Task A

Sum up the information about the narrator’s parents.

(Comprehension) (12 Punkte)

Analyze how the role the “Gathering” plays for the parents is portrayed. Consider narrative techniques and use of language.

(Analysis) (16 Punkte)

Choose one of the following tasks:

3.1

“The poor customers give Mom-n-Dad food stamps, which become money, which becomes college tuition for me. It’s the latest version of the American Dream.” (ll. 12 – 14)
Discuss whether the narrator’s statement adequately reflects the current social realities in the US.

(Evaluation: comment) (14 Punkte)

3.2

You have a British friend who works as a student assistant at university and has been asked to design the cover of a brochure for a field trip to the US entitled “Exploring US identity.” Your friend has put together a collage and has asked you for your opinion, knowing that you have just talked about the US in class. Write an email to your friend, assessing to what extent this collage conveys an adequate idea of what constitutes US identity.

(Evaluation: re-creation of text) (14 Punkte)

David Yoon

Frankly in Love

The novel is set in California and tells the story of the protagonist Frank Li and his family.

Mom-n-Dad work at The Store every day, from morning to evening, on weekends, holidays,

New Year’s Day, 365 days out of every year without a single vacation for as long as me

and Hanna have been alive.

Mom-n-Dad inherited The Store from an older Korean couple of that first wave who came

over in the sixties. No written contracts or anything. Just an introduction from a good friend,

then tea, then dinners, and finally many deep bows, culminating in warm, two-handed

handshakes. They wanted to make sure The Store was kept in good hands. Good, Korean

hands.

The Store is an hour-long drive from the dystopian perfection of my suburban home of

Playa Mesa. It’s in a poor, sun-crumbled part of Southern California largely populated by

Mexican- and African-Americans. A world away.

The poor customers give Mom-n-Dad food stamps, which become money, which becomes

college tuition for me.

It’s the latest version of the American Dream.

I hope the next version of the American Dream doesn’t involve gouging people for food

stamps.

I’m at The Store now. I’m leaning against the counter. Its varnish is worn in the middle like

a tree ring, showing the history of every transaction that’s ever been slid across its surface:

candy and beer and diapers and milk and beer and ice cream and beer and beer. [...]

It makes no sense that I’m helping Mom-n-Dad at The Store. My whole life they’ve never

let me have a job.

“Study hard, become doctor maybe,” Dad would say.

“Or a famous newscaster,” Mom would say. [...]

I grab my phone and step into the even hotter heat outside. [...]

Buzz-buzz. It’s Q.

Pip pip, old chap, let’s go up to LA. It’s free museum night. Bunch of us are going.

Deepest regrets, old bean, I say. Got a Gathering.

I shall miss your companionship, fine sir, says Q.

And I yours, my good man.

Q knows what I mean when I say Gathering.

I’m talking about a gathering of five families, which sounds like a mafia thing but really is

just Mom-n-Dad’s friends getting together for a rotating house dinner.

It’s an event that’s simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary: ordinary in that hey, it’s just

dinner, but extraordinary in that all five couples met at university in Seoul, became friends,

moved to Southern California together to start new lives, and have managed to see each

other and their families every month literally for decades.

The day ends. Dad changes shirts, trading his shop owner persona for a more Gathering-

appropriate one: a new heather-gray polo that exudes success and prosperity. We lock up,

turn out the lights. Then we drive forty minutes to the Kims’.

It’s the Kim family’s turn to host the Gathering this time, and they’ve gone all out: a Brazilian

barbecue carving station manned by real Brazilians drilling everyone on the word of the

night (chu • rra • sca • ri • a), plus a wine-tasting station, plus a seventy-inch television in the

great room with brand-new VR headsets for the little kids to play ocean explorer with.

It all screams: We’re doing great in America. How about you?

Included among these totems of success are the children themselves, especially us older

kids. We were all born pretty much at the same time. We’re all in the same year in school.

