Falling Leaves - Summarizer

Katherine Harrison

Mrs. Pasic

Language and Literature 7B

Monday, May 16, 2016

Falling Leaves - Summarizer

My group and I started reading Falling Leaves, by Adeline Yen Mah. My job is to prepare a summary and the key points of the reading. 

Summary: 

This is a story about Adeline Yen. Adeline is the author and youngest of the five children of Joseph and his first wife. The story is written in first person. It opens with a prologue that includes an introduction of the members of Adeline's family.

We meet Adeline as an adult, in the offices of a lawyer, waiting to hear her father's will, along with her four siblings. We learn that none of them will inherit anything and they all comply with their stepmother Jeanne’s orders without any argument.  At the very start we learn that Adeline’s life was not fair, nor easy, that it is ruled by a dominant stepmother who had no love or affection for them.

In the first two chapters, Adeline tells her past and her ancestry. We learn that she comes from a proud family, where female members rebelled and refused to accept old customs. We learn about her grandparents, her Aunt Baba and the life of opulence they had at the beginning.

Adeline is the fifth child born to Joseph Yen and his first wife. The older four children include 3 sons (Gregory, Edgar, James) and 1 daughter (Lydia). Following Adeline's birth, her mother dies as a result of an infection. 

Their family life crumbles, since neither Adeline’s father nor siblings can get over the death of Adeline’s mother. Adeline is considered an unlucky child because her birth caused her mother’s death. Ironically, we learn that it was her father’s reluctance to move his wife to hospital after the birth, which resulted in the infection and the death. The children were looked after by their Aunt Baba.

Her father remarries and has two more children with his second wife.

Adeline’s suffering starts from her earliest childhood. She is disliked by her siblings and her own father for something she had not done and had no control of. In addition to being disliked by her own family, Adeline is treated unfairly by her stepmother. 

All the five children from Joseph’s first marriage had different treatment compared to his two children from the second marriage. They had to fight for her and their own father’s affection, and bow to their stepmother’s demands. Adeline refuses to bow down and is left to suffer most.

Adeline's desire to have a close-knit family and unconditional love prevails over everything else in her life. This is a desire that is never fulfilled and that she never gets over.  She longs for affection but does not want to beg for one.  Aunt Baba is the only person who loves her unconditionally and supports her.

Adeline finds escape from her unhappy home life by making up stories and reading. Once the fortune of her father changes, he cannot provide for all, and he pushes his daughter Lydia to marry a man she does not love since he cannot provide for her. He then sends

In 1945, after the end of the war, Joseph moves his family to Hong Kong. He sends Adeline to a convent since he wanted to get rid of unwanted child. The boys stay with Aunt Baba until they finish school.

Adeline is taken to St. Joseph's, a boarding school in Tianjin. Then she changes school to Maryknoll Convent School. The bad treatment she receives from her stepmother continues. However, she becomes aware that education is the way out of her sufferings. Ironically, it will be her academic success that will win her the affection of her father.

Key Points: 

1.    Adeline’s birth results in her mother’s death -  Adeline is the fifth child in her family. Her mother dies as a result of an infection, following Adeline’s birth. This event will determine her childhood, her life, her anxieties.

2.    Adeline lives with her family but is rejected and disliked by the family - Adeline is considered an unlucky child by her own family because her birth caused her mother’s death. Adeline is disliked, abused and ignored by both her father and her siblings.

3.    Adeline's desire to have a close-knit family and unconditional love prevails over everything else in her life.  -  This desire is never fulfilled, which makes her anxious.  Aunt Baba that looks after them cannot make up for the loss of mother that Adeline never got to know.

4.    Adeline’s father Joseph remarries and their new circumstances further aggravate the life of Adeline and her siblings – The stepmother treats Adeline and her siblings less favorably than her own children. Siblings distance themselves from Adeline even more because Adeline is indirectly responsible for the family misfortune. Adeline is too proud to bow down to her stepmother, which makes her life harder.

5.    Her father’s fortune changes, he suffers financial loss and gets rid of Adeline and her elder sister Lydia – Her father forces his eldest daughter with physical disability to marry a man she does not love, while Adeline is sent away to convent and then to school. The boys are kept at home. The realization that she is treated like an object by her own father is the final blow.

Falling Leaves- Discussion Director

Prachi Ankoti

Mrs.Pasic

Language and Literature

Monday, 16 May, 2016

For this Literacy Circles meeting, I was the Discussion Director. Falling Leaves is a second and a detailed version of Chinese Cinderella, a book I read before for my book report by the same author (Adeline Yen Mah). The difference between the two books is that Falling leaves is a much more detailed compared to Chinese Cinderella. Falling Leaves also talks about the adulthood of the author, although it does not in Chinese Cinderella. Falling Leaves is a very emotional book, as the author suffers a lot of cruel and mean things in her family, which makes her feel unwanted. 

