2. A Pair of Tickets
3. This chapter was extremely long and I actually got tired and had to put it down. I felt sad that Jing-Mei had lost so much of her Chinese heritage. One should always know their culture and where they come from. I felt happy for Jing-Mei because she wanted go back and find her Chinese heritage by visiting her family in China. The family reunion was so happy! I always smile at the sign of families getting along with each other, so when I read that Jing-Mei’s family was happy to see her, I felt warm inside. The story about how Suyuan was forced to give up her children was heart-breaking to read. She was so attached to her children and no mother should be forced to give up her children. Although I knew it was for the good of the children and that would be the only way they could survive, I was heartbroken when I read how Suyuan felt. Thankfully, the children grew up in a safe home and were able to meet their half-sister. Again, it was heart-warming when Jing-Mei was reunited with her sisters. They were so happy that they had found part of their mother and could see her again.
4. The relationship between Jing-Mei and her family is a strange one. Even with the language barrier, they’re happy to see someone that they’ve never even met. They spent time together and didn’t care that they couldn’t understand what each other was saying. The love between them is strange because it’s so unconditional. Even though they’ve never met each other, they’re warm to each other and show no signs of resentment or dislike. Although this relationship is strange, it’s the very best kind, because this is how families should be.
5. A writing technique that Tan uses in this story is flashback. The entire story about Suyuan’s travels is told in the form of flashback. If it had just been Jing-Mei’s father telling the stories, we wouldn’t have received the full story. He might not have known every single detail, so telling it in the form of a flashback is much more preferred.
6. The conflict in this story is mostly internal. Jing-Mei is scared and nervous of meeting her family because she’s afraid of the language barrier and that they won’t like her. She is also debating how she’ll tell her sisters about her mother. She is unsure and confused throughout the chapter. This conflict melts away when she sees her half-sisters and is reunited with them.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Using your face as a shield
2. Double Face
3. This chapter puzzled me, so I had to go back and read it again. I thought it was sad how Americanized Waverly was. Lindo spent so much effort and energy into making her American, but it seems that all that work went to waste because Lindo regrets it. Waverly seemed very inconsiderate when she told the hairstylist what Lindo wanted. Although, I understand that if Lindo tried to explain it herself, the hairstylist wouldn’t understand, Waverly should’ve at least consulted her mother first. I don’t understand a lot of the things that the girl told Lindo when she first came to America. I don’t understand why she had to pretend all these complicated things. I felt so sad when Lindo said she worked in a factory. When I first read that, I though that she was abused and treated badly because I thought that factories in San Francisco were cruel like that during the Industrialization period. Although the work seemed harsh, there was nothing commenting on the treatment from the owner. This relieved me and I didn’t think about her factory job for the rest of the chapter. The way Lindo used the fortune cookie to get her a husband was extremely cute. It saddened me when Lindo went back to China and they considered her a foreigner. She spent a majority of her life there and only moved to America because there was no choice. Treating her as a foreigner doesn’t seem right.
4. The relationship between Lindo and An-Mei is one of true friendship. Lindo and An-Mei got off to a good start, even from the beginning. Lindo needed a friend and An-Mei kept her company. Later, An-Mei introduced Lindo to a husband. Not only did she do that, but she helped Lindo get a husband. They worked together and laughed together. If this isn’t true friendship, I’m not sure what is.
5. Imagery was a technique that Tan uses well in this chapter. When Tan described the fortune cookie factory, I felt like I was a worker there too. I felt this feeling again when Lindo’s mother described her face to me. I saw all the features and according to the description, I imagined her to be very pretty.
6. I learned a lot about Chinese culture in this chapter. I learned that it’s not traditional for a daughter to talk back to their mother. I learned about all the superstitions regarding the features of a person’s face. Other Chinese traditions are keeping one’s emotions hidden and keeping one’s worth quietly tucked away. I also learned abut the hardships that some Chinese immigrants had to go through when they first came to America.
3. This chapter puzzled me, so I had to go back and read it again. I thought it was sad how Americanized Waverly was. Lindo spent so much effort and energy into making her American, but it seems that all that work went to waste because Lindo regrets it. Waverly seemed very inconsiderate when she told the hairstylist what Lindo wanted. Although, I understand that if Lindo tried to explain it herself, the hairstylist wouldn’t understand, Waverly should’ve at least consulted her mother first. I don’t understand a lot of the things that the girl told Lindo when she first came to America. I don’t understand why she had to pretend all these complicated things. I felt so sad when Lindo said she worked in a factory. When I first read that, I though that she was abused and treated badly because I thought that factories in San Francisco were cruel like that during the Industrialization period. Although the work seemed harsh, there was nothing commenting on the treatment from the owner. This relieved me and I didn’t think about her factory job for the rest of the chapter. The way Lindo used the fortune cookie to get her a husband was extremely cute. It saddened me when Lindo went back to China and they considered her a foreigner. She spent a majority of her life there and only moved to America because there was no choice. Treating her as a foreigner doesn’t seem right.
