Welcome!

   Welcome to the MORE Program's book blog.  This year we will be reading the University's One Campus, One Book selection by Lisa See, titled Shanghai Girls.  As we read the novel, we will encounter various themes and topics which will allow us to reflect upon both the past and our own personal backgrounds.  You will be asked to write about some of these themes discussed within the novel in order to more fully internalize such concepts.  Some of the concepts you will be asked to comment on include, but are not limited to, parent-child relationships, diverse cultural expectations, gender roles, the importance of diversity, the effects of war upon morality, and the issues presented by wealth inequality.

                             
       
           

Blog #1

Listed below are three discussion questions based off of your reading of the first portion of the book (Fate), pages 1-85.  Respond to one of the three discussion questions expressing your thoughts and opinions on the matter.  Your response should be a minimum of 500 to 750 words.

1. In what ways are Pearl and May limited by the traditional expectations placed upon them as daughters in Chinese culture?  Why do their parents allow them to ignore many of the cultural expectations that Chinese girls would normally comply with?  How do many of the cultural and social expectations of today's society limit you and those with whom you associate?

2. In the book, Pearl and May experience a transformation from living relatively carefree lives to struggling in poverty and having to fight for their lives.  How do they cope with these changes brought upon by their father's debt and the war?  Have you had to overcome any obstacles in your own life?  Compare the way in which you coped with these experiences to the manner in which Pearl and May cope with their challenges.

3. Pearl and May grow up in a higher level socio-economic class and as a result become desensitized to the poverty present in their city, justifying it as the way in which their society is constructed.  However, when their father gambles away their money they are no longer able to avoid the problems and difficulties associated with poverty, because they now face those once-distant obstacles head on.  How do their attitudes towards poverty change after their own descent into a life without wealth?  Contrast the adaptations and growth they exhibit in response to this obstacle with the reactions and personal development that many of us experience as a result of a similar life without wealth, brought upon us by the financial strains of college.

Blog #2

1. Towards the beginning of the novel, Z.G. talks about ai kuo, the love one has for country, and ai jen, the emotion you feel for the person you love.  How do these two types of love play out in Pearl's experience in both China and the United States?  How do these two types of love play out in our own lives, contrasted with Pearl's unique circumstances involving these types of love?

2. According to the zodiac signs in Chinese culture, Pearl is a dragon and May is a sheep.  Based on the descriptions of these signs contained within the novel, do you think the two sisters are true to their respective zodiac signs in Shanghai Girls?  Up to this point in your life, do you think that you have been true to your own Chinese zodiac sign?  Here is a link to a website which contains more information about the zodiac signs: http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/

3. There are sections within Shanghai Girls where it seems like external factors conspire against Pearl--being sold into marriage, leaving China, being stuck working at the restaurant, mothering May's child, and taking care of Vern.  How much of what happens to Pearl is a product of her own choices and decisions and how much is a product of external factors over which she has no control?  How many of the problems in our own lives are brought upon us by our own decisions and attitudes rather than outside forces?