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The White Umbrella by Gish Jen: A Deep Dive into Identity, Assimilation, and the Weight of Expectations
Gish Jen's "The White Umbrella" isn't just a captivating short story; it's a poignant exploration of cultural identity, the pressures of assimilation, and the complexities of familial relationships. This post will delve into the intricacies of Jen's masterful narrative, analyzing its themes, characters, and lasting impact. We'll uncover the subtle power dynamics at play, examine the significance of the titular umbrella, and explore why this seemingly simple story continues to resonate with readers decades after its publication. Get ready to unpack the layers of meaning hidden within this powerful work of literature.
H2: The Unfolding Narrative: A Summary of "The White Umbrella"
The story centers around a young Chinese-American girl, Mona, navigating the turbulent waters of childhood in a predominantly white American society. Her world is primarily defined by her relationship with her family, especially her ambitious and somewhat overbearing mother. Mona is gifted but struggles with the expectations placed upon her, particularly concerning her academic achievements. This pressure is palpable, shaping her experiences at school and impacting her self-perception. The story unfolds through Mona's perspective, allowing us to witness her internal struggles and her evolving understanding of her place in the world. The pivotal symbol of the white umbrella itself represents the allure of assimilation, but also the potential loss of cultural heritage and individual identity.
H2: Exploring the Central Themes: Identity and Assimilation
H3: The Tug-of-War Within: The central conflict in "The White Umbrella" revolves around Mona's struggle to reconcile her Chinese heritage with her American upbringing. Her mother's relentless push for academic excellence stems from a desire for Mona to succeed in a world that often marginalizes minorities. This pressure, however, creates a sense of internal conflict within Mona, forcing her to question her own identity and aspirations. She grapples with the feeling of being "too Chinese" for some and "too American" for others, highlighting the challenges faced by many first-generation immigrants and their children.
H3: The Allure and Peril of Assimilation: The white umbrella itself is a powerful metaphor for assimilation. Mona's initial fascination with it reflects the appeal of blending into the dominant culture. The umbrella offers protection from the rain (representing the challenges of a new culture) and acceptance, allowing her to fit in with her classmates. However, the story subtly underscores the potential cost of this assimilation—the potential loss of one's unique cultural identity and the silencing of one's own voice.
H2: Character Analysis: Mona and Her Mother
H3: Mona: A Portrait of a Child Under Pressure: Mona is a complex character, portrayed as both gifted and vulnerable. She's intelligent and possesses a keen awareness of her surroundings, but she's also burdened by the expectations placed upon her. Her internal conflict makes her relatable; her struggles with self-doubt and the search for belonging are universally understood experiences.
H3: The Mother: A Complex Figure Driven by Ambition: Mona's mother is a more ambiguous figure. While her ambition is understandable, stemming from a desire to provide a better future for her daughter, her methods can be seen as overly demanding and even suffocating. The story doesn't judge her unequivocally; instead, it presents a nuanced portrayal of a mother grappling with her own experiences and anxieties in a new country. Her actions highlight the generational differences and the complexities of parent-child relationships across cultures.
H2: The Significance of the White Umbrella: More Than Just a Symbol
The white umbrella transcends its literal function. It becomes a symbol of both allure and alienation. Initially, it represents Mona's desire for acceptance and integration into the American mainstream. The umbrella becomes a marker of belonging within a social structure that often excludes those deemed “different.” However, as the story progresses, the umbrella takes on a darker shade, highlighting the potential loss of individuality and cultural heritage that can come with complete assimilation. The umbrella becomes a reminder of the constant negotiation between assimilation and the preservation of one's cultural identity.
H2: The Lasting Impact of "The White Umbrella"
"The White Umbrella" continues to resonate with readers due to its exploration of timeless and universal themes. Its focus on cultural identity, the pressures of assimilation, and the complexities of familial relationships makes it relevant across generations. The story's subtle power and its ability to evoke strong emotions contribute to its enduring appeal, making it a valuable piece of literature for students and readers alike. It serves as a reminder of the importance of self-discovery and the enduring strength of cultural heritage.