1. What did you think of the part when Adeline's grandmother had to get her feet bound just so they could look pretty?

My answer: I think it is a very cruel thing to do to three year girls, just because Chinese men found it attractive. Back when girl's feet were bounded, it was the symbol of the family's wealth. 

Rhianna felt it was unfair and disgusting because feet don't grow naturally that way.

2. How did you feel about Adeline getting beaten up by her siblings?

My answer: I felt very sad because as a sister I would never do that to my younger brother. Adeline was beaten up by her siblings but as well as her parents. This is one of the reasons why Adeline also felt unwanted in her family.

Katy stated: I feel that the way Adeline is being treated is exceptionally cruel, and that she does not deserve to be tortured, both mentally and physically, by her siblings, considering that she has never done anything wrong or meant any harm to them. However, I also feel some understanding towards the siblings and their perception of Adeline, given the circumstances. With the knowledge that Adeline’s birth caused the death of their mother, and resulted in the arrival of their cruel, abusive stepmother to the family, Adeline is seen as the underlying cause of their misery. Therefore, it is natural that one could feel disfavor, to some degree, towards Adeline. The children strive to get their parents’ love and acceptance and often tend to copy their parents’ behavior. Since Adeline is the youngest and disliked by her parents, she is seen as an easy target. Children are not able to form independent opinions and they tend to take their parents’ views as the ones that are valid. By adopting them (even if they are wrong), they believe they will get their parents’ approval.In the particular case, Adeline is the victim of unfortunate events and should be treated fairly by her family.

3. Why did everyone in Adeline's family think Adeline as a bad luck?

My answer: Adeline was thought to be as a bad luck, because Adeline's mother died away giving birth to her. Adeline doesn't remember her mother, as her mother died 2 weeks after her birth, although she did know her mother was very dear to everyone else in her family.
Ines: Because Adeline's mother died giving birth to her.

4. Why was Aunt Baba the only one who took care of Adeline? 

My answer: I think because Aunt Baba felt very pity for Adeline, because everyone in Adeline's family were very mean and cruel, including her father. Aunt Baba was a very kind and a caring woman, who never got married. She took care of Adeline, as if she was her mother. Aunt Baba kept Adeline's report card and certificate in a safe, to show Adeline how proud she was of her.  

Nurul said because Aunt Baba didn't have any children, so she expressed her affections to Adeline. 

Illustrator-Falling Leaves

Rhianna Hart
English
Falling Leaves-Illustrator
5/16/16

Illustrator-Falling Leaves

For this literacy circles I was assigned the job of the illustrator where I had to draw a scene from the book, Falling Leaves. We only just started this book and we had assigned to read eight chapters which is ninety pages for today. Today I presented my drawing to the rest of my group. Adeline Yen Mah was the youngest child of a Chinese family who enjoyed any privilege during a political and cultural disruption. But wealth could not shield Adeline from a childhood of emotional abuse in the hand of a cruel Eurasian stepmother. Determined to survive Adeline eventually decided to moved from Hong Kong to England and later to the U.S to become a writer and a physician. 

I drew this picture of Adeline getting onto the train that travels to Canton which is her next destination. When she arrives in Canton she needed to cross the border into Hong Kong however she needed a special pass which she lacked. Inn result of this Adeline was smuggled into Hong Kong, at the end of chapter seven. I chose to draw this because I thought that it was one of the major events since she is travelling away from her family and is smuggled into Hong Kong. Also because I think that this event is a very big step in her life since she has never let her family by herself.

Falling Leaves- Vocabulary

By Nurul

For literacy circles we started reading our second book Falling Leaves written by Adeline Yen Mah. The book is about Adeline Yen Mah's life. We were assigned to read until chapter 3. I was assigned as vocabulary and picked out words I was confused with and the words I didn't understand what it meant. So I wrote the words with the definition I searched up and which page and paragraph the word is from the book.

Pg. 15, paragraph 5: Concession: Noun: 1. A thing that is granted especially in response to demands. 2. A preferential allowance or rate given by an organisation.

Pg. 13, paragraph 1: Fiefdoms: Noun: 1. A fief. 2. A territory or sphere of operation controlled by a particular person or group.

Pg. 11, paragraph 3: Lateral: Adjective: 1. Of at, towards, or from side or sides. 2. Involving lateral thinking. Noun: 1. A side part of something, especially a shoot or branch growing out from the side of a stem. 2. A lateral consonant.

Pg. 10, paragraph 1: Spacious: Adjective: (Especially of a room or building) having ample space.

Pg. 10, paragraph 3: Sublimate: Verb: (In psychoanalytic theory) divert or modify (an instinctual impulse) into a culturally higher or socially more acceptable activity. 2. Another term for sublime. Noun: a solid deposit of a substance which has sublimed.

Pg. 9, paragraph 2: Feudal: Adjective: According to, resembling, or denoting the system of feudalism.

