A Family Supper

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What are some common conflicts that occur within families? Why do you think families sometimes have difficulty resolving conflicts?

Teaching Suggestion: To prepare students for this prompt, it may be a good idea to review the definition and types of conflict as a whole class. Conflict is a common occurrence between family members, and it is important to remember that some students may have different thresholds when it comes to what conflict means to them. Sharing some of the viewpoints from the first resource before students address the questions may help them brainstorm examples of conflicts. You might consider displaying the first question for students to collaborate on in small groups or as a whole class, then having students do a think-pair-share for the second question.

• This MasterClass article reviews the difference between internal and external conflict and details the six types of literary conflict.
• This conversational piece from the New York Times shares student viewpoints regarding family conflict during the quarantine at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. The first section (“Is Your Family Experiencing Greater Conflict During a Time of Self-Quarantine?”) is the part to have students read. (Subscription may be required to view.)
• This episode from the NPR podcast It’s Been a Minute is a 15-minute listen about the recent trend in cinema in which family conflict is resolved through parent apologies.

2. What do you know about traditional family structures in Japan? List ways in which they may differ from or be like family structures in the United States today.

Teaching Suggestion: The traditional Japanese family is a patriarchal structure in which the father is the head of the household who earns the income, while the mother’s primary responsibility is to raise children. The eldest son is often viewed as being “next in line” and is responsible for taking care of his parents when they get older. Daughters are expected to go to school and to get married. In “A Family Supper,” the traditional family structure has been dismantled for various reasons, causing a conflict between the narrator and his father. Students’ understanding of this traditional family culture will enrich their understanding of the growing conflict between these two characters as well as the building of the themes Expectations Versus Reality and Gender Roles.

• This informational page from the Cultural Atlas provides an overview of the traditional Japanese family, including household structure, gender roles, and dating and marriage.
• From Stanford University, the article “The Japanese Family Faces 21st-Century Challenges” reviews how the traditional Japanese family structure has changed since World War II, primarily focusing on gender roles.

Short Activity

In small groups, brainstorm a list of 5 potential conversations that could turn into a conflict for a family. Then, choose one idea from your list and write a “family dinner” skit to perform with your group. Be sure to include the following plot elements: exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution. After the skit, the whole class will discuss the skit and identify the plot elements.

Teaching Suggestion: It may help some students to model how to identify plot elements when watching a film or play. Using a clip of a family dinner scene, like from the movie The Incredibles, can be an interactive way to review the terms as a whole class. Before showing the clip, it might benefit students to review the elements of plot structure. Then show the clip twice—once to let them watch the scene as a whole and identify the conflict, and again to identify the plot structure elements together.

• This resource page from SuperSummary reviews the traditional plot structure. It can easily be posted as a visual in your classroom for students to reference.
• This article from Verywell Mind discusses some common patterns of family conflict and how people can break free of them to reach a resolution.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who may need assistance with writing a script for a skit, consider providing the text of a play for reference. You might suggest they aim for 3-4 pages of dialogue to develop a scene with all the required plot elements. For students who may not want to perform in front of the class, you can offer the option of splitting up roles and responsibilities so that these students can act as their group’s scribe while writing the script.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the story.

Do you eat certain meals with your family or have family traditions surrounding food? What are they? If not, would you like to start any such traditions with your family? How do you think family meals reflect your background or upbringing?

Teaching Suggestion: Some students may not feel comfortable sharing their responses to this prompt, since all students have different backgrounds and family mealtimes may be scarce in some households. Forgoing the first two questions and focusing on the last two can prevent some students from feeling left out.

• This article from The Conversation discusses the benefits of conversation during family mealtimes and offers an idea of “dinnertime storytelling.”
• This page from The Family Dinner Project has a list of conversation starters for families to try during the meals they have together.
• This publication by Purdue Extension reviews how family meals together build relationships and provides tips for families to have successful meals together.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English language learners, consider selecting only one question for the students to answer and providing some sentence starters for them to use at their own discretion. You might encourage advanced learners to answer the last question with a more analytical mindset by asking how they think this question may relate to the short story.