Wednesday, February 29, 2012
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2004/08/consider_the_lobster?currentPage=7
This article illustrates a visit to the Maine Lobster Festival. It pretty much everything you can think of lobster related. It focuses mostly on the debate as to wether or not boiling Lobsters alive is cruel. PETA makes there position clear while the lobster farmers continually say that lobsters lack a cerebral cortex and there fore feel no pain. When it gets down to it, people don't really know wether or not they feel pain or to what degree they feel pain. It talks about how this festival could almost be concodered a masacre with 100s of cooker boiling lobsters alive one after the other. Over all it was an interesting article over an issue I frankly never thought about.
Without Wood - 2/28/12 - Four Quotes
"I used to believe everything my mother said, even when I didn't know what she meant." (185)
-This is the first line of the reading. The first line always intrigues me, because depending on what the sentence is, I try to predict what will be the concept, the theme, and the plot throughout this particular section. This line makes me think that we will see Rose confront a situation in which her mother tries to control her. She says she believes everything her mother says, even when she "didn't know what it meant." That last bit is extremely powerful, as if she sees her mother's opinions and beliefs as her only options.
"I clung to the bed, refusing to leave this world for dreams." (186)
-This sentence shows how much Rose's dreams scare her. She is clinging onto the bed, as if she's holding on for her life, fearful, because if she lets go, she will fall to her death. 'This world" is the real world where she feels safe, while her dreams are foreign grounds that she is extremely afraid to explore.
"You are getting too thin." (187)
-I think the theme of women losing weight and being too skinny is a recurring thing in this book. It isn't only partial to one section, because we've seen this repeatedly. Maybe being too thin is being too vulnerable, unable to protect yourself? Or maybe it's being frail, lacking the wisdom to make your own decisions? I can't help to think it also has a literal meaning, because wood is thick and strong. When you're thin, you most likely aren't strong, hence being without wood.
"Over the years, I learned to choose from the best opinions. Chinese people had Chinese opinions. American people had American opinions. And in almost every case, the American version was much better." (191)
-This passage again brings up the old generation vs. new generation conflict. The old generation has its way of doing things, and the new generation feels like the American way is better than their Chinese heritage. The old generation seems to get offended when the new generation doesn't know about or doesn't appreciate the old culture, and the new generation is assimilating to the new American culture, which isn't the correct way to go about things in the old generation's eyes. This is also a recurring theme throughout the book.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Without Wood and Four Directions
click the writing below to see a bigger version of each image. These are from the last two readings.
Old Mr. Chou is the man who guards the door to Rose's dreams. Mr. Chou and Rose's mother are behind her door, waiting for Rose to fall asleep and dream. In her dreams, or nightmares, Rose is in a backyard with rows of square sandboxes. In each sandbox there's a new doll. Rose knows which doll her mother expects her to pick, so she picks another doll, then runs off. As she's running, her mother yells at her to stop, and chastises her for not listening to her mother. Rose suddenly becomes paralyzed and is too scared to move in any direction.
Waverly is a rabbit, born in 1951, while her mother is a Horse. According to these zodiacs, Horses and Rabbits aren't supposed to get along because of their clashing characteristics. The horse is strong, and frank to the point of tactlessness while the rabbit is supposed to be sensitive with tendencies toward being thin-skinned and skittery at the first sign of criticism.
Without Wood-Poem
My eyes opened after three days of fake sleep, in time to see the darkness.
I kept falling and sinking.
I got tired of always being on the way down.
All I wanted to do was attack the dark, dreamless land; the same way the impatient garden had begun to attack my home.
My home that used to be our home.
An undeniable force continued to pull me down.
I feared that I would forever be enclosed in foreign darkness.
Falling through nothing.
$10,000 is nothing.
Ted is nothing.
I am nothing.
And the garden is wild.
The artificial night reminded me of the good that turned bad, the bad that tried to be good.
I had abandoned the garden. I intentionally left it alone to live, and to die.
Twisted roots had grown so far into the ground, holding on to something that could not be released.
Beauty had arisen from neglect and disgrace.
And yet, all the effort devoted to Ted left me with a marriage to paper and a casual eviction.
He took me from what I thought I knew.
But now I know the darkness, and he will not rid me of that.
I kept falling and sinking.
I got tired of always being on the way down.
All I wanted to do was attack the dark, dreamless land; the same way the impatient garden had begun to attack my home.
My home that used to be our home.
An undeniable force continued to pull me down.
I feared that I would forever be enclosed in foreign darkness.
Falling through nothing.
$10,000 is nothing.
Ted is nothing.
I am nothing.
And the garden is wild.
The artificial night reminded me of the good that turned bad, the bad that tried to be good.
I had abandoned the garden. I intentionally left it alone to live, and to die.
Twisted roots had grown so far into the ground, holding on to something that could not be released.
Beauty had arisen from neglect and disgrace.
And yet, all the effort devoted to Ted left me with a marriage to paper and a casual eviction.
He took me from what I thought I knew.
But now I know the darkness, and he will not rid me of that.
