Stay True Essay Questions

Throughout the book, Hsu refers to the work of a number of writers, scholars, and philosophers. Select one of Hsu's references and explains its significance.

This question offers a lot of choice. A possible answers could single out, for example, the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor who Hsu references in order to discuss the notion of "individual identity." As Taylor argues, the concept of authenticity of identity emerged in the modern world. As Hsu writes, "in Taylor’s telling, everyone becomes a kind of artist, creatively wrestling with the parameters of our own being" (p. 82). Crucially, as Hsu notes, “being true to yourself cannot happen in a vacuum. Constructing your personality is a game, one that requires you to joust with the expectations of others" (p. 83). Obviously, Hsu's references to Taylor connects to the book's larger exploration of youth and identity construction. An answer to this question could focus on how Ken influenced the construction of Hsu's identity.

Other possible answers to this question could focus on Derrida and Friendship, Mauss and gift-giving, Aristotle and youth, as well as Carr and history.

What is the source and significance of the book's title?

The book's title, Stay True, is a reference to the sign-off that Ken would use in his emails to Ken. As Hsu writes, it was “one of our inside jokes, one whose origin I can’t recall” (p. 65). This title relates to many of the book's concerns. Indeed, as a coming-of-age memoir, Stay True describes Hsu's attempts to develop an authentic, or true, sense of self. Here, Hsu refers to the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor in order to describe “the struggle to feel authentic—this is very real, even if we know better" (p. 82).

At the same time, the title also refers to Hsu's attempt to accurately depict the past, or to "stay true" to Ken's memory. Acknowledging that his memory is fallible, Hsu's nonetheless endeavours to offer an honest depiction of his relationship with Ken. At the book's conclusion, he finally arrives at the realization that "the true account would necessarily be joyful, rather than morose... A celebration of how it began, rather than a chronicle of free fall, a tribute to that first sip, rather than all the spinning rooms that followed" (p. 189). Thus, the book's title references Hsu's intention to find truth both within himself and his relationship to Ken.

Stay True has two epigraphs: one a quote from Edward Hallett Carr's book What is History? and the other two lines of lyrics from the song "Gold Soundz" by American alternative rock band Pavement. Choose one of these epigraphs and describe its significance to the book.

This curious combination of epigraphs evidences Hsu's engagement with both philosophy and more popular forms of culture. In different ways, both epigraphs relate to the book's concern with the past and with memory. To start, the quote from Carr was taken from a book that Ken bought and gave to Hsu. This particular quote suggests that an event can only become known with time. That is, when it firmly becomes the past. This suggests that Hsu has only become able to understand Ken's death through the passage of years. The quote from Carr also suggests that the past “throws light on the future" and not just the reverse. That is to say, the events of Hsu's past–particularly Ken's death–continually relate to the present, and indeed the future of his life.

The second epigraph, taken from the song "Gold Soundz" by American alternative rock band Pavement, is more succinct. The two lines Hsu has selected are as follows: "Because you're empty, and I'm empty/and you can never quarantine the past." Similar to Carr's quote, these lines suggest that the past can never be separated from the present, or the future. The tone of these lines, however, is markedly different from Carr's quote. The idea of a "quarantine" from the past suggests that this past is ill and potentially contagious. This notion could could certainly relate to a traumatic event in the past. Despite this darker tone, the lyrics also suggests a measure of acceptance and peace with the fact that the troubling parts of the past cannot be hidden away. In writing about Ken's tragic death, Hsu also demonstrates an awareness of this fact.

Using evidence from the text, describe and analyze how the friendship between Ken and Hsu develops.

Hsu makes it clear that he and Ken shared an unlikely friendship. In fact, Hsu writes "the first time I met Ken, I hated him... He was a genre of person I actively avoided—mainstream" (p. 43). Whereas Hsu liked alternative music and fashion, Ken was a handsome, popular and athletic brother at a fraternity. Based on the fact that Ken was "mainstream," Hsu all but denied any possibility of friendship between them. Slowly, however, they began to spend more time together. Ken invited Hsu to frat parties and Hsu introduced Ken to new music and movies.

Here, Hsu cities the work of French philsopher Jacques Derrida who wrote that a friendship begins when two people “choose knowing rather than being known" (p. 59). That is to say, the friendship between Ken and Hsu begins not because they know everything about each other and share interests, but rather that they share a curiosity in one another. As Hsu learns, traits like taste in music and fashion are not perfect indicators of the nature of a person. Instead, he realizes there are much more important aspects to a person such as their morals and their willingness to learn and grow. In this way, the development of Hsu and Ken's relationship is coincident with Hsu's development of a deeper, more profound understanding of human connection.

Hsu writes that when with his parents he "sometimes felt like an interloper.” What is the significance and broader meaning of this simile?

An interloper is someone who intrudes or is present in a social situation in which they are not welcome. Of course, Hsu is not such a figure in his family: his parents are loving and supportive. Nonetheless, Hsu feels a cultural divide between them and himself. Unlike them, he grew up in America. This feeling of a cultural divide widens when Hsu's father moves back to Taiwan for a job. When he and his mother visit Taiwan, Hsu feels out of place, as though he is intruding on a life and cultural that is not his own. At the same time, Hsu suggests that he is not entirely at place within the culture of the United States. As he writes, "assimilation as a whole was a race toward a horizon that wasn't fixed. The ideal was ever shifting, and your accent would never be quite perfect" (p. 29-30). In this way, Hsu feels like an outsider, or an interloper, in both Taiwan and the United States. Crucially, it is through his experiences in college–particularly his friendship with Ken–that Hsu begins to feel like there is a place for him in the world.