• Absurdly outdated or old-fashioned

Chu Ju's House - Discussion Director

Katherine Harrison

Mrs. Pasic

Language and Literature 7B

Friday, May 6, 2016

Chu Ju’s House - Discussion Director

My group and I finished reading Chu Ju’s House, a novel written by Gloria Whelan. My job is to write a list of questions that my group might want to discuss. I have also written my own answers to the questions.

1.      Why do you think that the forbidden books that were purchased by Ling are dangerous?

China is ruled by the Communist party. In communism, people do not have freedom of speech and expression.  They are not allowed to publicly question government policies, comment and publish criticisms of, or opinions contrary to those of the Communist party.  Any attempt to state arguments or express opinion that may be critical of the values promoted by the Government was likely to be sanctioned. To encourage people to obey, the Government punished those who openly questioned and criticized the system.

The books purchased by Ling were seen as dangerous and a threat to the society, as they were critical of the government and were exposing the truth about the political regime and the ruling party. Being in possession of such books may expose the person to the risk of being punished, imprisoned or deprived of basic rights. For example, Chu Ju can recall the time when a man in the city was placed in a re-education center as punishment for speaking the truth about the political system.

Prachi states, “The books express the truth, and the truth may be dangerous for the government.”

2.      Why doesn’t Han Na believe in the pamphlets that Ling had brought from the agricultural agent in the government office?

Han Na is wise, critical and has learnt not to trust everything she reads or hears, especially if it comes from the Government. She is aware that the government publishes and promotes ideas that are in accordance with its ideology, even if they violate human rights. She does not support the government, and does not agree with the rules and laws imposed on the people by the government. She emphasizes her point of view when she says, “It was the government that put Quan in prison for moving about in his own country. It was the government that told your parents how many children they could have, so babies are sold like so many bags of rice” (Whelan 182).

Prachi states, “Han Na does not believe in the government, she thinks that the government may be lying”.

3.      Why is Han Na so insistent on Chu Ju visiting her family? 

Han Na is insistent that Chu Ju should visit her family because she is herself, a parent and she can understand how anxious and worried her parents must be for not knowing anything about their daughter’s fate and well-being.

Han Na is separated from her son, Quan, who left her to live in Shanghai and pursue his dreams of living and working in a big city. However, Han Na is aware that unlike Chu Ju’s parents, she knows where her son is, and she knows that she can help him if at any stage in his life he may need help. On the other hand, Chu Ju’s parents live are ignorant about Chu Ju’s whereabouts and they do not even know if she is alive.

Prachi states, “Han Na may know how Chu Ju’s parents might be feeling because her son also left her”.

4.    How has Chu Ju’s character developed throughout the novel?

At the beginning of the novel we see Chu Ju, a 14-year-old girl, who appears to be more mature than most of young people her age. She is critical of the system and is aware of the injustice imposed by the communist regime on the Chinese people. In the novel, she turns into a heroine and ends up as the promoter of change in the society.

From the very beginning of the story, we see an outstanding character, a heroine Chu Ju, who strikes us with her wisdom, compassion and selflessness. Even though she is only 14 years old, she is mature and acts as if she was an adult. She is critical of the communist regime. She can see that one-child policy is not fair since it violates basic human rights and she realizes that it is unfair to treat boys and girls differently. She shows understanding and does not judge her family when they make decision to send her sister away to the orphanage, in order to make room for the boy. She shows her selflessness when she decides to sacrifice herself and go into voluntary exile to help her family and her baby sister. As a result of her actions, her sister stays with the family and another baby sister is born. This time, her parents accept the second girl and leave her with the family.  She is a fighter; she brings about the change. She believes that education will help the Chinese people to move forward and combat illiteracy and authoritarian regimes.

Prachi states, “Throughout the novel, Chu Ju learns how to be more independent and open.”

5.      What theme is portrayed in the novel?

The theme of the novel is the need to defy and overthrow totalitarian regimes, since they suppress individual freedoms and rights, including the freedom of choice and freedom of expression. The novel emphasizes that such systems are not natural and that they are doomed to fail. However, in this process, they will cause a lot of misery and suffering to generations of people.

The theme of the novel is also the power of individual and education in the fight against totalitarian regimes, for a more progressive society.

According to Prachi, “The theme of the novel is the importance of maintaining strength and never giving up, even in the most difficult circumstances.”

Chu Ju's House- Travel Tracer

By Nurul

For literacy circles we read the last few chapters in the book. I was assigned a job as a travel tracer for now. As a travel tracer, I had to trace where the location of the beginning, end and the main event(s) happened. The starting place in chapter 9 was when Chu Ju arrived at he village after releasing Han Na's son in Shanghai. The places where the main event took place was at the paddy field located behind the house and inside the house where Han Na died from a sickness, because she refused to go to the doctor. The rice field is where Chu Ju works to catch fishes and sell them and help Han Na grow rice in the field. Now she owns the rice field after Han Na died. The ending of the book took place in her village after returning home from her visit to meet her family for the first time in few years after running away. That is what I wrote as a travel tracer where the location of the beginning, ending and the main events happen and what the event happened there.