Anh Do - Winner of Australian Literary Prize 2011

1.   Who did Anh’s father rescue from the concentration camp?

a)      His eldest son who would later become Young Australian of the Year

b)      His wife’s two brothers who had worked for the Australian military

c)       Two of the armed guards at the camp who were really employees of the Australian military and were in disguise.

2.  What was the length of the fishing boat in which they escaped and how many people were on it?

a)      40 metres long with 9 people

b)      9 metres long with 40 people

c)       20 metres long with 20 people

3.       What honour was Anh’s brother given in 2005?

a)      Australian Refugee of the Year

b)      Australian of the Year

c)       Young Australian of the Year

4.       What was the main lesson which Anh’s parents insisted that he learn after coming to Australia?

Do as much as you can for this country that gave us a second chance

5.       Why was Anh able to attend a prestigious school like St Aloyisius?

a)      He worked in a sweatshop to earn enough money to pay his fees

b)      He won a half scholarship

c)       St Aloyisius always takes in a certain number of refugees as part of their charity work

7.       Describe what he wore instead of the official sports uniform.

His mother would buy similar-looking clothes from the local St Vincent’s de Paul shop and sew on an Aloysius’ badge as well as picking up school books from there.

8.       True or false:

a)      His mother earned less than $7 an hour as a cleaner in a hotel.  T   or  F

b)      At school, Anh was the class clown and this was when he knew he had a future as a comedian.    T   or   F

c)       He was often punished at school with a strap.    T   or   F

d)      No-one at school knew at the time that Anh and his family were poor.  T   or   F

e)      Anh’s father left the family when Anh was growing up.   T   or  F

9.       What did Anh study at University?

a)      Fine Arts, majoring in Drama

b)      Law

c)       Pure Mathematics

10.   What did Anh do for his mother when he was only 23 years old?

a)      Gave her money for a holiday back in Vietnam

b)      Arranged for her to come and see his first public performance as a comedian

c)       Bought her a house

11.   How old was Anh at the time of this interview?

a)      30

b)      33

c)       40

13.   Was Anh the victim of racism as he grew up?

Yes he was a victim of racism growing up because he was an immigrant and struggled to speak English.

14.   Write ONE extra question which you would like Adam to have asked Anh, and what do you think the answer would have been?

I would ask him 'what is the most valuable thing and the thing that helped you the most'. I would expect the answer to be somewhere along the lines of his family and his mother but i am not sure about why other than the pressure (generally good) that was put on him to make good out of the families move to Australia

The Relative Advantages of Learning My Language

Why Does It Matter


The darkness of a death and the regret of what could have been is a key feeling that is forced upon the reader when reading the relative advantages of learning my language. 


The disconnection from a culture to fit in with the mainstream Australian society is the main 'theme' within the story. 'i didn't see the point in speaking chinese. We lived in Australia' furthers the way the Australian environment changes cultures and immigrants to be the english speaking society it is today. 


This disconnection is opposed and mended with the darkness of death of a family member which happens to everyone at some point in there life therefore making it relatable. The overshadowing of what could have been makes me, as the reader, feel guilty for the disrespect of lack of attention to that which i no longer have.The ability to communicate is the most simple of human desire, and the sparing way we use it is only foreshadowed by what could have been. The mutual feeling of 'not trying to discover my roots' but rather 'next time an elderly relative wants me to listen to them, i am not only willing, i am able. 


The sinister idea of death followed by the haunting feeling of regret is why someone should read this story. It opens up the mind to another place, a place of respect and living without the regret so prominent in the story.

Perfect Chinese Children

Read any story that we haven't read yet and write a review of the story and explain why it matters. Why should anyone care about the story/read it?


Perfect Chinese Children by Vanessa Woods


The author portrays the life of a mixed Australian Chinese family as they struggle to afford even school, resulting from immigration, interracial marriage and a anti-cultural divorce.


This story shows the separation from origins to environment. The description of change, from parental pressure to attitude, 'As time goes by, it becomes clear we are going the way of Australian Children'. This illustrates the impact that ones environment has on the influence of there ethics and the way that they perceive the world, rather that the stereotype that ethics is based and influenced by culture. It shows the way in which all First Generation/Immigrant children are linked within Australian society.


