Two Kinds

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text throughout your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Each of the example prodigies Suyuan presents to June is stereotypically American, notably Shirley Temple.

• For June’s family, in what ways is the American Dream about assimilation? (topic sentence)
• What is June rebelling against? The American Dream? Assimilation? Or something else?
• In your final sentences, discuss the family’s internal practices versus their public practices.

2. Suyuan leaves China during the second Sino-Japanese War when Japan invaded China. She loses her family, home, husband, and two baby daughters during her escape.

• In what ways does Post-Wartime Grief in the Immigrant Household affect Suyuan’s aspirations for June? (topic sentence)
• June laments that her mother doesn’t appreciate her for who she is. Describe how June fails to understand her mother.
• In your closing sentences, consider whether the pair ever come to understand or appreciate each other.

3. June narrates the story from the vantage point of an adult looking back on a childhood event and tracing its significance in her development as an adult.

• How is June’s Presentation of Memory affected by her narrative viewpoint? (topic sentence)
• Describe the ways the narrator develops each main character. What do readers know of each? With which character do readers most sympathize, and why?
• In your closing sentences, consider whether June’s portrayal of herself and her mother seems honest or biased, and why.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. The Joy Luck Club is a group of four Chinese American women who immigrated from China to America around the same time. Each woman has one daughter who was born and raised in America. The group, of which Suyuan Woo and Lindo Jong are two of the four members, meets regularly to play mahjong. Though they frequently bicker and compete with one another, the mothers have a strong bond based on their shared experiences. Each mother expects her daughter to join the Club when the mother passes. Based on “Two Kinds,” do you expect June to join the Joy Luck Club? Why or why not?

2. In the story, the concept of a prodigy is linked to public performance. One’s skill is insufficient; it must be performed and recognized publicly to be of value. Shirley Temple performs on television, and other gifted children are the subjects of magazine stories. June’s recital is also a public performance of a skill. Discuss how Waverly, Auntie Lindo, and Suyuan react to her performance. What is the reaction of each, and why? How does each reaction affect June?

3. June’s real name is Jing-Mei. She has an American name and a Chinese name. Like the two kinds of daughters in the story—obedient and independent—in what ways are there two Junes? Examine the role of Generational Disparity in the American Dream when presenting your argument.