Bamboo People​ Summative Writing Task

Task:​ ​You will write four separate TEPAC paragraphs on different topics for this
assessment.​ ​The first three paragraphs have an assigned topic, and the fourth one you
may choose the topic you want to write about. Each paragraph should be around 250
words. You will have class time on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next
week to complete this task.

● Be sure to use specific examples and quotations from the novel as evidence in
your answer.
● After you finish ​ALL ​of your writing, please answer the following questions:
○ Which paragraph do you think shows your best Analyzing?
■
○ Which paragraph do you think shows your best Organizing?
■
○ Which paragraph do you think shows your best Using Language?
■

Paragraph #1

Explain the ways that Chiko and Tu Reh are similar or different. You may consider their
personalities, their family or social surroundings, or the events that happen to each of
them in the book. Use examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Although Chiko and Tu Reh are friends and have some similarities, they’re actually quite

different from each other. Chiko, who grew up in a pretty decent family, has been “Taken” by

the soldiers of Myanmar. He then started military training in the camp where they use the gym

of the Karenni as their barrack. On the other hand, Tu Reh grew up in a refugee camp and

never really left camp. Chiko is “too thin”(18) and “wants to be a teacher”(15). While Tu Reh

is buffed and doesn’t know what he’s doing with his life yet. Chiko’s mom wants him to be “a
 healer” while Tu Reh’s father wants him to “Join his next mission”(139), which is basically

like being a soldier. Basically, this is saying that they’re quite different like all humans are.

This won't stop them from being friends. Basically, Chiko is more of the nerdy type of person

while Tu Reh is more of the ruff one. Chiko is more knowledgable and more open to society

while Tu Reh’s life is like being in a prison! Trapped in camp! Even their parents are very

different! One wants to let her son to be a skillful doctor while the other one wants his son to

be a soldier who might lose his life in the first mission! This suggests that they’re actually

quite different. The evidence is significant because it proofs that the difference between these

two is quite large. We can interpret this to mean that the two have significantly different

backgrounds and have different personal interests. In summary, they’re pretty different from

each other in almost every angle you looked at it, but that doesn’t stop their incredible

friendship!

Paragraph #2

Consider the statement of inquiry for our unit:

“The way we understand our reality is shaped by our
context and our group affiliations.”
Write a paragraph that ​explains how two different people or groups understand the
same aspect of reality differently because of​ their context or their group affiliations​.

Two different groups/people can understand reality differently. Look, every human being

is different from each other! People’s understanding of society can vary due to their personal

background, their education, their family and so on and so for. For example, in Mitali
Perkins’s ​Bamboo People​, Chiko has met so many people and has made so many friends along

his adventure. And yet, all of them seem different. One is a “Street boy” and another one who

saved his life yet “hates Burmese” so much that he’s dehumanizing everyone that’s Burmese!

That’s how the Karenni understand reality! Same with the Burmese, they dehumanize the

Karenni as well! Basically, this is saying that what you’ve experienced, what you’ve been

through, and what you’d been taught at, can affect the angle you see things. And yet, it’s

impossible to change other’s perspectives to be the same as yours. From this, we can infer that

everyone is different and has their own perspective of seeing things. It also suggests that we

shouldn’t judge a person by how they see things and that we should respect different voices. In

summary, everyone’s different and that we should respect the diversity of reality.

Paragraph #3

Explain how the two sides in the conflict between the Karenni and the Burmese Army
have been shown so far in ​Bamboo People.​ What message or theme do you think Mitali
Perkins might be trying to show about the conflict?

So far, in ​Bamboo People​, Mitali Perkins is trying to show us that Myanmar is not in a

good state right now. She uses a teenage boy as an example to show the reader that the same

thing can happen to them, which makes the reader’s interest in the conflict and the book

higher. Overall, in ​Bamboo People,​ the reader will already know a little bit about the conflict

between the Burmese and the Karenni. The author, Mitali Perkins, keep giving the reader hints

while he/she is reading. But things start to get intense when Chiko replaced Tai and went to the

mission. The author then introduce a new character with a completely different background to
the reader. Which is Tu Reh, the boy who grew up in a Karenni refugee camp. And we get to

know a little more about what the Karenni’s perspective of the Burmese. We now know that

the Burmese “Burn down their village” and that almost everyone there hates Burmese. They

think all Burmese will “Destroy our people”(151) and just hate them down their veins. The

same goes for the Burmese, the captain brainwashed all the soldiers who were kidnaped to the

camp. He even tells soldiers that the Karennis “Only cares about their own needs”(92). This is

saying that the author is trying to keep us entertained as possible as well as giving us

information. This also is saying that the conflict between the Burmese and the Karenni won’t

stop in a while. From this, we can infer that the author is trying to keep us entertained as

possible and feed us with a lot of information. We can also interpret this to mean that the

conflict between Burmese and Karenni is causing a lot of lives lost, harms and so on. The

Karenni need to live in a camp, while the Burmese are dragging young boys to go to military

training. I think Mitali Perkins's message to us is that different people can have a different

thought and we should just leave them alone and let it be the way it is. In summary, the

conflict between Burmese and Karenni is a serious problem and Mitali Perkins wrote this book

to try to stop the conflict.

Assessment Criteria

You will be assessed on the following criteria:

Criteria A - Analyzing
i. identify and comment upon significant aspects of texts
ii. identify and comment upon the creator’s choices
iii. justify opinions and ideas, using examples, explanations and terminology
iv. identify similarities and differences in features within the text.

Criteria B - Organizing
i. employ organizational structures that serve the context and intention
ii. organize opinions and ideas in a logical manner
iii. use referencing and formatting tools to create a presentation style suitable to the
context and intention.

Criteria D - Using Language

i. use appropriate and varied vocabulary, sentence structures and forms of expression
ii. write in an appropriate register and style
iii. use correct grammar, syntax and punctuation
iv. spell with accuracy