Tuesday, April 7th--5:45 pm

Greetings,
below is a copy of the handout that was distributed and discussed in class on Monday.

English 5

The Unwanted:  A Memoir of Childhood by Kien Nguyen

On the Value of Character in Story Telling

We have discussed the signifcance of character in fiction: the more the reader becomes engaged with the characters, the more interesting and provocative the story. As we see in this memoir, the same assertion holds true. We learn so much about the characters in this real life drama by what they say, what others say about them, how they act, how they think, etc.

For Example, let us look closely at  Kien’s persona/character. What kind of boy/young man is he and how do we know this?

(pages 5-255 only)

Kien is an unusually observant boy for his age.

Page 7:  “My mother was not a typically thin Asian woman. She had heavy breasts and round hips, joined by a thin waist.  Her eyes, big and rimmed with dark mascara, concentrated on the image before her. Years spent watching my mother gaze at herself in the mirror had convinced me that she was the rarest, most beautiful creature that ever walked the face of the Earth.”

Kien is a very sensitive, caring young boy.

Page 113:  “Please don’t hurt her. She can’t walk very well,” I begged, reaching under his fingers to take her back.

Page 125:  “She looked at me with hope in her eyes.  There was also something else I detected on her face – a sense of helplessness.  I found myself promising her what she needed to hear.”

Page 134:  “Get up and come with me,” I whispered in his ear.”

“Don’t ask any questions.  Just take your pillow and follow me.”

Page 157:  “Silently I cried in the dark, not so much to mourn for her disappearance but because of the uncertainty of my future and my sense of responsibility for the rest of my family. Morning came, and I returned to the bus station.  At the end of the day I returned home alone once more.”

Kien is often naive and vulnerable to the horrors of war and its aftermath.

Page 142:  “Of course you will be here, helping other students,” I said.  “Where else could you go?  You belong in a classroom, Miss San.”