Conclusion
Gish Jen's "The White Umbrella" is a beautifully crafted short story that masterfully explores the multifaceted nature of identity, assimilation, and familial relationships. Through the lens of young Mona's experiences, Jen offers a nuanced and thought-provoking exploration of the challenges faced by many immigrants and their children in navigating a new culture while preserving their heritage. The story's lasting power lies in its ability to resonate with readers on a deeply personal level, prompting reflection on our own experiences with identity and belonging.
FAQs
1. What is the central conflict in "The White Umbrella"? The central conflict lies in Mona's struggle to reconcile her Chinese heritage with her American upbringing and the pressure from her mother to excel academically within American society.
2. What is the symbolism of the white umbrella? The white umbrella symbolizes the allure and potential pitfalls of assimilation, representing both the desire to fit in and the possible loss of cultural identity.
3. How does the story portray the mother character? The mother is presented as a complex character driven by ambition and a desire for her daughter's success, but her methods sometimes create pressure and conflict with Mona.
4. What makes "The White Umbrella" a significant work of literature? Its exploration of universal themes such as identity, assimilation, and family dynamics, combined with its subtle and emotionally resonant storytelling, makes it enduringly relevant.
5. What is the overall message of "The White Umbrella"? The story encourages a reflection on the importance of balancing the desire for assimilation with the preservation of one's cultural heritage and individual identity, emphasizing the complexities of finding one's place in the world.
| the white umbrella by gish jen: A Study Guide for Gish Jen's "The White Umbrella" Gale, Cengage Learning, A Study Guide for Gish Jen's The White Umbrella, excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Short Stories for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Short Stories for Students for all of your research needs. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Tiger Writing Gish Jen, 2013-03-25 In three pieces originally delivered as special lectures, draws on the biography of the author's father as well as the evolution of her own work to contrast Western and Eastern ideas of self-narration and interdependency. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Typical American Gish Jen, 2014-11-11 This “irresistible novel” of Chinese immigrants navigating the American dream is “startling [and] heartrending, without ever losing its comic touch” (Entertainment Weekly). Gish Jen reinvents the American immigrant story through the Chang family, who first come to the United States with no intention of staying. But when the Communists assume control of China in 1949, Ralph Chang, his sister Theresa, and his wife Helen find themselves in a crisis, struggling to cling to their old-world ideas of themselves. But soon they begin to dream the American dream of self-invention. They transform, poignantly and ironically, from people who disparage all that is “typical American” to people who aspire to the American ideal. With droll humor and a deep empathy for her characters, Gish Jen creates a superbly engrossing story that sparkles with wit while challenging the reader to reconsider what it means to be a typical American. “No paraphrase could capture the intelligence of Gish Jen’s prose, its epigrammatic sweep and swiftness . . . . The author just keeps coming at you line after stunning line.” —The New York Times Book Review |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: World and Town Gish Jen, 2011-10-04 The award-winning author of Thank You, Mr. Nixon and The Resisters delivers “[a] triumph of a novel.... Jen reflects America, at its best, its worst, its most vulnerable” (The Miami Herald), and asks deep questions about religion, love, home, and meaning. Hattie Kong, a retired teacher and a descendant of Confucius, has decided that it’s time to start over. She moves to the peaceful New England town of Riverlake, a place that once represented the rock-solid base of American life. Instead of quietude, Hattie discovers a town challenged by cell-phone towers, chain stores, and struggling farms. Soon Hattie is joined by an immigrant Cambodian family on the run, and—quite unexpectedly—Carter Hatch, a love from her past. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Thank You, Mr. Nixon Gish Jen, 2022-11-01 The acclaimed, award-winning author of The Resisters takes measure of the fifty years since the opening of China and its unexpected effects on the lives of ordinary people. It is a unique book that only Jen could write—a story collection accruing the power of a novel as it proceeds—a work that Cynthia Ozick has called “an art beyond art. It is life itself.” Beginning with a cheery letter penned by a Chinese girl in heaven to “poor Mr. Nixon” in hell, Gish Jen embarks on a fictional journey through U.S.