Without Wood Important Quotes
“Lately I had been feeling hulihudu. And everything around me seemed to be heimongmong. These were words I had never thought about in English terms. I suppose the closet in meaning would be “confused” and “dark fog.” (188)
This sets the mood of Rose’s feelings throughout this chapter of the book. When Ted leaves her, she feels lost and depressed. She hesitates to looks for guidance, which causes her to sleep for days on end, and she does not dream during these days. She is lost in the darkness around her.
“My mother once told me why I was so confused all the time. She said I was without wood. Born without wood so that I listened to too many people.” (191)
While this also further describes her confusion and lack of guidance, it also shows how her mother’s strong perceptions of her. She describes her mother’s presence in her dream sequences as over-powering and omnipotent. For example, she knows which doll Rose should choose and influences Mr. Chou to push her in the direction of that one.
“And for the first time I can recall, I had no dreams. All I could remember was falling smoothly into a dark space with no feeling of dimension or direction. I was the only person in this blackness.” (193)
This further shows how she lacks guidance. When she is alone, she does not have a sense or feeling of direction. She feels safe in this place, completely alone, but it also keeps her from facing what’s real and dealing with her divorce.
“No way to pull them out once they’ve buried themselves in the masonry; you'd end up pulling the whole building down.” (195)
This quote shows how Rose was quite literally rooted in her marriage. Once Ted rips out these metaphorical weeds of their marriage, she crumbles and becomes very depressed.
“’I have just planted them this morning, some for you, some for me.’ And below the heimongmong, all along the ground, were weeds already spilling out over the edges, running wild in every direction.” (196)
In her last dream sequence, Rose’s mom plants new roots for herself and Rose. This shows how her mom will help her rebuild her life after her disaster, the divorce. Rose knows in her subconscious to reach out to her mother for guidance in her “dark fog.”
Without Wood
This is an artistic interpretation of the garden in the story. Starting at the top of the drawing the garden is more organized; the plants are in rows in planters, there are less weeds, and the path is neat. As you move down the drawing the garden gets less organized: The plants become more and more overgrown, the path becomes misshapen, and there is more over all scribble. The top of the drawing looks more like what the garden would have looked like when Ted and Rose were together. At the bottom the garden is unorganized and unkept. The messiness at the bottom represent more how Rose feels now during the divorcing process.
Link- Without Wood
http://www.livescience.com/8202-women-stay-abusive-relationships.html
This articles relates to the theme of Rose not being able to stand up to her husband; this articles mainly examines why women stay in abusive relationships, verbal and physical.
Without Wood
"And all these things seemed true to me. The power of her words was that strong. "
This quote shows a theme that is constant throughout the novel, with the relationship of mother daughter. We see the mother tell the daughter things, and they believe it. But the question is are the lies that the mother is telling good or bad for the childs future? Should a kid really have nightmares?
"I used to believe everything my mother said, even when I didn't know what she meant."
This quote is the first sentence of the chapter, and sets the tone for the chapter. Throughout the novel the author has stressed how much kids listened to their mothers. Sometimes it could be a good intention resulting in a bad result. As we see in the chess chapter, and piano chapter.
"More than thirty years later, my mother was still trying to make me listen."
This quote shows how persistent the mother is in trying to get the daughter to listen. It relates back to my first quote "I used to believe everything my mother said, even when I didn't know what she meant." The mother controlled the daughter at young age and is still trying to do it later. Is this a good or bad trait the mother has?
"I sat their quietly trying to listen to my heart to make the right decesion. But then i realized I didn't know what the choices were."
This quote can relate back to the inibilty of the child to make choices on her own. As a kid the mother told the child anything and she believed it. Now, we see that maybe this wasn't a good idea by the mother.
Four Directions - 2/27/12 - Acronym: "And Nobody Protested" (173)
After all of my hard work, my mother never appreciated what I did. She never understood.
Never did she ask if I was tired, or if I needed a break. She always assumed I was willing.
During those miserable years, she continuously tore me down, even after I built myself back up.
Never did I think someone would accept me for me; with all of my flaws.
Of course he isn't Chinese; but he has a boyish charm, and looks at me with such a pure love.
Bearing with all of the insults that come from my mother must be very difficult, even for him.
Over and over, she pounds him with questions, unnecessary comments meant to hurt.
Derived from her evil mind, her opinions could end my beautiful marriage.
Yet, I'm not worried. He has such a strong love for me; nothing could break the bond we share.
Perhaps she expects me to be someone I'm not. What else can I do?
Restart my chess career? Become the chess champion that she was so proud of?
Or maybe apologize for running away from her in the market?
Tears flow down my face when night falls, because it seems as if I've tried everything.
Early mornings with puffy eyes seem to be a ritual.
Still, I can't help but to have this feeling of hatred.
Towards her? No; but towards her ideas and why she believes she knows everything, yes.
Every day since I lost my touch with that black and white board has been a struggle.
