Reflect on the novel. What worked well? What didn't? What did you enjoy most? Which characters still haunt you and why? Talk about the symbols and imagery? Be deep.
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For homework, write a revised ending for the novel. You can alternatively rewrite a scene in the novel where something Kim does or responds to is portrayed differently.
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11 comments:
Marie Heide
15 March 2012
Prof. Sabir
English 1B
The recent piece of literature that we read, Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok, was a much more enjoyable read than the previously assigned collection of short stories. The story was very easy to read and kept me wanting more. At times, I found it difficult to put the book down, and most times I did not. I would read until exhaustion took over and the words were nothing more than a black and white haze.
The story is told in chronological order, which I found very nice to follow the reading. I liked how Kwok made us feel that we were a part of the story. It was almost as if the story pulled in the reader to the point where I felt like I was standing next to Kim in that clothing factory being covered by every pieces of floating material along with her. When Kwok describes the mixture of the sweat and the microfibers that stick to Kim’s skin, there was a couple times where I felt the need to brush my face or my arms with the back of my hands to clear up the microfibers. The word description is so vivid and alive that it makes you feel what Kim was feeling. Once again, getting the reader involved in the story as if they were the main character.
There is one particular line in the story that stands out in my mind the most. This is when Annette pays Kimberly a surprise visit and discovers Kim’s living conditions. This sentence, “Your soy sauce has iced over! And there’s a roach drinking from it!” (Kwok, 251). I laugh when I picture this image in my mind because I could never imagine myself or anyone else I know or for that fact anyone I do not know, to live with such rodents in their home. The roaches to me, symbolize the constant hardships and obstacles that are being presented to Kim on a daily basis. These obstacles make her stronger with each passing day. They give Kim a sense of urgency and purpose to move her and her mother from a situation that her Aunt has placed her in.
Aunt Paula is a character whose first impression just upset me. While reading the book, especially the first few chapters, I get the impression that Aunt Paula genuinely is there to help out her sister and niece. As the story progresses, and the reader finds out the living conditions that have been set up for Kim and her mom, the working conditions that have been provided for Kim and her mom, and then the constant comparison of Aunt Paula’s son and Kim, just gave me the impression that Aunt Paula is just plain mean. However, today in class, Professor Sabir opened my mind to other possibilities that may go on. I have thought about it, and seems as though Aunt Paula and Kim are the same character. Aunt Paula also emigrated from Hong Kong to America, and being the eldest sibling, had the same pressures that Kim was presented with when she was a child growing up. These two characters were robbed of any childhood pleasures or freedoms than that of a “typical” child. These two characters had to provide for their parents and/or family so that they could have a better life. They were thrown into adulthood at adolescence with no other option for anything else. They did not have an option, only an obligation to do what was right for their family.
Marie Heide
18 March 2012
Prof. Sabir
English 1B
Alternate Ending to Story
It has been twelve years since Kim has received her doctorate in medicine and is in full practice as a Pediatric Cardiologist. It has been twelve years since Kim has seen or even heard from Matt, and she prefers to keep it that way. There are too many painful memories that ache in her heart that remind her of how tough things used to be. Kim regrets every passing day from the decision to abandon her unborn child, but there was just no other way. If she had kept it, her hopes for her and her mother would have been shattered. Now, they are able to live comfortably without worrying where their next meal will come from or staying warm by the heat of an oven.
Kim's mom takes care of her older sister now whom suffered from a severe stroke about five years ago. Aunt Paula had a surprise inspection that she just was not ready for, and the inspectors closed down the factory, leaving her with practically nothing. Uncle Bob, her husband, died shortly after the factory closure. Aunt Paula's children abandoned her mother and left with no word of their whereabouts.
Kim stays focus on her achievement of becoming a doctor and on what the future may bring. She stills keeps in touch with Curt, who is now a up and coming trendy artist in New York city. Kim still has her wood carving that Curt gave to her back in school, and treasures it deeply as a symbol of their friendship.
Sherrlyne Apostol
Professor Sabir
English 1B
20 March 2012
I truly enjoyed reading Jean Kwok’s “Girl in Translation”. I found the story extremely entertaining. I was amazed on how well I related to the characters in the book. The entire story was remarkable. I read the entire book in just a few days and when I finished I was a little sad. I wanted to keep reading I didn’t want the story to end. I was surprised by the way this story captivated me, from chapter one to chapter fourteen, I loved every single part of the book. I even started to recommend it to all my friends.
The book was very different from the last piece we read. This story was much more easy to comprehend and it definitely was much more easy to follow. This book really opened my eyes and made me appreciate the little things in life. Kimberly’s story was just super impressing and even thou the story was fiction, you cant help but wonder how real it is for other people who has gone through something similar. One of the main reasons I loved the book was because of how well I could relate to the characters. My family migrated to the U.S when I was younger. My story was not as close to the harsh realities Kim and her mother had to face. But I remember how hard my mother had to work to get to where we are now. I remember going to school when I was young and how badly I wanted to fit in with the other kids. The book really did touch me and even motivated me to work harder in my studies.