-China relations, capturing the excitement of a world on the brink of tectonic change. Opal Chen reunites with her Chinese sisters after forty years; newly cosmopolitan Lulu Koo wonders why Americans “like to walk around in the woods with the mosquitoes”; Hong Kong parents go to extreme lengths to reestablish contact with their “number-one daughter” in New York; and Betty Koo, brought up on “no politics, just make money,” finds she must reassess her mother’s philosophy. With their profound compassion and equally profound humor, these eleven linked stories trace the intimate ways in which humans make and are made by history, capturing an extraordinary era in an extraordinary way. Delightful, provocative, and powerful, Thank You, Mr. Nixon furnishes yet more proof of Gish Jen’s eminent place among American storytellers. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Mona in the Promised Land Gish Jen, 2012-08-29 From the acclaimed, award-winning author of Thank You, Mr. Nixon comes a “hilariously funny and seriously important” novel (Amy Tan) about American multiculturalism and a Chinese American teenager doing her best to fit in–even if it means converting to Judaism. In these pages, acclaimed author Gish Jen introduces us to teenaged Mona Chang, who in 1968 moves with her newly prosperous family to Scarshill, New York. Here, the Chinese are seen as the new Jews. What could be more natural than for Mona to take this literally—even to the point of converting? As Mona attends temple rap sessions and falls in love (with a nice Jewish boy who lives in a tepee), Jen introduces us to one of the most charming and sweet-spirited heroines in recent fiction, a girl who can wisecrack with perfect aplomb even when she's organizing the help in her father's pancake house. On every page, Gish Jen sets our received notions spinning with a wit as dry as a latter-day Jane Austen's. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Pop Art Joe Hill, 2014-09-11 A beautiful story about Art; a living, breathing boy in all respects - who happens to be made of inflatable plastic. POP ART is an exceptional, must-read of a short story. Joe Hill is the New York Times bestselling author of NOS4A2, Horns, and Heart-Shaped Box, and the prize-winning story collection 20th Century Ghosts. He is also the co-author, with Stephen King, of In the Tall Grass. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Unfriended Rachel Vail, 2015-09-01 In middle school, nothing is more important than friendship. When Truly is invited to sit at the Popular Table with the group she has dreamed of joining, she can hardly believe her luck. Everyone seems so nice, so kind to one another. But all is not as it seems with her new friends, and soon she's caught in a maelstrom of lies, misunderstandings, accusations and counter-accusations, all happening very publicly in the relentless, hyperconnected social media world from which there is no escape. Six eighth-graders, four girls and two boys, struggle to understand and process their fractured glimples into one another's lives as they find new ways to disconnect, but also to connect, in Rachel Vail's richest and most searching book. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: America Street a Multicultural Anthology of Stories Anne Mazer, 1993-01 |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Still Life With Rice Helie Lee, 1997-04-08 In this radiant memoir of her grandmother's life, Lee recreates a culture that is both seductively exotic and strangely familiar. Lee's desire to recover the family's history, as well as to understand the intricate weave of her own identity, results in the exploration of universal issues such as the complex nature of family relations and the rapidly changing lives of women in this century. of photos. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: The Umbrella Jan Brett, 2004-09-09 A walk through the Costa Rican cloud forest provides a wonderfully lush setting for Jan Brett's beloved animal illustrations. When Carlos drops his umbrella to climb a tree for a better view of the animals, they all cram into the banana-leaf umbrella as it floats by--from the little tree frog to the baby tapir to the big jaguar and more. It gets so crowded in the umbrella that there isn't even enough room for a little hummingbird! So over the umbrella tumbles, everyone falls out, and poor Carlos comes back wondering why he didn't see any animals all day. In the spirit of Jan Brett's The Mitten and The Hat, this cheerful tale of escalation will have readers poring over every illustration for the world of details Jan packs in. With its classic story, exotic jungle setting, and brilliantly colorful menagerie, The Umbrella is sure to take its place among Jan's many family favorites. