About the Author
Gish Jen
Gish Jen was born in China which would explain the Chinese family in the story. This shows that Jen could have written the story upon past experiences. A good thing about an author that writes from past experiences is that they know how the story goes and it will feel more personal for the reader. Jen was the author of other books such as "Tiger Writing". Her real name is Lillian Jen and toady she is 58 years old. I hope to see more books from her in the future.
"The White Umbrella" By: Gish Jen
Pre reading Activity:
What does it mean to be embarrassed?
To be embarrassed means to have had something that happened to you that made you feel ashamed or upset. When you are embarrassed you feel as if you became the laughing stalk of the group you are with.
Have you ever been embarrassed by something a family member did or did you embarrass a family member by doing something?
A few years ago I embarrassed my dad, I embarrassed him because we had gone canoeing and he was very excited that he had been doing so well that he got overconfident and fell over and I told my grandmother and she laughed at him.
What does it mean to be embarrassed?
To be embarrassed means to have had something that happened to you that made you feel ashamed or upset. When you are embarrassed you feel as if you became the laughing stalk of the group you are with.
Have you ever been embarrassed by something a family member did or did you embarrass a family member by doing something?
A few years ago I embarrassed my dad, I embarrassed him because we had gone canoeing and he was very excited that he had been doing so well that he got overconfident and fell over and I told my grandmother and she laughed at him.
Vocabulary in Context
Mechanism: A mechanism is a device. "We took it to the beach last summer and got sand in the mechanism." (p.2)
Radiant: Radiant means shining. "Mrs. Roberts, radiant with pride, swept her daughter out of the room as if she were royalty, born to the piano bench." (p.3)
Resumed: Resumed means to continue. "As she resumed abuse of the piano, I stared at the umbrella." (p.4)
Revelation: A revelation is a discovery. "For a moment no one said anything. Even Mona seemed to find a revelation disappointing." (p.9)
Maneuver: To maneuver is to shift or move. "I tried to maneuver the umbrella under my leg so she wouldn't feel it." (p.10)
Diverted: To have moved or shifted something. "I was relieved to have attention diverted from the umbrella." (p.11)
Intently: to do something seriously. "She turned around, looked at me intently, then put her hand to my forehead." (p.11)
Radiant: Radiant means shining. "Mrs. Roberts, radiant with pride, swept her daughter out of the room as if she were royalty, born to the piano bench." (p.3)
Resumed: Resumed means to continue. "As she resumed abuse of the piano, I stared at the umbrella." (p.4)
Revelation: A revelation is a discovery. "For a moment no one said anything. Even Mona seemed to find a revelation disappointing." (p.9)
Maneuver: To maneuver is to shift or move. "I tried to maneuver the umbrella under my leg so she wouldn't feel it." (p.10)
Diverted: To have moved or shifted something. "I was relieved to have attention diverted from the umbrella." (p.11)
Intently: to do something seriously. "She turned around, looked at me intently, then put her hand to my forehead." (p.11)
Evaluative Writing
It is alright to tell a lie when you tell it to make someone happy, such as telling someone that the project they have been working on a long time looks great even if you do not think so. Another example of a harmless lie is one that will hardly change anything. It was ok for the narrator to lie when she told her piano teacher that her mother would be there in a minute even though she knew it would take her a while to get there. There are also lies that could hurt someone such as when you tell someone you will do something to help them but you choose not to do it when the time comes. Another example of a hurtful lie is when you tell someone that you have something just to make yourself look good. The narrator tells a hurtful lie when she tries to make herself look good my telling her piano teacher that her mother could not drive her to practice because their car's sunroof got sand in the mechanism and would not close. This makes her look good because her story did not just say her car broke down or malfunctioned, it had to be a convertible.