Kevin Curran

Miss Skirtich
English 10: Honors World Literature
1/12/16

Mid-Term Study Guide

Summer Reading
Joy Luck Club Amy Tan
Themes:

Mother vs Daughter
o Each daughter struggled with her mothers expectations and criticalness.
Daughter vs Culture
o The mothers were not allowed to marry again after their husbands left or
died without adding shame to their families. Yet the daughters were all
going through divorces, remarriages, not wanting to be married at all
Mother vs Religion
o Each mother had her superstitions. They believed in God and yet they did
not know doctrine.
Mother vs American Culture
o Each mother had to cope with the changes that they saw in America and
the affect America had on them
No matter how a daughter is raised she will become her mother
Struggle between religion and superstition
The Difference of ancient Chinese culture and American Culture

Quotes:
Chinese people had Chinese opinions, and American People had American Opinions.
Usually the American opinion was better. Rose
And even though I taught my daughter the opposite she came out the same way! Maybe
it is because she was born to me and she was born a girl. And I was born to my mother
and I was born a girl. All of us are like stairs, one step after another, going up and down,
but all going the same way. An-mei
Im shaking, trying to hold something inside. The last time I saw them, at the funeral, I
had broken down and cried big gulping sobs. They must wonder how someone like me

can take my mothers place. A friend once told me that my mother and I were alike, that
we had the same wispy hand gestures, the same girlish laugh and sideways look. When I
shyly told my mother this, she seemed insulted and said, "You dont even know little
percent of me! How can you be me?" And shes right. How can I be my mother at Joy
Luck? -June Woo
Aphorisms:

Amy Tan used Chinese words in the dialogue and then defined it afterwards
When Chinese was not spoken, the mothers were shown to high a strong accent

Characters:
Mothers:

Suyuan Woo
o Founder of the Joy Luck Club
o Leaves the Joy Luck Club to her daughter, June Woo, when she
dies
o Sits at the east end
An-mei Hsu
o When she was young, her mother commits suicide
o Sits at the south end
Lindo Jong
o Was forced into an arranged marriage
o She wasnt liked by her mother-in-law because she wouldnt have
a son
o Moved to America to get out of the marriage
o Sits at the west end
Ying-ying St. Clair
o Spoiled as a child
o Believed that she could see the future
o Husband left her for a dancer
o Sits at the north end

Daughters:

June Woo
o Was pushed by her mother to be great, but only wanted to be
normal
o No desire to get married or finish school
o Eventually became an advertising agent
Rose Hsu Jordan
o When she was younger, she had to watch her younger brothers and
one of them drowned
o Her husband left her for another woman

o Went against her culture and stood up for herself

Waverly Jong
o Was a chess prodigy
o She quits when her mother brags about her victories
Lena St. Clair
o Became anorexic when a boy down the street died of measles
o Became married to a man that added up everything that was spent
between the two
This caused many disagreements between the two

Plot Structure:
o Each character had their own plot
Each plot was divided into stories and put in a random order. Therefore,
each action, climax, and denouement came at different times. Some at the
beginning, some at the middle, and end.
Kite Runner
Themes:
o Friendship
Throughout the novel, Amir becomes closer and closer to his father
Hassan wants to stay friends with Amir, even when Amir isnt nice to him
o Betrayal
Amir betrays Hassan by not helping him, and then gets him into trouble
Baba betrays his friend, Ali, by having a child, Hassan, with Alis wife
o Warfare
Amis whole life is torn to bits when his country is invaded, leaving
everything destroyed
Aphorisms:
o Characters sometimes speak their native tongue to add to the
context of the story
Characters:
o Amir
Both the narrator and the protagonist of the story
o Hassan
Amirs childhood friend
Never doubted Amir
Repeatedly proved himself to be loyal to Amir
Babas servant
Is a Hazara, which is an ethnic group that is considered to be inferior to
everyone else

o Baba

Raped when he was a child

Later in the story it is revealed that he is Babas illegitimate child
Amirs father
Wealthy and respected businessman
He is willing to risk his life for what he believes
Distances himself from Amir because of his shame of having Hassan with
another woman