We are talked and talked about, like minor celebrities. So-and-so made academic pentathlon

team captain. So-and-so got valedictorian.

Being a totem is a tiresome role, and so we hide away in the game room or wherever while

outside, the littler kids run amok and the adults get drunk and sing twenty-year-old Korean

pop songs that none of us understand. In this way we have gradually formed the strangest

of friendships:

We only sit together like this for four hours once a month.

We never leave the room during this time, except for food.

We never hang out outside the Gatherings.

The Gatherings are a world unto themselves. Each one is a version of Korea forever trapped

in a bubble of amber—the early-nineties Korea that Mom-n-Dad and the rest of their

friends brought over to the States years ago after the bubble burst. Meanwhile, the Koreans

in Korea have moved on, become more affluent, more savvy. Meanwhile, just outside the

Kims’ front door, American kids are dance-gaming to K-pop on their big-screens.

But inside the Gathering, time freezes for a few hours. We children are here only because

of our parents, after all. Would we normally hang out otherwise? Probably not. But we

can’t exactly sit around ignoring each other, because that would be boring. So we jibber-

jabber and philosophize until it’s time to leave. Then we are released back into the reality

awaiting us outside the Gathering, where time unfreezes and resumes.

Annotations:

All language mistakes in the original text have been corrected.

David Yoon, Frankly in Love, London: Penguin Random House 2019, pp. 11 – 17.

Michael Foran, CC BY 2.0, WTC smoking on 9-11.
Tyler Merbler from USA, CC BY 2.0, 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.
Lesekreis, CC0, NYC Liberty 4.
Gobierno CDMX, CC0, Partido NBA.
Continental Congress, Public domain, US-original-Declaration-1776.
Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress, Public domain, Emigrant party on the road to California .
Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, Black Lives Matter Protest Times Square New York City.

(Evaluation: re-creation of text) (14 Punkte)

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Note:
Our solutions are listed in bullet points. In the examination, full marks can only be achieved by writing a continuous text. It must be noted that our conclusions contain only some of the possible aspects. Students can also find a different approach to argumentation.

The narrator's parents own and run a small business, most likely a grocery store, where they work long, demanding hours.
The parents' dedication to providing for their family and ensuring a future for their child is central to their lives.
They make use of food stamps from customers as a source of income, ultimately putting it toward the narrator’s education, highlighting their adaptability.
Their belief in the American Dream keeps them motivated, even as they face significant financial and social struggles.

Main Body
Hard-working and resourceful

The parents sacrifice their own comfort and time to provide for their children, showing a deep sense of responsibility and family devotion.
They use every opportunity, including food stamps, to save money for their child’s education, highlighting their determination.
Their belief in the possibility of upward mobility through hard work reflects their commitment to securing a better life for the next generation.
The parents’ struggles with financial instability do not deter them from pursuing long-term goals for their family.

Sacrifice and dedication

The "Gathering" plays a crucial role in the lives of the parents, serving as both a cultural and emotional anchor. It is portrayed as a cherished event that connects them to their heritage and community, while also offering a sense of belonging and continuity. Through this event, the parents reaffirm their identity and pass down important values to their children, showcasing the central importance of the "Gathering" in shaping their lives.

Introduction

The narrative employs a third-person limited perspective, allowing readers to view the "Gathering" from the parents' point of view.
$\rightarrow$ "have managed to see each other and their families every month literally for decades" (l. 35-36)
This narrative perspective emphasizes the emotional and cultural significance of the event for the parents by making their thoughts and feelings accessible to the audience and therefore enhancing the reader’s connection to the story.
$\rightarrow$ "Mom-n-Dad’s friends getting together for a rotating house dinner" (l. 32-33),
This technique creates an intimate connection with the parents, ensuring readers to understand how deeply the "Gathering" influences their identity and sense of belonging.