Defiantly, I stand tall. I'll be the one to protest a peaceful relationship with my mother.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Rice Husband Link
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=8
This relates to the story because the play is about a failed marriage between an asian and an American. The wife keeps trying to make the marriage work but it obviously is not meant to work. The whole main theme of Madame Butterfly is the way the white soldier can assert his dominance over the Japanese mother. She is much more reliant on him than he is of her. This is the same in the Rice Husband because the husband is much more controlling in the relationship. He makes more money, has the superior job and thus makes the more of the decisions. He gets his way in the relationship too. Lena doesn't really like the system they have but she feels uncomfortable addressing that and thus their "system" is perpetuated. The stories are analogous in the ways in which the "white man" has dominance over their asian counterpart.
Four Directions Quotes
Quotes
"I couldn't fend off the strength of her will anymore, her ability to make me see black where there was once white, white where there was once black"
This quote has a double meaning. It refers to the fact that Waverly played chess, but also to the manipulative side of the mom. It shows that she distorted Waverlys views. This quote also relates back to Red Candle, when the mother distorted the family's views and ended up getting her own way. It's interesting to me that the mother would distort the daughters views in a way that made it impossible for her to win at chess because Lindo could no longer parade Waverly around as her chess champion.
"I knew at exactly what point their faces would fall when my seemingly simple plan would reveal itself as a devastating and irrevocable course. I loved to win"
This shows the competitive nature that Waverly has and shares with her mom. Not only is Waverly competetive, but also manipulative. This description of Waverly and her chess game reminded me a lot of the plan that Linda concocted when she was trying to get out of her marriage in China.
"And I could no longer see the secret weapons of each piece, the magic within the intersection of each square. I could only see my mistakes, my weaknesses."
This is the turning point in her life, when she forgets how to win at chess. She forgets her moves because her mom kind of psyches her out with her tactics. Waverly has her ego severly bruised when she gets in the argument with her mom. Waverly thinks she is smarter than Linda and she tries to show that. But then Lindo shows how cunning she really is and that she is stronger than Waverly. Because she forgets how to play chess, Waverly totally changes her perspective in life. She becomes more insecure because she no longer has the confidence in the way she plays chess.
"In her hands I always became the pawn. I could only run away. And she was the queen, able to move in all directions, relentless in her pursuit, always able to find my weakest spots."
This section is full of double entendres involving chess. This quote refers to the fact that in this section, Waverly is like the pawn piece and Lindo is the queen piece. This is a perfect analogy for this section because Waverly is very restricted and doesn't have much power in this section. Linda however controls the entire section and pretty much runs the show. The queen is the most powerful piece while the pawn is the weakest. This shows how her mother has an advantage over Waverly.
"I saw what I had been fighting for: It was for me."
This shows Waverly's selfishness in her fight against her mom. All she had to do was to give in yet she kept fighting, trying to prove that what she had done was justified.
"I couldn't fend off the strength of her will anymore, her ability to make me see black where there was once white, white where there was once black"
This quote has a double meaning. It refers to the fact that Waverly played chess, but also to the manipulative side of the mom. It shows that she distorted Waverlys views. This quote also relates back to Red Candle, when the mother distorted the family's views and ended up getting her own way. It's interesting to me that the mother would distort the daughters views in a way that made it impossible for her to win at chess because Lindo could no longer parade Waverly around as her chess champion.
"I knew at exactly what point their faces would fall when my seemingly simple plan would reveal itself as a devastating and irrevocable course. I loved to win"
This shows the competitive nature that Waverly has and shares with her mom. Not only is Waverly competetive, but also manipulative. This description of Waverly and her chess game reminded me a lot of the plan that Linda concocted when she was trying to get out of her marriage in China.
"And I could no longer see the secret weapons of each piece, the magic within the intersection of each square. I could only see my mistakes, my weaknesses."
This is the turning point in her life, when she forgets how to win at chess. She forgets her moves because her mom kind of psyches her out with her tactics. Waverly has her ego severly bruised when she gets in the argument with her mom. Waverly thinks she is smarter than Linda and she tries to show that. But then Lindo shows how cunning she really is and that she is stronger than Waverly. Because she forgets how to play chess, Waverly totally changes her perspective in life. She becomes more insecure because she no longer has the confidence in the way she plays chess.
"In her hands I always became the pawn. I could only run away. And she was the queen, able to move in all directions, relentless in her pursuit, always able to find my weakest spots."
This section is full of double entendres involving chess. This quote refers to the fact that in this section, Waverly is like the pawn piece and Lindo is the queen piece. This is a perfect analogy for this section because Waverly is very restricted and doesn't have much power in this section. Linda however controls the entire section and pretty much runs the show. The queen is the most powerful piece while the pawn is the weakest. This shows how her mother has an advantage over Waverly.
"I saw what I had been fighting for: It was for me."
This shows Waverly's selfishness in her fight against her mom. All she had to do was to give in yet she kept fighting, trying to prove that what she had done was justified.