4. The relationship between Lindo and An-Mei is one of true friendship. Lindo and An-Mei got off to a good start, even from the beginning. Lindo needed a friend and An-Mei kept her company. Later, An-Mei introduced Lindo to a husband. Not only did she do that, but she helped Lindo get a husband. They worked together and laughed together. If this isn’t true friendship, I’m not sure what is.
5. Imagery was a technique that Tan uses well in this chapter. When Tan described the fortune cookie factory, I felt like I was a worker there too. I felt this feeling again when Lindo’s mother described her face to me. I saw all the features and according to the description, I imagined her to be very pretty.
6. I learned a lot about Chinese culture in this chapter. I learned that it’s not traditional for a daughter to talk back to their mother. I learned about all the superstitions regarding the features of a person’s face. Other Chinese traditions are keeping one’s emotions hidden and keeping one’s worth quietly tucked away. I also learned abut the hardships that some Chinese immigrants had to go through when they first came to America.
Tigress
2. Waiting Between the Trees
3. I thought it was amazing how Ying-Ying transformed over the years. She was conceited, wild, and spunk, but beautiful nevertheless. She was a reckless and vicious tiger. After she falls in love with her husband, she changed completely. She is no longer reckless and independent; she becomes docile and eager to please him. I thought this was an awful transformation. Ying-ying, being so strong and did not need a man to make her happy, cried when he read her a cheesy poem and was overjoyed when she was able to please him. After he leaves her, she readopts her vicious and scheming tiger nature. She killed his son and proceeded to using Clifford St.Clair as a tool to get her out of China. She had no feelings for him and only thought of him as a tool that she’ll use to help herself. I was happy that he changed back to being strong, but I felt bad for Clifford, who was merely a tool.
4. The relationship between Ying-Ying and Lena is a strange one. Lena is completely unaware of what her mother is like. Lena doesn’t know about what her mother has been through, or why she’s gong crazy. She doesn’t understand that her mother is a tiger; she is strong and vicious. Lena is completely unaware because her mother is behind the trees, stalking her, and waiting for the right moment to strike.
5. The word choice in this chapter was excellent. Tan uses words such as, “wild”, “stubborn”, and “smirk”. These words helped show that when Ying-Ying was younger, she was quite the brat. Words such as “stroked” and “held”, helped show that Ying-Ying’s husband had strong feelings of affection for her. These specific words helped me truly feel and see exactly what Ying-Ying was going through
6. I think the conflict in this chapter is mostly internal, within Ying-Ying. She starts off completely normal, without a care in the world. Then, as time goes on, she is affected by traumatic events, such as her husband leaving her, and morphs into a crazed woman. Her tigress nature helped fuel this conflict because if she were more docile, she wouldn’t have gone crazy knowing that a man had left her. She never resolves in conflict in herself because she ends up becoming a “ghost”.
3. I thought it was amazing how Ying-Ying transformed over the years. She was conceited, wild, and spunk, but beautiful nevertheless. She was a reckless and vicious tiger. After she falls in love with her husband, she changed completely. She is no longer reckless and independent; she becomes docile and eager to please him. I thought this was an awful transformation. Ying-ying, being so strong and did not need a man to make her happy, cried when he read her a cheesy poem and was overjoyed when she was able to please him. After he leaves her, she readopts her vicious and scheming tiger nature. She killed his son and proceeded to using Clifford St.Clair as a tool to get her out of China. She had no feelings for him and only thought of him as a tool that she’ll use to help herself. I was happy that he changed back to being strong, but I felt bad for Clifford, who was merely a tool.
4. The relationship between Ying-Ying and Lena is a strange one. Lena is completely unaware of what her mother is like. Lena doesn’t know about what her mother has been through, or why she’s gong crazy. She doesn’t understand that her mother is a tiger; she is strong and vicious. Lena is completely unaware because her mother is behind the trees, stalking her, and waiting for the right moment to strike.