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: The White Umbrella Mary Frances Bowley, 2012-10-01 Stories of survivors of sex-trafficking. Sex trafficking. We hear about it on the nightly news and in special interest stories from around the world, but it occurs daily in communities all around us. Every year, thousands of young women are forced into sexual exploitation. Most are under the age of 18. The damage this causes to their emotions and souls is immeasurable. But they are not without hope. The White Umbrella tells stories of survivors as well as those who came alongside to help them to recovery. It describes the pain and the strength of these young women and those who held the “white umbrella” of protection and purity over them on the road to restoration. This book offers principles and guidance to anyone with a heart for these hurting young women and a desire to help. It is an ideal resource for individuals or organizations seeking to learn what they can do to assist these victims in becoming whole again. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: The Columbia Guide to Asian American Literature Since 1945 Guiyou Huang, 2006-08-08 The Columbia Guide to Asian American Literature Since 1945 |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Who's Irish? Gish Jen, 2012-08-29 In this dazzling collection of short stories, the award-winning author of the acclaimed novels Thank You, Mr. Nixon and Mona in the Promised Land—presents a sparkling ... gently satiric look at the American Dream and its fallout on those who pursue it (The New York Times). The stories in Who's Irish? show us the children of immigrants looking wonderingly at their parents' efforts to assimilate, while the older generation asks how so much selfless hard work on their part can have yielded them offspring who'd sooner drop out of life than succeed at it. With dazzling wit and compassion, Gish Jen looks at ambition and compromise at century's end and finds that much of the action is as familiar—and as strange—as the things we know to be most deeply true about ourselves. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Nowhere Man Aleksandar Hemon, 2009-12-23 In this stylistically adventurous, brilliantly funny tour de force-the most highly acclaimed debut since Nathan Englander's-Aleksander Hemon writes of love and war, Sarajevo and America, with a skill and imagination that are breathtaking. A love affair is experienced in the blink of an eye as the Archduke Ferdinand watches his wife succumb to an assassin's bullet. An exiled writer, working in a sandwich shop in Chicago, adjusts to the absurdities of his life. Love letters from war torn Sarajevo navigate the art of getting from point A to point B without being shot. With a surefooted sense of detail and life-saving humor, Aleksandar Hemon examines the overwhelming events of history and the effect they have on individual lives. These heartrending stories bear the unmistakable mark of an important new international writer. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Doing Literary Criticism Tim Gillespie, 2010 One of the greatest challenges for English language arts teachers today is the call to engage students in more complex texts. Tim Gillespie, who has taught in public schools for almost four decades, has found the lenses of literary criticism a powerful tool for helping students tackle challenging literary texts. Tim breaks down the dense language of critical theory into clear, lively, and thorough explanations of many schools of critical thought---reader response, biographical, historical, psychological, archetypal, genre based, moral, philosophical, feminist, political, formalist, and postmodern. Doing Literary Criticism gives each theory its own chapter with a brief, teacher-friendly overview and a history of the approach, along with an in-depth discussion of its benefits and limitations. Each chapter also includes ideas for classroom practices and activities. Using stories from his own English classes--from alternative programs to advance placement and everything in between--Tim provides a wealth of specific classroom-tested suggestions for discussion, essay and research paper topics, recommended texts, exam questions, and more. The accompanying CD offers abbreviated overviews of each theory (designed to be used as classroom handouts, examples of student work, collections of quotes to stimulate discussion and writing, an extended history of women writers, and much more. Ultimately, Doing Literary Criticism offers teachers a rich set of materials and tools to help their students become more confident and able readers, writers, and critical thinkers. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Roots and Shadows Shashi Deshpande, 1992 |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: The Love Wife Gish Jen, 2004-09-14 From the massively talented, award-winning author of Thank You, Mr. Nixon comes “a big story ... about families and identity and race and the American Dream.... Jen’s most ambitious and emotionally ample work yet” (The New York Times). The Wongs describe themselves as a “half half” family, but the actual fractions are more complicated, given Carnegie’s Chinese heritage, his wife Blondie’s WASP background, and the various ethnic permutations of their adopted and biological children. Into this new American family comes a volatile new member. Her name is Lanlan. She is Carnegie’s Mainland Chinese relative, a tough, surprisingly lovely survivor of the Cultural Revolution, who comes courtesy of Carnegie’s mother’s will. Is Lanlan a very good nanny, a heartless climber, or a posthumous gift from a formidable mother who never stopped wanting her son to marry a nice Chinese girl? Rich in insight, buoyed by humor, The Love Wife is a hugely satisfying work. