Humanities Homework

Exam  2  

Review  Questions  

Spring  2014  

 

Several  of  you  have  asked  for  a  study  guide  for  the  second  exam.  This  is  NOT  a   comprehensive  list,  but  it  should  help  remember  the  main  ideas,  themes,  etc.   covered  in  this  unit.  

Part  I.  China  Men  Reading  Questions.  I  will  give  you  several  questions  covering   parts  of  the  assigned  reading  that  were  NOT  discussed  in  class.  

 

Parts  II-­III.  Paz,  Painters,  and  Kingston  Lecture  Questions.  

I  will  be  testing  to  see  if  you  have  read  the  assigned  texts,  re-­read  key  texts  we  went   over  in  class,  and  assimilated  key  ideas  from  class  discussions/lectures.    In  addition,   you  may  want  to  use  the  following  questions  for  review.  

• What  is  the  “yellow  peril?”  How  does  Kingston’s  book  both  reflect  and   respond  to  it?  

• What  is  the  difference  between  “China  Men”  and  “Chinamen?”     • How  does  China  Men  fit  into  Kingston’s  larger  literary  project?  (Think  about  

what  I  said  in  class  about  her  other  books.)     • What  is  the  significance  of  "On  Fathers"  in  China  Men?   • What  happens  to  Tang  Ao?  How  does  it  set  up  the  rest  of  the  book?   • How  would  you  describe  Kingston’s  relationship  with  her  father?   • What  are  the  three  different  stories  Kingston  tells  about  how  her  father  came  

to  America?  Why  does  she  do  that?  What  seems  the  most  likely  way  of   explaining  these  stories?  

• Explain  the  significance  of  the  bride-­‐crying  ritual.   • What  does  the  “Ghostmate”  story  symbolize?   • Explain  the  Opium  War,  the  Treaty  Port  System,  the  “Open  Door  Policy,”  and  

the  Boxer  Rebellion.   • What  is  the  meaning/significance  of  the  “black  Chinese  cousin?”   • In  what  sense  is  Kingston  a  "biographer  of  people's  imaginations?"   • What  was  the  Sandalwood  Mountain  Great  Grandfather’s  addiction?  How  did  

it  affect  his  life  in  Hawaii?  How  did  deal  with  it?   • What  story  does  Kingston  tell  to  explain  how  she  hears  her  ancestors’  voices  

in  the  sugar  cane?  How  did  the  China  Men  in  the  Hawaii  respond  to  their   silencing?  

• Why  does  Kingston’s  great-­‐grandfather  think  they  are  the  founding  ancestors   of  the  Sandalwood  Mountain?  

• Explain  the  significance  of  the  Dred  Scott  Decision,  the  Fourteenth   Amendment,  and  U.S.    v.  Wong  Kim  Ark.  

• Be  able  to  explain  the  legal  reasoning  involved  in  all  the  court  cases   discussed  in  class.  

• What  are  the  four  main  clauses  of  the  Fourteenth  Amendment  and  what  do   each  of  them  provide?  

• Explain  the  reasoning  behind  the  Chinese  Workers  railroad  strike.   • How  does  Kingston’s  story  about  her  Grandfather  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas  

support  her  over  all  theme  regarding  the  true  citizenship  of  her  Grandfather?   • How  did  the  San  Francisco  fire  affect  Chinese  immigration  status?   • How  did  Kingston’s  brother  respond  to  the  Vietnam  war?  How  does  she  

explain  that  response?   • Why  does  Kingston  hate  sentences  that  begin  with  “I  know  you  .  .  .?”  Who  

says  them?  In  what  context?   • What  does  the  “O”  on  Kingston’s  dog  tags  mean?   • Explain  the  significance  of  the  final  chapter  of  China  Men.   • Explain  Kingston’s  brother’s  response  to  the  draft.   • Briefly  (as  we  did  in  class)  summarize  the  history  and  culture  of  the  Aztecs.   • Briefly  (as  we  did  in  class)  describe  the  Spanish  Conquest  of  Mexico,  the  

colonial  period,  the  Diaz  Dictatorship,  and  the  Revolution(s).   • Who  were  Zapata,  Carranza,  and  Villa?   • Who  were  the  Pachucos?    Why  does  Paz  begin  his  book  with  them?  What  do  

they  have  in  common  with  the  bougainvillea?   • What  is  the  difference  between  perfection  and  redemption  and  how  does  this  

help  us  understand  the  difference  between  North  Americans  and  Mexicans   (according  to  Paz)?  

• Summarize  the  cultural  history  of  the  Mexican  woman  provided  by  Paz.   • Explain  Paz’s  understand  of  death.   • How  does  Paz  define  love?   • How  would  Paz  answer  the  question  “what  is  a  Mexican?”   • How  would  Kingston  answer  the  question  “what  is  an  American?”