Much of the Chinese values moved with them to America. In the movie Mulan, all the parents want for their daughter, Mulan, is to bring honor to the family. But Mulan is not your typical Chinese girl; she has her own opinions, and can’t hide who she really is. (Mulan) In the story “Two Kinds”, Jing-mei’s mother and father want her to be a prodigy in order to make a life for herself. At first Jing-mei liked the idea, but after all of her attempts and fails she wanted to live a normal American life.
Her mother became a polygamist in China and therefore disgraced herself. She never knew her mother well except from the few times she saw her and the stories her grandma told of her. In this An-mei learns about sacrifice from her mother. This story is like the parable because her mother transforms herself into something totally different. The Red Candle is about a Chinese girl named Lindo whose parents chose a husband for her when she was only two years old.
Shirley family holds on to their Chinese tradition; they also adapted to the United States way of living. She had to go to a new school in Brooklyn. On Shirley first day of school she was nervous, and all Shirley wanted to do is try to fit in with the others. As Shirley adapted to the culture Shirley met her Brooklyn hero, a black baseball player by the name of Jackie Robinson. Shirley Temple Wong is a young girl, a girl whom never loses her connection of her birth.
She spanks Sophie as she tries to discipline her, and by the end of the story when Natalie and John find out, they ask her to move out of the house and her contact with Sophie is forbidden. In Two Kinds, the narrator Jing-mei is a young first generation American with a Chinese background. Her mother has a very utopian and positive view of America. She wants what is best for her daughter. Jing-mei resists her mother’s desire to make her a musical prodigy.
Throughout the stories the children are faced with the expectation to succeed. Amy’s mother wanted her to become something great, or just be the best at one thing. She wanted her daughter to be seen as a prodigy, not just an ordinary girl. Mark’s mother just wanted Mark to attend school so he could get a better job and stay off the streets. Both parents wanted to see their children become successful, but they took different routes to achieve this.
Throughout The Joy Luck Club the chapters in which Waverly is the main character, Waverly always changes her actions or opinions depending on what her mother’s reactions are. Does Waverly act this way in order to get her mom to like her more by agreeing with her or is it truly that her mom is always right and Waverly is always wrong? Why does Waverly change her opinion or attitude depending on how her mother feels? I believe that Waverly wants her mother to accept her. Her mother continually tries to show Waverly that she is a good parent and is looking out for her daughter’s best interest.
Dylan LeVine Professor Amber Day LCS 121A February 9, 2012 Yin and Yang Identity is an aspect of one’s life that must be formed on one’s own and not solely on the words or actions of others. The people around us can help build our identity, but is us who have to truly find ourselves. Two Kinds is narrated by Jing Mei Woo, a young girl whose mother pushes her to become a “prodigy child”. At first she liked the idea because she would be able to make her mother happy, but later gets locked in a struggle over her identity. People rely heavily on the way others perceive them; however your true identity is formed primarily on how you perceive yourself.
The result was that the house on Mango Street was not anything like the narrator imagined. The story “Two Kinds” is about a girl named Jing-mei. Jing-mei’s mother is a Chinese immigrant who was convinced that in America people could be anything they desired. Jing-mei did not want to disappoint her mother but she thought she could not be the child prodigy her mother wanted her to be (enotes, 2009). Her mother decides that Jing-mei should be like Shirley Temple and takes her to have her haircut and curled.
Amy Tan explores the idea of variable language in her short essay Mother Tongue. Tan is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. She grows up watching her parents, especially her mother, struggle with learning the English language. While her mother does gain skill in speaking the English language, she never masters language in the sense that we expect of someone who lives in an English speaking country. As a child, Tan is embarrassed by her mother’s difficulty in language and eventually she sees growing up the child of an Asian immigrant home as the reason she struggled in school to excel in reading and writing.
After reading the novel it can be said that true love is real and Hurston definitely presented the idea that true love is difficult to attain. Janie’s first marriage to Logan Killicks was mostly determined by her grandmother’s vision of wealth and security for her granddaughter. This marriage forced Janie to grow up very quickly and discover what she desires with another man. At a young age Janie’s grandmother had Janie married off to Logan Killicks. After a couple months of marriage, Janie goes to visit her grandmother and her grandmother questions why she is there.