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: The Late Age of Print Ted Striphas, Theodore G. Striphas, 2011 Here, the author assesses our modern book culture by focusing on five key elements including the explosion of retail bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders, and the formation of the Oprah Book Club. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: A Reader's Companion to the Short Story in English Erin Fallon, R.C. Feddersen, James Kurtzleben, Maurice A. Lee, Susan Rochette-Crawley, 2013-10-31 Although the short story has existed in various forms for centuries, it has particularly flourished during the last hundred years. Reader's Companion to the Short Story in English includes alphabetically-arranged entries for 50 English-language short story writers from around the world. Most of these writers have been active since 1960, and they reflect a wide range of experiences and perspectives in their works. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and includes biography, a review of existing criticism, a lengthier analysis of specific works, and a selected bibliography of primary and secondary sources. The volume begins with a detailed introduction to the short story genre and concludes with an annotated bibliography of major works on short story theory. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Common Ground? Anthony M. Orum, Zachary Neal, 2009-09-10 Public spaces have long been the focus of urban social activity, but investigations of how public space works often adopt only one of several possible perspectives, which restricts the questions that can be asked and the answers that can be considered. In this volume, Anthony Orum and Zachary Neal explore how public space can be a facilitator of civil order, a site for power and resistance, and a stage for art, theatre, and performance. They bring together these frequently unconnected models for understanding public space, collecting classic and contemporary readings that illustrate each, and synthesizing them in a series of original essays. Throughout, they offer questions to provoke discussion, and conclude with thoughts on how these models can be combined by future scholars of public space to yield more comprehensive understanding of how public space works. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Freedom in the World 2006 Freedom House, 2006 Freedom in the World, the Freedom House flagship survey whose findings have been published annually since 1972, is the standard-setting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. The survey ratings and narrative reports on 192 countries and a group of select territories are used by policy makers, the media, international corporations, and civic activists and human rights defenders to monitor trends in democracy and track improvements and setbacks in freedom worldwide. Press accounts of the survey findings appear in hundreds of influential newspapers in the United States and abroad and form the basis of numerous radio and television reports. The Freedom in the World political rights and civil liberties ratings are determined through a multi-layered process of research and evaluation by a team of regional analysts and eminent scholars. The analysts used a broad range of sources of information, including foreign and domestic news reports, academic studies, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, individual professional contacts, and visits to the region, in conducting their research. The methodology of the survey is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and these standards are applied to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Teaching Transformation A. Keating, 2007-06-11 Drawing on indigenous belief systems and recent work in critical 'race' studies and multicultural-feminist theory, Keating provides detailed step-by-step suggestions, based on her own teaching experiences, designed to anticipate and change students' resistance to social-justice issues. It offers a holistic approach to theory and practice. