Waiting

Lesson 5
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ELA

Unit 6

11th Grade

Lesson 5 of 30

Objective


Analyze the author’s characterization of Manna Wu.

Identify the ways in which government impacts individuals’ lives and choices in China in 1963.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Waiting by Ha Jin  pp. 21 – 30 — Part One: Chapter 1

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Target Task


Multiple Choice

Which piece of evidence from p. 23 best supports the claim that Manna was stronger and more rationale than Mai Dong?

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Sample Response

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The narrator uses the phrase “old maid” in reference to Manna on p. 29 mainly to emphasize that she’s no longer

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Sample Response

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Writing Prompt

What kind of person is young Manna Wu? Describe her using evidence from throughout the chapter to support your answer.

Key Questions


  • Note the setting shift at the beginning of part one. In what year is this chapter set? Where?
  • According to the narrator on p. 21, why do the young male officers come to the nursing city to find girlfriends and wives? What does this reveal about values in China in 1963?
  • Track how the author characterizes Manna Wu through her relationship and interactions with Mai Dong. What do we learn about her?
  • How does the author characterize Mai Dong? 
  • Why does Manna decide not to marry him? On whose advice according to p. 25?
  • What is the irony of her being granted a post in Muji City on p. 25?
  • What can we infer about the role the government plays in the fate of nurses and members of the military in China?
  • Who seems most eager to be married in their relationship? 
  • Why does Manna urge him not to apply for a discharge on p. 26? What does her reasoning reveal about the role of government in everyone’s lives (not just military and medical personnel)?
  • Describe the setting as the two part on pp. 26–27. Track the season changes. How does this contribute to mood?
  • What does Manna learn in the letter she receives from Mai Dong on p. 28? What is his motivation? What seems ironic about this news?
  • How does Manna respond to the news? What does the volleyball scene and the following page reveal about her character? Her situation?

Notes


Students should, through today’s reading, see Manna as a woman of strong character and conviction who makes principled decisions. She is also capable of deep and powerful emotion, such as those she experiences after receiving Mai Dong’s letter.

Next

Analyze the impact of the setting on the plot of the novel.

Continue to identify the author’s characterization of Manna and Lin.

Lesson 6
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