Literary Analysis Question- Simone

3. Is the book’s structure chronological or does it move back and forth between past and present?  Does the author use a single (first or third person) viewpoint or shifting points of view?  Why might the author have chosen to tell the story this way and how does it influence the reader’s understanding?

The book's structure is chronological, and the author wrote the book in the first person viewpoint, and the viewpoint doesn't shift throughout the book. I think the author (Ji-li Jiang) wrote the book this way because the book is an autobiography for her. An example is, “She’s in my class,” Chen Yi-yi said. My eyes met An Yi’s." (Jiang 224). Another example is, “No,” I said sadly." (Jiang 223). This may influence the reader's understanding. This may happen because the whole book is from the author’s perspective. Things are also written about the way the author thought of them, and that might not be something the reader understands. Or maybe, the reader may think of something in a certain way but the author may write about it in a different way. So then the reader may not understand why the author may say some certain things, which may affect the way reader understands the rest of the book. This may also make the reader not understand a part of the book, which may influence something that happens in the book later, which might make the reader even more confused. Also, Ji-li Jiang wrote this book in 1998 when she was about 12. She might have thought of things in ways that a 15 year- old may not understand or particularly agree with. If Ji-li goes back and reads her book, she may not even understand why she wrote some things as a kid now that she is older.

       
   


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