Blu’s hanging: Chapter 1 by Lois Ann Yamanaka

From Nicole

1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.

The author (Lois- Ann Yamanaka) – The author serves as the narrator of the book as it is told through her perspective stemming from her family memories.

Blu– The author’s sibling and the main focus of the first chapter.

Food—the presence of food plays a very important role in the recollection of the author’s family memories. The mayonnaise bread, the gum, the eggs and bacon, and the peanut butter and jelly sandwich symbolize and trigger a memory. The eggs and bacon remind Blu of their mother being alive, and the mayonnaise bread and the gum is a reminder that their mother is gone. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich is used as a comparison to the rest of Blu’s classmates’ lunches and is also used as a reminder of the how certain aspects their lives, even the most simplest, have changed since the passing of their mother.

2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.

The author begins by introducing her family and describes life without their mother. It is made clear that life has changed for the worse. Memories of a life that once included their mother cooking eggs and bacon for breakfast are long gone....and only exist now in their dreams. Now, life consists of the everyday routine of eating mayonnaise bread and listening to the sounds of their father playing “Moon River” on the piano. This new lifestyle becomes exposed to the classmates of the author’s sibling, Blu, when the class goes on a field trip. The appearance and packaging of Blu’s lunch, which, in an oversized brown bag, only consists of carrot sticks and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, is in contrast to the bountiful lunches of the classmates. This causes the author to make a wish to live under a grocery store where she can eat anything she wanted. This creates the idea, from the author’s point of view, that if there is much to eat, maybe life itself will become full again.

“You know what I would wish if I could have one wish in the whole wide world? I wish my house was underneath Kaunakakai Groceteria....Then I could choose anything I want to eat.... ”(pg. 9).

3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.

Why is the presence of food significant in Chapter 1?