1. “Shaman”

2. Questions from Students
1. What does Brave Orchid’s facial expression in the
photographs tell about her and her culture?
2. Does Kingston’s mother follow the typical role of
women in Chinese traditional culture or is she
independent and unique in her family? how?
3. Why wasn’t her mother scared of the “sitting ghost” nor
the “ghost room” like other students in the hall?

3. 4. What would be an extent of being of “ghosts”?
5. How does the mother’s name represent her mother as a
strong, independent woman?
6. What are some similarities between the tale of Fa Mu
Lan and mother’s experience as a “shaman”?
7. Who are the ghosts Kingston describes in "Shaman,"
and why does she call them that? Why do ghosts play
such an important role in this section and in the book as
a whole?

4. 8. How are expectations of women and the role of women
interpreted in the chapter?
9. The Communist Revolution is a topic that is mentioned
frequently throughout the book. How is it mentioned in
this chapter and how does it relate to the story?
10. What is Kingston’s attitude towards her mother’s talk-
stories about her fight with ghosts? Does she still
mistrust her mother?
11. Kingston’s mother seems to be dogmatic and arrogant
at times. For example, on pages 63-64, her mother talks
about how well she performed at school and how she
studied in advance. Perhaps the arrogant tendency of
Kingston’s mother affected Kingston’s behavior. If so
how?

5. Questions from Ms.
Hogshead
 Analyze the description of Kingston's mother's life in
China. In particular, what function does the discussion
of slaves serve? Why does Kingston envy her mother's
slave?
 Why does Kingston includes so much information and
imagery about food?
 How is this chapter different from the other three? It is
often felt to be the climax of the book, can you agree or
disagree?

6. Independent Writing:
 Today we have talked about the elements that make
The Woman Warrior a postmodern novel. Why would
Kingston write her novel in this style? What is her
purpose? What does she want the reader to come
away with? What are the positive and negative aspects
of this style?
 Write a paragraph describing the above ideas.