Links Four Directions
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5009656.stm
This link is a bbc article about the psychology of parents dealing with child prodigies. I thought this was relevant to the chapter because Waverly was a child chess prodigy. I found it interesting and sad that she latter stopped playing all together. The article gives a couple examples of child prodigies: A young swimmer in San Francisco, a young bullfighter in Spain, and even Tiger Woods. The article argues that it is important for the kid to hold the passion, and for parents to not pressure their kid. The article also says that parents shouldn't live through their child's achievements like Waverly's mother did.
http://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/pork-and-preserved-vegetable-noodle-soup/
This is a blog post which includes a recipe about the pork and preserved vegetable dish that Lindo secretly thinks is one of her best dishes, but--seeking for complements--exclaims that is uneatable.
http://www.cntraveler.com/travel-tips/travel-etiquette/2008/10/Etiquette-101-China
This is sort of an interesting article about eating in china, and what is proper etiquette. I thought the cultural differences at the dinner table were very interesting. To list a couple that I found particularly interesting: Seating by rank at banquets is important, Set times for meals are very important, and drinking alcohol is very closely watched (Waverly's husband drinks too much wine for proper etiquette).
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/4/14/lifefocus/20902655&sec=lifefocus
Here is another really interesting article about the psychology of child prodigies. This article also stresses the roles of parenting child prodigies. Parent who give an open (stress free) environment to learn are more likely to not ruin child prodigies. I also thought an interesting part of the article explained how the parents occupation was usually what the prodigy is good as, for instance Van Gogh's father was a painter, and Mozart's dad was a musician.
This link is a bbc article about the psychology of parents dealing with child prodigies. I thought this was relevant to the chapter because Waverly was a child chess prodigy. I found it interesting and sad that she latter stopped playing all together. The article gives a couple examples of child prodigies: A young swimmer in San Francisco, a young bullfighter in Spain, and even Tiger Woods. The article argues that it is important for the kid to hold the passion, and for parents to not pressure their kid. The article also says that parents shouldn't live through their child's achievements like Waverly's mother did.
http://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/pork-and-preserved-vegetable-noodle-soup/
This is a blog post which includes a recipe about the pork and preserved vegetable dish that Lindo secretly thinks is one of her best dishes, but--seeking for complements--exclaims that is uneatable.
http://www.cntraveler.com/travel-tips/travel-etiquette/2008/10/Etiquette-101-China
This is sort of an interesting article about eating in china, and what is proper etiquette. I thought the cultural differences at the dinner table were very interesting. To list a couple that I found particularly interesting: Seating by rank at banquets is important, Set times for meals are very important, and drinking alcohol is very closely watched (Waverly's husband drinks too much wine for proper etiquette).
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/4/14/lifefocus/20902655&sec=lifefocus
Here is another really interesting article about the psychology of child prodigies. This article also stresses the roles of parenting child prodigies. Parent who give an open (stress free) environment to learn are more likely to not ruin child prodigies. I also thought an interesting part of the article explained how the parents occupation was usually what the prodigy is good as, for instance Van Gogh's father was a painter, and Mozart's dad was a musician.
Four Directions Quizlet
make sure you uncheck "both sides" in the top right-hand corner. then click "term first"
Friday, February 24, 2012
Rice Husband Poem
One thing is always the result of another
With me and my lover
No money, No Contamination, here for each-other,
Perhaps though, it's all just a cover,
This one thing is shared, between me and my lover.
Endless separation. No trust, No intimacy.
Perhaps my life is a little to fair,
At my life i'll sit and stare,
End this pain I wouldn't dare,
If only, If only, I still had the words of my mother.
With me and my lover
No money, No Contamination, here for each-other,
Perhaps though, it's all just a cover,
This one thing is shared, between me and my lover.
Endless separation. No trust, No intimacy.
Perhaps my life is a little to fair,
At my life i'll sit and stare,
End this pain I wouldn't dare,
If only, If only, I still had the words of my mother.
Rice Husband
The rice I can't eat
I can't marry a man whose face is beat
He's so fair, he'd never cheat
The bills are seperate when we go to eat
Is this relationship real?
No promotion?
What is the deal?
I hate paying for ice cream
I tell mom with a frown
You put something else on top, everything falls down!
Rice Husband - Four Quotes 2/24/12
"To this day, I believe my mother has the mysterious ability to see things before they happen." (149)
-This is the opening sentence to the chapter. I think it's important because it kind of lets us begin to guess what's going to happen to Lena and her mother. I immediately thought that it would be a section about how her mother knows what happens when, which in some ways it was. The last scene in this section shows how this sentence is true, which emphasizes its meaning.
"My loathing for Arnold had grown to such a point that I eventually found a way to make him die." (152)
-Lena talks about Arnold, and how she had hoped that she wouldn't end up marrying him. The fact that her mother was able to point something out that would happen 20 years into her future also takes us back to the first sentence. By not eating rice and all of her other foods, she believes that she is the cause of Arnold's unfortunate demise, and the ice cream that she gorged herself on because of this situation comes up later in her marriage.
