Adjectives-Activity
wrought iron(x)
Wonderfully(x) Narrower(x) dark grey(x) Camellia(x) |
Sharp(x)
Magnolia(x) sixty-nine(x) Shanghai (x) Clipped(x) |
Sharp(x)
Magnolia(x) sixty-nine(x) Shanghai (x) Clipped(x) |
Small(x)
ferocious looking(x) Wooden(x) Big (x) Pointed(x) Main(x) |
For each chapter, provide a 6-8 dot point summary.
What was the main idea? What were the most important events in the chapter?
· Chapter 1
· The introduction to all of the people in the story.
· How Adeline won the medal on her first day.
· How aunt baba was really proud of Adeline and keeps all of her things in a box.
· It tells us the Adeline’s mum died.
· Her dad married Niang shortly after her real mum died
· Her big sister told her that she was very bad luck.
· Adeline’s dad said that all photos of her mum must be destroyed.
· Chapter 2
· Tells us how old Niang was when she married her dad.
· Describes that she only wears/ wore French clothes
· She has thick wavy hair.
· Niang could speck French and English.
· Tells us about aunt baba and how she is the sister of Adeline’s father
· Tells us a little a bit about the ww2.
· Chapter 3
· About Nai Nai’s bound feet.
· Why it was a custom back then.
· How to treat it/ how to take away some of the pain.
· She says how lucky Adeline is to have un bound feet.
· Big brother is always up to no good.
· At dinner her father finally noticed her because she had a medal around her neck.
· Chapter 4
· Adeline went to St Joseph’s French Convent School.
· Big sister likes to show off what she has.
· Adeline got taught about god but not the whole story.
· Big sister says Adeline is stupid.
· Big brothers best friend was kicked and slapped by a Chinese .
· Chapter 5
· Six weeks after Nai Nai’s funeral, Ye Ye took big sister , big brother second brother and me for an outing. ( saying that Ye Ye wants to spend more time with her and her siblings.)
· Her father came back from Shanghai to pick up Adeline, and her other siblings to return to Shanghai with him.
· Their father’s house was situated on Avenue Joffre, it was a big square ,dark grey concrete.
· Their new house was very bigger , it was bigger than there other house that they just left.
· Chapter 6
· Aunt Baba is still in Tianjin with Ye Ye.
· There was no one to tack young Adeline to school in this new unknown to her palace, the cook found her and then took her to school.
· After school she waited and waited but no one came to pick her up.
· Adeline felt that everyone had a place to be to fit in but not her.
· It was getting later it was around dinner time and she Finlay attempted to call her father to come and get her from where ever she was to be.
· She felt like nobody looked out for her because aunt baba and Ye Ye were still in Tianjin .
· Chapter 7
· Ye Ye and Aunt baba are coming on the last Sunday of October.
· Little sister has been separated from Niang since she was six months old.
· Little sister didn’t recognise her own mother cause she was away from her for a long time.
· Niang slapped little sister for not going to her when she called for her then little sister screamed “don’t want you!”
· Adeline said “don’t beat her any more she only a baby!”
Niang said “how dare you!”
· Chapter 8
· Niang didn’t give them pocket money or tram fairs.
· Her brother had to shave their heads like Buddhist Monks.
· Her school was three miles from her house and she had to walk all the way there.
· They begged Ye Ye for tram fair.
· Grand aunt was the founder of the women’s bank in Shanghai.
· Big brother said I loathe walking and then Niang said “how dear you contradicted your father!”
· Chapter 9
· It’s the Chinese New year.
· They got new clothes but they were out of fashion.
· Here father want to teach us about the value of money yet Niang’s children can order what ever they want from the kitchen at any hour.
· Younger said “ if we unite together as one voice they won’t ignore us anymore.
· Big sister had to write the letter to father cause she had the neatest hand writhing out of all of us.
· They were talking about it without knowing that Niang was right outside the door.
