Kingston's China Men
Maxine Hong Kingston's China Men contains many fables and parables from the Chinese Culture. In "On Mortality" Kingston reveals the story of human mortality and the reason for this mortality. The story focuses largely on human emotions and reactions towards the situations that people find themselves in. It also raises questions about the role of women in the Chinese culture and the attitudes of the culture towards them.
The main character, Tu Tzu-chun, is forced to go through a series of tortures that are all illusions. He can not speak or react to the events that he witnesses, which he believes he can do. It is only at the last of the nine hells that he cries out in horror at the sight that he encounters. As he cries out, Tu is removed from the hells he is in and informed by the Taoist that he has ruined the chance for all humans to be immortal. The Taoist informs Tu that "[Tu] overcame joy and sorrow, anger, fear, and evil desire, but not love..."(121).
hat, though, constitutes this idea of love? During the illusions, Tu could not "overcome love" when he was reincarnated as a woman and faced with the murder of her young child, yet when he was still himself he quietly watched his wife be ground into bloodmeal. He did not cry out at that sight, reminding himself that it was only an illusion. How could he not react to this incident to his own wife, yet react to the death of a child he does not yet know? Both incidents were illusions and both would seem to involve love but Tu only reacted to one of them.
Is it because he was a woman that he cried out at the sight of a child being harmed? Did he not cry out at the death of his wife because she was a woman? The role of the female in this story reveals a sense of inferiority towards women. These questions that the story raises show how women were viewed as inferior and weak in the eyes of the Chinese culture.
In Maxine Hong Kingston story, “No Name Woman,” the author told a story of her aunt who was punished for committing adultery and died in order to express her thought and spirit of revolt of the patriarchal oppression in the old Chinese society. My essay will analyze the rhetoric and the technique of using different narrators to represent the article and expound the significance of using those methods in the article.
selling books to date. This novel, written by Joanne Kathleen Rowling, sold almost two million copies within the first 24 hours of its worldwide release. Its astounding and unique plot twists thrill readers of all ages. Having won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers in 2003, and the Anthony Award for Best Young Adult Mystery in 2004, the popularity of the Harry Potter books continues to grow. This novel tells the story of Harry James Potter, a boy wizard who has witnessed the return of the Dark Lord, Voldemort. In the novel, Harry’s story is truthful; however, others believe it to be a rather far fetched lie, resulting in only a select group of people
Over the course of this summer I read four books. The books I read were Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J K Rowling, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry again. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J K Rowling was the first book I read this summer and I really liked it. I decided to read the 5th Harry Potter book because I had it and I never really got a chance to read it. The book begins were it had left you of in the 4th book when Harry is just about to enter his 5th year at Hogwarts. He still lives with his aunt and uncle whom he hates because they are mean and evil to him. The letters from his friends are very dull and they have nothing to say, which confuses him and makes him furious. He is also mad because he’s still stuck with the Dursleys all summer long. The story goes with his adventures and challenges throughout his 5th year. The genre is fantasy complete with magic. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes the Harry Potter books. I would also recommend that if you have never read any of the previous books you start from the beginning. I can’t wait ‘till the next book comes out!
When Harry is on the train to Hogwarts with his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, the train suddenly stops. The lights start to go out and the train becomes very cold. A Dementor has stopped the train. This causes Harry to faint and Professor Lupin revives him. The next day Harry has his first class, Divination. His teacher, Professor Trelawney, sees a Grim in the bottom of Harry’s cup. The Grim stands for death. His classes then carry on as usual for a little while. Then on Halloween night, Sirius Black breaks into the castle in search of Harry but doesn’t find him. After the holidays, Harry gets trained to fight the Dementors because they affect him the most. They affect him the most because of his past.
...in her essay “No Name Woman”. The Chinese tradition of story telling is kept by Kingston in her books. Becoming Americanized allowed these women the freedom to show their rebellious side and make their own choices. Rebelling against the ideals of their culture but at the same time preserving some of the heritage they grew up with. Both woman overcame many obstacles and broke free of old cultural ways which allowed them an identity in a new culture. But most importantly they were able to find identity while preserving cultural heritage.
Kingston uses the story of her aunt to show the gender roles in China. Women had to take and respect gender roles that they were given. Women roles they had to follow were getting married, obey men, be a mother, and provide food. Women had to get married. Kingston states, “When the family found a young man in the next village to be her husband…she would be the first wife, an advantage secure now” (623). This quote shows how women had to get married, which is a role women in China had to follow. Moreover, marriage is a very important step in women lives. The marriage of a couple in the village where Kingston’s aunt lived was very important because any thing an individual would do would affect the village and create social disorder. Men dominated women physically and mentally. In paragraph eighteen, “they both gav...
