Chinese cinderella

• What does the Chinese Cinderella extract cover in terms of Adeline Yen Mah's life?

  • It covers her life until the age of 14.
  • It details her experiences growing up in a wealthy family in Hong Kong during the 1950s.
  • It highlights her feelings of rejection and abuse from her family.
  • It describes her return home after being sent to boarding school.

  
• What significant event occurs when Yen Mah returns home?

  She is summoned by her distant and powerful father.
• How does Yen Mah feel when her father's chauffeur arrives to take her home?

  She feels dread.
• What does Yen Mah find when she arrives at her family's villa?

  She does not recognize the villa as the family had moved while she was at school.
• What does Yen Mah's lack of recognition of the villa imply about her family?

  It implies her lack of status and importance within the family.
• What does Yen Mah's father's summoning of her to his room suggest about their relationship?

  It suggests that she has been ill-treated in the past and is wary of him.
• How does Yen Mah react to her father's mood when she first sees him?

  She feels relieved at first but becomes uneasy again.
• What does Yen Mah's father's decision-making power indicate about gender roles in her family?

  It indicates that priority is given to the male members of the family.
• What are the key themes in Chinese Cinderella?

  • Family relationships: Fear and apprehension towards family.
  • Pride and power: Importance of prestige and honor in her father's eyes.
  • Gender roles: Male members prioritized over female members.

  
• How does Yen Mah's father's pride relate to her success?

  Her success gives her family greater status and feeds her father's ego.
• How does Yen Mah exploit her father's pride?

  She boldly asks to go to university in England, gaining new power or influence.
• What metaphor does Yen Mah use to describe going to England?

  She likens it to "entering heaven."
• What irony is present in Yen Mah's situation regarding her education?

  She is writing a piece of literature while her father decides she should go to medical school instead of studying literature.

  
• How does Yen Mah use language and structural techniques to present her ideas and perspectives?

  • Title: Alludes to Cinderella, suggesting oppression.
  • First-person perspective: Reveals inner thoughts and feelings.
  • Rhetorical questions: Expresses her acceptance of her position.
  • Pathetic fallacy: Foreshadows her turmoil.
  • Symbolism: Monopoly game represents her life.
  • Simile: Compares leaving school to a toothache.
  • Allusion: References religious and literary figures to convey emotions.

  
• What does the title "Chinese Cinderella" suggest about Yen Mah's character?

  It suggests that she is a real-life version of the oppressed step-sister.
• How does the first-person perspective affect the reader's understanding of Yen Mah's relationship with her father?

  It emphasizes the distance between her and her father, revealing his ignorance of her life.
• What do Yen Mah's rhetorical questions reveal about her self-perception?

  They reveal her low self-esteem and acceptance of her unfortunate position.
• What does the use of pathetic fallacy in the extract foreshadow?

  It foreshadows Yen Mah's turmoil and anxiety about returning home.
• How does the symbolism of the Monopoly game relate to Yen Mah's life?

  It represents her life as a game of chance where her luck could change at any moment.
• What does the simile comparing leaving school to a toothache suggest?

  It suggests that the worry about returning home is ever-present and painful.
• What religious allusion is made in the passage regarding her father's sanctum?

  It is referred to as the "Holy of Holies," likening her father to a powerful religious figure.
• How does Yen Mah's reference to Wordsworth's poem contribute to the text's themes?

  It conveys her overwhelming joy, juxtaposed with her earlier anxiety and dread.
• What skills are necessary for Paper 1, Question 4 in the exam?

  • Language and structure analysis.
  • Ability to explore themes and ideas within the text.
• What is the focus of Paper 1, Question 5 in the exam?

  • Comparing how the writer presents their ideas and perspectives with the unseen text.