The True Message of Joy Luck Club and The Hundred Secret Senses
Alice Walker calls Amy Tan's novel, The Joy Luck Club, "honest, moving, and beautifully courageous." Publisher's Weekly describes the novel as "intensely poetic, startlingly imaginative and moving ... deceptively simple yet inherently dramatic." Not only has Amy Tan's fiction been praised for its literary merit, but it also has been included in anthologies of multicultural literature for its portrayal of Chinese and Chinese-American culture.
However, critics such as George Tseo vehemently disagree with these and other accolades, particularly regarding the cultural details of Tan's fiction and Mandarin Chinese dialogue. "I take umbrage at Amy Tan's confused rendition of Mandarin not only because the true beauty of the language is obscured but because by doing so the Chinese culture is misrepresented." He argues that Tan uses "phony" and "stereotypically wooden and metaphorical" Chinese dialogue, a one-sided over-emphasis on Chinese superstitious practices, and culturally implausible plots (339).
Sau-Ling Cynthia Wong, an associate professor of Asian-American studies at the University of Berkeley, corroborates Tseo's challenge of Tan's cultural accuracy. Wong points out errors such as Tan's misuse of the term "tang jie" or "sugar sister" in The Hundred Secret Senses, Tan's third novel. Not only has Tan confused the word "tang" with its Chinese homophone--which does not mean "sugar"--but she has ascribed a metaphorical use, meaning a friend as close as a sister, to a term which only refers to a blood relative in the Chinese kinship system (180-82). Wong acknowledges that "errors of the 'sugar sister' type [lin...
... middle of paper ...
...s.
Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1997. 85-7.
Schell, Orville. Critical Extract. Asian-American Women
Writers. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House,
1997. 82-3.
Shear, Walter. "Generational differences and the diaspora in
The Joy Luck Club." Women Writers. 34.3 (Spring 1993): 193.
Expanded Academic Index.
Souris, Stephen. "'Only Two Kinds of Daughters:'" Inter-
Monologue Dialogicity in The Joy Luck Club." Melus 19.2
(Summer 1994):99-123.
Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Ivy Books, 1989.
--------- The Hundred Secret Senses. New York: Ivy Books, 1995.
Willard, Nancy. Critical Extract. Asian-American Women
Writers. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House,
1997. 84-5.
Xu, Ben. "Memory and the Ethnic Self: Reading Amy Tan's Joy
Luck Club." Melus 19.1 (Spring 1994): 3-17.
Chang-Rae Lee’s Native Speaker expresses prominent themes of language and racial identity. Chang-Rae Lee focuses on the struggles that Asian Americans have to face and endure in American society. He illustrates and shows readers throughout the novel of what it really means to be native of America; that true nativity of a person does not simply entail the fact that they are from a certain place, but rather, the fluency of a language verifies one’s defense of where they are native. What is meant by possessing nativity of America would be one’s citizenship and legality of the country. Native Speaker suggests that if one looks different or has the slightest indication that one should have an accent, they will be viewed not as a native of America, but instead as an alien, outsider, and the like. Therefore, Asian Americans and other immigrants feel the need to mask their true identity and imitate the native language as an attempt to fit into the mold that makes up what people would define how a native of America is like. Throughout the novel, Henry Park attempts to mask his Korean accent in hopes to blend in as an American native. Chang-Rae Lee suggests that a person who appears to have an accent is automatically marked as someone who is not native to America. Language directly reveals where a person is native of and people can immediately identify one as an alien, immigrant, or simply, one who is not American. Asian Americans as well as other immigrants feel the need to try and hide their cultural identity in order to be deemed as a native of America in the eyes of others. Since one’s language gives away the place where one is native to, immigrants feel the need to attempt to mask their accents in hopes that they sound fluent ...
Sweeping through Western Europe during the fourteenth century, the Bubonic Plague wiped out nearly one third of the population and did not regard: status, age or even gender. All of this occurred as a result of a single fleabite. Bubonic Plague also known as Black Death started in Asia and traveled to Europe by ships. The Plague was thought to be spread by the dominating empire during this time, the Mongolian Empire, along the Silk Road. The Bubonic Plague was an infectious disease spread by fleas living on rats, which can be easily, be attached to traveler to be later spread to a city or region. Many factors like depopulation, decreasing trade, and huge shifts in migrations occurred during the Bubonic Plague. During Bubonic Plague there were also many different beliefs and concerns, which include fear, exploitation, religious and supernatural superstition, and a change of response from the fifteenth to eighteen century.
