Class Discussion

The following are discussion questions for our Week 3 readings, "Volar" by Judith Ortiz Cofer and "I'd Love You to Want Me" by Nguyễn Thanh Việt. You don't have to answer all of them. Just get the conversation going! Volar Discussion Questions: 1. What do you notice about the narrative voice in “Volar”? How old do you think the narrator is when they’re telling the story, and how do you know she’s no longer 12 years old? Explain your reasoning using your knowledge of narrative voice, craft, and style. 2. What is the effect of the way Spanish is used both in the title and throughout the story? What might these uses of Spanish add to our understanding of the setting, the characters, and their conflicts? 3. Describe the setting of “Volar.” What kind of place is this, and why does the mother wish she could fly? What does the story suggest about how the characters have been shaped by their environment? About how they feel about it, and why? I'd Love You to Want Me Questions: 1. A significant first line of a story is important in literary fiction. “I’d Love You to Want Me” begins with, “The first time the professor called Mrs. Khanh by the wrong name was at a wedding banquet…” Already, this sets up an interesting conflict. Explain how impactful this line was when you first read the story. Then, explain how it impacts you now that you’ve finished it.  2. What do you notice about the craft and style in “I’d Love You to Want Me?” How does Nguyen use imagery to paint a picture of how Mrs. Khanh feels? In other words, how does he SHOW us what she feels rather than simply TELLING us that she feels sad or jealous? 3. Consider the Setting in “I’d Love You to Want me.” What might be meaningful about the setting and related details? What does Nguyen gain by introducing Khanh’s son, Vinh, into the story, as well as glimpses into the Khanh family’s past? How might and might not it matter that they are refugees? That they are Vietnamese?

The following are discussion questions for our Week 2 readings, "Bloodchild" by Octavia Butler, "Sea Oak" by George Saunders, and "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen Russell. You don't have to answer all of them. Just get the conversation going! Bloodchild Discussion Questions: 1. In "Bloodchild," the Tlic need human (Terran) or animal bodies to bear their young and provide the Preserve as a living space for them. Does this mean they should have the rights to human bodies? Explain why or why not. Also, who is the antagonist in this story? In this world? Explain your reasoning.  2. Do you think Gan loves T'Gatoi? Does T'Gatoi love Gan? Explain your reasoning. 3. In "Bloodchild," the Tlic eggs are "harmless" in that they don't result in negative side effects. They taste good, relax you, make you feel nice, and they even slow your aging! And yet, Lien doesn't allow herself to partake. Why? If you lived in this household, would you partake in egg every now and then? Why or why not? Sea Oak Questions: 1. What was your first impression of "Sea Oak"? Of Aunt Bernie? How did you feel about the characters and their situation by the end? 2. The narrator in "Sea Oak" has a job at a male strip club called Joysticks. Based on the narration, how are we (the reader) made to feel about the clientele? Have you ever had a job where customers treated you poorly, or where you had to be chipper when you weren't really feeling it? 3. Consider the shift in characterization between Aunt St. Lucy's Questions: 1. In "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves," Claudette (formerly known as TRRR) manages to achieve Stage 5 and graduate as a human girl, ready for human society. What do you think about her "first human lie" at the end? Would you have made the same choices Claudette made throughout the story? Why or why not? 2. To what extent to you think this story is simply about: • Growing up, making the transition from childhood to adulthood? • Schooling or education? • The experience of those who are bilingual or even bi-cultural? 3. Consider the world building in this piece. How and when does

The following are discussion questions for our Week 1 readings, "Wildwood" by Junot Diaz and "Model's Assistant" by Alissa Nutting. You don't have to answer all of them. Just get the conversation going! Wildwood Discussion Questions: 1. Rebellion is a natural characteristic of maturation, but in "Wildwood," Lola has an especially rocky relationship with her mother. She says that her mother's "hold on me was stronger than love." What is it that binds Lola and her mother together, if not love? 2. "Wildwood" provides a thoroughly all-American cast of characters. What makes this cast all American? For example, in what ways is Lola the epitome of the American teen? Also, what do we think of Aldo? Why do you think he is the way that he is? What do you think initially attracted her to him?  3. How does Lola's relationship with her grandmother compare to her relationship with her mother? How does Lola get along in Santo Domingo (in the Dominican Republic)? By the end of the book, do you think there is a chance that Lola's relationship with her mother might improve after this dramatic change? Explain your reasoning using evidence from the text. 4. Author Junot Díaz received the MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” for his use of “raw, vernacular dialogue and spare, unsentimental prose to draw readers into the various and distinct worlds that immigrants must straddle.” Consider Díaz’s Narrative Voice of “Wildwood.” What do you notice about the narration style that makes it feel real? What do you notice about the dialogue between characters that makes it feel like real human beings talking to each other? 5. How does Díaz’s specific way of intermixing Spanish and English, as well as his frequent allusions (literary, musical, televisual, and biblical), help to flesh out the story’s central conflicts and/or theme(s)? Model's Assistant Questions: 1. What was your first impression of the narrator in "Model's Assistant"? What was your first impression of Garla? 2. Did you find yourself sympathizing with, relating to, or annoyed by the narrator of "Model's Assistant"? Why? 3. What do you notice about the Narrative Voice in “Model’s Assistant”? What do you make of the type of imagery the narrator uses? 4. What do you make of Garla’s nonsense phrases, like “Cloud of vodka!” 5. What attracts the narrator to Garla and vice versa? 6. Is the narrator’s conflict external, internal, or both? Why doesn’t