Half and Half discussion questions and answers
“Half and Half” Answer Key
Discussion Questions
1. Amy Tan writes about mother-daughter relationships in many of her stories. What do you think the relationship was like between the narrator and her mother in the story?
The mother is very perseverant and refuses to give up on anything. This causes tension between them because Rose is nervous to tell her that she is getting a divorce since Rose knows her mom will tell her to save her marriage. The mother isn’t lenient with her beliefs nor is she understanding, which makes her sort of stubborn.
2. It takes the mother a long time (possibly never) to give up on Bing. How does she attempt to implant her perseverance in her daughter’s life?
She won’t allow her daughter to give up without fighting for her marriage.
3. What led to the downfall of Ted and Rose’s relationship?
Their relationship started going down-hill when Ted made a mistake during surgery and got sued. From that point on, he started pushing all of the decisions on Rose, but she felt uncomfortable making choices.
4. ‘Nengkan’ is “the ability to do anything (you) put (your) mind to” (page 121). How does this play a role throughout the story? Was it a harmful or helpful belief?
There were many examples of nengkan being used throughout the story. The parents used their nengkan to come to America, have seven children, buy a house with little money, and believe they had endless luck. Their nengkan led them to believe the father could be a fisherman and the mother could cook anything. Most importantly, the mother’s nengkan caused her to jump in the water to find Bing even when she couldn’t swim. In that case, nengkan was a potentially harmful belief. In the other examples, their nengkan was helpful because it led them through their hard times in life.
5. What literary device is used in paragraph 1 on page 124?
Foreshadowing is used because the author tells about the mother’s beliefs about predisposed child dangers and deaths. Soon after, her
Discussion Questions
1. Amy Tan writes about mother-daughter relationships in many of her stories. What do you think the relationship was like between the narrator and her mother in the story?
The mother is very perseverant and refuses to give up on anything. This causes tension between them because Rose is nervous to tell her that she is getting a divorce since Rose knows her mom will tell her to save her marriage. The mother isn’t lenient with her beliefs nor is she understanding, which makes her sort of stubborn.
2. It takes the mother a long time (possibly never) to give up on Bing. How does she attempt to implant her perseverance in her daughter’s life?
She won’t allow her daughter to give up without fighting for her marriage.
3. What led to the downfall of Ted and Rose’s relationship?
Their relationship started going down-hill when Ted made a mistake during surgery and got sued. From that point on, he started pushing all of the decisions on Rose, but she felt uncomfortable making choices.
4. ‘Nengkan’ is “the ability to do anything (you) put (your) mind to” (page 121). How does this play a role throughout the story? Was it a harmful or helpful belief?
There were many examples of nengkan being used throughout the story. The parents used their nengkan to come to America, have seven children, buy a house with little money, and believe they had endless luck. Their nengkan led them to believe the father could be a fisherman and the mother could cook anything. Most importantly, the mother’s nengkan caused her to jump in the water to find Bing even when she couldn’t swim. In that case, nengkan was a potentially harmful belief. In the other examples, their nengkan was helpful because it led them through their hard times in life.
5. What literary device is used in paragraph 1 on page 124?
Foreshadowing is used because the author tells about the mother’s beliefs about predisposed child dangers and deaths. Soon after, her