Session 6 - August 7, Brian Bernards, USC

[Marcos Garrido]

I really loved Professor Bernards’ presentation, and his two choices of science fiction novellas, as these might be of interest to my students, especially considering the discrimination taking place in Beijing. I think this novel allows students to compare and contrast the treatement of people in folding Beijing with discrimination in our country, particullarly regarding wealth. Perhaps one of the topics that comes to mind is the recent scandal in which wealthy families were caught buying admission into top universities. I figured that my students would be interested in this kind of material because they are very defensive in nature when they feel that their rights are being violated, and this novel would be a great addition to our classroom. Also, I really liked the novella that Professor Bernards’ brought, “The Wandering Earth”, as it allows us to be exposed to a different genre of chinese literature. I personally find it very interesting, as this is a journey that takes centuries and will have to read the  whole novel and watch the film to better understand it.  

[Lin Kuang]

Professor Bernards explored the themes in the stories by Chinese Hugo awards winners, Liu Cixin and Hao Jingfang to understand modern China and its developemnts, which is very impressive. Themes explored in the stories, such as global warming, floating populations, self-sacrificing parents, unwanted baby girls, etc to help us look at China in different perspectives through reading and analyzing Chinese literature via his variety. He also inserted lots of  stories, movies, pictures with detailed information related for us to use them righ away. Self-sacrificing parents are surrounding me. Ny high school sboolamates just landed here in Arcadia in order to help their only child for his btter outsomes. THe mother retired ahead of time from her govenment position, and the father is monitoring his Trading Company online. They admitted their son to Arcadia High School, and rented a single house in the neighborhood. They sent the boy to the Summer School for his English Proficiency the second day after they arrived,  whiling joining golf club & tennis club and taking piano lessons before he goes to high school here. Moving an entire family here , they have to start everything. They have to learn survival Englsih, learn how to drive,, and etc. They are overwhelmed , but extremely happy becasue they finally settled their son for better education as they beleive.

[Madeline George]

I can see reading any of these selections with my students. They seem engaging and appropriately leveled for my 8th graders I think they might be particularly interested in the Folding Beijing novella   My students like to point out other’sflaws and share how they would “fix them”. It’s sounds like Folding Beijing had a mirror up to not only Beijing, but the rest of the world as well. It seems to lend itself to discussions on resource equity, social equity .... lots of equities that we should all be working towards.

[Monica Munguia]

I am not a fan of science fiction books but after Professor Bernards presentation, I figured both plots would appeal to my 8^th grade students.  The existence of an unrealistic world or problem seemed to resemble video games.  The only difference being instead of mastering levels, students are exposed to realistic themes.  Themes leading students to research parallel incidents in the 21^st century.  These could be as broad as global issues or as specific as school problems.  Projects in class could infuse student centered collaborative solutions using technology for peer presentations.  Then students are learning from peers and would be more prone to retaining information.  A comparison would have to be included from the books to support learning of themes.  In addition, if the science is fictional, it could be disproved by students.  Then we could use these skills to tackle relevant teenage topics such as issues with cyber bullying or social media.  The themes Professor Bernards mentioned could lead discussions or research projects in the reliability of posts among students their age or information students tend to believe on the internet.

 

[Monica Munguia]

Poems of Woeser uses figurative language and natural images giving the reader an insight into the author’s life struggles.  In analyzing these poems, students could develop poetic literary skills to relay their own personal scenarios.  Therefore, students could attach emotional outputs and retain learning for long term memory.  A recurring theme could be approached in a set of poems therefore mastering skills.  Students could relay the theme through different perspectives as in Woeser’s poems.

 

[Joy Chao]

I also enjoy reading this short story. I made a mistake myself that years ago, I had a boy in my Chinese 1 who always fell asleep during class, well actually, more like he came to school to sleep because this happened in all of his other classes as well. I talked to him a few times and he always says “sorry I’m just tired.” At that time I made the conclusion that he’s just “one of those lazy students” who doesn’t care about learning. But, one thing puzzles me is that he always finishes his homework on time and his writing is quite good, so it doesn’t really fit into the type. His sleepiness pattern lasted the first few weeks of school until the day of back to school night, I saw his parents coming in with him dragging 3 other young children, age between 3-7 or so. While his parents sitting in the classroom, he was with his younger siblings outside and I could hear him telling them to be quiet and behave. The next day after class I found a chance to talk to him, he bashfully told me that everyday after school, he had to rush home to help his parents take care of his siblings because both of his parents work at the restaurant until late at night. He also had to put them to bed and wait until they fall asleep before he can finally start with his homework. I don’t need to tell you how bad and ashamed I felt. Too often we come to a conclusion too fast. I’ve learned from this experience to never put a label on any of my students until I get to the bottom of it. 

[Jennifer Chang]

Thanks for sharing your story, Joy! I find that it is very easy to make assumptions and as teachers, it is really important to step back and think about what might be causing our students to act a certain way. I really think that You Jin's stories about her students would be great to include for a teacher workshop! I can imagine the great discussions it would spark. 

[Jennifer Chang]

https://www.rfa.org/english/women/woeser-09302008132134.html

 

I chose poems by Woeser because I was interested in learning more about conflict between Tibet and China, and felt that my background knowledge in this area was very limited. This made it a bit challenging to understand the poems at first, but after a bit of research, I was able to come across more information about Woeser’s personal life and her activism for Tibetan human rights. Woeser did not learn much about her Tibetan past until later in life, and realized that her father had secretly been a Buddhist. After learning more about Tibet, she began to write short stories and poems about the lives of Tibetans. Because of her work, she has been placed under house arrest and has been under close watch. 