· Chapter 10
· Wu Chun-Mei came from the merchant families.
· Wu Chun-Mei could bring lots of children book to school.
· Wu Chun-Mei asked for her driver to stop and give Adeline a ride to school.
· She gave Adeline a book that was called little princes that described her life.
· Adeline coped the book word for word in to two exerisize books.
· In 19 46 father took Niang , big sister, fourth brother and little sister to Tianjin and they stayed there for three months.
· Chapter 11
· She got given a duckling and she named it PLT
· Niangs friends didn’t know that she had five step children.
· Adeline felt very protective of PLT.
· Adeline risked her life to save PLT from Jackie.
· Chapter12
· Big sister got married to Samuel Nai Nai’s doctors son.
· Father and Naing continue to travel to Tianjin and they sometimes took big sister out of school to take with them.
· Adeline couldn’t image how it would feel to be in a garaged marriage at the age of 17.
· Three day before the wedding gave a special small package to aunt baba to give to big sister.
· The wedding had more then 500 people in it.
· Chapter 13
· In September 1948 it was Wu Chun-Mei’s birthday.
· She had just found out the PLT had died.
· When Adeline went to the birthday party before the served cake she remembered that she had to be home.
· Adeline gave out her home number to Wu Chun-Mei.
· When Adeline got home she got home at 12:09pm but she normally gets home and 12:30pm
· Aunt baba gave her a silver dollar, Adeline used it to buy her friend a gift for her birthday.
· Chapter14
· Tomorrow was Election Day for class president.
· This year is her final year at Sheng Xin Primary School.
· The next day after school Wu Chun-Mei nominated Adeline as a candidate for the class president.
· Adele thought she wasn’t good enough and nominated Wu Chun-Mei.
· Adeline won the competition.
· Adeline felt on top of the would because she was the head girl in her class.
· Chapter15
· Naing send Adeline to a boarding school in 1948.
· Her Father couldn’t remember Adeline’s name or her birthday.
· When they got to the boarding school father left right away.
· Adeline felt lonely and awful like a piece of trash on the side of the road.
· The teachers spoke in English and said the Adeline could only speak in English or French.
· Chapter16
· Most of the people in the school have left since the communist were coming and taking over.
· Aunt Reine came to Adeline’s rescue with her kid’s victor and Claudine.
· She took Adeline to Hong Kong to her parents’ house.
· Victor, Claudine and Adeline got along very well.
· Claudine became paranoid of how many ships sink.
· Adeline noticed that aunt Reine’s family was normal
· Chapter17
· Adeline went to a boarding school in Hong Kong
· In the car fourth brother deliberately snubbed me, he was playing with Naing’s diamond ring.
· She went back to the boarding school later.
· Chapter18
· Adeline is still in school
· Sunday is the least favourite day for Adleine.
· On the last Sunday of summer term Adeline finally got an egg.
· All the girls in Adelines grade started calling her scholar because she skipped a grade.
· She always had to wear old clothes.
· On a school break she like to go to the library and read the books that are there.
· Chapter19
· Eleanor lui wore 2 inch heels at the end of the term.
· Galvanism means frogs leg muscles twitching.
· Adeline had no summer plans when everyone else had lots.
· Mary and Rachel were Adeline only friends.
· Adeline wanted to go to the Victoria harbour and into the harbour.
· Chapter20
· In the morning after Mary and Rachel left for home Adeline felt sick and had a feeling of being all alone all over again.
· Night after night Adline was unable to sleep.
· When Rachel and Mary returned they played a game where they wright down the redeeming future about them self and Adeline felt like she had none.
· Chapter21
· Adeline entered a play writing computation.
· One after noon Mrs Ma-Mien Valentino was calling Adeline saying that her chauffeur was waiting to take her home.
· Father was waiting in his room for Adline.
