(Somewhat) Chronological outline!

Hey guys! We're super super sorry for the late upload. Here's a draft of our story outline.

Part 1: 
We open with Wong Chin Foo approaching Hong Kong on a boat. Here, we show either him writing a letter to his son (possibly the one about not liking Chinese ways) or reading the letter that his son sent him. The scene is established, but the audience is confused: who is this man, in western attire, going back to China?

The scene cuts to a young man in Chinese attire and with a queue approaching San Francisco on a boat. It is revealed that the man is WCF, but younger. On the boat, he sees a young girl being yelled at by a creepy older guy. On the docks, he tries to talk to a Chinese person in English, but is met with confused stares. A man who works on the boat comes up and gives him a letter, telling him that because he speaks English well he can take it to the police; there are girls on the boat that are being smuggled in for prostitution. WCF shrugs, agrees to take it, and is noticeably disturbed by the fact. As he walks through the streets, we see him treated to a certain extent like any other person in China town, as people interact with him, try to sell him things, etc.

We cut to the newspaper headline, a remarkable Chinaman, showing that WCF has become something of a local celebrity. Now, as he walks through the streets of Chinatown, people act much differently, lots of them glaring at him etc.

WCF is in a (bar? Something like that. Wherever people hang out). A white man comes up to him and pulls his queue, says racial slurs, etc. WCF turns around and tells him off in perfect eloquent English. The white guy starts to get physical, prompting WCF to fight. Suddenly, the bar turns quiet and a tall imposing and scary looking guy walks in (from the Tongs) and chases WCF, who manages to escape. He goes to the police station, but they don’t take him seriously, and the people in Chinatown cower from him or glare at him.

WCF accepts a position on a lecture circuit, wanting to disprove misconceptions about Chinese culture. We see it in a montage. He is beginning to realize that he is innately different from both the Chinese community and the white community. He returns to Chinatown and nothing has changed about the way he is treated by either party. Having traveled across the country, he sees the differences between Chinatowns and the rest of the country even more clearly, focusing on opium dens and gambling. WCF realizes that to be accepted, the Chinese American community must change to make it less “other” than the rest of the country. We see a dramatic scene where he cuts of his queue.

Turning point: WCF cuts of his queue. This is a major point because it highlights that he has, in a way, accepted the hard road ahead of him, and that he will no longer be accepted into the Chinese community as they are now. It is affirming his drive to actively change the Chinese community in America, and make it a Chinese American community.

Part 2:

We see a montage of WCF over the next few years and his ventures, including the Chinese American newspaper, his court cases, etc. A lot of this can be revealed through newspaper articles and other things written about him.

We see a man in western attire walking through New York Chinatown. He turns a corner, and is revealed to be WCF. He meets up with Tom Lee, who warns him that the Tongs are after him now that he has tipped off police about Suen Yee. WCF laughs and shrugs it off, but we see him furrow his brows in an aside; he is obviously stressed about the number of people out to get him. He rants about how he never gets appreciation for what he is doing for the Chinese community, and Tom quips that maybe they just don’t realize it. He complains that he was denied a passport despite being a citizen, even though he went through such drastic measures as cutting off his queue.

Newspaper articles show the passing of the Geary Act. We see WCF passionately speaking about the injustices that it causes to a small group of people in Chinatown, and soon a large crowd gathers. We see that though WCF is still an “other” to them, he is respected in some way. Cut to WCF passionately speaking at the congressional hearing. We see him stumble over his words, and eventually the hearing goes south.

He returns to Chinatown. As he is putting up a poster for his new theater troupe, the Wong family approaches him for help in a court case. We see the two scenes intercut with each other, as WCF starts his Chinese theater and defends the Wong family, inciting the anger of the tongs. The importance of these two scenes side-by-side is that we very clearly see WCF as the other: in the Chinese theater case, he is the other as a Chinese man indulging in Chinese culture in juxtaposition to white people. In the court case, he is the westernized lawyer defending a Chinese family. The two events merge as the Moy family sends a hitman against his troupe.

Part 3:

Cut to Chicago in 1896.

A destitute WCF meets another Westernized Chinese man, Dr. Sun Yat-sen in a bar. He is delighted to meet another like-minded individual, and they talk for hours about politics and their grievances with Chinese culture.  Sun Yat-sen reveals that the Chinese Government has a price on his head due to a failed insurrection. WCF laughs, says that he too is wanted, but what he did was many years ago. Sun Yat-sen warns him not to forget about his roots; he asks when was the last time he was in China.

