Minor Feelings: a Reckoning on Race and the Asian Condition

In your opinion and with close reference to the text, state how useful you think the term “Asian American” is. What are the advantages and disadvantages of considering people who have Asian origins as a representative group?

How does Hong negotiate the tension between presence and omission in her essays? You should refer to both content and style in your answer.

What is the significance of Hong’s relationships with Erin and Helen? Why were these dynamics important in informing her work as a poet?

Where do Asian Americans stand in America’s racial hierarchy? How does Hong show that their position is at once contentious and full of radical potential?

Describe Hong’s relationship to the English language. What difficulties does she have expressing herself in English and how does she remake the language to better evoke her lived experience?

What role do feelings of indebtedness play in the Asian American experience? What cures does Hong propose to counter crippling feelings of indebtedness?

How does self-effacement figure in the experience of the Asian American female artists Hong discusses? With close reference to the text state whether you think self-effacement and a sense of privacy are disempowering qualities.

What is white innocence and how does it affect the experience of being Asian in America? You should refer to both political and cultural examples of white innocence in your answer.