Chinese Lessonsby Ivy Tseng

From Growing up Asian in Australia, page 16

Read the story then answer the questions in your notebook.

Q1. Why did Ivy dread 11.00am on Saturday mornings?

Q2. How did her father position the children for their lessons? Who was placed where and why?

Q3. Each of the Chinese readers had many passages in it, what were some of the subjects discussed within them?

Q4. Ivy thought her Chinese lessons began when she was in Grade one. Her sister Jona’s soon as she was born. Why did their father feel they were so important?

Q5. What do you think Ivy meant by the phrase “maybe these lessons were a way to ensure that his three Australian-born and bred daughters, recognised that their Chineseness was not restricted to their black hair, small round noses and con-sumption of rice”. Explain in a few sentences.

Q6. In a few sentences, explain what Ivy Tseng means when she uses the phrase “maybe I’d feel more authentic”.

Q7. Icy Tseng also introduces the reader to a new word: Chinglish. Write a sentence clearly explaining where this word came from and what it means.

Q8. Ivy Tseng writes, ‘I regret not paying closer attention during those Chinese lessons.’ What do you think are the costs for migrants who are assimilating into Australian culture?

Q9. Think about the many people who might be in Ivy Tseng’s shoes. Create a letter from an Asian-Australian daughter to her mother, explaining that her accep-tance of Australian culture is not betrayal of the family, but the only way she can survive in her world.