WCF receives a letter from his son. He sees his life in America, that he is not accepted by any community, and that he is running out of money. WCF affirms to leave. He boards a boat for Hong Kong, refusing to give up his western attire even when he returns to his homeland. Indeed, he has committed to his life as an other. We catch up to how the book started, and it ends with WCF taking his first step onto Chinese soil.

Althea, Sophia, Amber

Sorry there was a miscommunication in our group so our arc is a little late (we each thought the other was supposed to upload the file). We uploaded the project proposal to the google drive in a folder titled "Story Arc Proposals." Feel free to post any questions or comments here. Best, Sophia

WCF Proposed Structure - The Geary Hearing (Grace/Naomi/Cathy/Colin)

Three act structure, framed around the progression of the Congressional hearing. It begins with Wong’s inspiring, eloquent opening speech. It begins with Wong establishing himself, then foreshadows his descent into the murky underworld of moral ambiguity, before ending with his fall from grace. Success Begin with Wong on the floor of Congress in 1893, testifying against the Geary Act. His opening speech is eloquent and powerful, asking, "Is it a crime to be a Chinaman?" He punctuates his moving rhetoric by presenting a collection of newspaper clippings criticizing the Geary Act. He drops the clippings on the table— —Jump cut to the MacGregor, 1873, where a ladle-full of jook is being slopped into Wong’s bowl. He does not look particularly enthused by it. He is writing a letter to a friend in America who has been working at a factory and hopes to become foreman. In the letter, he mentions his newborn son and the wife he left behind-- saying that it is too dangerous for him to go back to China for them. Below decks, a group of girls are also getting their rations of rice-porridge. Wong goes to complain about the inedible food (or something) and catches sight of the girls. He realizes that this ship is trafficking them to America for a prostitution ring. Blows the whistle on the whole operation, catching the attention of the newspapers. Gets famous (in the newspapers). Decides to use his newfound leverage to get his friend the promotion he wanted. First assassination attempt (at the factory), related to the McGregor girls. Decides to leave town after the assassination attempt. Capitalizing off of his fame from his profile in the papers, he begins his lecture series. Newspaper montage of how America thinks of well-spoken, short, witty WCF. (jump cut to him with his citizenship papers) Lies creatively on papers to get his citizenship, feels a bit nervous presenting the papers but gets them no problem. Feels more “American,” cuts off his queue. Straightens the pressed collar on his new Western suit and slicks back his hair. End on determined reflection in mirror, queue fallen on floor. (Think Mulan) Dubious Wong is looking confident (the same expression as before), only this time it’s not in the privacy of his own bathroom, but on the pulpit at the Congressional hearing. His smile fades as Congress starts honing in on his weak points, telling him, "Your people are not law-abiding." Wong’s answers become more vague, and he is openly classist (opposing the immigration of working class Chinese) before making some odd claims about the Chinese government (asserting that China would pay fines for illegally immigrating nationals). Cut to Wong in 1890, now in New York City. Wong is clearly established and respected in the Chinese community (more of a look at Chinatown?). Suen Yee incident. Wong busts up vice in Chinatown again (something he’s at least semi-consistent about), and we get more of a picture of what might’ve happened to the McGregor girls after they were released (since Suen Yee is pretty parallel to them). Wong is once more nearly assassinated for doing a good deed, prompting him to denounce Chinese community, “I hate the Chinese!” Still, the Geary Act is affecting even those Chinese who have become Americanized like Wong. Fearing this, he forms the Chinese Equal Rights League (which is highly exclusive and openly racist/classist - we can show the charter). Montage of the tongs and Chinese embassy setting the groundwork for their own plans. The Chinese embassy makes certain to tell the newspapers that Wong is not speaking on their behalf, even though he claims to be (in direct conflict with his statements during the congressional hearing). Wong gives a magnificent speech on how they’re going to reverse the Geary Act, stuttering only slightly (or not at all) over the word “unconstitutionality.” Cut to Act Three. Failure Wong begins to be openly anti-Cantonese during the hearing and stumbles over the word “unconstitutionality:” Starts with Congress laughing at him because of what he said about the Cantonese. Then they ask him to clarify a statement regarding the government being indifferent to the Chinese. He explains that the majority of Chinese in America are from a small, unimportant province (Guangzhou), and as Congress hounds him his answers become increasingly desperate and anti-Cantonese. Finally, in his closing remarks, he completely flubs the word "unconstitutionality." The meeting ends. Wong is congratulated on his effort, but the Geary Act is not repealed. From this point forward, continues chronologically: Wong leaves a failure, and attempts a couple other sad, but pointless ventures. The Geary Act’s photo registration clause is eventually repealed anyway, because of economic pressure and the machinations of the tongs/Chinese embassy. Wong receives a letter from his son (reminding him that he has one). He writes letters back to his son explaining what he’s been doing in the meantime and why he had to leave China in the first place (the letters are highly exaggerated, so the illustrations under the narration show what happened). Wong then decides to attempt a somewhat risky venture in Omaha. He ships in the Chinese workers for the World’s Fair (hoping that one of them will be his son, although ultimately none of them are), and all of them disappear. He knows that the American authorities will come down on him for illegal immigration, so he decides to flee back to China. Exiled back to China, where he reunites with his son (and tries to get his money back, because he is never completely pure intentioned). Authorities come after him still angry about the putsch, he escapes into the wilderness, and dies. Complete proposal with transcript of the hearing Newspaper article with transcript