Before 1801, the Jeffersonian Republicans were usually strict constructionists of the constitution. However during the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison they had to adopt some Federalist ideas. In many instances, the two parties completely interchanged their views on the construction of the constitution. During that period of time it was difficult to characterize anyone as a member of either the Federalist or Republican party based on how they interpreted the constitution.
Amy Tan 's novel, The Joy Luck Club, explores the relationships and experiences of four Chinese mothers with that of their four Chinese-American daughters. The differences in the upbringing of those women born around the 1920’s in China, and their daughters born in California in the 80’s, is undeniable. The relationships between the two are difficult due to lack of understanding and the considerable amount of barriers that exist between them.
The standard Democratic-Republican had many beliefs in which followed the Constitution whole heartily. Jefferson writes, "The true theory of our Constitution is surely the wisest and best that the states are independent as to everything within themselves, and united as to everything respecting foreign affairs"(Doc A). This belief that anything not mentioned within the Constitution was reserved for the states was represented the Democratic-Republican ideals a good deal. Thus, as in the Kentucky resolutions, both concluded that the federal government had exceeded its constitutional powers and that the states should not accept the Alien and Sedition Acts. Also, the Republicans strived for democracy; a weak central government; a rigid economy; the reduction of federalist office holders; state banks; relative freedom of the press and speech; concentration of agriculture in the South; minimal navy for coastal defense, which was achieved by Jefferson; and were primarily pro-French. These ideals were addressed during the Jefferson and Madison presidencies. However, in times of great crisis, the two presidents seemed to abandon their Democratic-Republican beliefs and lean towards a strong central government.
... with the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison. Neither of the two men followed their party guidelines on many occasions, suggesting that their ideas relating to their parties were changing. Although some of these situations resulted in a good outcome for the country, their party members were most likely disappointed in the fact that the men weren't adhering to the basic beliefs of their respective parties. Over the course of the two presidencies, many people began to recognize the need for a strong central government to hold the country together. This realization probably occurred to both men and influenced their decisions regarding the general good of the country. It can not be assumed that all Republicans and all Federalists support the ideas of their parties, as Jefferson and Madison prove this wrong on many occasions during the courses of their presidencies.
...zed that some of their principles had to change. The country would never stay united if the country kept advancing and the government stayed stagnant. As Jefferson once wrote, “…I know also, that laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind…institutions must advance also and keep pace with the times.” (Document G). Jefferson realized in this letter to Samuel Kercheval that, sometimes, people’s ideas and beliefs must grow and change in order to make things better and to stay with the times. The Jeffersonian Republicans also realized this, which is why they adopted some of the ideals of the old Federalist Party. In no way can we characterize the Republicans as strict constructionists or Federalists as broad constructionist. Both parties shared ideas and while the Federalist as a party died out, their ideas lived on in Republican policy.
As the young colonies of America broke away from their mother country and began to grow and develop into an effective democratic nation, many changes occurred. As the democracy began to grow, two main political parties developed, the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. Each party had different views on how the government should be run. The Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict construction of the Constitution. The Federalists opted for a powerful central government with weaker state governments, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. Throughout the years, the political parties have grown, developed, and even dispersed into totally new factions. Many of the inconsistencies and changes can be noted throughout the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets," especially, explores the relationship of setting to place, heritage, and ethnic identity. Jing-Mei Woo, the main character, has trouble accepting that she is Chinese, despite her heritage. Jing-Mei Woo believed, at fifteen, that she had no Chinese whatsoever below her skin. If anything, she perceives herself as Caucasian; even her Caucasian friends agreed that she "was as Chinese as they were." Her mother, however, told her differently, "It's in your blood, waiting to be let go." This terrified Jing-Mei, making her believe that it would cause her to suddenly change, "I saw myself transforming like a werewolf." Jing-Mei Woo finally realizes that she has never really known what it means to be Chinese because she was born and has lived in America all her life. After her mother's death, Jing-Mei discovers that she has two twin sisters living in China who have been searching for their mother and that s...