Narrative Techniques
Third-Person Perspective

Flashbacks are used throughout the narrative to highlight the parents' memories of past Gatherings, reinforcing that this event has been an integral part of their lives for years.
$\rightarrow$ "all five couples met at university in Seoul, became friends and moved to Southern California together" (l. 34-35)
They provide context for the importance of the "Gathering" and show how the parents have relied on this tradition for emotional support and cultural continuity.
The story underscores how the "Gathering" connects the past to the present, maintaining the parents’ link to their heritage. "twenty-year-old Korean pop songs" (l. 50-51)

Flashbacks

Descriptions like the "Brazilian barbecue carving station manned by real Brazilians" (l. 41-42) and the "wine-tasting station" (l. 43), vividly portray the luxurious and festive atmosphere the families cultivate.
The language becomes slower and more descriptive when focusing on the parents' interactions, emphasizing the weight of each gesture and word shared during the "Gathering".
$\rightarrow$ “Dad changes shirts, trading his shop owner persona for a more Gathering appropriate one: a new heather-gray polo that exudes success and prosperity.” (l. 37-38).
These sensory details highlight the success of the families in America, as the elaborate spread "all screams: We’re doing great in America" (l. 44).
$\rightarrow$ reinforces how the "Gathering" symbolizes their achievements while also serving as a reminder of their shared cultural roots

Use of Language
Sensory Imagery and Contrast

The quote "It all screams: We’re doing great in America. How about you?" (l. 44) illustrates the atmosphere of pride and achievement, showcasing how the families present their success within American society.
The use of dialect or culturally specific expressions in their speech adds authenticity to the portrayal of the "Gathering" as a space of cultural continuity
$\rightarrow$ "A Brazilian barbecue carving station manned by real Brazilians drilling everyone on the word of the night (chu • rra • sca • ri • a)." (l. 41-42)

Dialogue and Tone
Pride and Cultural Continuity

The "Gathering" is portrayed as a sanctuary from the pressures of everyday life, a recurring theme that is reinforced through metaphorical language.
$\rightarrow$ "But inside the Gathering, time freezes for a few hours." (l. 61)
$\rightarrow$ "Meanwhile, just outside the Kims’ front door, American kids are dance-gaming to K-pop..." (l. 59-60)
Through metaphors, the "Gathering" is framed as a moment of renewal for the parents, where they find emotional strength and reaffirm their identity in the presence of their community.

Metaphorical Language
Cultural Anchor and Renewal

This structural choice reflects how deeply embedded the event is in the parents’ yearly cycle, presenting it as the emotional climax of their year
$\rightarrow$ "It’s an event that’s simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary..." (l. 33)
$\rightarrow$ "Then we are released back into the reality awaiting us outside the Gathering, where time unfreezes and resumes." (l. 64-65)
The pacing slows down during the "Gathering," providing space for reflection and heightening the emotional impact on the parents.

Structural Techniques
Pacing and Emotional Climax

The "Gathering" is shown as more than just a social event—it is a key tradition that strengthens the parents' cultural identity and emotional connection to their roots. Using narrative techniques like third-person perspective, flashbacks, and vivid descriptions, the story highlights how important the "Gathering" is for the parents. In the end, the "Gathering" connects different generations, helping pass down traditions and values, and keeping the family bond strong through shared heritage.

Conclusion

3.1

The narrator’s statement, “The poor customers give Mom-n-Dad food stamps, which become money, which becomes college tuition for me. It’s the latest version of the American Dream,” reflects both an awareness of socio-economic mobility and a critique of systemic inequalities in the U.S. However, it only partially captures the complexities of the modern American Dream and the current social realities facing many families.

Introduction

The narrator acknowledges how his parents’ hard work and sacrifice have allowed him the opportunity for upward mobility, a key aspect of the traditional American Dream.
At the same time, there is an implicit critique of the socio-economic system, which forces poor customers to rely on food stamps and small business owners to work tirelessly to fund basic needs like education.
The mention of “food stamps” reflects the growing income inequality and how many rely on government assistance to survive, pointing to the systemic challenges faced by marginalized groups.