This also shows how the generational gaps of families with different cultural up brings splits the family. The quest of the mother for perfection and the stereotypical chinese child shows the pressure that forces the child apart from their family. 'It's shame. And she's not ashamed of me, she's ashamed of herself.' This quote shows that the pressure that is put on a child for a parent to have and feel a sense of accomplishment. This shows the link between all parents, not just Chinese parents.


This story shows and resembles a Chinese family going through a depressing time and the links between their life and the Australian experience. The result is that people feel like you owe your parents for everything they sacrifice for your education and leaves the reader feeling guilty, not for the story, but for the life that they take for granted. 

Lessons from My School Years

1. There is a stark contrast created in the opening of this story between what the narrator had been doing before entering school and what will be expected at school?   What is this contrast and what does it immediately create in the story?  The contrast that is created at the beginning of the story is that which is juxtaposed with the true reality. The authors intensions and thoughts of school is to learn what he wants to learn when in reality it is to be obedient and to learn what is being taught. 

2. The author continues this theme of contrast at the start of the story. How does he do this in his description of his experience of Sydney’s North Shore? He describes the North Shore as being very different based on location. There is areas which are full of leafy green and solid brick houses which he doesn't like. His whole world revolves around this and the highway with is juxtaposed with the positives such as the library, the back lane and the park.

3. What was the father’s background in business before he opened the fruit shop? What has helped him become successful? The fathers background in business was non-existent, he had no background when he moved to Australia. To overcome this he used his personality and greeted all customer with a wide smile, asking them what they want and being very friendly and chatty.

4. The narrator’s description of his father is complex. What makes the father a complex character? The narrator's description of the father is very complex because the father has many different aspects about him. He is a happy, chatty, friendly man who strives to make people feel welcome in his shop. He also is a very hard diligent worker, having started a successful business in Australia with no english or business skills, and is very motivated as seen through the checking of account every night in order to make sure everything is good. This shows that he has many different character traits which make him a very complex person.

5. (91) How does the author describe his role in doing ‘things that counted’? His purpose within the family was to listen and watch what his siblings had to say about school in order to learn for himself what is acceptable and what isn't within schooling life. This to him was the only way of learning because he couldn't ask questions because they would be seen as insignificant. 

6. What experience does the author have at school while keeping to himself? What does he learn from this experience? The author experiences a bad situation at school by trying to keep to himself. He is centred out because of not only his difference is race (an asian in an australian environment) but because he keeps to himself and doesn't talk. He learns not to be afraid of the people around him but be nice and friendly.

7. How would you characterise the narrator’s tone in regards to the events that are occurring around him? The narrator would use a rather mono tone, that of a single note. He is seeing the world in one major way, that it is horrible. His expectations are very different to reality and this sets in a negative mood and a very one-sided view.

8. How does the narrator characterise the ways that one could ‘get the strap’ and ways that one could avoid it? The narrator characterises the way that one could 'get the strap' as being very easy to get and very hard to avoid it. Simple things that happen daily would get the strap such as mis-spelling a word in a spelling bee, getting an answer wrong, walking to fast or to slow, etc. There was very few ways to avoid the strap.

9. What event evokes a racist speech to the class by the teacher? The boy in the story could not swim and therefore, his sister wrote a note to excuse him from the swimming carnival. The teacher than reads it to the whole class, that stating "we all know these chinese people never contribute to anything".

10. What effect did the author’s experience with ‘Strap Happy Jack’ have on him? It made him think about the minority of the chinese people within the area and the fact that racist comments like "chinese people never contribute" not meaning much and having little effect on the population.

11. What was the one advantage school provided the author? One advantage that the author found was that as he went on through high school, some teachers noticed talents in him and one teacher for example told him that his test scores indicated a very valuable future for him.

12. What did the author do at his school? What was his motivation for doing it? What did he feel was lacking at school? The author started a workshop program, something that interested him and was something that he enjoyed. He was motivated to do something that he enjoyed (the motivation coming from interest that he set the boundaries for the program), and he felt that the school was lacking the ability for him to choose his own future.