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Conversations with Gish Jen John Zheng, Biling Chen, 2018-10-24 Conversations with Gish Jen is the first collection of interviews with the renowned contemporary American author Gish Jen (b. 1955), whose acclaimed fiction and nonfiction have fascinated American readers for more than thirty years. The conversations in this book offer first-hand information not only about Jen’s authorial intentions, but also about her life as a daughter of Chinese immigrants. Spanning more than two decades, beginning in 1991 and ending with a new, unpublished interview from 2017, these interviews provide readers a sense of Jen’s development as a novelist and cultural critic. Jen’s insights into the merits and drawbacks of Eastern and Western cultures, including American individualism and exceptionalism and Asian interdependent mindset and living principles, provide us with keys to understanding the identity struggles of the author herself as well as her fictional characters. The comparative approach Jen adopts in her comments on such topics as education, politics, business, religion, and concepts of creativity and success provokes readers to reflect on their relationships with themselves, with the society in which they live, and with the rest of the world. At the heart of these conversations is Jen’s sense of humor, which makes the book a joyful read for both scholars and casual fans of her work. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Critical Thinking Gregory Bassham, 2008 Through the use of humour, fun exercises, and a plethora of innovative and interesting selections from writers such as Dave Barry, Al Franken, J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as from the film 'The Matrix', this text hones students' critical thinking skills. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Bone Fae Myenne Ng, 2015-11-03 This emotional story about family and community follows a young woman living in San Francisco's Chinatown as she navigates lingering conflicts and secrets after her sister's death. We were a family of three girls. By Chinese standards, that wasn't lucky. In Chinatown, everyone knew our story. Outsiders jerked their chins, looked at us, shook their heads. We heard things. In this profoundly moving novel, Fae Myenne Ng takes readers into the hidden heart of San Francisco's Chinatown, to the world of one family's honor, their secrets, and the lost bones of a paper father. Two generations of the Leong family live in an uneasy tension as they try to fathom the source of a brave young girl's sorrow. Oldest daughter Leila tells the story: of her sister Ona, who has ended her young, conflicted life by jumping from the roof of a Chinatown housing project; of her mother Mah, a seamstress in a garment shop run by a Chinese Elvis; of Leon, her father, a merchant seaman who ships out frequently; and the family's youngest, Nina, who has escaped to New York by working as a flight attendant. With Ona and Nina gone, it is up to Leila to lay the bones of the family's collective guilt to rest, and find some way to hope again. Fae Myenne Ng's luminous debut explores what it means to be a stranger in one's own family, a foreigner in one's own neighborhood—and whether it's possible to love a place that may never feel quite like home. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: The Primer of Humor Research Victor Raskin, 2008-11-06 The book is intended to provide a definitive view of the field of humor research for both beginning and established scholars in a variety of fields who are developing an interest in humor and need to familiarize themselves with the available body of knowledge. Each chapter of the book is devoted to an important aspect of humor research or to a disciplinary approach to the field, and each is written by the leading expert or emerging scholar in that area. There are two primary motivations for the book. The positive one is to collect and summarize the impressive body of knowledge accumulated in humor research in and around Humor: The International Journal of Humor Research. The negative motivation is to prevent the embarrassment to and from the first-timers, often established experts in their own field, who venture into humor research without any notion that there already exists a body of knowledge they need to acquire before publishing anything on the subject-unless they are in the business of reinventing the wheel and have serious doubts about its being round! The organization of the book reflects the main groups of scholars participating in the increasingly popular and high-powered humor research movement throughout the world, an 800 to 1,000-strong contingent, and growing. The chapters are organized along the same lines: History, Research Issues, Main Directions, Current Situation, Possible Future, Bibliography-and use the authors' definitive credentials not to promote an individual view, but rather to give the reader a good comprehensive and condensed view of the area. