A Return to Chinese Identity
In the 90s of the century, many important events happened between China and Hong Kong. Without questioning, one of the most influential incidents happened during this period of time was Hong Kong’s reunion with China in July 1997; it transformed Hong Kong from a colonial dependent territory to a Chinese administration region. The local Hong Kong people felt disoriented of their futures because Hong Kong has been separated from China for a few decades. Many of them came to questioning their national “Chinese” identity; they tend to localize themselves as “HongKongnese” instead of the “citizen of the People’s Republic of China”. Owing to that, the local Hong Kong people have difficulties to restore their sense of
…show more content…
The film centers on two mainland Chinese people who both came to Hong Kong in order to improve their standards of living but inevitably fall in love over a span of ten years. Through the story of Li-Qiao (Maggie Cheng) and Li-Xiao-Jun (Leon Lai), we can clearly see how difficult new immigrants from mainland China emerge in the Hongkong mainstream society. There are a lot of sacrifices they need to make to be adapted to the society, including to overcome the language barriers as well as the cultural differences. They both came to Hong Kong with clear goals, but eventually they felt disorientated by the future. Take Li-Qiao for example, she tries her best to look like one of the Hong Kong people, including speaking Cantonese and wearing decent clothes, and yet she still felt deep inside her heart a sense of inferiority. When she is finally able to achieve her Hong Kong dream, however, she could not help but felt a sense of loss and loneliness. She knew her success came at the expense of her relationships. Their story is an ellipse of ten of thousand immigrants who suffer the loss of identity while they are struggling to survive. At the end of the movie, Li-Qiao decides to go home, where her heart always belongs …show more content…
Alfred Cheung, 1990) is a comedy-crime movie released in 1990 starring by Carol Cheng and Tony Leung. This story takes place in Hong Kong between the mainland Chinese officer Cheng (Carol Cheng), the Royal Hong Kong Police Wu (Tong Leung), and Wu’s father, a former military officer of Chinese Nationalist Party. In spite of their cultural differences and their conflicting political views, they corporate together in the movie to extradite the drug-dealer Wong and his boss Su. The director uses a funny way to inquire a serious social problem between Hong Kong and mainland China; the differences between the two places including their respective social patterns and values lead to the contradiction between the two places. For example, Cheng and Wu’s different approaches to arrest the drug dealer highlights the dispute between them. In the movie, after Wong escapes from the supervision of Royal police, Cheng and Wu are demanded by both of their supervisors to catch the escaped criminal. Cheng proposed to arrest Su and interrogate him so he can give them the lead for the policers to follow. However, her proposal is refuted by Wu by claiming that they will violate human rights of Su, which is an unlawful act in Hong Kong. Cheng is furious and dissatisfied by Hong Kong police’s hesitation, she argues that this is legal in mainland China in order to gather evidence and trace the criminal act. Their different solutions signify the radical difference between
The meaning of life and the true meaning of happiness can be pin-pointed simply by: Grow up. Get married. Have children. These three ending sentences form the basis of the main argument in “About Love”, an excerpt from “What Our Mothers Didn’t Tell Us: Why Happiness Eludes the Modern Woman” by Danielle Crittenden. Crittenden does not limit the use of her emotional appeal to repeated use of terms like “love”, “friendship” and “independence”. One of the strongest qualities supporting the thesis of “About Love” is Crittenden’s ability to use both connotative and denotative language. Crittenden goes on to say “Too often, autonomy is merely the excuse of someone who is so fearful, so weak, that he or she can’t bear to take
Chang portrays the complexity of Henry’s character by showing the conflict that he faces both in his personal and professional life. His confusion towards his own Cultural identity is noticed in his relationships with his co-workers as well as with his family. His personal relationship with his family, especially with his father and his wife exemplifies the clash between the two cultures which seems to tear Henry apart. Leila, Henry’s wife, seems to epitomize the traditional American Culture which Henry tries very hard to be a part of. Her forthright nature along with the independence and individuality contradicts the stereotypical qualities of an Asian wife. However, Henry’s desperation is seen in his forgiving attitude towards Leila’s action and behavior. His deter...
The Tallahassee Hispanic Theatre presented Nights of Ephemeral Love written by Paloma Pedro on June 10, 2016 at the Augusta Conradi Studio Theatre in Tallahassee, Fl. The play is exactly what it says, a night of ephemeral love. The production consisted of three one act plays, each play representing a relationship that involved love and attraction. The seven talented cast members performed the show hilariously making each moment full of laughter and drama.
A masterpiece of American literature, winner of the Pulitzer prize in 1961, an instant bestseller was Harper Lee’s simple love story. Harper Lee, home to a small Alabama town called monroeville, was the Author of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel captures the life of a young women and her childhood growing up in a small southern town, Maycomb county, Alabama. As this young woman gets older, she learns more and more about life through the townspeople of Maycomb County; Courage, kindness, cruelty, and love are some of the main lessons portrayed throughout the book. The townspeople, especially a few select ones, are a huge influence in the childhood of this young women, they also help you understand the town itself and the people living there. Lee does an amazing job of helping you understand the lifestyle in the town and helps put a vivid visual and understanding in ones mind while reading the novel. Calpurnia, Arthur “Boo” Radley, and Tom robinson are just a few characters home to Maycomb County, that make the novel a masterpiece of American literature.