13. What did the parents want their son to do at school? What did the author fear would happen by obeying his parents? The parents (mostly the mother) wanted their son to be a specific profession. The mother wanted her son to be a doctor, something that he feared and hated to do. She chose this because of her culture and her wanting of a doctor in the family. The author feared that he would end up having to follow a path that was based on the teachers decision, because he mother told him to learn what is begin taught and learn what you want after, which to him sounded like he would miss the opportunity to learn what he wants.

14. At school, what did the author learn about his own type of thinking and how to use it? He learn, by being at school, that his own type of thinking is very different to the next persons and that he has to follow his style in order to use it to its full potential.

My First Kiss

1. How does the author describe Malaysia in regards to showing affection? The law forbids 'indecent behaviour' which can be interpreted as any affection showed in public. This law is especially hard on the homosexuals because that was against the law. This shows that Malaysia has a very strong position in showing affection in the face of other, that being it is morally wrong.

2. What happens to the author when she hits puberty? She followed the stereotypical path of a teenage girl which is to have long hair, pimples are a crush. Where she differs is that she had a crush on girls idols rather that the heterosexual male idol. She also began to write in a diary to express herself creatively.

3. What is the author’s experience at school when she first arrives to Melbourne? Her experience when she first arrives in Melbourne is that she is stereotyped into the ESL class because she comes from overseas. She is annoyed by this because she knows English well and has spoken it all her life and is not offered the challenge that she hopes for. She does like the fact that she can make friends in a similar position.

4. What is it that made the author feel that she wasn’t Australian even though she spoke English fluently? She came from a different background to most people spoke English and thought that she sounded like she spoke a mix of cultures (Malaysian-lit, Manglish, TV-Influenced Americianisms, the Queen's English and Australian).

5. What else was it about the author that further alienated her from her peers? She is considered nerdy be the socio-economics of the school and would rather read at lunch and stay away from the gossip. She also is in the chess team with others that are alienated from the peers.

6. What does the use of description like ‘crash hot’ do to the audience’s perception of the author? The audience's perception of the author by using 'crash-hot chess player' shows that she is a victim to Australian colloquialisms and that she judges people the same to stereotypical girls.

7. What opportunity does university give the author? What is it about university which would allow her to express herself more freely? The university offers her to be more creative with her theater writing. This allows her to express her sexuality as seen through her wanting to kiss another girl and that she is in charge of how the play is written.

8. What role does creativity play for the author? Why do you think that creativity would be so important to her? Creativity plays an important part of the authors life because it gives her an outlet to her otherwise discriminated homosexuality. It is so important to her because without it she would have to 'bottle up' her emotions rather than express them freely.

Teenage Dreamers by Phillip Tang

1. What are the first two sentences of the story and how do they create a tension in the story? The first two sentence of the story create tension because it talks about a very negative six sense which is the ability to tell when someone is going to die. This creates the basis and tension within the story because it sets-up the thought that someone is going to die within the story.

2. What has happened to the author’s father as a result of his wife’s death? The author's father looked for something to care for and be passionate about which is Leslie Cheung. This made him more susceptible to be disappointed in things he believed in and the fear of death.

3. How does the description of the father removing his hands from his face as ‘unmasked’ related to the seriousness of his following statement? By removing his hands from his face by 'unmasking' them it shows that he is showing his full emotion and that it is very solemn occasion. This also shows that he rarely is serious and that he is a different person when he needs to be serious.

4. Consider how the father lives his life and conducts himself and the other people in the theatre for the film the author and his father are watching. How does this relate to the title of the story? The father lives his life and conducts himself much like a 'teenage dreamer'. This is seen through his passion for an actor/musician who is popular at the time. He also begins to cry like teenagers (the other people in the theater) when confronted with a idol in pain. He also gets very emotional when he doesn't get what he wants, shown through the author saying 'no' to going to Honk Kong to go to a predict funeral.

Conversations with my Parents by Oanh Thi Tran

1. What is ironic about the way the author and the father become close? What has to happen to the father? It is ironic about the way that the author and the father become close because they become close through the sickness and suffering of the father. It is also mentioned that the author began to like being in the hospital because it meant that the author could get closer to the father.