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: The Girl at the Baggage Claim Gish Jen, 2017 A ... study of the different idea Asians and Westerners have of the self and how this plays out in our differing approaches to art, learning, politics, business, and almost everything else-- |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Migrants and Literature in Finland and Sweden Satu Gröndahl, Eila Rantonen, 2018-10-11 Migrants and Literature in Finland and Sweden presents new comparative perspectives on transnational literary studies. This collection provides a contribution to the production of new narratives of the nation. The focus of the contributions is contemporary fiction relating to experiences of migration. When people are in motion, it changes nations, cultures and peoples. The volume explores the ways in which transcultural connections have affected the national self-understanding in the Swedish and Finnish context. It also presents comparative aspects on the reception of literary works and explores the intersectional perspectives of identities including class, gender, ethnicity, race and disability. This volume discusses multicultural writing, emerging modes of writing and generic innovations. Further, it also demonstrates the complexity of grouping literatures according to nation and ethnicity. This collection is of particular interest to students and scholars in literary and Nordic studies as well as transnational and migration studies. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Nature's Green Umbrella Gail Gibbons, 1997-04-24 A scientifically accurate book which depicts the complex world of rain forests in easily understood text and sumptuous illustrations. The geography, climate and ecology of the rain forest are explained and the illustrations teem with the flora and fauna.--Children's Literature. ??? |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Fundamentalism and Education in the Scopes Era A. Laats, 2010-05-24 This book takes a new look at one of the most contentious periods in American history. The battles over schools that surrounded the famous Scopes monkey trial in 1925 were about much more than evolution. Fundamentalists fought to maintain cultural control of education. As this book reveals for the first time, the successes and the failures of these fundamentalist campaigns transformed both the fundamentalist movement and the nature of education in America. In turn, those transformations determined many of the positions of the culture wars that raged throughout the twentieth century. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Be Prepared Vera Brosgol, 2018-04-24 Beautifully drawn, brutally funny, brilliantly honest. Vera is such a good cartoonist I almost can’t stand it.” —Raina Telgemeier, author of Smile In Be Prepared, all Vera wants to do is fit in—but that’s not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Vera’s single mother can’t afford that sort of luxury, but there's one summer camp in her price range—Russian summer camp. Vera is sure she's found the one place she can fit in, but camp is far from what she imagined. And nothing could prepare her for all the cool girl drama, endless Russian history lessons, and outhouses straight out of nightmares! |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: ScottForesman Literature and Integrated Studies , 1997 |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: The Cinema of Attractions Reloaded Wanda Strauven, 2006 Twenty years ago, noted film scholars Tom Gunning and André Gaudreault introduced the phrase “cinema of attractions” to describe the essential qualities of films made in the medium’s earliest days, those produced between 1895 and 1906. Now, The Cinema of Attractions Reloaded critically examines the term and its subsequent wide-ranging use in film studies. The collection opens with a history of the term, tracing the collaboration between Gaudreault and Gunning, the genesis of the term in their attempts to explain the spectacular effects of motion that lay at the heart of early cinema, and the pair’s debts to Sergei Eisenstein and others. This reconstruction is followed by a look at applications of the term to more recent film productions, from the works of the Wachowski brothers to virtual reality and video games. With essays by an impressive collection of international film scholars—and featuring contributions by Gunning and Gaudreault as well—The Cinema of Attractions Reloaded will be necessary reading for all scholars of early film and its continuing influence. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Talented Children and Adults Jane Piirto, 1999 This extremely comprehensive book takes a developmental approach to giftedness and to talent development in all domains. Designed to cover both the characteristics of gifted students and to present important information on how to teach them, it is appropriate for introductory courses for gifted education and for methods courses. It contains the latest results of federal research projects, suggestions for inclusion, and definitions of who is gifted and talented. In addition, it is the only book in the field with an entire chapter devoted to talented adults. The author's readable prose and case examples written by real teachers contribute to the book's overall usefulness, prompting some readers to call it their handbook. