The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. The Paper Menagerie deals heavily with race, including segregation, prejudice, and stereotyping as well as heritage, ancestry, and pride. What are some examples of cultural insensitivity or outright prejudice that you have seen recently in the news or on social media? What effect do these kinds of actions and attitudes have on people in the targeted group? How do people retain their pride in their heritage in spite of such treatment from others?

Teaching Suggestion: Although many of the book’s characters encounter judgment and segregation, they also feel a sense of pride in who they are. Students can discuss the difference between positive and negative stereotypes and consider whether they’ve ever been guilty of negatively (or positively) stereotyping others.

• “Five Ways to Be More Culturally Aware” from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing offers some tips for people cautious about exploring cultures outside their own.
• “Understanding America: Asian American History, Contributions, and Current Challenges” is a Foreign Press Center briefing that explores the place Asian Americans hold in United States history and the challenges they continue to face today.