FROM CHINESE CINDERELLA Adeline Yen Mah’s ‘Chinese Cinderella’ is the story of pain‚ rejection and triumph. Mental pain‚ contempt and cruelty were the harsh realities of her life. But the will to succeed and win recognition proved to be powerful motivating factors. The subtext is based in the years 1940-1950 and on memoirs of Adeline’s childhood. This extract is based on one of the few occasions when she went home. The title has a dreamy fairy tale like tone. It is used in an ironic manner and appropriately
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Last term our class studied Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah. It is Adeline’s story‚ about her tough and horrible childhood as a neglected and unloved daughter of a rich and arrogant man‚ and a cruel‚ and abusive Stepmother. Right from the moment her mother died‚ Adeline was labelled as ‘bad luck’. Her family was very superstitious and believed she caused her mothers death so was therefore despised‚ no one wanted her around at all. Unfortunately for Adeline she didn’t really have any parents
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From Chinese Cinderella Growing up in a wealthy family in 1950s Hong Kong‚ Adeline Yen Mah should have had an enviable childhood‚ but she was rejected by her dominating stepmother and despised by her brothers and sisters. She was sent to a boarding school and left there. In this extract from her autobiography she relates one of the few occasions when she went home. Time went by relentlessly and it was Saturday again. Eight weeks more and it would be the end of term … in my case perhaps the end of
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Adeline Yen Mah’s story. In Chinese Cinderella there is evidence that Adeline has a tough bring up with her family. “But then Mama died giving birth to you. If you had not been born‚ Mama would still be alive. She died because of you. You are bad luck”. These were the first few words we heard from Big Sister. It has set that image in your mind what the book will be like. Her siblings blames Adeline’s birth
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The author of Chinese Cinderella Adeline Yen Mah illustrates the relationship she experiences within her family which defines the impact in her life as an individual. Throughout the novel‚ Adeline uses characterisation‚ images‚ symbols and language to illustrate her journey from one who was abused and assaulted by her stepmother Niang‚ to one who loved and cherished by her Aunt Baba. In her book‚ Adeline Yen Mah uses the characterisation of her stepmother Niang to describe the negative relationship
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Chinese Cinderella is a book written by Adeline Yen Mah. The author writes an autobiography about her own experiences and her life as a child. It is a true story about an unwanted daughter who suffered because of the unfairness of the family towards her. In this novel‚ Adeline illustrates the sad memoir of her own childhood‚ growing up in the 1940’s and 50’s and describing her struggle for acceptance from the time she was born to the age of fourteen. The author chose the title of her book as Chinese
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In the autobiographical book “Chinese Cinderella”‚ the author‚ Adeline Yen Mah‚ goes through a lot of hardships and difficulties with her family and life in general. She is not treated as part of her Fathers family and is sent away to live in a boarding school away from them. Adeline’s relationship with her family is very distant and cold‚ she is unloved and unwanted. No one acknowledges her or shows any heed and sympathy towards her. This relationship is shown in line 28 when she asks ‘Where is
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The novel ‘Chinese Cinderella’ is an autobiography written by Adeline Yen Mah‚ describing her childhood and younger teenage years as an unwanted daugther. Unlike most children‚ Adeline had a difficult time growing up. All throughout her life she was bullied and looked down upon by most of her family. At a young age Adeline is constantly being left behind by her family‚ leaving her to feel like the unwanted daughter. Throughout the whole novel‚ Adeline is looked down at and is never acknowledged
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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. Ye Ye is one of the reasons why Adeline was able to succeed. Adeline’s grandfather stated‚ “‘I ordered the maids to set
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The book Chinese Cinderella is a true story written by Adeline Yen Mah based on her life as a child. The book is about Adeline Yen Mah and the struggles and successes she faced as a child growing up in many different places. She was known as the unwanted daughter and was also known as bad luck because of the passing of her mother after she was born. After her mothers death her father re-married her evil stepmother who doesn’t like her. She is treated badly from all of her family except from Aunt
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