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Contemporary American Women Fiction Writers Laurie Champion, Rhonda Austin, 2002-11-30 American women writers have long been creating an extraordinarily diverse and vital body of fiction, particularly in the decades since World War II. Recent authors have benefited from the struggles of their predecessors, who broke through barriers that denied women opportunities for self-expression. This reference highlights American women writers who continue to build upon the formerly male-dominated canon. Included are alphabetically arranged entries for more than 60 American women writers of diverse ethnicity who wrote or published their most significant fiction after World War II. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and includes:^L^DBLA brief biography^L^DBLA discussion of major works and themes^^DBLA survey of the writer's critical reception^L^DBLA bibliography of primary and secondary sources |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Moose Street Anne Mazer, 2015-04-14 Welcome to Moose Street Lena Rosen is eleven years old, and her life is pretty typical. From babysitting her little sister to spending time with friends to sticking up for the class outcast to sneaking off to buy candy from the corner store, she is just like all of the other kids on her block. Except for one thing—she’s Jewish. Lena’s family is the only one on all of Moose Street that isn’t Catholic or Protestant. “You’re the ones who killed Christ,” her classmates tell her. Lena knows that they’re wrong, but she can’t help feeling different. Anne Mazer’s captivating novel of youth, difference, and acceptance is a must-read. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: The Heath Anthology of American Literature Paul Lauter, 1994 |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: The Resisters Gish Jen, 2020 The Resisters is palpably loving, smart, funny, and desperately unsettling. The novel should be required reading for the country both as a cautionary tale and because it is a stone-cold masterpiece. This is Gish Jen's moment. She has pitched a perfect game. --Ann Patchett The time: not so long from now. The place: AutoAmerica. The land: half under water. The Internet: one part artificial intelligence, one part surveillance technology, and oddly human--even funny. The people: Divided. The angel-fair Netted have jobs, and literally occupy the high ground. The Surplus live on swampland if they're lucky, on water if they're not. The story: To a Surplus couple--he once a professor, she still a lawyer--is born a Blasian girl with a golden arm. At two, Gwen is hurling her stuffed animals from the crib; by ten, she can hit whatever target she likes. Her teens find her happily playing in an underground baseball league. When AutoAmerica rejoins the Olympics, though--with a special eye on beating ChinRussia--Gwen attracts interest. Soon she finds herself playing ball with the Netted even as her mother challenges the very foundations of this divided society. A moving and important story of an America that seems ever more possible, The Resisters is also the story of one family struggling to maintain its humanity and normalcy in circumstances that threaten their every value--as well as their very existence. Extraordinary and ordinary, charming and electrifying, this is Gish Jen at her most irresistible. |
| the white umbrella by gish jen: Two Badges Mona Ruiz, Geoff Boucher, 2005-04-30 The author describes how she went from a gang member, married to an abusive husband, and on welfare to becoming a member of the Santa Ana police force. |
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Apr 28, 2022 · "The White Umbrella" by Gish Jen is a short story that introduces the main character's struggle with her heritage and identity as a Chinese American. Set in the …
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Mar 25, 2024 · They're this Chinese family in America struggling. Wiki User. ∙ 12y ago. This answer is:
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Mar 22, 2024 · "The White Umbrella" by Gish Jen is a short story about a young Chinese girl named Iris who moves to America and struggles to assimilate into American culture while …
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Mar 22, 2024 · In "The White Umbrella" by Gish Jen, the climax occurs when the narrator confronts her mother about cultural identity and acceptance, leading to a moment of realization …
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Oct 11, 2024 · "The White Umbrella" by Gish Jen is a short story that introduces the main character's struggle with her heritage and identity as a Chinese American. Set in the …
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"The White Umbrella" is a short story about a young Chinese American girl who struggles with her identity and cultural heritage while trying to fit in with her American classmates. The story ...
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from Jen—more spot-on wit or journeys farther afield. But we would be wise to follow her anywhere. REFERENCES 1. Jen G: What means switch. Atlantic Monthly, May 1990, pp 76–80 2. Jen …
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