1 Part I Language through Movie B Extensive Listening Activities 1. What transformation did this woman experience in her life? She emigrated from Shanghai to America. And she would have her own daughter in that free country, who was expected to live a happy life there. 2. What are this woman’s good intentions towards her daughter who would be born and raised in America? And make a guess about the symbolized meaning of “the Feather from a thousand Li Away”. this woman’s good intentions towards her daughter ----In America she will have a daughter just like her. Over there, she would live a happy and decent life. Her worth is not measured by other people. Nobody will look down on her because she can speak perfect American English. And over there, she will always be too full to swallow any sorrow. It is about the mothers' hopes for their daughters and about transformation, "the swan that becomes more than was hoped for" . Although communication is impossible because of the language difference, the mother in the tale waits patiently to communicate with her daughter. The feather is the mothers' Chinese heritage, which they want to pass on to their daughters. 1. What conflicts do there exist between the mother’s hope for her daughter and the daughter’s own idea of herself? Suyuan believes that Jing-mei will manifest an inner prodigy if only she and her daughter work hard enough to discover and cultivate Jing-mei’s talent. Jing-mei, on the other hand, believes that there are ultimately things about her that cannot be forced; she is who she is. 2. What do you think brings about such conflicts? And have you ever experienced similar problems in your family education? Jing-mei and her...
