task 1
a)
List the ways the mother puts pressure on her daughter.
Use the simple present when restating information from the text.
Her mother expects her to become a prodigy. She has high expectations, comparing her to a lot of talented children and demands perfection in lots of different areas.
b)
Explain how Jing-mei feels about her mother’s expectations.
In the beginning, she was excited about becoming a prodigy too. As time went by and as her mother started introducing daily tests, she began “[hating] the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations” (ln. 71).
c)
Predict how Jing-mei will deal with her mother’s expectations and pressure.
I think she will rebel against them, persuing her own goals.
task 2
a)
How does Jing-mei perform at the talent show?
She performs horribly.
b)
State Jing-mei’s mother’s reaction to her daughter’s performance directly after the talent show and at home.
Her mother’s reaction directly afterwards is lifeless and empty. She does not react actively, she just has this “quiet, blank look that said she had lost everything” (ln. 266).
At home, she doesn’t react directly either, she walk[s] in and then [goes] to the back, into the bedroom. No accusations. No blame.” (ln. 272f).
It is only that two days later she has a fight with her mother about her expectation when her mother tries forcing her into playing the piano again, with her refusing.
c)
Why does Jing-mei wish she were not her mother’s daughter?
Her mother wants her “to be something that [she’s] not”. She is fed up with her mother’s expectations, she says she’ll “never be the kind of daughter [she] want[s] [her] to be!”.
d)
In what other ways does Jing-mei fail her mother?
- *“[She] didn’t get straight As.” *
- *“[She] didn’t become class president.” *
- *“[She] didn’t get into Stanford.” *
- “[She] dropped out of college.”
(ln. 323)
e)
What are the unanswered questions that torment Jing-mei?
- “Why [had] she […] hoped for something so large that failure was inevitable[?]” (ln. 329)
- *“Why had she given up hope?” (ln. 332)
f)
What is Jing-mei’s response to being given the piano for her 30th birthday?
She is surprised by the offer (comp. ln. 336) and tries to reassure it’s validity carefully (comp. ln. 338-348). She is happy about it, “[she sees] the offer as a sign of forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed” (ln. 337f). She didn’t take it at first, leaving it at her parent’s place (comp. ln. 349-351), but seeing it there, “it made [her] feel proud, as if it were a shiny trophy that [she] had won back” (ln. 351)
g)
Comment on the ending of the short story. How does it make you feel?
How do you feel about Jing-mei at the beginning of the short story and at the end?
I loved the ending and I think it is wonderfully poetic, even though it took me a while to understand the metaphorical analogy with the song’s titles. I’m probably going to get and read the whole book.
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I think Jing-mei is a character one can easily emphasize with, even though her actual experiences are probably easier to emphasize for someone with similarly strict parents. This does not change throughout the story for me, although I do really like the character development. I adore how the author portrayed how Jing-mei fights her “inner demons” / “intrusive thoughts” and how that affects herself and the people around her.
task 3