5. The word choice in this chapter was excellent. Tan uses words such as, “wild”, “stubborn”, and “smirk”. These words helped show that when Ying-Ying was younger, she was quite the brat. Words such as “stroked” and “held”, helped show that Ying-Ying’s husband had strong feelings of affection for her. These specific words helped me truly feel and see exactly what Ying-Ying was going through
6. I think the conflict in this chapter is mostly internal, within Ying-Ying. She starts off completely normal, without a care in the world. Then, as time goes on, she is affected by traumatic events, such as her husband leaving her, and morphs into a crazed woman. Her tigress nature helped fuel this conflict because if she were more docile, she wouldn’t have gone crazy knowing that a man had left her. She never resolves in conflict in herself because she ends up becoming a “ghost”.
The Wicked Witch of China
2. Magpies
3. This chapter was really long, but I enjoyed it all the same. I couldn’t believe all the drama that happened in the household. Perhaps this is what happens when men are allowed to have more than one wife. I couldn’t’ believe how evil Second Wife was. Despite her wicked personality, she is very clever. It was very smart of her to try to trick An-Mei into coming to her and betray her own mother. I was relieved when An-Mei’s mother saw past what Second Wife was doing and kept An-Mei her on her side. Second Wife must indeed be awful if she tries to turn a girl against her own mother. Second Wife reminded me of an evil witch who knew everyone’s weaknesses and how to exploit them. The way Second Wife held and talked to An-Mei’s brother was extremely cruel on An-Mei’s mother’s part.
I also loved how An-Mei’s mother planned her suicide to perfectly. It was proof that she was able to outsmart Second Wife, the clever witch. Second Wife definitely got what she deserved the day An-Mei’s mother died.
4. The relationship between Second Wife and the rest of the household was one that a tyrant might have over a country. Even though she wasn’t technically the leader of the house, she stole power, and had more than anyone. I was frightened because of how powerful she was, and how she could use that to harm others. Wu Tsng and First Wife were under her control and she could manipulate them to do whatever she wanted. She received no consequences when she did evil things and could come and go as she pleased.
5. The entire story was told in the form of a flashback. I thought this helped enhance it. This is because with a combination of a tragic event that was happening, and a story that was told to make that event sound like nothing, the message that An-Mei was trying to send got through. If An-Mei had just gone and told us the theme, it wouldn’t have been as powerful as a whole story to explain and illustrate it.
6. What I learned about Chinese culture was all the traditions that the Chinese followed. Men were allowed to have more than one wife. The first wife held all the power; except for the case of this story, where Second Wife held all the power. I also learned that a girl is taught to swallow other people’s misery and eat her own bitterness. That a girl is to remain quiet , even when the world is crashing around her shoulders.
3. This chapter was really long, but I enjoyed it all the same. I couldn’t believe all the drama that happened in the household. Perhaps this is what happens when men are allowed to have more than one wife. I couldn’t’ believe how evil Second Wife was. Despite her wicked personality, she is very clever. It was very smart of her to try to trick An-Mei into coming to her and betray her own mother. I was relieved when An-Mei’s mother saw past what Second Wife was doing and kept An-Mei her on her side. Second Wife must indeed be awful if she tries to turn a girl against her own mother. Second Wife reminded me of an evil witch who knew everyone’s weaknesses and how to exploit them. The way Second Wife held and talked to An-Mei’s brother was extremely cruel on An-Mei’s mother’s part.
I also loved how An-Mei’s mother planned her suicide to perfectly. It was proof that she was able to outsmart Second Wife, the clever witch. Second Wife definitely got what she deserved the day An-Mei’s mother died.
4. The relationship between Second Wife and the rest of the household was one that a tyrant might have over a country. Even though she wasn’t technically the leader of the house, she stole power, and had more than anyone. I was frightened because of how powerful she was, and how she could use that to harm others. Wu Tsng and First Wife were under her control and she could manipulate them to do whatever she wanted. She received no consequences when she did evil things and could come and go as she pleased.
5. The entire story was told in the form of a flashback. I thought this helped enhance it. This is because with a combination of a tragic event that was happening, and a story that was told to make that event sound like nothing, the message that An-Mei was trying to send got through. If An-Mei had just gone and told us the theme, it wouldn’t have been as powerful as a whole story to explain and illustrate it.
6. What I learned about Chinese culture was all the traditions that the Chinese followed. Men were allowed to have more than one wife. The first wife held all the power; except for the case of this story, where Second Wife held all the power. I also learned that a girl is taught to swallow other people’s misery and eat her own bitterness. That a girl is to remain quiet , even when the world is crashing around her shoulders.
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