"And I remember wondering why it was that eating something good could make me feel so terrible, while vomiting something terrible could make me feel so good." (154)
-The ice cream plays an important part here. It makes her vomit from all of the guilt she had from Arnold's death, and it later sparks the argument between her and Harold. They had been splitting tabs between themselves to "keep the marriage honest", and in fact tabbing each and every little thing turned out to have the opposite effect. I thought it was crucial when Lena's mother told Harold that she didn't like ice cream, and he didn't think anything of it. That was what planted the seed for the argument to begin.
"Or that maybe it was because when you're Chinese you're supposed to accept everything, flow with the Tao and not make waves." (156)
-This quote is hard to explain, but it felt important. I think Lena is saying that when you're Chinese, stereotypically you're supposed to know quotes that have a hidden meaning of wisdom and know why the moon sets over the water in a certain way and all that. You aren't supposed to "make waves", as in you're supposed to listen to your mother and nobody else. This creates the old tradition vs. new tradition conflict that was discussed in the beginning of the book.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Rice Husband-Links
http://www.glamour.com/tell-somebody/2011/05/relationship-violence-the-secret-that-kills-4-women-a-day
This link literally connects to the quote on page 154 that says "Isn't hate merely the result of wounded love?" Many of the battered women in this article sincerely thought that they were in love with their partners, partners who were beating them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_(film)
Lena reflects on her eating disorder in this chapter. The film that this article describes focuses on is about the physical and mental characteristics of eating disorders.
http://aast.wordpress.com/2007/06/30/steretypes-and-asian-american-mental-health/
This article talks specifically about eating disorders among Asian women. Binge eating and bulimia are described in this article, which is important because Lena suffers from both afflictions.
This link literally connects to the quote on page 154 that says "Isn't hate merely the result of wounded love?" Many of the battered women in this article sincerely thought that they were in love with their partners, partners who were beating them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_(film)
Lena reflects on her eating disorder in this chapter. The film that this article describes focuses on is about the physical and mental characteristics of eating disorders.
http://aast.wordpress.com/2007/06/30/steretypes-and-asian-american-mental-health/
This article talks specifically about eating disorders among Asian women. Binge eating and bulimia are described in this article, which is important because Lena suffers from both afflictions.
"'Fallen down,' she says simply. She doesn't apologize.'It doesn't matter,' I say, and I start to pick up the broken glass shards. 'I knew it would happen.'
'Then why you don't stop it?' asks my mother.
And it's such a simple question."
--This represents the broken table that is a symbol for their marriage and how fragile it is. It was made by her husband which shows that he easily controls his wife. The mother easily ruins the marriage just like she breaks the vase. She foresaw this happening, and her daughter fails to take control and prevent the marriage from getting this bad.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Important Passages in The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates
Five Important Passages in Two Kinds.
Brian Harrison
"'Of course you can be prodigy, too,' my mother told me when I was nine. 'You can be best anything. What does Auntie Lindo know?'...America was where all of my mothers hopes lay. She had come here in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls."(132)
This passage is important to the story because it shows the reader how desperate the mother is to succeed and how riddled her past is with disappointment. This makes it easier for the reader to understand why she is so hard on her daughter, and why she drives her daughter so hard to be perfect, because being perfect is something that she could never have for herself.
"And after seeing my mother's disappointed face once again, something inside me began to die. I hate the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations. Before going to bed that night, I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink and when I saw only my face staring back -- and that it would always be this ordinary face -- I began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl! I made high-pitched noises like a crazed animal, trying to scratch out the face in the mirror."(134)
This passage shows how deeply the mothers expectations have been intertwined into the daughter's head. The daughter is upset with herself because she is not perfect, even when being perfect is impossible.
"I looked at my reflection, blinking so I could see more clearly. The girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. This girl and I were the same. I had new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won'ts. I wont let her change me, I promised myself. I won't be what I'm not." (134)
This passage shows us how the girl is transforming as a person. She has realized that the only person she can be is the person she is, not the person her mother wishes she could have been.
"Why don't you like me the way I am? I'm not a genius! I can't play the piano. And even if I could, I wouldn't go on TV if you paid me a million dollars! I cried. My mother slapped me. 'Who ask you be genius?' she shouted. 'Only ask you be your best.'"(136)
This passage shows how the daughter has morphed even further from an obedient daughter into a person who can think for herself. The daughter is clashing even more with her mother, and is willing to step out and tell the mother what she really thinks. This drives the mother into a fit of denial.
"'You want me to be someone that I'm not!' I sobbed. 'I'll never be the kind of daughter you want me to be!' 'Only two kinds of daughters,' she shouted in Chinese. 'those who are obedient and those who fallow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!'" (142)
This last passage shows the true clash between the daughter and her mother. The mother is annoied by the rood comments of her daughter as well as her daughter's failures. The mother gives the daughter goals that she cannot meet, and when she fails, the mother is disappointed in her. This shows the mothers need to succeed, and her hopes to do so through her daughter. The mother's failures earlier in life have saddened her, and created anger in her heart. The mother only has interest in her daughter if her daughter is an object to make her look better.
The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates is a great comontary on the relationships that girls have with their mothers, and the stress that is placed on their relationships because of their own wants.
