Respond to one of the following prompts. Your essay should have a focused thesis and format. Use a page for pre-writing. You’ll have the full class period to complete this essay. You must have at least 600 words.

1. At Red Fire Farm, Lu cares for a dog named 409. Compare/Contrast Lu’s relationship with 409 to Yan and Anchee’s friendship.

2. Compare or contrast Anchee’s “outing” her teacher as a spy to her killing Big Beard. Explain how these scenes might be connected.

3. Describe sexuality’s presence in the memoir; what purpose does sexuality seem to have in the text? Where does sexuality seem “displaced” or “erased”?

4. Consider Yan and Lu’s competitiveness. How does Yan and Lu’s competition function in the memoir? How does their competition fit into the larger scope of the narrative?