Amy Tan

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Amy Tan Questions and Answers

What is the purpose of the story "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan?

How does the narrator's view of her father change by seeing him in a different setting in Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets?"  

What is the theme of the story "A Pair of Tickets"?

In what ways does the narrator feel both at home and foreign in China, in Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets?"

Next, after reading "A Pair of Tickets," briefly answer the following questions about Setting: Where does the story take place? What does setting suggest about the characters' lives? Are there significant differences in the settings for different characters? What does this suggest bout each person? When does the story take place? Is the time of the year or time of day significant? Does a change in the setting during the story suggest some internal change in the protagonist?

What is the main idea for the story "A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan?

In Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets," how does the meaning of "Chinese" evolve in the story? June May's change relates to her comment, "the part of me that is Chinese."

Compare and contrast "Two Kinds" and "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan.

How is the external setting of Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets" essential to what happens internally to the narrator in the course of this story?

In "A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan, how does June May specifically grow and change throughout the story?

What does the essay "Snapshot: Lost Lives of Women" suggest to you about responding to personal challenges or difficulties?

In "A Pair Of Tickets", why does Jing-Mei feel that she disappointed her mother, Why did her mother abandon her twin babies? Loss is an important theme in this story, beginning with Jing-Mei's recent loss of her mother. How is Jing-Mei since of identity tied up with her mothers story?    

If possible, based only on the excerpt "My Mother's Secrets" in Amy Tan's new book The Opposite of Fate, what makes Amy Tan's writing so popular? What in her writing pleases readers so much? How does her writing work? Why do you think she makes the choices she makes in her writing?

In "A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan, how is Tan's use of authentic Chinese language significant in the story?  

What is the connection between eating habits and cultural identity as represented in “Fish Cheeks”?

Amy Tan asks a very interesting question: "Why do we fall in love; why can't we rise in love?"  Please comment. I am looking for comments the author may have in mind.

Relate Amy Tan and Sarah Orne Jewett's lives.

Does Amy Tan have any favorite authors or books that have impacted her?

Looking for literary terms found Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets" within the last four paragraphs