Lint

Write a 2 to 3-paragraph response on the blog on the following:

1.  Choose a page or sequence of panels that you find formally interesting.

2.  How sympathetic is the protagonist, and how does Chris Ware handle presenting a character who is unlikable at times? Use a specific example.

Reactions and questions for GB Tran after reading Vietnamerica

Post a 1-2 paragraph response and 2 questions you’d be interested to ask him.

Thoughts on story arc after finishing The First Chinese American

Post a response describing a way you think we could tell the story.  Include turning points, beginning and end points, the arc you see for Wong Chin Foo's character.

A Place Among the Stars

Write a three-paragraph response that includes one paragraph on each of the following.  Since there are no page numbers, you'll want to just describe the scene in a few words (e.g., "The scene where Jackie Cochran confronts Randy Lovelace while he's chopping wood").  

--find a particularly effective dialogue exchange, and explain why you think it’s effective

--find a full-page bleed that you find effective, and explain why.

--find a particularly effective transition, and explain why.

Less Than Whole simplified plot

Following some of the suggestions we made in class, I wanted to write out a short post about my vision for Less Than Whole.

Front cover idea: Main character or random person in wheelchair is straining to reach a sign saying "Less Than Whole." With a pen in one hand, they are caught in the act of trying to scratch out the "Less Than."

Plot arc:

Main character (Ed Roberts or Judith Heumann) is holding a meeting within the sit-in.
Exposition about the background of why they're doing it, flashback to the main character growing up, experiencing life in ableist culture. Graphic depiction of the daily effect of physical disability on life.

Other characters make their appearances, Black Panther members bring meals and talk about their experiences/ why this is an intersectional issue. Members of sit-in with invisible disabilities struggle with internalized ableism/ wondering if they really belong within this movement (possibly). People are sleep-deprived, dirty and idealistic.

Flash to what's happening outside the building: much more violent protests with people chaining themselves together and being arrested. Young people with various disabilities seeing and reacting to the news, backlash from people without disabilities.

Within the sit-in, people are beginning to lose hope, get dragged down by the horrible living conditions of the building. Ed Roberts gives a speech (http://www.disabilityworld.org/12-02_05/news/roberts504speech.shtml), news coverage begins to take notice.

End of sit-in, the protestors make their way out of the building, hold a press conference and give a verbal smack-down to newscasters who think it isn't a big deal. America as a nation is startled by eloquence from people with disabilities-- they do not fit the mold the media paints.

Protestors fly to Washington to make sure the legislation passes in its entirety.

Final epilogue: Follow main character through their career as they continue to fight for accessibility for all. Make it abundantly clear that they are fighting against ableist culture, rather than letting their disabilities define them. Show examples of the concessions that these activists brought, pointing out how much further we still have to go.

BASIC BITCHES Y'ALL

Here's the link to the article on Stanford Arts Review: http://stanfordartsreview.com/the-bucket-hat-from-hell/

Resources for the MacGregor Girls

Web Resource: ChineseAmericanHeroes.org

The Six Assassinations of Wong Chin Foo

San Francisco (1873) - Wong Breaks Onto The Scene

• Fleeing the Qing government after his failed rebellion, Wong heads to San Francisco aboard the MacGregor
• He meets the 14 enslaved girls on the ship and decides to help them
• He notifies the authorities and they intervene to save the girls
• His actions garner the attention of local journalists, who make him the hero of an article on the girls’ rescue
• After the article is published, the Hip Yee Tong, the triad organization responsible for bringing the girls over, begins to plot Wong’s murder
• Meanwhile, Wong is interviewed by the Chronicle, allowing him to reintroduce himself to his adopted country, exaggerated life story and all
• Hip Yee Tong assassins strike at a shoe factory Wong is visiting, throwing him down a staircase but failing to kill him
• As Wong convalesces, the Chronicle publishes its profile of him, catapulting him into celebrity
• Wong leaves San Francisco to spread his ideas

