ENG 102 | “Family Ties” Student _______________________

LaGuardia Community College, Spring I 2010 Instructor Beth Schwartzapfel

CRITICAL READING EXERCISE

The following assignment is in lieu of attending class on Monday 3/22. It is meant both as your homework and your
classwork for that day, so please expect to spend several hours on it. It reviews all of the reading skills we’ve studied
up to this point and applies them to the stories we’ve read (with a particular emphasis on Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds,”
the reading due on 3/22). It also helps you to practice writing thesis statements about the different stories. Before
beginning, please review the sections we’ve read in your textbook about Plot, Character, Point of View, Setting, and
the section that was due today, Language, Tone, and Style. You may write your answers on this piece of paper, type
your answers on a separate sheet of paper, or download this sheet from our class website and fill out your answers
on your computer. This assignment is due on 3/24.

PLOT

In 3-4 sentences, describe the plot of “Two Kinds.”

Who is the story’s protagonist? Does the story have an antagonist? If so, what is the two
characters’ central conflict?

Using the illustration on page 84 as a guide, draw a diagram of the story’s plot, marking its
crisis/climax, the series of events leading up to that climax, and the events that constitute the
story’s denouement and resolution.

Find an example of each of the following from any of the stories we’ve read so far. (You may
use “Why I Live at the PO,” “Brownies,” “Optimists,” “Two Kinds,” or, if you’ve read ahead,
“This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”). Describe how that element contributes to the
story as a whole.
Suspense (what is the suspense about, and how does the author convey the sense that ‘something
big is coming’?):

1 of 4
Foreshadowing:

Flashbacks:

CHARACTER

Describe everything you know about the main character(s) of “Two Kinds.” Remember that all
details are significant. What do we know about the characters’ physical appearance? Their
names? The clothes they wear, the actions they take, the thoughts they have, what they say in
conversation? Which character(s) are round, and which are flat, or stock characters? How does
all of this contribute to an overall picture of the characters, and to the story as a whole?

Practice writing a thesis statement about character. Using the evidence about character that
you’ve just discovered, come up with a hypothesis about one or more of the characters in “Two
Kinds” and/or the character(s) role(s) in the story as a whole, its message, or its theme.

POINT OF VIEW

From what point of view is “Two Kinds” narrated (1st, 2nd, or 3rd person)? Is the narrator naïve,
omniscient, limited, objective, trustworthy, etc? How do you know? What effect does this choice
have on the story?

ENG 102 | “Family Ties” Your initials: ________

Critical reading exercise, 3/22/10 2 of 4 Instructor Beth Schwartzapfel
Look at the excerpt of “Anna Karenina” that you used for your diagnostic essay. From what
point of view is that story narrated? Is this naïve, omniscient, limited, objective, trustworthy, etc?
How do you know?

SETTING

What is the geographic setting of “Two Kinds”? In what city/state/neighborhood, does it take
place?

What is the social setting of the story? What type of home do the characters live in
(rural/urban/suburban, house/apartment, etc)? What is their socioeconomic status? Why do these
details matter to the story?

From among the stories we’ve read, choose an example in which the setting helps set the mood
for the story, and/or in which the setting reflects or symbolizes a character’s inner life. Explain
the setting, and how it does so.

Practice writing a thesis statement about setting. Using the evidence you’ve just discovered,
write a thesis statement about setting in the story you chose, and its relationship to mood and/or
character.

ENG 102 | “Family Ties” Your initials: ________

Critical reading exercise, 3/22/10 3 of 4 Instructor Beth Schwartzapfel
LANGUAGE, TONE, AND STYLE

In “Two Kinds,” describe the narrator’s diction. Is it formal, informal, slang-y? Does she speak
in dialect? Does she use big words, small words? Short, simple sentences, long and complex
sentences? Etc. What does the narrator’s diction tell us about her character? What effect does her
diction have on the tone and/or mood of the story?

What is the tone of “Two Kinds”? Was it funny, ironic, bittersweet, sarcastic, dark, etc? How do
you know? Were there particular words or phrases that are very important in setting the tone?
What emotions did you feel when you were reading the story? Did you feel happy, sad,
nostalgic, hopeful, etc? Did you love the characters, hate them, look up to them, look down on
them, etc? What emotions did Amy Tan want you to feel? How do you know?

Choose another story we’ve read. Answer the two questions above with regards to that story—
describe the diction of that story’s narrator and the effect of the narrator’s diction on that story;
describe the tone of that story.

ENG 102 | “Family Ties” Your initials: ________

Critical reading exercise, 3/22/10 4 of 4 Instructor Beth Schwartzapfel