When You Trap a Tiger

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Brainstorm a list of books or movies in which a particular culture’s legends, folktales, myths, or other stories play a role. In what different ways do writers and filmmakers incorporate these cultural tales or details into their stories?

Teaching Suggestion: In offering examples, try to inspire students with a varied representation of genres and cultures: the Ragnarök myth in Thor: Ragnarök, Greek mythic characters in the Percy Jackson series, Hindu myths in Aru Shah and the End of Time, and the Golem legend in Sweep: A Story of a Girl and Her Monster. Connect to When You Trap a Tiger by explaining that protagonist Lily will be focused on her grandmother’s Korean stories for much of the novel, and that tigers are a recurring symbol in traditional Korean literature and art. Expand the discussion of student responses by introducing the theme of The Perception and Importance of Stories, and by considering the influence of folktales, myths, and legends on popular culture, with examples from these or other articles.

• This student-friendly article, “How Greek Mythology Continues to Have a Large Influence on Our Modern Lives,” focuses on the presence of Greek myths in popular culture.

2. Sometimes our traits, likes, or dislikes characterize our roles in our family. For example, in your immediate or extended family, you or a sibling, cousin, or other family member might be considered “the quiet one,” “the musical one,” “the picky eater,” “the creative one,” or “the hard worker.” Think of someone in your family whom others label with a role like one of these. In what ways do you or they fulfill this role? What happens if you or they break out of the established role? (Or: What would happen?) When do labels or roles begin to cause conflict?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might transition naturally from a discussion of “roles” to labels and stereotypes. Connect to the novel by previewing how Lily’s sister, Sam, considers Lily an example of the “QAG (Quiet Asian Girl)” stereotype at the novel’s start (Chapter 3). Students can then watch carefully for scenes in which Lily speaks or acts out, exemplifying the theme of Defying Established Roles.

• Depending on the direction of the class discussion, you might find the suggested language in “Stereotype Examples: 5 Common Types” useful for talking about negative stereotypes and for analyzing conflicts that result when labels become stereotypes.

Short Activity

In When You Trap a Tiger, Lily recalls listening as a child to traditional Korean stories that her halmoni (grandmother) told. Before reading the novel, tell an original children’s story to a small group of 3-4 classmates based on the story starters below.

• Choose (or draw from a cup) one first line and one lesson/moral:

First lines:

o  Once, a very hungry tiger wandered into a village.

o  Once, a tiger had to tell a story to avoid banishment.

o  Once, a young woman fled across a sea to avoid a terrible tiger.

o  Once, a young man tricked a tiger out of his riches, and the tiger chased him.

Lessons/Morals:

o  Magic has its risks.

o  Seeing is believing.

o  Losing trust is easier than regaining it.

o  Making assumptions is dangerous.

• Take turns telling your tales, starting with the first line. Aim to reveal the moral or lesson by the end of the story.
• Keep the telling of your story under two minutes or so. Try to imitate a formal storytelling style (as in a fairytale or a traditional children’s story like “Little Red Riding Hood”).

Teaching Suggestion: Students may discover that impromptu oral storytelling is a challenge! Keep the focus on tying the story idea to a moral or message—even if the story is unfinished or lacks a linear plot. This short activity serves to fulfill standards in Speaking and Listening and drama.

• This National Geographic article, “Storytelling and Cultural Traditions,” might serve as a connecting point between this short activity and the Korean traditional stories in the novel.

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