· Father gave her the paper saying that she won the competition
· Chapter 22
· On the 22nd of September 1952 Adeline got a letter from aunt baba saying… Adeline was her Chinese Cinderella
What was the main idea? What were the most important events in the chapter?
· Chapter 1
· The introduction to all of the people in the story.
· How Adeline won the medal on her first day.
· How aunt baba was really proud of Adeline and keeps all of her things in a box.
· It tells us the Adeline’s mum died.
· Her dad married Niang shortly after her real mum died
· Her big sister told her that she was very bad luck.
· Adeline’s dad said that all photos of her mum must be destroyed.
· Chapter 2
· Tells us how old Niang was when she married her dad.
· Describes that she only wears/ wore French clothes
· She has thick wavy hair.
· Niang could speck French and English.
· Tells us about aunt baba and how she is the sister of Adeline’s father
· Tells us a little a bit about the ww2.
· Chapter 3
· About Nai Nai’s bound feet.
· Why it was a custom back then.
· How to treat it/ how to take away some of the pain.
· She says how lucky Adeline is to have un bound feet.
· Big brother is always up to no good.
· At dinner her father finally noticed her because she had a medal around her neck.
· Chapter 4
· Adeline went to St Joseph’s French Convent School.
· Big sister likes to show off what she has.
· Adeline got taught about god but not the whole story.
· Big sister says Adeline is stupid.
· Big brothers best friend was kicked and slapped by a Chinese .
· Chapter 5
· Six weeks after Nai Nai’s funeral, Ye Ye took big sister , big brother second brother and me for an outing. ( saying that Ye Ye wants to spend more time with her and her siblings.)
· Her father came back from Shanghai to pick up Adeline, and her other siblings to return to Shanghai with him.
· Their father’s house was situated on Avenue Joffre, it was a big square ,dark grey concrete.
· Their new house was very bigger , it was bigger than there other house that they just left.
· Chapter 6
· Aunt Baba is still in Tianjin with Ye Ye.
· There was no one to tack young Adeline to school in this new unknown to her palace, the cook found her and then took her to school.
· After school she waited and waited but no one came to pick her up.
· Adeline felt that everyone had a place to be to fit in but not her.
· It was getting later it was around dinner time and she Finlay attempted to call her father to come and get her from where ever she was to be.
· She felt like nobody looked out for her because aunt baba and Ye Ye were still in Tianjin .
· Chapter 7
· Ye Ye and Aunt baba are coming on the last Sunday of October.
· Little sister has been separated from Niang since she was six months old.
· Little sister didn’t recognise her own mother cause she was away from her for a long time.
· Niang slapped little sister for not going to her when she called for her then little sister screamed “don’t want you!”
· Adeline said “don’t beat her any more she only a baby!”
Niang said “how dare you!”
· Chapter 8
· Niang didn’t give them pocket money or tram fairs.
· Her brother had to shave their heads like Buddhist Monks.
· Her school was three miles from her house and she had to walk all the way there.
· They begged Ye Ye for tram fair.
· Grand aunt was the founder of the women’s bank in Shanghai.
· Big brother said I loathe walking and then Niang said “how dear you contradicted your father!”
· Chapter 9
· It’s the Chinese New year.
· They got new clothes but they were out of fashion.
· Here father want to teach us about the value of money yet Niang’s children can order what ever they want from the kitchen at any hour.
· Younger said “ if we unite together as one voice they won’t ignore us anymore.
· Big sister had to write the letter to father cause she had the neatest hand writhing out of all of us.
· They were talking about it without knowing that Niang was right outside the door.
· Chapter 10
· Wu Chun-Mei came from the merchant families.
· Wu Chun-Mei could bring lots of children book to school.
· Wu Chun-Mei asked for her driver to stop and give Adeline a ride to school.
· She gave Adeline a book that was called little princes that described her life.
· Adeline coped the book word for word in to two exerisize books.