Brian Harrison
"'Of course you can be prodigy, too,' my mother told me when I was nine. 'You can be best anything. What does Auntie Lindo know?'...America was where all of my mothers hopes lay. She had come here in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls."(132)
This passage is important to the story because it shows the reader how desperate the mother is to succeed and how riddled her past is with disappointment. This makes it easier for the reader to understand why she is so hard on her daughter, and why she drives her daughter so hard to be perfect, because being perfect is something that she could never have for herself.
"And after seeing my mother's disappointed face once again, something inside me began to die. I hate the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations. Before going to bed that night, I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink and when I saw only my face staring back -- and that it would always be this ordinary face -- I began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl! I made high-pitched noises like a crazed animal, trying to scratch out the face in the mirror."(134)
This passage shows how deeply the mothers expectations have been intertwined into the daughter's head. The daughter is upset with herself because she is not perfect, even when being perfect is impossible.
"I looked at my reflection, blinking so I could see more clearly. The girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. This girl and I were the same. I had new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won'ts. I wont let her change me, I promised myself. I won't be what I'm not." (134)
This passage shows us how the girl is transforming as a person. She has realized that the only person she can be is the person she is, not the person her mother wishes she could have been.
"Why don't you like me the way I am? I'm not a genius! I can't play the piano. And even if I could, I wouldn't go on TV if you paid me a million dollars! I cried. My mother slapped me. 'Who ask you be genius?' she shouted. 'Only ask you be your best.'"(136)
This passage shows how the daughter has morphed even further from an obedient daughter into a person who can think for herself. The daughter is clashing even more with her mother, and is willing to step out and tell the mother what she really thinks. This drives the mother into a fit of denial.
"'You want me to be someone that I'm not!' I sobbed. 'I'll never be the kind of daughter you want me to be!' 'Only two kinds of daughters,' she shouted in Chinese. 'those who are obedient and those who fallow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!'" (142)
This last passage shows the true clash between the daughter and her mother. The mother is annoied by the rood comments of her daughter as well as her daughter's failures. The mother gives the daughter goals that she cannot meet, and when she fails, the mother is disappointed in her. This shows the mothers need to succeed, and her hopes to do so through her daughter. The mother's failures earlier in life have saddened her, and created anger in her heart. The mother only has interest in her daughter if her daughter is an object to make her look better.
The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates is a great comontary on the relationships that girls have with their mothers, and the stress that is placed on their relationships because of their own wants.
Two Kinds
This is a drawing of Jing-Mei Woo playing the piano at her family talent show thing. I thought this was an interesting scene because Jing-Mei becomes self conscience and become really embarrassed. The lack of a piano bench signifies her being isolated as she is playing. The figures in the background are her parents, and thought bubble are coming out of their heads and geting mixed with the music from the piano.
Two Kinds Songs
Two Kinds
Pleading Child and Perfectly Content from Scenes from Childhood by Robert Schumann
Pleading Child and Perfectly Content from Scenes from Childhood by Robert Schumann
These two songs are a direct parallel to the story, Two Kinds. Two Kinds relates to the daughter but also the two songs. Both the song and the daughter goes through a transformation and becomes something totally different. The songs also represent the life of the daughter. The first song is very melancholy, sad, slow and dissonant while the second song is more happy and fast paced. This represents the character because in the beginning she was a very angsty girl, like the first song, and later she accepts who she is and moves on with her life and is no longer burdened by her mother or the piano. This is the second song. These two songs represent the two different stages which she went through in her life. The names of the songs also relate to her life; Pleading Child is the younger character while Perfectly Content is the character when she is older.
Two Kinds - 2/22/12: Poem (Haiku)
I'm not a genius.
Why won't she understand that?
She can't live through me.
Two Kinds-Poem
Up and down, back and forth, quiet and loud.
That is how our relationship went.
My mother was above and beyond. Her mind full with hopes of creating a Chinese Shirley Temple.
But as she ran her hands back and forth through my hair I could feel her hopes mixing with the water as they both escaped the sink.
I thought the piano might fix things.
I played half-heartedly with a deaf instructor who was blind to the force that was making me play that instrument.
The keys were raised and lowered until one missed note turned all sound to silence.
I had always wished that I was dead, but I never wished that I could play.
And that is how our relationship went:
Short periods of beautifully decent music that ended abruptly.
That is how our relationship went.
My mother was above and beyond. Her mind full with hopes of creating a Chinese Shirley Temple.
But as she ran her hands back and forth through my hair I could feel her hopes mixing with the water as they both escaped the sink.
I thought the piano might fix things.
I played half-heartedly with a deaf instructor who was blind to the force that was making me play that instrument.
The keys were raised and lowered until one missed note turned all sound to silence.
I had always wished that I was dead, but I never wished that I could play.
And that is how our relationship went:
Short periods of beautifully decent music that ended abruptly.
Two Kinds
This snapshot is supposed to reflect the moment when Jing-Mei plays the piano at her recital. Even she went in with complete confidence, she left with nothing but shame. The people in the background help add to the malignancy that can happen to someone when they are outside the protection of their home, hence the twenty-six malignant gates.