Ever since J.K. Rowling first introduced Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 1997, children and adults have read and loved the series. It has gained such popularity that all of the books have been made into major motion pictures, and a Harry Potter attraction has been opened in Universal Studios, Florida. Though the readers love Rowling’s intricate and exciting story lines, many controversies have arisen from these stories, not only in the United States, but also in various countries around the world. Perhaps the biggest controversy is the religious implications perceived by some critics. Although these critics believe that the series promotes paganism and encourages evil actions, these theories should not be taken so seriously.
Secondly, the story ended in a very similar way, with the resurrection of Voldemort, the death of Cedric Diggory and Harry escapes from the wrath of Lord Voldemort. For me, the most important similarity is the choosing of the Four champions for the Triwizard tournament from the Goblet of Fire. Originally, there should have been only Three Champions to be chosen, but Barty Crouch Jr., the Death Eater who was a servant of Voldemort secretly entered Harry’s name in the goblet by bewitching it so in the end could resurrect Lord Voldemort again by having the bone of who he used to be (Tom Riddle) and the blood of his enemy (Harry). This for me is important as the story centers on the Goblet of Fire and how Harry was chosen as the Fourth champion surpassing all the tasks and in the end was proclaimed the Triwizard Champion but also the instrument for Lord Voldemort’s
“Whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like this one, a story to grow up on. She tested our strengths to establish realities”(5). In the book “The Woman Warrior,” Maxine Kingston is most interested in finding out about Chinese culture and history and relating them to her emerging American sense of self. One of the main ways she does so is listening to her mother’s talk-stories about the family’s Chinese past and applying them to her life.
Women usually worked as secretaries or on the assembly line because “bosses felt that young women were more diligent and easier to manage” (p. 56). Men, however, were either in a high managing position in the factory or worked in the lowest of jobs available, such as a security guard or driver. It was interesting to learn that about one-third of all of China’s migrants are women. These women go to the factory towns to work, but also, a majority of them leave their homes to see the world and experience life on their own for the first time. Chang makes a point that “to some extent, this deep-rooted sexism worked in a woman’s favor” (p. 57). The statement is supported by the idea that women are less treasured in their families; therefore, they had more freedom to do what they wanted with little care from the family. Shockingly, Chang noticed that no woman ever complained about unfair treatment. “They took all of these injustices in stride” (p.58). The women were grateful for the opportunity leave home and gain a sense of freedom; injustice was not a prominent
The minds of children are the most impressionable. Children are not born with any predetermined judgments or ideas about controversial subjects. They do not know what racism, homophobia, or discrimination are, or how to practice them. They are not born knowing what religion they will practice, or even what religion is. This fact about children is among the reasons that children's literature is as important as it is. For as long as humans have been creating them, there have been books that have been considered controversial. Children's books are no different. There have been children's books that have been banned from various places or groups, such as religious groups, schools, and even entire countries. The reasons behind the banning of these books vary, and the criticism of censorship as a practice is an issue that is widely debated. One modern book series that has been censored in varies outlets is the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling.
I loved to think of myself as a wizard undercover in a “muggle” world trying to fight evil. I was so sure Harry Potter was real, after all Dumbledore did say, ‘“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?” So to me, it was real. I truly believe the series has made my imagination grow and taught me to look for creativity even in the dullest of places. I grew up believing that anything can be true if you put your mind and entire being behind it. As a kid, I loved to write my own stories inspired by the series. I would write stories about the adventures of a young witch girl who was modeled after myself, and would have fun thinking of new story lines and places. It helped me to write more expressively and artistically, and has made me the stronger writer I have become
JK Rowling is one of the most influential authors of our time, breaking boundaries and creating an alternate reality in a world far from anyones imagination. The series she is most well known for is the Harry Potter series. The series is seven books accompanied by eight movies. The tale starts with a young boy named Harry, whose parents died, from the sinister Voldemort. The series takes a bunch of twist and turns that ultimately lead to Voldemort 's death. Although, Harry and Voldemort want to destroy one another, they have some undoubtedly strong connections that are undeniable. JK Rowling has said that the connections between Harry and Voldemort range from childhood, through the death of Voldemort. The story of Voldemort and Harry begins
People living in the medieval era created stories about creatures such as these and heroes that defeated them. In this way ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ uses medieval influences.
Winnie’s mom was stated as a ‘traditional Shanghai women’ who was strong-willed and independent-minded. She desired for a love marriage, but during this time period in China, women were supposed to be submissive, so instead she became the second wife to a man she did not care for. After her death, Winnie also faced the same mistreatment. During Winnie’s youth in China, she lived a burden free life because she had a wealthy father and a status in her town. However, her status did not stop the discrimination she received as a woman. With her status, Winnie was able to have a bright future, but she had to obey her father’s wish and ended up ruining her good life by marrying an abusive husband. Winnie’s father, Jiang Sao-yan, told Winnie before her marriage that her husband’s desires and opinions come before her own. Therefore, despite your position and class in society, women are powerless when it comes to deciding how they want to live their