Reading Assignment: Read until p. 117 In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson.
Writing Assignment: Highlighting What Makes Shirley Different From Wanda
Shirley Temple Wong, the heroine of Bette Bao Lord’s In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, is like Wanda Petronski, a stranger in a strange land. And like Wanda, she does not fit in. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end. As characters, they are quite different.
Your job as the writer is to describe and illustrate one or two key ways that Shirley differs from Wanda. Below is an example of what I mean by illustrate. Note how I make a statement about the character, give an example of that character in action and then provide a quote.
Kate Shelley, the heroine of the novel Kate Shelly and the Midnight Express is a child who takes on the responsibility of an adult. (General statement describing the character) After her brother dies and her mother becomes depressed, Kate is the one who takes care of the smaller children. (Specific illustration from the book) She even says at one point, “Mother is tired, if you need something, ask me to help you.”
(Quotation from the book further backing up my point) Kate is also portrayed as stubborn. When, for instance,….
Please begin the writing with some general statement like “Shirley Temple Wong in Bette Bao Lord’s In the Year of the Boar and Jack Robinson somewhat resembles Wanda Petronski of Eleanor Estes’s, The Hundred Dresses. She is from a foreign country and has a hard time fitting in with her American-born classmates. But the character of Shirley is quite different from the character of Wanda. (This should be your focus) Shirley, for instance, is …..