Problem
Maxine Hong Kingston's "Tongue Tied" Comprehension Questions
Directions: Answer the questions below using a minimum of 3-4 complete sentences, along with including specific textual details and quotes to support your ideas. Incorporate quotes from the text as evidence to back up your ideas, and please provide the page number next to the quote, using proper Mla citation.
A. Kingston describes how she feels speaking in English as an adult and as a child. Find those descriptions and write down some of her emotions and/or descriptions. Why does she feel the way she does about her voice?
B. How is silence a part of Kingston's assimilation process? What is happening to her in kindergarten?
C. Kingston states she was silent in American school for 3 years. Do you see her silence as a rejection of English - a form of rebellion against the language, or does her silence represent Kingston's oppression within the education system? Back up your ideas with reasons.
D. What type of treatment does Kingston receive from her American teachers? Find a quote where Kingston is singled out, isolated, or disciplined for not understanding English or not being able to participate with the rest of her peers.
E. Why do you think Kingston covers her art with black paint? What could this act represent in regards to her own identity?
F. How do the Chinese students act in American school vs. Chinese school? What does this say about the two different types of education? Does Kingston thrive in one setting vs. the other? Use direct evidence to back up your ideas.
G. Text-to-self: Have you ever been treated differently in school due to an accent, language identity, and/or ethnic identity? If so, describe what happened and how that impacted your access to education and/or how you viewed yourself in a classroom. If you haven't experienced this type of exclusion/marginalization, what do you think that has done to your self-confidence as a student?
H. In your view, how has education changed since Kingston attended school in 1945? (Try to think about this question in regards to supporting bilingual or multilingual speakers, education in regards to race, etc.