What I enjoyed the most about reading this book was watching Kim grow. When Kim was first introduced she was this Chinese immigrant with a boy hair cut and knew enough English to get through in life. As you read you watch Kim go to elementary to Middle school all the way till she becomes this mature successful adult. She takes you through all the hurdles and difficulties as a young kid to an adult. Two parts I thought that distinguished “young kim” and “mature grown up kim” was mainly her courage to stand up to aunt paula. Younger Kim didn’t want to offend aunt paula because she maybe felt that her mother and her owed to aunt paula for getting them to the U.S. But as the story revealed Aunt Paulas true nature Kim finally had the courage to tell aunt paula off, which, I though might be a symbol for freedom. The author Kwok did an amazing job writing the book. The entire story was very descriptive to a point where sometimes I felt what characters felt in the book. Sometimes it was so descriptive that I felt I was in the book myself.
Out of the characters the one that haunts me the most is Aunt Paula. I still don’t understand why she treated Kim and her mother the way she did. I understand that Aunt Paula had to give up her life in China and maybe feels resentment towards her sister. But to me that is not a good enough reason to mistreat family the way she did. I guess I just don’t understand their relationship. If I had to be the one to step up and try to make a better living for my family Id treat my siblings with love and care.
Sherrlyne Apostol
Professor Sabir
English 1B
20 March 2012
Alternate ending…
I thought the ending was great it really had me thinking. It was a great story with a wonderful twist in the end. But if I had the decision to tweek the ending a little I would. I was a little upset that Kim and Matt didn’t work out and I was more upset to find out Kim was alone in the end. So if it were up to me I’d make it that Matt and Kim ended up being together and having a family with Ma, Parker and their kids. Or maybe Kim end up with Curt and have happy endings with him. Other than that I loved the ending. I especially liked the part when the the author describes Kim to be this well off successful pediatric surgeon who drives a motorcycle and comes home to a big house. Kwok didn’t really go into detail what kind of bike she drives but I imagine it to be a Harley or something.
Maribel Arrizon
English 1B
Professor Sabir
22 March 2012
Alternate Ending
Because I got the impression that Kim never told her son about his father, I feel like she made up a story about him, my guess is that he died before he was born or almost after he was born. I think that there will come a time when Jason, Kim's son, will try and find out more about his father and eventually, through Kim or not, he will find out that his father is still alive. I think Jason will try and find him and when he does, Matt will realize that Kim didn't have the abortion. Matt will be incredibly angry with Kim for keeping his son a secret from him and Jason will be angry with Kim for similar reasons. I think there will be a time where Jason hardly interacts with Kim and she will feel incredibly guilty for not telling him anything. She will try and tell Jason the reasons why she kept him secret but he won't listen, maybe at first. Matt will have mixed feelings when she tells him her reasons, realizing that he wouldn't have been happy in her world and she in his and if she had told him that she kept the baby would have made him marry her, though he will be extremely bitter sweet about it. I feel like Jason will forgive Kim, especially if she lets him build a relationship with Matt and eventually he will see that what she did was right, though it inconvenienced him the most and he will come to realize this when both Matt and kim talk about the time where they were together and Jason will realize that Kim couldn't live in Matt's world and vice versa, which in the end Jason will come to admire and respect Kim profoundly for what she has gone through and the fact that she rose above poverty. I don't think that Kim and Matt will ever be together, though they won't stop loving each other, I think that Matt will cheat on his wife with Kim but I don't think that they would marry, even if Matt's wife dies before he does due to the fact that Matt wants to be the sole provider and Kim can't let that happen.
Billy Russell
English 1B
Professor Sabir
9 April 2012
First off, I really enjoyed the novel. As others have already pointed out, it is great that it is in chronological order, and at times it was hard to put the book down. I was really able to sympathize with Kim, I felt nervous when she was accused of cheating, and I felt joy when she was accepted into the prep school.
One of the things I really liked in Kwok's novel was the way she wrote down exactly what Kim's interpretation of English words were. For example, she hears real estate agent as "really state agent," which of course makes no sense, but it gives a great idea of what it must be like to live in a country where everyone is speaking a foreign language. It also greatly helped me sympathize with Kim. I might have gotten frustrated with Kim constantly misunderstanding words, but thanks to Kwok's unique writing style, it made sypathizing with Kim very easy.
There were very few things in the novel that didn't work well, but there were things that I found hard to believe. The apartment Kim and her mother share seems completely unliveable. I know it is supposed to be bad, but I just wonder if Kwok made it too bad. At times I was seriouisly wondering how they were even surviving, let alone how Kim was getting her homework done with only the oven to keep warm in the middle of a New York winter. I suppose it might have been possible, but its just too hard for me to swallow.
Some of my favorite scenes in the novel were when Kim and Nelson are insulting eachother in chinese. It was good to see Kim sticking up for herself, and sticking it to her fat snobby cousin. I also really liked the insults themselves, because they were unique, and very different from how American children would insult eachother. I thought the insults had a lot of depth and grace to them
Billy Russell
English 1B
Professor Sabir
9 April 2012
Revised Ending.
