Hwang, Trying to Find Chinatown, 1478
NOTE: There are questions on two plays on this page. Choose only one question, about one play, to answer.
Directions: You are required to answer one of the main questions, which will appear in red. This question is due no later than Thursday, Apr. 23. Following that will be other questions, in black, which you should read and think about--they may help you answer the main question. However, you are not required to answer these questions in writing.
Please answer the question as thoughtfully as possible, after reading the lecture. Then post your answer to the English 102 Message Board by the deadline.
Your responses to other students' answers are due by midnight on Saturday, Apr. 25. In order to get the full 20 points, you MUST respond thoughtfully to at least 3 or 4 other people's postings.
If you are registered in Section 7622, you'll use Message Board 1. Click on the button below to visit your Message Board:
If you are registered in Section 7623, you'll use Message Board 2. Click on the button below to visit your Message Board:
Remember: This discussion question is worth a possible 20 points. Late answers will receive 0 points. Points will be assigned according to the thoughtfulness of your answer, not by whether it is "right" or not, since sometimes there is no "right" answer. Just be sure your ideas are supported by the material in the play (see Lecture 1).
Why does Miss Y never speak?
- Why did Strindberg choose to set the play in a ladies' cafe? Why not in a drawing room or other private place?
- Why is the point made in the stage directions that Miss Y has a bottle of beer and Mrs. X has a cup of chocolate?
- Mrs. X says, "home is best--next best to the stage..." (line 3). What does this reveal about her?
- After Mrs. X shoots the toy pistol at Miss Y, she says she didn't try to get in the way of Miss Y's career. Do you believe her?
- Does Mrs. X love her husband? What lines reveal her feelings for him?
- When does Mrs. X figure out that there was an affair between Miss Y and her husband? How does she figure it out?
- How did Mrs. X feel about Miss Y when they first met? Why do you think she felt that way?
- At first, Mrs. X is furious with Miss Y, but then her feelings change. How? Why?
- Mrs. X says, "...As for your affair with Bob, that doesn't worry me in the least." Is she telling the truth?
- Why does the author choose to make one of the toys a gun? And why is it a gift for a girl?
- Why does the author choose slippers as the gift for the husband? Why not a sweater or a tie?
- Which of the two women is the stronger?
How does the title reflect the themes of the play?
- What is the initial conflict between Ronnie and Benjamin? How does it reflect or echo the larger theme of racial identity?
- Why is Ronnie so offended that Benjamin asks him for directions?
- How does Benjamin's desire to find an address in Chinatown reflect the themes of the play?
- Benjamin says, "...you can't judge my race by my genetic heritage." And he knows more about Chinese tradition and culture than Ronnie. So which of the two is more "Chinese"?
- What does Ronnie's monologue on the history of music have to do with the issue of racial identity?
- Does Benjamin's monologue confuse or resolve the issues raised by the play?
- What are Ronnie and Benjamin both looking for in the play?