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The Struggle to be an All-American Girlby
Elizabeth Wong

• English I
• ECHS
• C. Edge

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Vocabulary

• stoically indifferently calmly
• kowtow show respect by kneeling and touching
  the ground with the forehead
• ideographs written symbols representing objects
  or ideas
• chaotic completely confused in total disorder

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Literary Elements

• audience who the story is intended to be read
  or heard by

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• main idea the message, opinion, or idea that a
  writer wants to communicate
• What is the main idea of this selection?
• The main idea seems to be that her mother wanted
  her to find value and pride in her native culture
  and language, but she refused and feels remorse.

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• supporting details details that support the
  main idea of a selection
• List two supporting details for the main idea.
• She describes the exercise of politeness that the
  students display to their teachers everyday which
  lends support that perhaps being polite is a good
  quality. She also describes her mothers
  attempts to speak English and her brothers
  unrelenting criticism of their mothers attempts
  which later helps to reveal the remorse she most
  likely feels for their cruelty.

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• Bias prejudiced, close-minded.
• What bias exists in this story?
• The bias that exists is from the view point of
  the writer. She is Chinese American and reveals
  the prejudice she felt against her Chinese
  heritage as a young girl because of her desire to
  fit in with other Americans. Her denouncement of
  this decision at the end shows a bias towards
  Chinese culture as superior after having
  experienced both.

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• Objectivity an unbiased account that relies
  mainly on facts

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• Subjectivity an account that is based on
  emotions and feelings, not necessarily on factual
  information
• Is this selection more objective or subjective?
  Why?
• This selection is more subjective because it is
  based on her personal emotions, feelings, and
  experiences, not on factual information.

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• memoir a personal account of a shared event

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• essay a writers thoughts and feelings about a
  certain topic

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Study GuideSelection Questions1

• Where does the narrator go with her brother
  everyday at 5 p.m.?
• The narrator and her brother go to the Chinese
  school on Yale Street.

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2

• How do they feel about having to go? What
  evidence is there to support your conclusion?
• They do not want to go, but no amount of
  kicking, screaming, or pleading (p. 344) could
  change their mothers mind.

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• What is their purpose for going?
• Their mother wants them to go to the school in
  order to learn the language of their heritage.

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4

• What vision does the narrator have about the
  principal?
• To the narrator, the principal is a stern man who
  sways back and forth on his heels with his
  impatient, twitching hands clasped behind his
  back. She envisions the principal as a maniacal
  child killer.

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5

• Describe the sensory details used to describe the
  smell of the auditorium.
• The auditorium smells like Chinese medicine, an
  imported faraway mustiness, ancient mothballs, or
  dirty closets.

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• What scents does the narrator prefer? What does
  this preference reveal about her?
• The narrator favors crisp new scents like soft
  French perfume that her American teacher wears at
  the public school. This reveals that she sees
  her culture as stale and inferior to the
  superiority of American culture.

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• How did the students greet their teachers every
  day? Why?
• The students practice politeness by kowtowing and
  saying Sing san ho, or How are you, teacher?
  whenever the teacher entered the room. This
  showed great respect.

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• How does the narrator feel about the Chinese
  language and her grandmother?
• She is embarrassed by her grandmother and the
  language of her culture. She feels that her
  grandmother is loud and raunchy and that the
  language is quick, loud, and unbeautiful.

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• What does the narrators view of her native
  Chinese culture reveal about her view of American
  culture?
• The narrator seems to view American culture as
  superior to her Chinese culture. To her, the
  Chinese culture and language is too common and
  lacked the beauty and refinement of other
  languages like French and English.

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• What is pidgin speech?
• Pidgin speech describes when the narrators
  mother tries to speak English, but keeps slipping
  Chinese words or phrasings into her conversation.

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• Why do you think that their mother wants them to
  learn the Chinese language and culture?
• She wants them to be proud of their heritage and
  where they come from.

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• Explain what the narrator means by a cultural
  divorce?
• She was allowed to separate herself from the
  Chinese culture completely in order to immerse
  herself in the culture of America.

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• Who is the narrators audience?
• The narrators audience seems to be the American
  people since she wants so desperately to be like
  Americans throughout the selection and states at
  the end that At last, I was one of you I wasnt
  one of them (p. 346).

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• What is implied by the last sentence?
• The last line Sadly, I still am implies that
  she ultimately isnt happy that she divorced her
  native culture. The word sadly seems to indicate
  regret that perhaps her chosen culture didnt
  turn out to be as superior as she had imagined.