Search the novel for three symbols that describe your character. symbols in literature are images or signs that stand for something else. they can be objects, terms, or places that are important to the character. one of the three symbols should represent the character at the beginning of the story. the second symbol should represent the character in the middle of the story. the third symbol should represent the character at the end of the story. after gathering the symbols, write a 25–50 word paragraph for each symbol and explain why it represents the character at this part of his or her story.

Read the excerpt from "mother tongue." lately, i’ve been giving more thought to the kind of english my mother speaks. like others, i have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” english. but i wince when i say that. it has always bothered me that i can think of no other way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. what best supports the inference that tan believes nonstandard english is no less valid than standard english? tan spends a lot of time thinking about her mother’s “fractured” english. tan has trouble thinking of descriptive words when she is writing. tan’s american education makes it difficult for her to understand her mother. tan winces when she describes her mother’s english as “broken.”