The Woman Warrior

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

Create Your Own Talk-Story/Personal Mythology

Using a medium of your choice (writing, drawing, painting, oral storytelling, dance, songwriting, etc.), create a talk-story that reveals your personal story, family lineage, and culture.

• Like the talk-stories in the memoir, your story should include elements of reality, supernatural reality, myth, and truth in some combination of your choosing.
• Write 2-3 paragraphs that narrate how you employed the elements of storytelling, talk-story, and/or the Hero’s Journey into your work. Feel free to reference The Woman Warrior as a point of comparison or any other secondary sources.

Teaching Suggestion: Depending on the amount of time allotted for this activity, allow student outcomes to be as simple or as complex as needed for completion. Support students in thinking deeply about the elements of their story that resonate with the universal human experience. Encourage them to create a personal mythology and to “borrow” from myth, legend, and classic literature from around the world. If Campbell’s concept of the Hero’s Journey and/or basic storytelling elements were discussed during the unit, encourage students to return to those conversations for inspiration.