· In 19 46 father took Niang , big sister, fourth brother and little sister to Tianjin and they stayed there for three months.
· Chapter 11
· She got given a duckling and she named it PLT
· Niangs friends didn’t know that she had five step children.
· Adeline felt very protective of PLT.
· Adeline risked her life to save PLT from Jackie.
· Chapter12
· Big sister got married to Samuel Nai Nai’s doctors son.
· Father and Naing continue to travel to Tianjin and they sometimes took big sister out of school to take with them.
· Adeline couldn’t image how it would feel to be in a garaged marriage at the age of 17.
· Three day before the wedding gave a special small package to aunt baba to give to big sister.
· The wedding had more then 500 people in it.
· Chapter 13
· In September 1948 it was Wu Chun-Mei’s birthday.
· She had just found out the PLT had died.
· When Adeline went to the birthday party before the served cake she remembered that she had to be home.
· Adeline gave out her home number to Wu Chun-Mei.
· When Adeline got home she got home at 12:09pm but she normally gets home and 12:30pm
· Aunt baba gave her a silver dollar, Adeline used it to buy her friend a gift for her birthday.
· Chapter14
· Tomorrow was Election Day for class president.
· This year is her final year at Sheng Xin Primary School.
· The next day after school Wu Chun-Mei nominated Adeline as a candidate for the class president.
· Adele thought she wasn’t good enough and nominated Wu Chun-Mei.
· Adeline won the competition.
· Adeline felt on top of the would because she was the head girl in her class.
· Chapter15
· Naing send Adeline to a boarding school in 1948.
· Her Father couldn’t remember Adeline’s name or her birthday.
· When they got to the boarding school father left right away.
· Adeline felt lonely and awful like a piece of trash on the side of the road.
· The teachers spoke in English and said the Adeline could only speak in English or French.
· Chapter16
· Most of the people in the school have left since the communist were coming and taking over.
· Aunt Reine came to Adeline’s rescue with her kid’s victor and Claudine.
· She took Adeline to Hong Kong to her parents’ house.
· Victor, Claudine and Adeline got along very well.
· Claudine became paranoid of how many ships sink.
· Adeline noticed that aunt Reine’s family was normal
· Chapter17
· Adeline went to a boarding school in Hong Kong
· In the car fourth brother deliberately snubbed me, he was playing with Naing’s diamond ring.
· She went back to the boarding school later.
· Chapter18
· Adeline is still in school
· Sunday is the least favourite day for Adleine.
· On the last Sunday of summer term Adeline finally got an egg.
· All the girls in Adelines grade started calling her scholar because she skipped a grade.
· She always had to wear old clothes.
· On a school break she like to go to the library and read the books that are there.
· Chapter19
· Eleanor lui wore 2 inch heels at the end of the term.
· Galvanism means frogs leg muscles twitching.
· Adeline had no summer plans when everyone else had lots.
· Mary and Rachel were Adeline only friends.
· Adeline wanted to go to the Victoria harbour and into the harbour.
· Chapter20
· In the morning after Mary and Rachel left for home Adeline felt sick and had a feeling of being all alone all over again.
· Night after night Adline was unable to sleep.
· When Rachel and Mary returned they played a game where they wright down the redeeming future about them self and Adeline felt like she had none.
· Chapter21
· Adeline entered a play writing computation.
· One after noon Mrs Ma-Mien Valentino was calling Adeline saying that her chauffeur was waiting to take her home.
· Father was waiting in his room for Adline.