Main Body
Reflections on socio-economic mobility and inequality

The idea of the American Dream has become more elusive, particularly for working-class and immigrant families who face barriers like wage stagnation, limited access to affordable education, and healthcare.
The narrator’s remark on food stamps being turned into college tuition underscores a paradox of the ‘American Dream’: it often relies on public assistance, which remains inaccessible to many.
Additionally, the phrase "latest version of the American Dream" (l.14) suggests a cynical view, implying that the dream has shifted in ways that require navigating a flawed economic system, one where success often comes at the expense of others' struggles.

Challenges of achieving the American Dream

The narrator shows that achieving the American Dream today often involves relying on government assistance, like food stamps, to make ends meet.
It reflects how working-class families must work hard and use every resource available, highlighting the struggles many face to provide better opportunities for their children.
The statement suggests that success today is more complicated than in the past, where hard work alone isn’t always enough due to economic inequality and rising costs of living.
There is irony in how food stamps, a symbol of poverty, are used to pay for college tuition, showing that the American Dream sometimes requires navigating a flawed system.
The narrator also critiques the system, noting that the success of some may come at the expense of others, as businesses profit from low-income families relying on food stamps.
This version of the American Dream focuses on parents sacrificing for their children’s future, which is common in many immigrant families aiming for upward mobility.

Systemic Inequality in the American Dream

The narrator’s statement is insightful but also limited, as it does not fully address the growing economic divide, where many in the U.S. struggle despite their hard work and aspirations.
While the statement reflects a personal reality of socio-economic mobility through education, it overlooks the broader systemic issues that prevent many from achieving the same level of success.
Ultimately, the narrator’s view highlights both the resilience of immigrant families and the challenges posed by modern capitalism, where upward mobility is increasingly difficult for those at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder.

Conclusion

3.2

Dear Georgina,

Thank you for sharing your collage for the "Exploring US Identity" brochure. I think you've created something visually striking, and the collage certainly captures several important aspects of American society. However, I would like to offer some feedback on whether it fully conveys the complexity of US identity as a whole.

Introduction

The Statue of Liberty is a strong symbol of freedom and immigration, reflecting key American ideals of liberty, democracy, and opportunity.
The inclusion of the Declaration of Independence in the background reinforces America's foundation on self-governance and long-standing values, making it a fitting addition to the collage.

Main Body
Symbols of Freedom

The collage also includes contemporary political movements like Black Lives Matter and images of the Capitol riot, which represent more recent struggles in American society.
$\rightarrow$ These images depict a divided nation grappling with issues of race, justice, and political polarization.
This inclusion is important because it reflects the complexities and challenges the US currently faces.
By showing both unity and division, you present a more nuanced view of American identity today. However, focusing heavily on these tensions might give an impression that conflict defines American identity, which is only part of the picture.

Contemporary Issues

The image of a basketball player can be seen as representing American sports culture, which plays a significant role in shaping US identity.
Sports are often a point of pride, unity, and shared experience across diverse communities.
$\rightarrow$ it could be broadened to include other cultural aspects like music, food, or arts

Culture

The collage appears to balance both historical and contemporary elements of American identity. Yet, it may benefit from more representation of the country’s diversity, beyond race-related issues and political strife.
The US is also shaped by its achievements in innovation, its cultural influence, and the daily lives of ordinary people from various ethnicities and backgrounds.
Perhaps adding more positive depictions of the American Dream, such as images of families, small businesses, or community events, could make the collage feel more representative of a multifaceted national identity.

Overall balance

In conclusion, your collage does a great job of highlighting key elements of US identity, including symbols of freedom, political movements, and sports culture. However, there’s room to further emphasize the diversity and positive aspects of American life, which would offer a more balanced and comprehensive representation of what it means to be American today.All in all, I think you're on the right track, and with a few adjustments, this could be an excellent cover for the brochure. Looking forward to seeing the final result!

Best regards,
Julia

Conclusion

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