Hong Kong has always remained a very unique city, one which is said to have ‘a Western past, an Eastern future’. Since its colonisation by the British in the 1860s, it has maintained to a very large extent its Chinese identity and its connection to its Motherland, while at the same time, has frequent contact with the Western world, politically, economically, and culturally. Hong Kong’s unique position has made the city a vibrant international metropolis that acts as a bridge between East and West. Yet after it was returned to China in 1997, this former British colony has been constantly reassessing its British past, struggling to find its new position and redefining its identity.
In her story “Love Is Not a Pie,” Amy Bloom show her audience how love is supposed to be feel and not how society perceive it. Amy explain the significant of the title on page 18 and 19 when Ellen and her sister lizzie was talking. Amy wrote “Love is not a pie, honey. I love you and Ellen differently because you are different people, wonderful people, but not at all the same.” The title of the story basically explains how love is not something that can be experienced and/ or expressed differently among different people. It also shows how love is not something that can be divide and handed out in quantities. Which could be why Ellen changed her mind on marrying John Wescott.
Ninety percent of Americans marry by the time that they are fifty; however, forty to fifty percent of marriages end in divorce ("Marriage and Divorce"). Love and marriage are said to go hand in hand, so why does true love not persist? True, whole-hearted, and long-lasting love is as difficult to find as a black cat in a coal cellar. Loveless marriages are more common than ever, and the divorce rate reflects this. The forms of love seen between these many marriages is often fleeting. Raymond Carver explores these many forms of love, how they create happiness, sadness, and anything in between, and how they contrast from true love, through his characters in "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love". Four couples are presented: Mel and Terri, Nick and Laura, Ed and Terri, and, most importantly, an unnamed elderly couple; each couple exhibits a variation on the word love.
Over the years, distinct themes have carried on through the romantic comedy genre, the most prevalent being boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and boy gets girl back. Even though the main theme in romantic comedy is still considered to be the same today as when the genre emerged, roles and ideas have shifted to reflect the ever changing American culture. The expression of gender dominance and social status in film has mirrored what the American people have experienced throughout time to keep drawing audiences to the theatre . This is evident from the subgenres spawned from romantic comedy which are screwball comedy, sex comedy, modern american romantic comedy,
Marriage binds two individuals in a romantic state together in a legal union in the eyes of family, which Othello and Desdemona decide to obtain while ignoring the differences for a point. Brabantio vocalizes his disgust towards Othello who took Desdemona’s hand in marriage while Othello describes the love story. Othello responds to Brabantio’s comment with, “She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did pity them” (I.iii.167-168). Instead of withholding a desire of intimacy, Othello and Desdemona uncover a connection revolving around enjoying the history in place of a spark. Both want a sense of adventure in the relationship regardless of utilizing one another to achieve the feeling of satisfaction. Othello understands
The story opens with a brief synopsis of Jing-Mei’s mother’s past. As a Chinese immigrant fleeing from war, her mother leaves behind everything: “her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls.” (Tan 206) As a resident in America, Jing-Mei’s mother does not wallow in misery but instead looks forward to a life with limitless boundaries, honestly believing that “[y]ou could become instantly famous.” (Tan 206) Brent tells us that Chinese immigrants view America as a true land of opportunity and that tradition demands a daughter’s obedience to her mother (1). With a history steeped in traditional Chinese culture and a spirit of adventure, her mother decides Jing-Mei will fulfill this dream and become a child prodigy.
Jane Eyre is an Iconic love story written in 1847 by Charlotte Bronte. The story is based around the forbidden love between Jane Eyre and her employer, Edward Rochester. Romeo and Juliet Is another iconic love story written by William Shakespeare. Set in 16th century Italy, the story revolves around the relationship of two children from feuding families (Capulet and Montague). The themes of love presented in these two love stories include Platonic love, unrequited love and romantic love.
In the introduction to 100 Years of the Best American Short Story, Lorrie Moore says, “A short story is about love. It is always about love. And yet it is not a love story.” Explain how this statement holds true in one of the stories we have read. How, specifically, is the story about love, but not a love story?
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart depicts a futuristic American society dominated by media. Technology is their utmost precious possession; everything revolves around their äppärät. Everyone is ranked based on their attractiveness and wealth. People want to stay young and live longer. Any written artifacts are almost non-existent, and literacy is not the same as before. People are speaking differently, using new words that older generations will not understand. The change this society has gone through has had its consequences that have leaded them to destruction. We need to put attention to these issues to further understand the message the book is conveying.
Love has been the cause of some of the greatest feats, discoveries, and battles in the history of man. It has driven men to insanity and despair, while it has lead others to happiness and bliss. This idea that love has a strong influence on man’s decisions can be seen in the poem, “Love is not all” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. The most prominent theme presented in “Love is not all” is that although love is not a necessity of life, it somehow manages to provoke such great desire and happiness that it becomes important.
With the continuous progressions in technology there are infinite ways in which our world can transform. In Gary Shteyngart's novel Super Sad True Love Story, protagonists Lenny and Eunice find themselves trying to pursue an unlikely relationship in a postmodern world where digital technologies have taken over daily lives. Lenny and Eunice’s heavy use of their äppäräti symbolizes our society moving towards a more technologically dependent one. The reliance on technology throughout the book closely parallels our society’s dependence on the media, and generates change in character development and level of interactions.