Two Kinds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ed_Sullivan_Show
A few times in last nights reading Ed Sullivan and The Ed Sullivan Show were referenced a few times. (p. 135, p.136, p. 139). The Ed Sullivan Show was a talk-show during the 60s that many people watched. Some historians consider the Beatles’ appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show to be the beginning of the counterculture in 1960s America.
http://www.shirleytemple.com/
Shirley Temple was a child star and cultural icon for innocence and the ideal white child of the time period. She is important to the story because her mother wants her to "be a Chinese Shirley Temple" (p. 132) even though she is not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China_%281949%E2%80%931976%29
“She had come here in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls” (p. 132) In 1949 the China ‘fell’ and the Commies took power. It is possible that this is what caused the family to lose everything.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi
A few times in last nights reading Ed Sullivan and The Ed Sullivan Show were referenced a few times. (p. 135, p.136, p. 139). The Ed Sullivan Show was a talk-show during the 60s that many people watched. Some historians consider the Beatles’ appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show to be the beginning of the counterculture in 1960s America.
http://www.shirleytemple.com/
Shirley Temple was a child star and cultural icon for innocence and the ideal white child of the time period. She is important to the story because her mother wants her to "be a Chinese Shirley Temple" (p. 132) even though she is not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China_%281949%E2%80%931976%29
“She had come here in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls” (p. 132) In 1949 the China ‘fell’ and the Commies took power. It is possible that this is what caused the family to lose everything.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi
Jing was asked by her mother the capital of Finland. She guessed the most foreign word she could think of, and that was Nairobi. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, but this was just a random guess. I’m guessing that this was probably not a coincidence and that it’ll become relevant later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream
The chapter opened with a paragraph about how the “mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America” (p. 132). The contents of this paragraph are a very good example of the idea of the American Dream.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream
The chapter opened with a paragraph about how the “mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America” (p. 132). The contents of this paragraph are a very good example of the idea of the American Dream.
Two kinds
http://www.emp3world.com/mp3/53657/Eminem/Cleaning%20Out%20My%20Closet
This is a link to Eminem's song "Cleaning out my Closet. Now, I am not saying that Jing Mei Woo is cleaning out her closet. I felt that this song showed a close parallel between the relationships with there mom's. More directly, Jing Mei Woo's sudden jault of frustration directed toward her mother at the bottom of pg 141. She went as far as saying "Then I wish I wasn't your daughter. I wish you were not my mother." This is the type of frustration Eminem rapped with the whole song. He even calls goes as far as calling his mother a bitch, "You selfish bitch, I hope you fuckin' fall in hell for this shit!"Growing up, Eminem's mother expected his life to be a bit different. She wanted him to be more of a regular well spoken young man, rather than his gangster, hard core life style he chose to live. This lead to an un- easy relationship between the two, and Eminem reflected this in this song. Jing Mei and her mother had a similar relationship. Her mother wanted her to be a protege much like this kids on T.V., and her cousin Waverly. This was something that Jing Mei didn't see in her future, and it caused the two to bump heads.The frustration shown to the mothers in "Two Kinds" and "Cleaning out my closet" is similar.
This is a link to Eminem's song "Cleaning out my Closet. Now, I am not saying that Jing Mei Woo is cleaning out her closet. I felt that this song showed a close parallel between the relationships with there mom's. More directly, Jing Mei Woo's sudden jault of frustration directed toward her mother at the bottom of pg 141. She went as far as saying "Then I wish I wasn't your daughter. I wish you were not my mother." This is the type of frustration Eminem rapped with the whole song. He even calls goes as far as calling his mother a bitch, "You selfish bitch, I hope you fuckin' fall in hell for this shit!"Growing up, Eminem's mother expected his life to be a bit different. She wanted him to be more of a regular well spoken young man, rather than his gangster, hard core life style he chose to live. This lead to an un- easy relationship between the two, and Eminem reflected this in this song. Jing Mei and her mother had a similar relationship. Her mother wanted her to be a protege much like this kids on T.V., and her cousin Waverly. This was something that Jing Mei didn't see in her future, and it caused the two to bump heads.The frustration shown to the mothers in "Two Kinds" and "Cleaning out my closet" is similar.
"Two Kinds" Quotes
"And then I saw what seemed to be the prodigy side of me–because I had never seen that face before. I looked at my reflection, blinking so I could see more clearly. The girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. This girl and I were the same. I had new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won'ts. I won't let her change me, I promised myself. I won't be what I'm not" (134).
This is really the biggest turning point in the chapter (and quite possibly in Jing-Mei's life as well). Essentially Jing-Mei has transitioned into what she sees as free will and free thought (rebelling against her mother).
"So maybe I never really gave myself a fair chance. I did pick up the basics pretty easily, and I might have become a good pianist at that young age. But I was so determined not to try, not to be anybody different that I learned to play only the most ear-splitting preludes, the most discordant hymns" (138).
