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    I. Non-Core Vocabulary and Slang: The Paper Menagerie Worksheet

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    mclaramc
    The document provides vocabulary and comprehension questions about the short story "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu. It explores themes of cultural identity and the complex relationship between the narrator and his mother. Specifically: 1) The narrator's mother handmakes origami animals for him as a child that seem to come to life, representing her attempts to soothe him and maintain their cultural heritage. 2) As the narrator grows older, tensions arise from his struggles with racism, cultural assimilation, and the desire to fit in as an American teenager. 3) The story examines the bittersweet relationship between the narrator and his mother through the lens of the paper menagerie, as it

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    I. Non-Core Vocabulary and Slang: The Paper Menagerie Worksheet

    Uploaded by

    mclaramc
    371 views4 pages
    The document provides vocabulary and comprehension questions about the short story "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu. It explores themes of cultural identity and the complex relationship between the narrator and his mother. Specifically: 1) The narrator's mother handmakes origami animals for him as a child that seem to come to life, representing her attempts to soothe him and maintain their cultural heritage. 2) As the narrator grows older, tensions arise from his struggles with racism, cultural assimilation, and the desire to fit in as an American teenager. 3) The story examines the bittersweet relationship between the narrator and his mother through the lens of the paper menagerie, as it

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    PaperMenagerieWKSHT

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    The document provides vocabulary and comprehension questions about the short story "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu. It explores themes of cultural identity and the complex relationship between the narrator and his mother. Specifically: 1) The narrator's mother handmakes origami animals for him as a child that seem to come to life, representing her attempts to soothe him and maintain their cultural heritage. 2) As the narrator grows older, tensions arise from his struggles with racism, cultural assimilation, and the desire to fit in as an American teenager. 3) The story examines the bittersweet relationship between the narrator and his mother through the lens of the paper menagerie, as it

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    371 views4 pages

    I. Non-Core Vocabulary and Slang: The Paper Menagerie Worksheet

    Uploaded by

    mclaramc
    The document provides vocabulary and comprehension questions about the short story "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu. It explores themes of cultural identity and the complex relationship between the narrator and his mother. Specifically: 1) The narrator's mother handmakes origami animals for him as a child that seem to come to life, representing her attempts to soothe him and maintain their cultural heritage. 2) As the narrator grows older, tensions arise from his struggles with racism, cultural assimilation, and the desire to fit in as an American teenager. 3) The story examines the bittersweet relationship between the narrator and his mother through the lens of the paper menagerie, as it

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 4
    At a glance
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    The story explores themes of cultural identity, assimilation, and the complex relationship between a mother and son. Magic realism is used to tell a story about a Chinese-American family.

    The narrator's mother makes paper animals for him that come to life through her 'magical' breath. This shows her attempt to connect to her heritage and pass it on to her son.

    The author explores the complex relationship between Chinese and American culture through the experiences of the narrator and his mother, like the mother's attempts to assimilate and the racism they face.

    The Paper Menagerie Worksheet

    I. Non-Core Vocabulary and Slang

    menagerie (26) - a collection of statues, figures, or miniatures, usually of animals