Chicago (1879-1882) - Wong Answers The Chinese Question

• The “Chinese question,” which would in 3 years be answered by the Chinese Exclusion Act, dominates the national dialogue
• Newly arrived in Chicago, Wong decides to add his voice to the dialogue by staging a public debate
• Wong utterly trounces his debate opponent, a sailor named William Lewis who had sailed the Chinese coast, but also denigrates the Cantonese community
• Later, Wong intervenes in an ownership dispute between two Chicago Chinese - Li Bo, a Northerner like Wong, and Woo Wing, a Cantonese
• Wong wins the case for Li Bo, causing Woo to turn to the Six Companies of San Francisco
• While Woo and Wong battle in court, the tongs plan Wong’s assassination
• Wong is at a laundry when three assailants - Lew Long, Lee King, and possibly Chan Pond Tipp - attempt to murder him, slashing his head open with a hatchet/razor but failing to kill him
• Fearing for his life, Wong leaves Chicago to settle in Bay City, Michigan, where he opens a tea shop
• Eventually, Wong leaves Bay City to again take up his crusade

New York Part I (1883-1885) - Wong vs. Chan

• Having just launched his publication the Chinese American, Wong defends the Chinese American community from accusations of debauchery (rat libel or the corruption of young girls)
• However, he also uses his paper to go after vice in Chinatown - specifically, gambling
• As Wong exposes gambling houses, the Chinese criminal element decides to deal with him
• The gambling houses enlist Chan Pond Tipp, Chinese vice-consul candidate and one of Wong’s would-be assassins in Chicago, for the job
• (maybe story about Tom Lee?)
• After visiting his house to find it empty, Chan and his men track Wong down at a grocery store, where Chan attempts to shoot him
• Wong and Chan, two educated, Westernized, high-minded Chinese men, duke it out in court
• Chan wins the case, and Wong’s newspaper eventually folds

New York Part II (1888-1891) - Insanity

• The opium trade is a persistent problem in New York Chinatown, and Wong offers to help the Treasury catch smugglers but is turned down
• Walking through Chinatown a short time later, Wong is jumped by a group of gangsters, led by would-be tong usurper Lee Sing, who attempt to strangle him
• Wong attacks Lee Sing through the legal system while Lee Sing makes more attempts on his life
• Wong visits Mott Street regularly, where almost as regularly people attempt to kill him
• Some time later…
• Wong learns of Suen Yee, a young Chinese woman living in slavery on Mott Street
• Wong arranges the arrest of Suen Yee’s captor, Lee Khi, once again drawing the ire of the Chinatown underworld
• Wong attempts to start a Chinese theater troupe in Manhattan, but the venture is cut short when the San Francisco tongs send Chee Ah Lung, LEGENDARY ASSASSIN,  to kill his actors
• Opium dealer Chee Hing draws a pistol on Wong, who saves himself by dropping to the ground and grabbing onto an American boy

Resources for Less than Whole:

Here's a super short video clip that basically says the message we want to get across. It also mentions Ed Roberts, one of the characters I focused on in my original pitch. <http://www.itvs.org/films/lives-worth-living
>

Other resources for learning about Ed Roberts (who would make a good central character if we wanted to follow one person from childhood to this moment to beyond): <http://www.wid.org/about-wid/booklet%20with%20speech.pdf
> It gives you a good sense of his personality, which I really like.

There's also more resources (interviews) on other possible main characters, Kitty Cone and Judith Heumann, here (as well as some info on the disability rights movement in general):

http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000513.html

http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=kt1w1001mt;NAAN=13030&doc.view=frames&chunk.id=div00019&toc.depth=1&toc.id=div00019&brand=calisphere

http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb9v19p0k9;NAAN=13030&doc.view=frames&chunk.id=div00064&toc.depth=1&toc.id=div00064&brand=calisphere

http://www.wherevertheresafight.com/timeline/issue/disability_rights

And I also found a website with research about how disabled characters are often treated within the graphic novel genre so we can recognize and avoid some of the problematic tropes. Seriously, on page 3 it lists all the tropes of disabled characters that were present in comic books. It's pretty interesting: http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol13/SLR_SeeingDifferent.pdf


And one last infographic about how disabilities are treated at Stanford, because it's super on-point: http://static.stanford.edu/2014/09/29/lack-sessibility-at-stanford/

These are all the resources that were on my original pitch, I just thought it would be helpful to include a description of what they were so you can pick and choose which seem interesting.