As you read this story for the first time, remember that it is a story about a the conflicts between a mother and her young daughter. The narrator is the daughter, who is now an adult. Also keep in mind that it is a story about a Chinese-American family who has recently come to America after experiencing great hardships in China.Choose one of the following five questions, and write a thoughtful, insightful response. Use supporting quotes from the story (properly cited and quoted) to illustrate your claims. 1) Throughout the story, Tan provides small, yet significant details about the family's economic status. List some of these details, and then think about how these details contribute to the character of the mother and daughter.2) Also pay attention to some of the cultural aspects of the story. List some of these details. How do they affect the relationship between the mother and daughter? How do the conflicts illustrate differences between Chinese and American cultures?3) In the second paragraph, the mother tells the daughter that she can be a prodigy. Look up the word "prodigy" in the dictionary. Is it possible for the daughter to learn how to be a prodigy? Later in the story, the mother asks the daughter to be her best. Is doing your best different than being a prodigy?4) In the third paragraph, the narrator mentions that her mother had come to San Francisco in 1949 after losing everything in China. Research what was happening in China in 1949. How does the mother's past losses influence her character and her relationship with her daughter?5) At first, the narrator is excited to pursue the opportunity to become a prodigy. When does the narrator give up? Why does the narrator give up?

The first video we are going to be watching a video essay by YouTuber Lindsay Ellis instead of a TED talk. (I really enjoy watching her work, and she does impeccable research.) This video directly correlates with our work on the research paper about Monsters. Many of the claims Ellis makes directly relate to theses from Cohen's chapter. After you have watched the short video, respond to the following questions: What is Ellis' thesis or main argument? What does Ellis use to back up her claims? What kind of examples does she share with her audience?Does Ellis try to appeal to your logic, your emotions or both? Think about the big three rhetorical strategies (ethos, pathos, logos) and discuss: Does Ellis effectively appeal to her audience? (Remember to use specific examples.) What connections or parallels can you make between Cohen's chapter, Rabin's article, the stories we read this week, and Ellis' video? What was your biggest takeaway or AHA moment from this Talk? What interested you or surprised you the most? Once you have watched the video, please answer the following questions: What was your AHA moment from this video or what stuck out to you most?What connections can you make between this video and Cohen's chapter or anyone of the other sources we've covered?How does this source expand, alter, or improve your knowledge of monsters and how we can analyze them through the lens of race and class?Does Readus try to appeal to your logic, your emotions or both? Think about the big three rhetorical strategies (ethos, pathos, logos) and discuss: Does Readus effectively appeal to his audience? (Remember to use specific examples.) Your initial response should be 150-300 words per question. Your intial response must also contain answers to both videos.

1. What is the source? Who is making the claim? What is their academic background? Who may be funding the research? Is there any sign of external influence that may color the results - intentionally or not. 2. Could bias contaminate the conclusion? Bias consists of evaluating information through preset ideas, attitudes and beliefs, rather than on the presented evidence, including these common types: emotional bias, in which fears and hopes precede clear thinking; and confirmation bias, in which people remember events that seem to confirm beliefs, without regard to the facts.