Sample Exam Responses

1. Sample Exam Responses Hum 1

2. What was the addiction of the great-grandfather of the Sandalwood Mountains? How did he respond to the “demons’” restrictions on this addiction? How does this response/action contribute to Kingston’s development of her thesis regarding American citizenship? “F” Response: He was addicted to opium. It made him really tired all the time and used up all of his money. The “demons” haunting him were the drugs and the nightmares caused by the drugs. He responded by quitting, cold-turkey, so to speak, and getting his life back together. This fits the American dream of inventing oneself, and seeing the power of hard work and determination.

3. What was the addiction of the great-grandfather of the Sandalwood Mountains? How did he respond to the “demons’” restrictions on this addiction? How does this response/action contribute to Kingston’s development of her thesis regarding American citizenship? “D” Response: He was addicted to talking. He kept talking even though they restricted him to no talking. They all dug a hole in the ground and shouted things. This fits Kingston’s overall thesis really well. It really shows what she was trying to say in the book.

4. What was the addiction of the great-grandfather of the Sandalwood Mountains? How did he respond to the “demons’” restrictions on this addiction? How does this response/action contribute to Kingston’s development of her thesis regarding American citizenship? “C” Response: He was addicted to talking. The demons told him he couldn’t talk, but he would try to talk anyway. They dug a hole in the ground and shouted into the earth then buried it. When the sugarcane grew it revealed what they shouted. This is where Kingston got her stories from, from listening to the cane, which means they probably didn’t happen, which fits her thesis that real Americans are whoever wants to be an American.

5. What was the addiction of the great-grandfather of the Sandalwood Mountains? How did he respond to the “demons’” restrictions on this addiction? How does this response/action contribute to Kingston’s development of her thesis regarding American citizenship? “B” Response: He was addicted to talking. Initially he responds by continuing to talk, but when he begins to feel that the men are being made sick by not talking, he organizes them into a party to shout their complaints into a hole in the ground. By shouting out their complaints they are revealing that they have worked hard and contributed to the building of America, which is, according to Kingston, what makes someone an American—not whether or not they have the proper legal documentation.

6. What was the addiction of the great-grandfather of the Sandalwood Mountains? How did he respond to the “demons’” restrictions on this addiction? How does this response/action contribute to Kingston’s development of her thesis regarding American citizenship? “A” Response: He was addicted to talking. Initially he responded by trying to talk by singing, or coughing, etc., but when the men become ill, he concludes they are sick from bottling up all all the things they need to say, so he organizes a sort of “shout party” where they dig a hole in the ground and shout into it. This ritual, derived from a traditional Chinese tale about a king with a son who had cat ears, seems to share a similar dynamic with the bride-crying ritual. But this ritual is new, designed for men. Bak Goong concludes they are allowed to make up new rituals because the China Men are the “building and founding” ancestors of America/Hawaii. This underscores their roles in clearing the land and building American which contributes to Kingston’s thesis that an American is someone who has invested his/her effort and work into building this country, not simply someone who has the legal documentation, especially when racism prevented them from getting those legal documents.