Waiting

• Book: Waiting by Ha Jin  pp. 3 – 9 — “Peculiar History of Footbinding”

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Article:

• What is foot-binding and when was it popular in China? Why?
• What can we learn about the conflict between old and new China from the practice of foot–binding?

Prologue:

• What do we learn about Lin Kong and his predicament in the first two paragraphs?
• What similarities can you draw between his situation and the situation in “The Lady with the Dog”?
• What inferences can you make about the conflict and themes of the novel based on these first two paragraphs? About Lin Kong as a character?
• Track the author’s characterization of Lin, Manna, and Shuyu throughout the prologue.
• On p. 4, Lin finds his old Russian dictionary. What do we learn about the setting from this fact?
• What information have we learned about the setting on pp. 4 and 5?
• Why is it significant that Lin knows nothing about farm work according to the narrator on p. 5? What evidence do you see that this isolates him from others? What else accounts for Lin’s feelings of being a stranger in the village and in his own home?
• How would you characterize Lin’s relationship with his wife? His daughter?
• Track the details the author uses on p. 6 to emphasize the differences between Lin and Shuyu.
• According to the details on pp. 7–8, why did Lin agree to marry Shuyu despite his misgivings about her? How would you characterize his misgivings?
• How does Lin react when he sees Shuyu’s bound feet for the first time? Why is he embarrassed by them?
• How would you characterize Lin and Shuyu’s relationship? Explain.
• What conflicts have been revealed thus far in the novel? Explain.
• Based on these conflicts and information you have gathered in the first pages of the novel, what thematic topics can you infer will be developed in the novel?

• Students should read excerpts (perhaps just the first few paragraphs) of the article on foot-binding. This can be done for homework prior to class, as a Do Now, or even toward the end of class.
• In this unit, we will not be front-loading information about Chinese history and the Cultural Revolution. Rather, it will be interspersed throughout the unit in the form of suggestions for word study in the “Idioms and Cultural References” portion of this unit plan as well as paired readings. If it seems the students need the background up front to comprehend the text, the teacher could consider using the following prior to beginning the novel: 
• Mao Zedong biography and short video:
  • https://www.biography.com/people/mao-tse-tung-9398142
  • BBC Timeline of Chinese History: https://www.biography.com/people/mao-tse-tung-9398142
  • Entire article on foot-binding, which includes references to changes in China over its history