The first principle character in this play is Blanche DuBois. She is a neurotic nymphomaniac that is on her way to meet her younger sister Stella in the Elysian Fields. Blanche takes two 2 streetcars, one named Desire, the other Cemeteries to get to her little sisters dwelling. Blanche, Stella and Stanley all desire something in this drama. Blanche desired a world without pain, without suffering, in order to stop the mental distress that she had already obtained. She desires a fairy tale story about a rich man coming and sweeping her off her feet and they ride away on a beautiful oceanic voyage. The most interesting part of Blanche is that through her unstable thinking she has come to believe the things she imagines. Her flashy sense of style and imagination hide the truly tragic story about her past. Blanche lost Belle Reve but, moreover, she lost the ones she loved in the battle. The horror lied not only in the many funerals but also in the silence and the constant mourning after. One cant imagine how it must feel to lose the ones they love and hold dear but to stay afterwards and mourn the loss of the many is unbearable. Blanche has had a streak of horrible luck. Her husband killing himself after she exposed her knowledge about his homosexuality, her advances on young men that led to her exile and finally her alcoholism that drew her life to pieces contemplated this sorrow that we could not help but feel for Blanche throughout the drama. Blanche’s desire to escape from this situation is fulfilled when she is taken away to the insane asylum. There she will have peace when in the real world she only faced pain.
As the philosophical beliefs of the Democrat- Republican and the Federalist Party evolved, many changes sprung in U.S. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison became loose interpreters because of the different obstacles and opportunities they faced along their way. On the other hand, Federalists somewhat became strict constructionist because that is what benefited them at that time. The characterization of the two parties from the early 1800s was not any longer accurate and a new society evolved.
With Jefferson leading the way, Republicans took on the position of a strict interpretation of the Constitution, which did not allow the federal government to take any action that was not specifically addressed by the Constitution. The Federalists, however, advocated by the ideas of Hamilton, remained steadfast to the approach of broad interpretation, which permitted the government to do anything, not expressly prohibited by the Constitution. However, both parties were quick to stray to their political ideologies. Republicans and Federalists adhered to their bureaucratic philosophies in political addresses and speeches, yet both parties varied with cause, straying from their own civic principles.
The drama is basically about a married couple -Stella and Stanley Kowalski- who are visited by Stella's older sister, Blanche. The drama shows the caustic feelings of these people putting Blance DuBois in the center. The drama tells the story of the pathetic mental and emotional demise of a determined, yet fragile, repressed and delicate Southern lady born to a once-wealthy family of Mississippi planters.3 No doubt that the character of Blanche is the most complex one in the drama. She is truly a tragic heroine.
Tan was born to a pair of Chinese immigrants. Her mother understood English extremely well, but the English she spoke was “broken.”(36) Many people not familiar with her way of speaking found it very difficult to understand her. As a result of this, Tan would have to pretend to be her mother, and she called people up to yell at them while her mother stood behind her and prompted her. This caused Tan to be ashamed of her mother throughout her youth, but as she grew, she realized that the language she shares with her mother is a “language of intimacy” (36) that she even uses when speaking with her husband.
The rise of this conflict can be traced back to European colonialism. As the British Empire continued to expand it incorporated Sudan into it’s empire in the 1890s. However at the time, Sudan was not the Sudan that is knew pre-2011. There were two a North and a South Sudan. The north was predominatingly a Arabic speaking Muslim North, and the south an English speaking Christian South. To prevent Egypt claiming North Sudan, the British combined the two regions into one. It can be classified as this being the start of the conflict. The two regions, were culturally,religiously, and ethnically different. Tensions were bound to rise based on these issues. When the British colonialism ended and Sudan declared independence in 1956, the borders were not altered. The country was still united into one Sudan. The British like most Colonial powers left the nation with an unstable government structure. The British supported the North more than it did the South, thus creating resentment and tensions between the two after the end of colonialism.