My Work in Trimester 2
During the first trimester of my World Literature 9 class, we did a unit focused on short stories. The themes covered in the stories that we studied included loss of innocence, maturation, overcoming ignorance, and moving on from the happiness and carefree aspects of childhood. Such themes were conveyed in stories such as a young boy experiencing his first haircut to a girl losing her innocence as she discovers a corpse as she plays in a field. However, the one that stuck out the most to me was Son by short story author Yiyun Li.
Son follows protagonist Han as he returns to China from America. He and his mother are very different from each other: Han is very logical, doesn’t like to be deceived, lacks much empathy, and is bitter and pessimistic, whereas his mother is religious and amiable to the point of being naïve. As the story continues, the two become more at odds about being kind to strangers. In order to prove to his mother that all people are selfish and looking to cheat her out of his money, Han lets two beggar children choose between taking his money and going to church with them. The children choose the former option. However, as the church service began and Han waited outside, he witnessed a car crash that killed both of the beggars from before. This sudden tragedy shook Han to the core, causing him to repair his relationship with his mother and develop more basic kindness.
This story resonated with me for many reasons. Firstly, the writing style was very fresh, introspective, and thoughtful. I took in a really thorough picture of Han’s life and values and I think he is a very strong and relatable protagonist. His progression from being stubborn and not accepting of himself and others to a more open-minded and considerate person is convincing, insightful, and emotional. The twist at the end of the story where the two children were suddenly killed caught me off guard and was one the story’s strokes of genius. Another way that I connected with the story was that I saw much of myself in Han. Neither of us is religious, and we are sometimes ignorant of people’s feelings, particularly our mothers’. I think what makes Han such a great protagonist is that nearly everyone, especially teenagers, can relate to being close-minded and intolerant to loved-ones.
It is for these reasons that I was eager to explore more about Yiyun Li and her work. I found out that Son was part of her collection of short stories: A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. So, over the course of the second trimester, I worked with Heather Brubaker on analyzing this collection. My goal for the end of the trimester was to keep a journal about my reading of A Thousand Years, in which I would write two entries (between 5 and 10 minutes for each) per story. You can view the journal below. The prompts are excerpted from Writing-Based Teaching, edited by Teresa Vilardi and Mary Chang:
Because I already did extensive analysis of Son in the first trimester, I did not do any journal entries on the story. To make up for this, I have included my Son essay below as well.
By honing in on certain details and passages and writing about them without stopping (a process dubbed “focused freewriting” in Writing-Based Teaching), I was able to gain a deeper knowledge of each story by combing through the text for themes and symbols. In addition, using the same set of journal prompts for all of my entries allowed me to better connect the stories to each other. I came to the conclusion at the end of reading the collection that Li’s stories all focused on fate and how certain, sudden events can change an existing system, order, or a person and his or her attitude.
To continue my study into Yiyun Li and her literature, I plan to read her memoir, Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life, in the third trimester. I hope to connect the thoughts and experiences that she shares in the memoir to her short stories. Also, I plan to do cultural and political research about China that is relevant to the stories in A Thousand Years. Many of the stories take place during and/or after Mao’s Cultural Revolution, and I want to research that event and culture in Communist China in order to get more context in Li’s life and her stories’ settings. Finally, as a culmination of all my work over the course of two trimesters, I will hold a seminar in which I will present my study of Li and her work. I look forward to delving deeper into the work of an author whose use of symbolism, complex themes, and relatable characters has captivated me for the past few months!
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab
Loading...
Project by: Jack T. (9th Grade)
Faculty Advisor: Heather Brubaker
Please write a description of the project you are proposing. Why do you want to take this on, and what do you hope to learn?
I will read a collection of short stories and an autobiography by Yiyun Li, recording a journal along the way with my initial thoughts, analysis, and research about how it connects to Chinese culture.
What is your proposed outcome? How will you be able to demonstrate successful completion of this Project?
I will hold an invitational seminar where I will present what I have learned about Yiyun Li, her material, and its connection to culture.
When do you plan on meeting?
I will meet with Heather Brubaker on Thursdays during second lunch.
