Lessons from my School Years by Ray Wing-Lun

1. There is a stark contrast created in the opening of this story between what the narrator had been doing before entering school and what will be expected at school? What is this contrast and what does it immediately create in the story? 

At the opening of this story the contrast of life before going to school being very relaxed and for the narrator quite boring is compared to the extremely disciplined life at school. This immediately creates excitement and it makes the reader anxious about what is going to happen.

2. The author continues this theme of contrast at the start of the story. How does he do this in his description of his experience of Sydney’s North Shore? 

The author continues to strongly contrast the life living in the North Shore and that of her home back in China. She describes her life as 'living on a highway, with a lot of back streets that mechanics would drive up and down'. Compared to the leafy trees and brick houses of China.

3. What was the father’s background in business before he opened the fruit shop? What has helped him become successful? 

His father had absolutely no previous business experience. He came to Australia at the age of Seventeen with no business experience and no knowledge of the English language. He has become successful because he was able to draw his customers in with conversation and irrelevant banter.

4. The narrator’s description of his father is complex. What makes the father a complex character?

The author describes his father as being a complex character because of his fathers extreme attention to detail he describes that his father would go into the late hours of night recording all the sales 'down to the last penny'. He would also spent many hours practicing his calligraphy in both English and in Chinese.

5. (91) How does the author describe his role in doing ‘things that counted’?

The author describes that now that he is going to school he will be able to do something that mattered so he could contribute to the family rather than just sitting around and listening and watching. He won't have to just 'listen' anymore, he can do the great things that mattered.

6. What experience does the author have at school while keeping to himself? What does he learn from this experience?

While sitting by himself counting the cars zooming past on the highway the largest boy in the class comes up to him and starts calling him names. He then starts punching him and eventually he lashes out and punches the bully in the stomach. The boy runs off crying and Ray (author) is told on. This then teaches him to socialize with the other kids and the fight gains him some friends.

7. How would you characterise the narrator’s tone in regards to the events that are occurring around him?

Throughout the narration I notice that the sentences that are being said through times that are new to the child are short, sharp and precise. This is trying to show the effect that this is having on the author. 

8. How does the narrator characterise the ways that one could ‘get the strap’ and ways that one could avoid it?

He says that there were many ways to get the strap but when I read on It didn't seem like there was a lot to avoid it. 

9. What event evokes a racist speech to the class by the teacher?

When Ray is very scared and nervous about the upcoming school swimming carnival he sends in a note telling the teacher about his problems with swimming. The teacher then decides to read the letter out to the class and tells everyone how Asian people do not contribute to anything and how worthless they are. He then tells Ray that he should just leave the school. This to me was a very racist act.

10. What effect did the author’s experience with ‘Strap Happy Jack’ have on him?

After everything that 'Strap Happy Jack' did to Ray eventually it just made the young boy really quiet and this did not help at all, because he was one of four or five Asian children in his whole school which made him feel very lonely, like he could talk to no one about how he felt. He even refers to himself as a 'ghost' walking the playground of one thousand boys.

11. What was the one advantage school provided the author?

After Ray starts looking at his heritage through the new popular TV show Shintaro the Samurai he then suddenly has value and interest from the students and teachers around him. He then feels like he is not quite so lonely and his schooling years start to turn around for the better from this point on.

12. What did the author do at his school? What was his motivation for doing it? What did he feel was lacking at school?

The author went into the popular and social group of the school, his motivation for doing this is that the school was very easy on the students that made the school look good. This encouraged a lack of motivation for Ray at the time. Ray felt like he was lacking a sense of direction as he wanted to do something important that meant something in his life. He was very confused in his final year at school because he did not have any idea what he wanted to do when he got out of school.

13. What did the parents want their son to do at school? What did the author fear would happen by obeying his parents?

He was thinking about becoming a doctor because his family had not yet had a doctor in the family and they really wanted one. He wanted to be the child that 'shone through' for them. But he thought that his test marks were not high enough and he was not smart enough to do this. He was quite confused because he didn't know if he should listen to someone else for his career.

14. At school, what did the author learn about his own type of thinking and how to use it?
Throughout his schooling years he learnt that having a different culture is not always that bad. He learnt that he had different ideas and he just had to wait for the opportunities to show his different way of thinking.