Miss Bowles Strine The relative advantages of learning my language (Amy Choi)

Ahsan & Masood

Amy was never kind to her grandfather who was a poet in a way. She was Australian and let her 'Chinese go' as she lived in Australia. Every weekend her grandfather went to the city to little Bourke street where he sat at a Chinese restaurant. His memory loss was becoming worse as he didn't come home one night and he was allowed to go out only if accompanied. Amy would now follow him and assist him on his journeys. He had brain tumour and died after three months. At 16 years old Amy felt bad about being unkind and picked up her Chinese again. Key Ideas about I.D & B Explored Amy sees her life as belonging to Australia then she realises as she grows and matures part of her heritage is Chinese. She relearns her language afresh out of respect to her elders. She identifies with both cultures and belongs in both. Stick and Stones and such like (Sunil Badami) Sunil Badami is one three Indian kids in his school. He gets called all sorts of racist comments, but none of them bothers him, except when they wouldnt pronounce his name right. He hated having an Indian name, so he started to use Neil as him name, Until his mother found out and told him Sunil is a beautiful name and told him the meaning. Sunil is the breeze that blows at sunset on Shivas birthday once every thousand years. He eventually accepted his Indian name and was proud that his name was unique and had its own story, its own place, unlike the Matthews B, C and H. He only found out the real meaning of his name, years later in a bookshop with his future wife. He thought there would be chapters written on his name, it wasnt the case, it wasnt even a paragraph, let alone a chapter. Just two little words: dark one. Key Ideas about I.D & B Explored Sunil rejects his name initially to belong to the world outside his home. His mother lies about his name and he becomes proud of it. He still feels Australian and settles for Indian-Australian or Australian-Indian to belong depending on circumstances. Later on he realises the story was a lie but it helped him settle into himself. Learning English (Tom Cho) When tom arrived in Australia he found it hard to learn how to speak English and he took the voice of the actor Bruce Willis to do things for him. He then found his own voice but most of his phrasing came from the TV. Twenty year on he decided to take on a 'anglicised name' he chooses Ricardo Montalba but his friends think he is more like Heather Locklear which are both actors. Key Ideas about I.D & B Explored Tome uses the English language as an identifying force and a barrier for new migrants. It is through television that he chooses an identity enabling him to initially feel belonging.

Miss Bowles Chinese Lessons (Ivy Tseng)

Ahsan & Masood

Ivy had Chinese lessons with her dad every Saturday morning her two sisters shared this experience and they worked through mandarin books with only a short break which they tried to make as long as possible. She wants to be like her older sisters who she admires wanting readers like theirs. When she gets them through they are not exciting and she makes some progress but not allot. A change occurs in the home and lessons later as her mother listens to Mandarin on sbs and lessons become more optional as video hits take over. Ivy now regrets not learning more as her friends are bilingual and it would look good on a resume. Now she works on Saturdays morning at home and she talks to her father in broken mandarin. They talk in 'chinglish' because she wants to understand him. Key Ideas about I.D & B Explored Ivy is separated in her youth between being Australian and having a Taiwanese-Chinese background. She doesn't want to learn Mandarin initially as she identifies more with her Australian side. As she matures Ivy realises that she belongs to both worlds and identifies with that although at times she is uncomfortable. She also belongs with her family and to help her do that she needs some mandarin to facilitate communication.

Relevant Questions 1. How do these stories examine the role of language? Make a table in which you list the various roles that language plays in the lives of the participants.

Story The relative advantages of learning my language

Character Ay Choi

Role Of language Shows how she was dismissive of her grandfathers wish for her to understand his poetry, allowing her language skills to lapse. Shows how his exotic sounding name Sunil is open to derision, creating a situation where her feels excluded from his peer group. When Tom came to Australia he had very minimal English, so he then took the voice of Bruce Willis to do things for him, but then realises his own voice is phrasing. Her Dad would teach her Chinese every Saturday morning but Ivy found these Chinese lessons very boring, but later regrated Ivy now regrets not learning more as her friends are bilingual and it would look good on a resume.

Stick and Stones and such like

Sunil Badami

Learning English

(Tom Cho)

Chinese Lessons

Ivy Tseng

Miss Bowles 2. In what ways does language both limit and empower these individuals.

Ahsan & Masood

All the stories tell us that Characters at first regretting learning the language which limits them with the community and the later realise how important it is to whom and where the belong, which then gives them some confidence.

3. How does a lack of fluency in English (or another language) incite prejudice? Lack of fluency in English or another language incite prejudice as these characters are not actually being forced by anyone but eventually the events that occur allows them to adapt and some to regret.

Three Essay Pieces LINK- To truly belong, one much sacrifice part of their identity

PersuasiveFor many migrants a lack of English Language skills can seem like an insurmountable obstacle to navigating the Australian culture. The characters have to adapt to truly belong to the new environment.

Expository-

Creative-