American Born Chinese

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 language 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 over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. A bildungsroman is a work of literature that follows a protagonist as this person comes of age.

• In what ways does Yang’s graphic novel meet the definition of a bildungsroman? (topic sentence)
• Find and discuss three examples from the text to substantiate your topic sentence.
• How does the novel’s bildungsroman connect with the theme Growing up in America as the Child of Immigrants?

2. Several characters seek to transform their identity in the novel.

• Why do the characters want to change their identity? (topic sentence)
• Select one of these characters and explain why they want to undergo a transformation. Evaluate the extent to which they change in the story.
• Based on the ending of the story, what point is Yang making about one’s Identity and the Limitations of Transformation?

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. Yang incorporates characters like the Monkey King from Chinese mythology into the storyline. Research the myth of the Monkey King and identify parallels between the traditional story and Yang’s novel. Did Yang alter any parts of the traditional story? If so, why do you think he made these changes?

2. Yang incorporates humor carefully throughout the novel. Select three humorous incidents in the novel, and explain how they impact the tone and the atmosphere of the novel at those particular moments. What is the purpose of humor in these situations? Would a lack of humor change the tone of the novel? Why or why not? Support your response with evidence from the novel.

3. As a graphic novel, this text is able to simultaneously use visuals and words to convey a point. Select a series of panels from the novel to analyze and examine Yang’s use of color, line, and lettering. How does the author use graphics to communicate his message, and what message do you think is foremost in his mind? How would the message change if the text was not a graphic novel?