The ending of the novel was shocking to me, and a little unrealistic. I think that Kim was too much in love with Matt to not be with him. If I got to rewrite the ending of the novel, it would have gone like this: Kim is forced to stay with Matt because of the child, they end up living together, and Kimberley doesn't end up going to college but instead, tragically ends up becoming a common housewife. I think this would be a more realistic ending because Kim and her mother would never be able to have Kim at college full time and support a small child, therefore, Kim is forced to move in with Matt to raise their child. Kim likely becomes a receptionist or something of that nature, and along with Matt working at Fed Ex, they make plenty of money to get by and support Kim's Ma. The novel ends with Kim's dreams never realized, but at least she is with Matt and she has high hopes that her son will be able to achieve what she could not.
Juan Sanabria
Prof. Sabir
English 1B
04/10/2012
Girl in translation is a story of an eleven year old girl named Kimberley, who is transitioning from a girl into a woman. Her self-confidence is a key role in how she communicates within her new society as a Chinese decent immigrant.
Within the story she goes through the stages of self-development by battling her foes and keeping her friends. She finds out that she can achieve greatness by working hard and staying focused.
Brittney Brunner
Prof. Wanda Sabir
English 1B
8-8:50am
First off this novel was interesting all the way through. I enjoyed Kwok's quirky way of writing. It never got boring. This was a book that was super hard for me to put down.
Kwok's charachter, Kim, was very lovable and easy to seemingly get along with. There were some moments I could relate to with Kimberly like when her mother tried her best to assume the "parent roll" but was not great with her English and Kim would get a little embarassed like when her mom tried to haggle with the man selling the food..not quite sure what food it was.. but Kim was kind of like "do I have to?" Kim didn't take any mess from people especially when she knew they were absolutely wrong. I liked that about her.
Vanessa Dilworth
Professor Sabir
English 1B
15 May 2012
Response to Girl in Translation
Sweat, sewing machines, school work, fantasies of Matt, the dilemmas of a young woman caught in a foreign land while trying to stay true to them; Kim grows up Lost in Translation. The reoccurring themes dominant the book’s plot and seem to put studious Kim in a whirlwind of alternate lives. I really enjoyed reading Jean Kwok’s book. She has a very unique writing style in which she writes in a very matter of fact, yet poetic kind of way. She weaves the reader into her own thoughts, forcing them to experience her life with her as well. I think she also did an excellent job in her manipulation of time, right before our very eyes Kim grows from an elementary girl to a college woman all the while not missing out on all her adolescent difficulties.
There are so many different things about Jean’s book that it makes it very difficult to pin point just one topic to focus on. I liked the love story of Matt and her. I think that she made the best decision to stay true to herself and finish college without him. Many times young women get caught in relationships and lose sight of their selves and ambitions. It is especially difficult to leave a man you love when pregnant with his child, although, Kim did this. I have never before read a book that ends with the woman taking her own life in her hands and having a happy ever after being single.
I think Jean does a good job with imagery as well. We see the line of people waiting for food as soon as she greets her new apartment as a child. We can feel the busyness of her, striving to help her mother with factory work and maintain excellent grades in school. We savor the time she spends with boys as we the audience can also relax, and enjoy the gentle light kisses, the playful hits. However, whenever she is with Matt the imagery becomes more majestic. When he makes short visits to her work station the expressions on his face and his aura seems frozen in time and bright. We are caught running in the cold, wet rain through the clean, comfortable, and plush Harrison Campus to catch up with Matt with her after his mother’s death. Not to mention her dark room with it’s comfortably soft bed where she listens to “Sola, furtive, al tempio” after saying goodbye to Matt forever.
I break the sacred bonds.
May you live happy, forever,
Close to the one you love.
Vanessa Dilworth
Professor Sabir
English 1B
16 May 2012
Alternative Ending for Girl in Translation
Twelve Years Later
Instead of the story ending with Kim meeting up with Matt but not getting back with him because of his growing family with Vivian I would revise the story to fit the ideal situation. Kim meets up with Matt after all those years the same way she did in the book. They both decided to get back together and give their love a try. Vivian and Matt’s relationship is starting to wane anyway and he is looking for a way out. He thinks to himself, ‘what better person to be with than Kim’. With this in mind the Matt leaves Vivian and begins to live with Kimberly. Jason is introduced to his father and slowly but surely warms gets to know him better. All of a sudden Kim begins to feel closed in on by Matt by his macho man behavior. He expresses jealous that she makes more money than him, and that they live in her house. Matt also doesn’t appreciate that Kim is often not home when he gets off work and is instead working in the hospital. They decided to break up and Kim is once again without Matt. This time, however, Kim feels justified in her decision to leave Matt because she feels they were not meant to be. They still love each other and see each other frequently, because of Matt’s visitation of Jason. They transition from being lovers to true friends, and are happy they are in each other’s lives once again. She’s happy to have the father of her child, also be her best friend.
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