BigQuestions+-+Forrest

I think that it was picked for these awards and honors for multiple reasons. My first reason was because it was such a vivid/visual book. At the same time, there were three, detailed and developed plotlines that a lot of people would be surprised to see in a graphic novel. I would most definitely have chosen this book. I loved it and thought it was extremely well written! I have read //Captain Underpants, Pokémon// and //Garfield.// My favorite was Pokémon and I used to write stories about me having Pokémon and us going on adventures together. //American Born Chinese// was much more complex. Captain Underpants and Pokémon are geared for children and American Born Chinese seems like it’s geared more for teenagers, even though younger children could read it. They might not understand it though. The graphics were outstanding and I couldn’t put the book down! It just bothered me how much racism and discrimination that occurred in the book. 3. Did you find the graphic novel an effective way for Yang to tell his story? ** I thought this was a very effective way to tell the story. As a matter of fact, I think this was the best way to tell this story. With all of the switching back and forth between scenes and characters, the pictures helped make that easier. 4. Yang uses humor to make light of experiences that are not so humorous for the immigrants that experience them. Often when reading we laugh at painful experiences of the characters. Have you or anyone you've known had experiences that were funny to others, but very painful to you? If possible, explain. Do you think Yang used the technique of humor appropriately? ** For me, when people make slurs about deaf people, or just people who have a challenge or disability, it pisses me off. I am a very compassionate person and when people make fun of other people for nothing, it really, really pisses me off… Also, when people take the secret you entrusted them with and tell the whole school. For example, my friend told the entire school that my other friend had sex over the weekend and that was funny for everyone to hear but the person who trusted my friend with the secret. I just don’t get why people do that. I think that Yang did a good job with his subtleness and unless you were paying attention, you wouldn’t have been able to tell how racist this book was. 5. What can be learned from the Monkey King and // American Born Chinese //? ** There are many lessons to be learned here. The first one is that greed never benefits you. It just makes everyone resent you and get more pissed off at you. Secondly, this book teaches us a lot about acceptance, whether it’s self acceptance or acceptance of others. There was definitely a lot of non-acceptance going on in this book, and that really reflects today’s society in countless ways. 6. Yang uses a television show to tell Chin-Kee's story. Why do you think he does this? Was it effective? Why? ** I think that it was a fun and effective way to show this show. I think the clapping and haha’s were representing the “audience” watching the TV show, not relating to Chin-Kee exactly. I think the author does this, least importantly for a change of format, and two, more importantly, with all of the racism surrounding Chin-Kee, he wanted to have a humorous and funny way to portray it. I think that in a way, Jin was stuck under his own “mountain of rocks” in many ways, in the sense of him always carrying such a huge burden around with him. He had such a hard time being accepted, had a few friends, etc. He had a hard time with girls and a hard time with bullies. In some way, everyone seem trapped in their complicated worlds. Wei-Chen was trapped in the mortal world even though he was actually a son of the Monkey King. I have experienced this feeling of being stuck and not being able to be who I am. At my old school, I had to pretend I was someone I wasn’t. I hated it. But once I came to Crefeld, I revealed my “true form” and now I am much happier. Forrest 8. Wei-Chen's transformer robot monkey symbolizes so much in the graphic novel. How do the characters in // American Born Chinese // "transform" themselves for American society? Do you "transform" yourselves? Why? ** Jin tries to transform himself into this American boy by being mean to Wei-Chen at first, then he tries to date the girl he loves, etc. Wei-Chan actually transforms… He goes from being a monkey in the heavens to at least appearing to be a shy schoolboy who has to carry this secret. Danny tries to act cool about Chin-Kee being around, because he is embarrassed about him. I used to “transform” myself at my old school, because I had to in order to “survive.” If I were who I really am, I would have been bullied. Now, it’s all fine. J
 * 1. // American Born Chinese // is the first graphic novel to win the Printz Award and be a finalist for the National Book Award. Why do you think it was picked for these awards and honors? Would you have chosen it? Explain. **
 * 2. Graphic novels appeal to a variety of people. There are a variety of graphic novel genres such as fantasy, super-hero, non-fiction, etc. Have you read graphic novels in the past? How did // American Born Chinese // compare? Graphically speaking what appealed to you? What did not?**
 * 7. The Monkey King chooses to be stuck in the mountain of rocks for 500 years, to escape he must return to his "true form." How do the other characters experience this in // American Born Chinese //? Have you experienced a similar situation in your life? **