 good participation in class
- what questions/answers they ask 9/10 Good ones about the fury, 
- do they know what they are talking about a little bit not sure if has read book but i think that he has defiantly read 11+12
- overall what is your impression of their understanding of what is happening in the chapter I think that jack has a good understanding of the chapter

Give your partner an HONEST score out of 10 (10 being the best). 8/10