A Pair of Tickets Summary Amy Tan's story "A Pair of Tickets" is about a Chinese-American woman's philosophical struggle to accept her true identity. The protagonist Jing-mei grew up with American influences and struggles with her Chinese heritage. She is finally able to resolve this struggle after going overseas with her father and meeting her twin sisters for the first time in over thirty years. Character 1. Jing-mei (June) Woo - Jing-mei Woo is the newest member of the Joy Luck Club, having taken her mother Suyuan’s place after her death.
However, by the time she reaches her neighborhood’s failing high school, she will already be too far behind and may not even graduate, or even have a chance of getting a higher education. The movie also shows a boy from Washington, D.C. also stuck in a poor educational system in his neighborhood. A mother from the Bronx also has a difficult time when she is told that her son may need to be held back a year because of his weak reading skills. A middle school girl in California thinks that her public high school may not allow her from making it to her goals. All of these families want more for their children but can only hope they can transfer their kids into a better school.
After the death of her mother, Jing-mei begins to feel different pangs of guilt. The guilt of never being proud of her heritage the way that her mother was, also the guilt of always being embarrassed by her mother’s “Chinese” behaviors. Jing-mei did not realize that she did not truly appreciate her mother, but now that her mother is gone she knows. One of Jing-mei’s mother’s lifelong dreams was to find the daughters she had to abandon during a war torn China. It isn’t until after her death that the whereabouts of the two sisters are discovered.
Red Azalea was published in 1994. Something that affects the book historically is that the China Cultural Revolution was mentioned in the book, because she had to go through the hardships of living during that period of time. 4.) Since this is a memoir of Anchee Min’s life growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution, I don’t think there’s much bias in the book, because she lived through it. It reminds me of Diary of Anne Frank.
Even though it is within the same culture, the film shows how Chinese immigrants are forced to “adjust” and give up much of their identity in order to thrive in America. Imagine moving to a foreign country and raising children who don’t speak your language, understand your history, believe your beliefs, or share your values. The Joy Luck Club opens with a short story about a Chinese woman who desires to move to America, believing her future daughters will be treated more fairly there than they would be in Chinese society. “Nobody will look down on her,” she says, “because I will make her speak only perfect American English.” In America, she hopes, her daughter can leave behind the
Setting of Amy Tan’s “A Pair of Tickets” Amy Tan’s “A Pair of Tickets” tells the story of a young girl “Jing-mei” whom has just lost her mother and is visiting her traditional Chinese family that she has never met. The setting of the story is Guangzhou China, where both Jing’s parents are originally from. This setting unintentionally causes Jing-Mei to learn more about her recently deceased mother’s past life and while doing so Jing-mei unintentionally finds the true Chinese heritage that she has always had within herself. In this short story, the setting of China has a tremendous impact on what is occurring internally to Jing-Mei; the narrator. Growing up in the United States Jing-Mei was extremely comfortable with American culture.
Beina, the bride in Ha Jin story, was an orphan girl adopted by her father’s close friend. She was not only lack of family’s love and care but also was unattractive when she grew up. Her adopted father, who was the narrator of the story as well, described Beina like “short, homely, timid and quiet” person (443). He worried/doubted if she would “end up as an old maid” (443) when she reached 23 already without a boyfriend. That point of view sounds strange to the readers; however, it was typical in China’s society.
Scout acted as if the whole world was coming to an end. But as soon as she realized school was nipping at our heels she perked up some. Scout had always awed in wonder when school was mentioned, since she had never been herself. This was her first year and I wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea of having my little sister attend the same school as me. When Atticus volunteered me to show Scout to school her first day, I wasn’t too pleased.
“The Scholarship Jacket” by Martina Salinas is a story about a poor girl who has to conquer difficult obstacles to earn herself a scholarship jacket. Martha, who had been given away by her parents to her grandparents worked hard through school earning straight A’s throughout eight years of her life. This jacket was important to her because she could never participate in any of the school activities due to the fact of not being able to afford it, so this was her only chance to receive something that had meant a lot to her from the school. One day in May, Martha wandered from her history class to the school gym. She had forgotten that she left her shorts in her gym bag which was back in class.
Jonathan Kozol discussed his newest book titled, Fire in the Ashes. Kozol explains how he went back to the inner-city school he taught at in the Bronx, New York and the children he once taught grew up into a successful adulthood after struggling as a young child. In particularly in his presentation he talks about a young girl, Pineapple, who grew up in an extremely low-income neighborhood. She comes to school with 40 other children in her class and does not receive the attention she deserves as a young growing child. Kozol tells how little Pineapple’s parents decided that they needed to send their little girl to a school where she would actually progress and learn curriculum that she needed.