Writing Prompts:

1. Amy Tan wrote that as soon as she set foot in China she felt Chinese. What experiences have you or anyone in your family had with returning to the place where your family came from? Write part of a memoir that describes the experience. Include an analysis of whether the protagonist feels at home or not when revisiting the country of origin.

2. Read one of Amy Tan's other novels and find out as much as you can about her biography. Then write a critical analysis of the relations between the two books, including possible connections to her own life.

3. Some researchers have sought to find patterns that link 2nd- and 3rd-generation Americans of different origins. From your own experience, interviews, or your reading, compare a family from a different country to one or more of the families in The Joy Luck Club in terms of problems of cultural translation, gender roles, parent/child conflict, degrees and styles of adaptation and assimilation.

Research:

Research the history of China in the 1930's-50's. What were some of the effects of the Communist Revolution, World War II, and other events of that time period?

Then research American immigration policy at that time period. How did the immigration policy respond or not to events in China? What is the current immigration policy towards China and how has that been affected by recent events in China?

Finally, present your findings by linking the information you have found to events in the book.