2. How do Chinese and American cultures affect the lives and relationships of Chinese-American families in this film?

3. What are the conflicts, tensions experienced by the two generations of women in this film? To what extend do parental expectations affect both generations of women?

4. The mothers in this film had hard lives in China. Their daughters seem to have greater freedom in the U.S.: more opportunities to come first in their own lives, more opportunities to pursue happiness. Yet joy seems to elude them too. How do we explain this?

One explanation might be that the daughters are still too connected to the "Old World" ways to be fully and confidently independent, free and happy in the U. S.

Another explanation might be, however, that in having lost vital connections to their mothers' traditions and identities in China, they have lost part of themselves they need to recover in order to be confident, independent, free and joyful.

What do you think?

6. What do you imagine will be the "cultural" conflicts you will face in making a journey to Monmouth College? How will you begin to find places in your lives for both the old (high school, family) and new (college) cultures?