Jing-Mei, just like the child in the parable of the twenty six malignant gates, gets so caught up in not doing what her mother wants that she loses sight of everything else and ends up hurting herself.
"When my turn came, I was very confident. I remember my childish excitement. It was as if I knew, without a doubt, that the prodigy side of me really did exist" (139).
Like the other Joy Luck daughters, Jing-Mei takes her rebellion to the extreme as if to convince everyone (including herself) that she doesn't care what her mother says but just makes it clearer that she's only doing it because her mother has gotten to her.
"My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. You could work for the government and get a good retirement. You could buy a house with almost no money down. You could become rich. You could become instantly famous. ...America was where all my mother's hopes lay" (132).
This is the classic American dream that we've been talking about throughout the book, but this is really the first time that it's directly mentioned by one of the characters. In terms of the story, this mentality is what sets off Suyuan's need for her daughter to be a prodigy of something (it didn't really matter what).
"And after seeing my mother's disappointed face once again, something inside of me began to die. I hated the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations. Before going to bed that night, I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink and when I saw only my face staring back–and that it would always be this ordinary face–I began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl! I made high-pitched noises like a crazed animal, trying to scratch out the face in the mirror" (134).
This just shows the intense psychological effect that Jing-Mei's mother has on her. It is almost disturbing. The other joy luck daughters are affected similarly by their mothers' expectations and general parenting. Lena, for example, is so messed up as a child from of what her mother tells her that she continually imagines gruesome new ways that she might be killed or kill someone else.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Half and Half Quotes
"'He is American' warned my mother, as if I had been too blind to notice. A waigoren."
This shows the cultural differences between American and Chinese cultures. The parents want her to marry a Chinese man, instead of an American one.
"She said it was faith that kept all these good things coming our way, only I thought she said 'fate,' because she couldn't pronounce the 'th' sound in 'faith.'"
The whole story plays on the blend between faith and fate and this is where that is set up.
"She had never swum a stroke in her life, but her faith in her own nengkan convinced her that what these Americans couldn't do, she could. She could find Bing."
"I know now that I had never expected to find Bing, just as I know now that I will never be able to save my marriage. My mother tells me, though, that I should still try"
"And I think now that fate is shaped half by expectation, half by inattention. But somehow when you lose something you love, faith takes over.
This shows the cultural differences between American and Chinese cultures. The parents want her to marry a Chinese man, instead of an American one.
"She said it was faith that kept all these good things coming our way, only I thought she said 'fate,' because she couldn't pronounce the 'th' sound in 'faith.'"
The whole story plays on the blend between faith and fate and this is where that is set up.
"She had never swum a stroke in her life, but her faith in her own nengkan convinced her that what these Americans couldn't do, she could. She could find Bing."
"I know now that I had never expected to find Bing, just as I know now that I will never be able to save my marriage. My mother tells me, though, that I should still try"
"And I think now that fate is shaped half by expectation, half by inattention. But somehow when you lose something you love, faith takes over.
Important Passages
1) "With imagined tragedy hovering over us, we became inseparable, two halves creating the whole: yin and yang" (118). This quote is important because it shows the theme of being in balance.
2) "After a while, there were no more discussions. Ted simply decided...he started pushing me to make decisions" (119). This passage is important because it shows the change in gender roles of their marriage.
3) "But later, after my mother lost her faith in God" (116); "It was one of complete despair and horror, for losing Bing, for being so foolish as to think she could use faith to change fate" (130). These passages are important because it keeps the reader engaged by using a "question-answer) technique.
4) In the confusion of the fight, nobody notices. I am the only one who sees what Bing is doing...And I think, He's going to fall in" (125). This passage is important because it shows how Rose see the event unfolding and does nothing about it. This passage is also similar to her marriage and why she divorcing Ted.
5) "She had never swum a stroke in her life, but her faith in her own nengkan convinced her that what these Americans couldn't do, she could. She could find Bing" (126). This passage is important because not only are change in gender roles, but also it reinforces the idea of doing and finding something yourself, similar to the passage found on page 94.
2) "After a while, there were no more discussions. Ted simply decided...he started pushing me to make decisions" (119). This passage is important because it shows the change in gender roles of their marriage.
3) "But later, after my mother lost her faith in God" (116); "It was one of complete despair and horror, for losing Bing, for being so foolish as to think she could use faith to change fate" (130). These passages are important because it keeps the reader engaged by using a "question-answer) technique.
4) In the confusion of the fight, nobody notices. I am the only one who sees what Bing is doing...And I think, He's going to fall in" (125). This passage is important because it shows how Rose see the event unfolding and does nothing about it. This passage is also similar to her marriage and why she divorcing Ted.
5) "She had never swum a stroke in her life, but her faith in her own nengkan convinced her that what these Americans couldn't do, she could. She could find Bing" (126). This passage is important because not only are change in gender roles, but also it reinforces the idea of doing and finding something yourself, similar to the passage found on page 94.
Maura post 1
From- By Dr. Dog
Lyrics- http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/From-lyrics-Dr-Dog/A2CAEE06F9CEF284482574490020D448
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)