“How could I resist?” she later said about that day. It was when everyone was fleeing when the Japanese were taking over Kweilin, and we were left on the side of the road. Mei Ching, and her husband were poor at the time, but they still picked us up off of the side of the road. Although, there was writing on the back of the photo, Mei Ching and Mei Han could not read. By the time someone was able to read the note to them, they had already grown to love us. Instead of taking us to the address on the back of the photo, they took care of us. She told us that we were born into a great family, and that she was going to take us back to see our real mom and grandparents. She showed us the picture of our parents. My sister Chwun Hwa and I felt an immediate connection to our parents.…
The story represent the relationship between the daughter and mother and the relationship between the traditinal practices of chinese and the modern world. The mother really what her daughter to succeed in her undetermined talent.…
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing.” This quote by Pele, a soccer player regarded as one of the best of all time, describes the determination that it took for Adeline to succeed and overcome her childhood. In the memoir, Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, the author writes about the support from Ye Ye, Aunt Baba, and also rising above her abusive childhood.…
Her stepmother struck her hard in the face, her father whipped her multiple times, and her siblings blamed her for their mother’s death. Just wonder she felt, Adeline Yen Mah, with her horrid family, separation from her only loved ones; her aunt and single grandfather, and her genius mind that only her beloved Aunt Baba treasured. As it seems, this depressing novel, Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah, the one who lived through it all, was the most unfortunate girl in all of eastern China.…
Lin Nia-Nia is Jean’s nanny and good, loyal friend. Jean teaches her english and everything she knows about America. Lin Nia-Nia looks like an average Chinese woman, but she had a hard and sad family life. Jean’s parents loved her and made her feel better. Andrea Hull was a smart, outgoing, American classmate that played an important…
As part of the first generation of Chinese-Americans, Maxine Hong Kingston writes about her struggle to distinguish her cultural identity through an impartial analysis of her aunt’s denied existence. In “No Name Woman,” a chapter in her written memoirs, Kingston analyzes the possible reasons behind her disavowed aunt’s dishonorable pregnancy and her village’s subsequent raid upon her household. And with a bold statement that shatters the family restriction to acknowledge the exiled aunt, Kingston states that, “… [she] alone devote pages of paper to her [aunt]...” With this premeditated declaration, Kingston rebelliously breaks the family’s cultural taboo to mention the exiled aunt. Because a strict Chinese culture fails to be practical in American society, Kingston defiantly acknowledges the existence of her aunt's life because she understands that her lost Chinese values as imposed by her family parallels her aunt's capital crime to her village. This argument would prove that Kingston did not write this chapter in veneration of her aunt, but with the intention to provide insight to her understanding of herself as a Chinese-American woman.…
Throughout the novel, a close parallel is drawn between Kae 's quest to reveal the secrets of her past and her journey towards self-realization. By slowly piecing together the tragic circumstances surrounding the suicide of her aunt Suzanne, Kae begins to realize her own path. This new direction eventually evolves beyond the practice of traditionally defined Chinese patriarchal ideals that…
“No Name Woman” is a work of literature that tells about Kingston’s upcoming in the Chinese-American culture. The core of the story is about a story that Kingston’s mother is telling her about her aunt. “In China, your father had a sister who killed herself… We say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born.”(1507) Kingston continued to listen to her mother explain that her aunt was pregnant and accused of adultery because her husband had been away for some time. Kingston’s mother tells her this story solely to teach her a lesson about the responsibilities of becoming a woman. “Don’t let your father know that I told you. He denies her. Now that you have started to menstruate, what happened to her could happen to you.” Kingston’s family wants her to participate in the punishment of her aunt; however, she interprets the story as a different lesson. She relates to her aunt because, like Kingston, her aunt did not want to conform to norms of society. Kingston relates to the spiteful acts of her aunt. She feels that in order for her to understand the moral of the story, then her aunts life must branch into her own. Kingston interprets her own judgement of her aunt. Instead of conforming to her family’s beliefs, she forms her own purpose of the story. Kingston shows great cultural growth by honoring her aunt using…
“Grandfather … wrapped his arms about Joan. ‘Welcome back, Sister.’” This is a touching scene that demonstrates Chinese community is welcoming towards their relatives which escalate their sense of belonging. A further example of community acceptance is when Joan had an accident and Leah was left alone. Ke, the son of the Zhu family, recognized Leah as a family member from the letter from Joan’s father and offered hospitality. “Leah should stay in my family’s house. She is my family.” This contributes to increase Leah’s sense of belonging as Ke assisted her when she was helpless because of Joan’s accident.…
Dong Mei, also known as Grace Parker, is the protagonist who struggles between her Canadian and Chinese background. In a way, Grace sees her Chinese roots as an insult. Since she is raised in a Canadian family, she does not understand the importance of her Chinese roots, which is her true identity. When her parents enlighten her about a note given to them during adoption, the note informs them, “Dong Mei means Winter Plum-Blossom. And Chun-Mei, Spring Plum Blossom, is the name of your birth mother. Obviously, the names are very important to her or she wouldn’t have taken such a risk [...] It’s a stupid name; I don’t want to be named after some dumb flower. As far as I was concerned, the note as well as my Chinese roots could wither in hell” (5). Due to the deep hatred Grace has for her identity, the note’s significance falls short upon Grace’s eyes; though it was the only thing her biological mother left with her, at the orphanage. As a reminder of her true identity, the note symbolizes…
This essay tells about how a Korean girl went from being wealthy to her family going…
growing up in China during the second world war, and her story of being an unwanted daughter. This novel conveys a sense of not belonging as Adeline does not feel accepted within…
The story takes place in china. The setting of this story is very important as it all revolts around the Chinese culture. One as a reader can be able to place oneself in the same situation and experience the feelings that are being presented in this story. The story is being told from a first person point of view. The narrator is Jing-Mei “June May” Woo. She is the 36-year old American born daughter of Suyuan a women who made the big decision which was to abandoned her twins, however she did it for love because at the time she thought she was going to die. June May is the one telling the story. We only know what the narrator thinks. We can only make inferences about the rest of the characters in the story by the way they behave. The narrator embarks an adventurous journey. Along the way she learns many things about her real roots she discovers things that she never knew before.…
The story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan tells of the main character Jing-mei Woo’s childhood and the effects of her mother’s high expectations for her life. In…
I love fall. I can imagine the sounds of leaves crunching underneath my boots, the smells of food being taken out on Thanksgiving, the tastes of a nice cup of apple cider, the sights of spooky decorations and bright pumpkins on houses, and the feeling of crisp autumn air blowing across my face. I love to watch the leaves turn red, orange, and yellow and flutter down to the fresh green grass, like warm colors of paint covering a bright green canvas. I always look forward to fall weather, and I also always look forward to the beautiful fall scenery. Because of the nice fall weather, I get to take more walks in my neighborhood and I also get to say hi to my neighbors. Even if my birthday is in the spring, I still love fall the most. Thinking…