o Ali
o

o
o

o
o

Father to Hassan
Sohrab
Hassans son
Taken from his home where he is abused by Assef
Speaks very little
Assef
Abuses both Hassan and Sohrab
Very racist
Claims that Hitler was a good role model
Rahim Khan
Friends to Baba and Amir
Serves as a father figure to Amir
Often gave Amir the attention that he craved
Filled the hole in Amirs life that Baba created by distancing himself from
Amir
Farid
Becomes Amirs friend when he returns to Afghanistan
Sanaubar
Hassans mother and Alis wife
Disappears when Hassan is born
Returns to be the grandmother of Sohrab
Soraya
Amirs wife
Always there for Amir when he needs her
General Taheri
Sorayas father
Sharif
Sorayas Uncle
Helps Amir get back into the United States
Sofia Akrami
Amirs Mother
Dies during childbirth

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Themes:
o
o
o
o

Oppression and Hope

Shame
Education
Love

Characters:
o Mariam
One of the two female protagonists
o Jalil
Mariams father
Leaves Mariam and later expresses his deep regret
o Nana
Mariams mother
Strict and bitter woman
Eventually commits suicide
o Hakim
Lailas father
Stresses the importance of an education
o Fariba
Completely destroyed when her son decided to go to war
A distant mother to Laila
o Aziza
Laila and Tariqs daughter
Forced to live at an orphanage

Hamlet
Themes:
o
o
o
o
o

Revenge
Appearance vs. Reality
Sanity vs Insanity
Decay and Corruption
Abnormal Family Dynamic

Characters:
o Hamlet
o Claudius

o
o
o
o

Polonius
Gertrude
Horatio
The Ghost of King Hamlet

Plot Structure:
o Revenge Tragedy
Subplots:
Exposition
Inciting Action
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Moment of Final Suspense
Catastrophe
Renaissance History:
o
o
o
o
o

Means Rebirth
Peoples ideas, beliefs, and behavior gradually changed
A renewed interest in classic learning
Began in 14th century Italy
Famous People
Leonardo da Vinci
Michelangelo
Christopher Columbus
Galileo
Shakespeare

Vocab
Abatement n. decline; end

Conjure v. to call up

Apparition n. ghost; spirit

Convocation n. gathering

Calumnious adj. slanderous

Countenance n. face; expression

Canon n. church law

Cunning adj. skill in deception

Churlish adj. ill-mannered

Discourse n. conversation

Commission n. order

Equivocation n. a statement with two

possible interpretations

Firmament n. sky

Prodigal adj. wasteful; extravagant

Imminent - adj. ready to happen; inevitable

Profound adj. having intellectual depth

Impetuous adj. hasty; impulsive

Promontory n. high land jutting into the

sea

Malefaction n. evil deed

Paradox n. something that seems absurd or
against reason, but nonetheless be true

Rendezvous n. meeting; encounter

Resolution n. firmness; resolve

Perceive v. notice; see

Sovereign adj. supreme in power

Perilous adj. dangerous

Sullied adj. tarnished

Pestilent adj. destructive; deadly

Tedious adj. dull and lifeless

Pious adj. devout

Treachery n. act of disloyalty

Portentous adj. threatening

Umbrage n. displeasure; resentment

Potent adj. strong; effective

Visage n. face or facial expression

Annotation Notes
o Highlight important characters and quotes
Journaling
o
o
o
o
o

Every entry should have a date and a number

Every entry will go to the bottom of the page
Every entry should be school appropriate
If writing something personal, and you do not want to share, write Please do not read
Every entry must be in the journal

Letter
1/11/16
Kevin Curran
Address
Recipient name
Recipient Address

Dear Recipient (, for personal; informal, and : for business/ informal)

Body of the letter
Closing- kind regards, sincerely- your name
MLA
o
o
o
o

Purdue Owl Standard

English 10: World Literature standard
In-text citation - ghghgodsldfhsdlfjsldfjsldf (SOURCE).
Works Cited page- on its own page. Title, Works Cited in center at top of
page

Research
Questions to ask:
o Who made this website?
o Are they a credible source?
o Who published it?
o Is it a blog?
Highlight the points that support the thesis.
Include the most important information
Thesis Statement

Roadmap
Three parts
Topic
Point

3 Reason