Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- How do the speaker's two names reflect the conflict between her Chinese and American identities?
- Would Marilyn have been happier if her family had stayed in China? What's the speaker's attitude toward the pros and cons of the immigrant experience?
- Why is the poem written in four stanzas?
- What does the poem suggest about the relationship between Marilyn and her Chinese ancestors?
- What does the speaker's switch from first person to third person narrative (in the last stanza of the poem) suggest about her perspective of herself?