1. What are some of the values and norms that seem to be reflected by the main
character Karl? Karl does not like to go out of his comfort zone. He looks like a
normal American man, he is not used to eating exotic things. He likes things
simple and does not like to be around a lot of people as you can see in the
beginning when it shows him trying out all the different culture.
2. What are some of the values and norms of the culture that Karl is visiting? Karl is
going to China, and he finds this place weird. The type of food they eat is, octopus,
toad etc. He also thinks their alphabet and how the write is weird. Their language is
different, he mentions the way they read is different, backwards. Their bathrooms
do not have doors, there seems to not be privacy.
3. How did Karl respond to moments when his experiences did not coincide with his
own norms and values? (Look for examples of ethnocentrism). In the Chinese
culture they eat a lot of seafood and animals. Karl sees that they eat a lot of these
things on sticks. He says, “Back home restaurants would be shut down if they had a
cockroach in the kitchen.” For them it is normal but for him it is unusual. In China
fortune telling is a big part of their culture. Karl thinks that it is not true, and you
cannot tell someone their fate.
4. When did Karl adapt his communication to fit the community that he was
visiting? When Lark tries Kung Fu, he starts to try and fit in by getting trained. His
trainer speaks a little bit of English, so he gets along with him. By trying Kung Fu, he
is trying to adapt and fit in into the community. When he tries the needle through
the balloon, the people around him laughed when he failed, and he laughed with
them.