Problem
A. Be specific in arguing that Mama is more sympathetic to Maggie than to Dee. Is mama hostile to Dee? What values are involved in the tension between Mama and Dee and Maggie?
B. most mothers would side with daughters with whom they are more politically or culturally sympathetic? What might be the deciding factor? Are most mothers equally supportive of each of their children?
C. How might "I Stand Here Ironing" be different if told from Emily's perspective? From Susan's? From Emily's teacher? What are the advantages and disadvantages of writing a story from one character's point of view?
D. In "Two Kinds," do you sympathize with the mother or with the daughter? Should parents channel their children toward selective activities? Or should parents let their children choose their own paths? Can parents push their children too much? Why would they do this?
E. In "I Stand Here Ironing" and "Two Kinds," one mother seems to do too little, the other too much. Is this how you read these two stories? Is the lesson of Olsen's and Tan's stories that mothers can't win no matter what they do? Or do you have a more optimistic interpretation?