Joy Luck Club Webquest - Joshua Kartawinata

Hi, welcome to the web quest for Joy Luck Club! Joy Luck Club is a set of stories that touch on the clashing cultures between Asian immigrants and American life. The story takes place at the Joy Luck Club after the death of Suyuan Woo, the founding woman of the Joy Luck Club(a place where Asian immigrants and their friends can meet up, tell stories, and play games). Jing Mei Woo is faced with the daunting task of taking her mother's spot. The novel consists of 16 stories and each story cover social and cultural norms of Asian families, and also cover the expectations and the hardships of immigrant women. Through this webquest we will dive into the different relationships and characters along with how each one can overcome their problems. This webquest is meant to dive into the deep end of how immigrant life should not be ignored. This webquest may involve topics not suitable for people of all ages. Each link is interactive and should be visited for the full experience.

Here are several things you will learn through this quest:

1. How the relationships change throughout the novel

2. How the pairs learn to overcome their differences

3. How each character learns to fight through their obstacles

4. How each character learns to value the culture of the mother and of the daughter

Follow the instructions listed in the process 

1.  First things first would be to watch the trailer or consider reading the book for a better understanding. If you choose not to that's fine as well.

2. The next task would be to take this quick survey and see how you are able to relate to the women.

Based on the seperate answers that will be submitted, the Joy Luck Club tackles these ideas and themes in the form of different stories all into one book/movie. Many immigrant mothers deal with a lot of problems and hardships, especially when they first moved into the country. More often than not, society associates immigrants as not educated or lacking basic knowledge, while this is not true. The language barriers that are presented is a major obstacle and theme we see in the story. Many of the children, such as Waverly see this as a barrier to their relationship, as they are not able to communicate their feelings. Another theme that is shared among all these women, is expectations. Parents want the best for their kids, especially when they have the potential to become more successful. This is made true within the movie, as each mother wants their child to have a better future, often sacrificing everything they have, or pushing them to become better. 

3. This character analysis website will give more insight on the mother's and their relationships with their daughters. Read through each character to see their motives and how their relationships are determined by their pasts. It will also dive into the themes of Joy Luck Club and how they influence many of the characters and the overarching story.

4. Although many of you probably cannot relate to the stories or hardships the mothers of the Joy Luck Club went through, many of us can often relate to the hardships and discrimination we face on a day to day basis.  Visit this padlet link and enter in 3 good things your parents have done for you, and why you're grateful them.

5. Read this article about other Asian American Immigrants and their experience 

Take this google form for reflection and clarification. This form should test your understanding with a few questions along with hopefully solidifying your identity and value as a person!

The Joy Luck Club is a story that deals with multiple issues surrounding Asian culture and issues. This webquest should have provided insight to many of the problems that Asian Americans face. I think that many people are too ignorant to learn about these issues, as they have never experienced what it is like to move into a completely new country. This story is meant to inspire and to touch the hearts of many. This novel teaches us to fight through our problems and overcome them, regardless of how much they haunt our past. As many seniors taking this class are about to leave for college, we should still take these lessons into account for the future. Knowing one's self worth is very crucial for the future. Thank you for taking this webquest, and I hope that you learned a lot from it!

Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club: A Novel. 1st ed., Penguin Books, 2006.