Reading Guide: Migration and Diaspora

Diasporic Storytelling

“Roots” by Conchitina R. Cruz

1. What is the significance of the title? What role do nature and home play in diasporic identity? How does the allegorical style of the poem communicate the narrator’s emotions?
2. What relation does language have with the diaspora? Can diaspora defy language barriers? 
3. What is the driving force of migration in the poem? 
4. Close read the following quote: “I see her withered fingers strong on my hands, and somewhere inside me, a tree takes root. Above, the sky displays its stars with pride. Tonight, I know the many stars are bruises bleeding starlight.” How does Cruz portray the Filipino diaspora? 

Migration and the Metropole

“Consolation” by Caroline Cheng

1. What are the various forms of migration that we see in the story? 
2. How does Cheng unite themes of motherhood, marriage, race, and socioeconomic class within the context of urban migration?
3. What observations does Cheng make about Filipinos’ attitudes towards the provinces? How does she build the country versus city dynamic in the piece? 
4. The diaspora is often about creating new identities. How does Mila’s motherly relationship with Bing reflect this? What is Mila’s role in Ninfa’s diasporic story? What statements does Cheng seem to make on families in the diaspora? 
5. What is the significance of the names of the characters in the story: Mila, Ninfa, Soledad, Boy, and Consolación? How do their names help us to better understand the plot?

Thematic Questions: 1) What are the instigators of migration?  2) How do both stories explore ideas of mobility and permanence?