Question 1: Choose two other stories from this module (apart from “Hershel Summerwind”) and explain how they seem to have some elements of traditional folklore (as described in bullet points above), but are not quite as much as a folk tale as “The Adventures of Hershel Summerwind.” What elements of folk tales might be in those two other stories? Exactly what makes “Hershel Summerwind” more (or less, you can argue) of a folk tale than the other two you have chosen? Could you argue that the other two are more folk tale-like than “Hershel”, actually? What makes the other stories more modern in their approach to storytelling?
[You don’t have to answer every single question here in this group, but address some of the points.]
Question 2: In “Half and Half,” by Amy Tan, what does the metaphor mean when the narrator writes, “My mother believed in God’s will for many years. It was as if she had turned on a celestial faucet and goodness kept pouring out“? (Metaphor in bold and underlined)
Question 3: In your close reading of “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” and “Half and Half,” how is modern, Western Christianity incorporated in – and clashes with – the practices or traditional religious beliefs of the specific ‘non-mainstream’ group in focus? On the other hand, in “Mericans,” how is Christianity (or Catholicism, here) the more traditional belief system that clashes with – or is incorporated into – the modern world of the children?
[Hint: re-read “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” a second time and a lot more things are illuminated. 😉 ]