 

“Return to Lhasa” was really interesting to read, because it showed Woeser going back home, but feeling far removed from it even though she physically there. Everything was built up to cater to Chinese tourists, and even souvenirs were made to be sold as “authentic” Tibetan products. I noticed that she used words like “huge”, “enlarged”, “imposing” when describing the new things that were built in Lhasa - possibly a sense of taking over what used to be there. 

 

She is very cynical in the beginning of the poem, and then it takes a different tone towards the end. She starts to feel nostalgic when interacting with the Tibetan people and heads into the Hall. It seems that she has a slight glimpse of hope as she stands in front of the statue, and then can’t seem to find it in her last line “I hear only a wind in the abyss.” I think her words are really powerful, and I would love to learn more about her and her work!

 

[Petrina Jap]

While reading “The Wandering Earth,” I was struck by how emotionless or matter-of-fact the characters were in certain scenes. Human relationships are portrayed as disposable throughout the novella, as practically planning for survival takes precedent over feelings. At the same time, I find that this story was deeply personal; the narrator expresses moments of longing and grief. It is clear that the people on earth feel deep fear, as all of their actions are reactions to their emotions, primarily anger and fear. When anger is expressed through the Resistance, hate is subsequently spread throughout the world. The narrator describes his feelings of deep remorse, as well as a little girl spitting on an old man. This leads me to wonder if the characters are truly void of emotions throughout the story, or if they have simply been suppressing their emotions. 

I think it’d be interesting to compare the reflections of students of varying grade/age levels regarding the message and themes of this novella. Certain themes in this story are hidden, and its note on human usage of natural resources is certainly complex (considering that it was necessary for survival). I am curious to observe how different students interact with this text, its messages, and its implications. 

 

[Petrina Jap]

I read “Folding Beijing” after “The Wandering Earth,” and noted that there were noticeable different emphases, though both were science-fiction novels with similar themes. The story of “The Wandering Earth” revolved around survival, and the tone of the narrator was cold and matter-of-fact; the story of “Folding Beijing” also revolved around survival, yet the narrator and characters he interacts with speak with emotion and are motivated by love. In “The Wandering Earth,” the main character and his wife have a son but often leave him unattended and ultimately are disconnected with him. In “Folding Beijing,” the main character adopts a daughter, recognizes her inclinations, and undergoes great lengths to provide for her. 

These differences could be credited to the two stories taking place in two very different settings. Or, as Dr. Bernard mentioned in his lecture, perhaps this difference could be due to “The Wandering Earth” being authored by a man, and “Folding Beijing” being authored by a woman — an idea that brings up many different questions of gender in itself! 

[Eva Morales]

I enjoyed reading the story of “Pets.” I, like You Jin, think that it’s important to build a connection with students in order to have class management go well. I think that all teachers need to read this book, because it showed how even a child that doesn’t have the interest to engage in something academic, he or she might have the desire to do something else. Like Wen Li, sometimes students want to matter to adults, because they might not be getting that at home. I know that our job is to teach, but sometimes we need to wear other hats to be able to connect with the students. This way we are able to establish that we do care for them and that they matter.

[Xiaowei Hunt]

"Pets" by You Jin, a famous Singaporean writer gave me happy surprise! I am very surprised that Madame Tham was depicted as a teacher who won over Wen Li, a “difficult” student who loathes all her past Chinese language teachers who thought “Wen Li is utterly worthless. She doesn't pay attention in class and her homework is a total mess. When I spoke to her, her attitude couldn't have been worse. She's hopeless, a hard nut to crack”. However, Madame Tham makes connection with Wen Li through giving Wen Li a green-haired turtle, a pet that puts smile on Wen Li’s face.  Madame Tham is like spring breeze and rain to re-arouse Wen Li in learning the Chinese language. I can relate to Madame Tham and Wen Li as I am a teacher and have students like Wen Li. 

I have been looking online for the original “Pets” in Chinese by You Jin so that I can prepare it for the students in my AP Chinese language & culture class, but have not been able to find it. I will continue to search for it. 

[Eva Morales]

I agree with "Folding Beijing" being a good book to read in class. I think students would benefit by seeing the inequities and injustice from this perspective. I think that students would be able to have a deep conversation with each other about this issue and how it relates to in society. I think this would be suitable for any class to read. I could translate it and teach it to my Spanish classes.  I think they would find this topic as fascinating as we do.

[Anthony Pollard]

     Somehow, there seems to be a feeling China did not readily participate in science fiction publications because propaganda the media produced had to have a real life meaning. However, at some point in time as SciFi increased in popularity, especially, in the Western countries, China produced realistic science fiction about possible natural catastrophes.

[Anthony Pollard]

     There is something about translations from an original language, we can assume some degradation because we rely on the translation from a secondary source. However, our students most likely will not be able to read the language in which the Woeser poems were actually written. 

     The Woeser poems provide a great source for analysis. The time in which they are written gives our students an opportunity to perceive the emotional state the tone intends, and then translate its meaning using their 21st century critical thinking and close reading skills.

     For example, Of Mixed Race, dated July 21, 1993 Lhasa, the word "her" is being used, but is the intended purpose to be about a woman, for a woman, a woman's thoughts, or a woman's desires? It is Western to assume a particular gender, for a particular interpretative comprehension.

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