2. How would you characterise the conversation that the author has with her parents? You would characterise them as very brief and very cliche. They would also be characterised as very awkward and those similar to acquaintances rather than family. 

3. What is it that worries the author most about these conversations? The biggest worry about the conversations that are had with her parents is that she never tells them that she loves them and is not sure how to. 

4. There is a gap between the author’s need to express feelings common in western countries and her family’s lack of desire to express their feelings verbally. How does the family still express their feelings for their child, just not verbally? The family express their feelings for the child by reminiscing about memories about happy times and that they always try to call and listen to the child. They also pressure her to live like they did such as by buying Vietnamese groceries and talking about meals such as Banh Xeo. 

The Early Settlers by Ken Chau

• 1. How does this title refer to two groups of ‘settlers’? Who are they? The two groups are the ones who are foreign and arriving now such as the great-grandfather and the early settlers who have branded the new arrivals.
• 2. How is the first line of the poem successful at being ‘forceful’ regarding the Great-Grandfather’s presence in Australia? It shows his position in the socio-economical status within the two settling classes, him being an outsider in the early settlers guild.
• 3. What action are the ‘early settlers’ doing that gives them equally a strong presence? They are branding the new arrivals with very derogatory terms such as 'devil' and 'terrorist'. This shows there dominance and there ability to make people feel uneasy about there lifestyle.
• 4. How is the intention of the Great-Grandfather juxtaposed to the beliefs of the ‘early settlers’? He juxtaposes the early settlers because he is branding them as well by calling them 'bastards' but by saying it in his own language shows him as an outsider standing up by hypocritical means.
• 5. What action does the Great-Grandfather do that ties him both to the ‘early settlers’ and to his own culture? The great grandfathers brands others in much the same way the early settlers do, with derogatory terms such in the way the great grandfather brands 'bastard' upon someone which ties in with the early settlers branding people with 'foreign devil' and 'potential terrorist'. By the great grandfather branding in his own language he ties back in with his culture and his way of life.
• 6. How does this short poem highlight the irony of the hatred that immigrants experience when they come to a 'settled' land like Australia? It is ironic that immigrants are hated when they 'settle' because they once would have had to settle and that they all come from different backgrounds. They all have there descendants and all would have felt the hatred experience but now put the same pressure on other people

The Relative Advantages of Learning my Language by Amy Choi

1. The author opens the story with an anecdote. What is the anecdote and what effect does it have on the reader? An anecdote is a story within a story which adds meaning and information to the original story. It makes the story have more depth and has more a better understanding of the stories complication or meaning.

2. What is the author’s view of the Chinese language in the 2^nd paragraph? The authors view on the Chinese language is that it is useless in a English speaking society such as Australia because she speaks English all day at school and watches television in English.

3. What is symbolic about the house that the Grandfather mistakes for his own? What does it say about the assimilation of his family into Australian culture? What does it say about his understanding of Australian culture? What is ironic about the inhabitants of this house? The grandfather mistakes the house for being his which symbolises the similarity and uniformity of living standards within Australian culture. It also shows that all migrants are treated the same way seen through the Chinese background of the main family and the Pakistani background of the other family. It is ironic that they are both of asian descendant and that they have similar living standards i.e. the same, or similar looking house. 

4. What does the death of her grandfather inspire the author to do? The death of the authors grandfather encourages and motivates her to get to know people more and to learn about there culture through the fact that she is trying to learn chinese.

5. Why is she motivated to know Chinese? What is it she wants to ensure she is able to, regretting that she couldn’t do it with her grandfather? She is motivated to learn Chinese because she wants to ensure she is able to talk to an elderly relative next time sees them to learn about there life, which she wasn't able to do with her grandfather and regrets this.

The author makes us consider what it really means about understanding someone's language? What basic human skill/ability is the author highlighting that cuts across all cultures? The basic human ability/skill is communication which allows us to get an insight into someones culture based on someone who has lived it as opposed to a third person looking on. This also shows all people want communication and the fact that people judge people and mostly only see difference based on genetics and only want to be with people that we can 'survive' best with.