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