· Father gave her the paper saying that she won the competition
· Chapter 22
· On the 22nd of September 1952 Adeline got a letter from aunt baba saying… Adeline was her Chinese Cinderella
Father’s Shanghai house was situated on Avenue Joffre, deep in the heart of the
French Concession. It was a big, large square, dark grey, concrete , building, just like all the other sixty-nine houses within the same ‘long tang’, a cluster
of houses surrounded by a Communal wall. Father’s chauffeur drove us from the
station through the main lane of our ‘long tang’, turned left into a
narrower alleyway, and stopped in front of a wrought iron gate. Father led us
into a charming garden, with a small lawn lined by clipped,
camellia bushes, a magnolia tree with wonderfully fragrant blooms,
and a wishing well next to a wooden dog house. A large ferocious looking
German Shepard rushed out, jumped excitedly at the sight of Father, but barked at us. I
glanced briefly at the large, brutish animal with its sharp
teeth and pointed ears. Father noticed and said to me, ‘His name is Jackie. Don’t be afraid of him. He won’t dare bite you’.
When you put a number of adjectives together there is an order in which they go:
1) number 2) size 3) shape 4) color 5) what it is made of
Example: One, big, square, dark grey concrete building.
Write your own group of adjectives to describe a house.
One, small, triangular , brown, wooden house.
Size – Example, large, brutish animal.
Write your own group of adjectives to describe an animal. This is caused an adjectival phrase.
Petit ,fluffy, black haired animal.
Language Techniques
Adeline Yen Mah shapes our understanding of the world in which she grew up through her choice of language features, which help keep us interested in her story. As we have already seen, for example, her use of adjectives helps us to visualise the scenes and understand the characters she describes.
Other language features, which Adeline Yen Mah uses, include:
first person narrative
rhetorical questions
direct speech
similes
Each language feature has an effect on us. For example, use of first person narrative and rhetorical questions help the reader feel involved in the story as we feel that Adeline is talking directly to us, like she would be a special friend. Similes help create a visual image in our minds about what is being described and direct speech or dialogue gives us the exact information about conversations between the characters and helps us imagine them talking to each other.
First person narrative
In first person narrative the story is told from the point of view or perspective of the main character. It is identified by the use of personal pronouns such as ‘I’, ‘my’ and ‘we’, e.g.:
‘As soon as I got home from school, Aunt Baba noticed he silver medal dangling from the left breast pocket of my uniform’. (page 1)‘We had nothing to wear except our school uniforms’. (page 41) First person narrative helps the reader feel as if they are being told the story directly from the lips of the author. In Chinese Cinderella it makes us fell as if Adeline is telling the story just to us. Find two other examples from the novel that show the story has been written from Adeline’s point of view.
Example 1:
“it’s something special that mother Agnes gave me in front of the whole class this afternoon she called it an award”(page 1)
Example 2:
My face was still smarting from naing’s slaps
(Page 116)
Adeline Yen Mah shapes our understanding of the world in which she grew up through her choice of language features, which help keep us interested in her story. As we have already seen, for example, her use of adjectives helps us to visualise the scenes and understand the characters she describes.
Other language features, which Adeline Yen Mah uses, include:
first person narrative
rhetorical questions
direct speech
similes
Each language feature has an effect on us. For example, use of first person narrative and rhetorical questions help the reader feel involved in the story as we feel that Adeline is talking directly to us, like she would be a special friend. Similes help create a visual image in our minds about what is being described and direct speech or dialogue gives us the exact information about conversations between the characters and helps us imagine them talking to each other.
First person narrative
In first person narrative the story is told from the point of view or perspective of the main character. It is identified by the use of personal pronouns such as ‘I’, ‘my’ and ‘we’, e.g.:
‘As soon as I got home from school, Aunt Baba noticed he silver medal dangling from the left breast pocket of my uniform’. (page 1)‘We had nothing to wear except our school uniforms’. (page 41) First person narrative helps the reader feel as if they are being told the story directly from the lips of the author. In Chinese Cinderella it makes us fell as if Adeline is telling the story just to us. Find two other examples from the novel that show the story has been written from Adeline’s point of view.
Example 1:
“it’s something special that mother Agnes gave me in front of the whole class this afternoon she called it an award”(page 1)
Example 2:
My face was still smarting from naing’s slaps
(Page 116)