Portrayal of Asians in Jessica Hagedorn’s Novel, “Dogeaters,” and Hisaye Yamamoto’s “The Legend of Miss Sasagawara”
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A 12 page (11.25 pp. + 3/4 pp. outline) comparative analysis which examines the texts in terms of character, scene, metaphor, and sociopolitical issue. No additional sources are used.
Filename: TGdogleg.rtf

Power & Female Relationships/2 Novels
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A 5 page essay that contrasts and compares the structure and themes of Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club (1989) and Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine (1984), which have very similar structures as a novels. Each text offers a series of short stories that collectively relate a coherent saga of generations and relationships. Tan relates the stories of four families and Erdrich focuses on three interconnected families. In both works, the authors portray the tension that arises from conflicting cultural expectations, that is, from being "other" within the context of mainstream culture in terms that primarily dramatizes this as tension between two generations of women. Primarily the writer talks about Tan's short story "Two Kinds" and Erdrich's "Saint Marie." Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: khtanerd.rtf

Pyong Gap Min's "Struggle For Ethnic Identity : Narratives By Asian American Professionals"
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5 pages in length. The United States population reflects a significant diversity of nationalities. Indeed, some of the inherent difficulties and challenges that face these immigrants are great, which are effectively demonstrated in Pyong Gap Min's book entitled "Struggle For Ethnic Identity : Narratives By Asian American Professionals." Gap Min's book points out – through a number of personal narratives – that one of the main obstacles in overcoming this ongoing struggle for Asian ethnic identity in the United States is the absence of cultural recognition. A strong cultural foundation proves difficult in a society that urges other ethnic peoples to adopt the American way of life. No additional sources cited.
Filename: TLCkim.wps

R.K. Narayan's Interpretation of "The Ramayana"
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This 4 page report discusses R.K. Narayan's (1906-2001) major undertaking with his "shortened prose version of the Indian epic" of The Ramayana, or (in translation) the "Tale of Prince Rama." Issues of colonialism, struggle, and empire are also considered. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: BWnaryan.rtf

R.K. Narayan/The Guide
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A 5 page analysis of R.K. Narayan's The Guide. This fascinating book takes a look at Indian life from rather a different perspective. Raju, the protagonist, is something a rake and a confidence man, who gets trapped by his own scheme into actually becoming the person that he pretended to be. No additional sources cited.
Filename: 90raju.rtf

R.K. Narayana's Rendition of "The Ramayana"
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A 4 page discussion of this abbreviated version of classic tale from Indian culture. This paper presents the thesis that while R.K. Narayana's rendition of "The Ramayana" is too abbreviated to offer much scholarly use, it occupies a critical place in world literature in that it introduces the world (particularly the West) to one of the most important tales of Indian literature, a tale that would be too long and too complex to capture the attention of most western readers without the type of abridgment that Narayana has elicited. Narayana was in fact writing for a specific audience within a specific societal framework. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: PPindLit.rtf

R.K. Narayan’s “The Man-Eater of Malgudi”
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A 5 page paper which considers the significance of the contrast between society and the wilderness. No additional sources are used.
Filename: TGmalgud.rtf

Red Azalea By Anchee Min
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A 5 page paper that provides a review of this autobiographical book about the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The theme of this essay is how the Revolution left the author with limited options in terms of her behavior and thoughts. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: PGredaz.rtf

Review of Charles J. Dunn’s text “Everyday Life in Traditional Japan”
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This is a 6 page review of Charles J. Dunn’s work entitled “Everyday Life in Traditional Japan” (1969, 1977). This is a well structured text which tells of life of Tokugawa Japan during the years 1600 to 1850 approximately which Dunn uses as his basis for “traditional” Japan. The text is accompanied by many well crafted illustrations and maps which help in the vivid descriptions of the hierarchical country. Dunn has an easy and concise writing style which makes this text a good source for information about Japan for all senior grade levels. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: TJCDunn1.rtf

Rushdie: frontiers and boundaries in Imaginary Homelands, Shame and Midnight’s Children
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A paper which looks at the concepts of frontiers and boundaries in three texts by Salman Rushdie, with specific reference to postcolonial and postmodernist elements in his work. Bibliography lists nine sources.
Filename: JLrushdie.rtf

Shen Teh and Shui Ta: The Split Personality of Bertolt Brecht's Play: The Good Person of Szechwan
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This 5 page paper provides an overview of the character development of Shen Teh and the way in which the creation of the character Shui Ta can be viewed as a kind of 'split personality.' This paper outlines one of the central themes in Brecht's play. No additional sources cited.
Filename: MHShenT_.wps

Sherman Alexie and Gish Jen: Dealing with Prejudice
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This 3 page paper discusses the ways in which these authors try to cope with prejudice, using Alexie's story "Class" and Jen's story "Who's Irish?" for reference. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: HVAlexJe.rtf

Social Justice/Ihara Saikaku & Nawal El Saadawi
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A 4 page essay that contrasts and compares two short stories, Ihara Saikaku's "Barrelmaker Brimful of Love" and Nawal El Saadawi's "In Camera." Saikaku's story is set in seventeenth century Japan and El Saadawi's narrative is set in twentieth century Egypt, yet both authors relate their particular society's perspective on social justice, in regards to women's place in society. In so doing, these stories demonstrate that the position of women in each of these societies is similar despite the differences in time and locale. In each story, women are pictured as secondary to the main thrust of societal interest. In both stories, one sees an emphasis of the power of male authority and the importance to these cultures that women remain subjugated and controlled. No bibliography is offered.
Filename: khisnes.rtf

Spence’s “God’s Second Son”
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A six page paper providing an overview of this nonfiction book by Jonathan Spence. The book tells the story of Hong Xiuquan, a lower-class Chinese who, believing himself to be the brother of Jesus Christ, led a nearly-successful peasant revolt in nineteenth-century China. No additional sources.
Filename: KBchines.wps

Storytelling: A Gathering of Old Men" and "The Joy Luck Club"
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This 3 page paper discusses the ways the two novels "A Gathering of Old Men" and "The Joy Luck Club" tell their stories, and what it means. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: HVGatJoy.rtf

Symbolism in The Joy Luck Club
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This 3 page paper discusses the symbolism in three of her stories, and what it tells us about the struggles between mother and daughter. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: HVSymJLC.rtf

Symbolism in Yasunari Kawabata’s The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket
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A 4 page paper which examines the symbolism in Yasunari Kawabata’s short story The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket. No additional sources cited.
Filename: RAyasu.rtf