    wrapping paper (26) - paper used to cover presents so that the receiver doesn’t know what it is
    pleated, packed, tucked, rolled, and twisted (26) - the author is using words to describe how the mother
    makes the tiger
    candy canes (26) - red and white striped, mint-flavored candies popular at Christmas
    pounce (26) - to jump, especially cats, so as to land on and capture prey
    storm into (27) - to enter a room or place angrily
    to wallow (28). - to lay down and roll around in (esp. animals like pigs)
    capillary action (28) - a process by which a liquid moves against gravity soaking into a solid
    a limp (28) - a condition where someone is unable to walk properly due to injury
    to his heart’s content (28) - as much as he wanted
    sparrow (28) - a kind of small bird common in America
    cornered (28) - to force someone or something into a space where they cannot escape
    whimper (28) - to cry softly out of pain
    wince (28) - to slightly move your body as a reaction to pain
    patched his ear together (28) - fixed his ear
    TV documentary (29) - a show on television meant to teach the audience about something
    to come undone (29) - to fall apart
    utility company (29) - a company responsible for providing water, electricity, and gas to houses
    slanty eyes (30) - negative expression used to describe the narrower eyes of Asian peoples
    action figure (30) - a plastic toy for children whose arms, legs, and head can be moved
    light saber (30) - a sword made out lasers from the movie Star Wars
    skittering (31) - a light skipping sound
    snarl (31) - a sound that some animals make with the intent of warning or frightening
    to crumple (31) - to take a piece of paper or other similar material and change it from being straight and
    flat to more ball-shaped
    smooth out the paper (31) - opposite of crumple
    crease (32) - a line along which something has been folded
    chink (32) - an VERY bad word for Chinese people
    brushed her hand away (33) - to use one’s own hand in a waving motion to move something away
    mime (34) - to use body language and hand movements to express something
    might as well (34) - to be just the same as if
    non-insulated (37) - not protected from the elements
    brittle (37) - easily broken
    flipping through the TV channels (37) - to change the TV channels quickly finding something to watch
    shabby (38) - dirty or worn-down; poorly maintained
    the departed (39) - the dead
    mainlander (41) - someone from China itself, instead of one of its large islands like Taiwan or Hong Kong
    II. Core Vocabulary

    to sob (26) to soothe (26) to slice (26) stack (26)


    plain (26) to growl (26) to startle (26) to vibrate (26)
    catalogue (27) to drape (27) contempt (27) to chase (28)
    to press down (28) to inflate (28) liquid (28) to collapse (28)
    crooked (28) desperation (28) to tear (28) to avoid (29)
    soggy (29) translucent (29) to rescue (29) to droop (29)
    guilty (29) to magnify (29) evidence (30) nimble (31)
    timid (31) to stumble (31) to reason (32) to fit in (33)
    to squeeze (33) exaggerated (34) peasant (34) suburb (34)
    cancer (35) surgery (35) recruit (35) intellectual (35)
    conscious (35) to startle (35) rapidly (36) to give up (37)
    awkward (38) dense (38) famine (39) merchant (40)

    III. Reading Comprehension

    1. When in the narrator’s life does the first part take place?

    2. What does the narrator’s mother make for him? What is special about what she makes?

    3. The style of this story is called magic realism. What do you think this means? What makes this story an
    example of magic realism?

    4. How old is the narrator when he finds out about his parent’s history? What is his relationship with his
    mother like at the time?

    5. What is an introduction service? How do the narrator’s parents meet?

    6. Describe the narrator’s first experience with racism.

    7. What is the narrator’s initial reaction to Mark’s Star Wars toys? Why does he have this reaction?

    8. The incident with Mark and laohu is a formative experience in the narrator’s relationship with his
    mother and sets off a chain reaction. What happens and how does it affect his relationship with her and
    their home life?
    9. What happens when Jack tries to put the paper menagerie away?

    10. In what ways does the mother attempt to assimilate to American culture? Use specific examples.

    11. What does the narrator mean when he writes: ‘I was already at that age when I wasn’t interested in
    what she had to say whatever language she used’ (34).

    12. The book mentions people as commodities twice. In what contexts does this occur?

    13. What happens when the narrator returns to the paper menagerie as an adult with Susan?

    14. Is the mother’s breath really magical?

    15. When do the animals come back to life? What is significant about this day?

    16. Describe the mother’s life in China, before she goes to Hong Kong.

    17. How does the mother view the birth of her son?

    IV. Discussion Questions

    1. A major part of this story is the complex relationship between two cultures. How does the author
    explore this?

    2. The paper menagerie is clearly used in a symbolic way? What do you think it represents? Give some
    examples.

    3. The father is an interesting character. Describe him. How do you think the author means us to feel
    about the father?

    4. At the end of the story the author reconnects with the paper menagerie. In what context does this
    happen? Explain the events leading up to his reading of the letter.
    5. How can we interpret the end of the story?

    6. In my opinion, there are two major themes that are intertwined throughout this book. What are they?
    Give examples.

    7. How would you describe the relationship between the mother and the father?

    V. ESSAY TOPIC

    Pick one of the major themes we discussed in class. How does the author explore this theme in the
    story? Use and analyze specific quotations (2-3) and explain how they inform the author’s exploration
    of this theme.

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