Rose Hsu Jordan- Kelsey's Seminar

I thought the class participated really well for my seminar and I really enjoyed the insight everyone had of my chapter. You guys had some really great points, and really understood the section. My first question was: How does Rose’s family rely on their Nengkan in this story? Do you think that her parents’ Nengkan has more to do with faith or fate? Most people agreed that Nengkan is the combination of having faith in one's fate. Someone also made the connection between the Hsu's Nengkan is similar to the Jong's invisible strength. My favorite comment was when someone mentioned An-mei's treatment of her Bible and that she uses it as a tool to keep balance in their lives by wedging it underneath a wobbly table to make it stable. I thought this was especially insightful and explained why An-mei kept the Bible clean even though it is placed this way. My next discussion question was: Do you think Rose’s Chinese heritage or the American culture she grew up in has a greater impact on this story? Some people believed that since Rose and her family's Nengkan played such a large role in the story, that her Chinese heritage had a larger role. Most of the class, however, agreed that it was the mix of the two cultures complemented each other much like the light and dark side of the yin-yang. Many people also believed that Nengkan is represented in many different stories. While it may be called by another name, this idea is not specifically Chinese.