In the book, American Born Chinese, there are multiple plot elements. Conflict, Parallel plots, Foreshadowing, Flashback, Exposition, and Inciting incident. Three plot elements I’ve noticed in American Born Chinese is Conflict in the story about the Monkey King, Flashback in the Jin Wang’s story, and foreshadowing in Danny Lee’s story. A conflict is the part of the plot where the rising action starts and when the conflict ends the falling action begins. A flashback is a literacy device that helps us understand a character past or in this case their parents past. Foreshadowing is event in a story’s exposition that gives you an idea what will happen in the future. In the Monkey King’s story the conflict is expressed early. The conflict for the Monkey king is that he goes to …show more content…
We thing this starts the conflict but it doesn’t. When Danny’s cousin comes in the house Danny freaks and foreshadows a future conflict. A foreshadowing event is meant to give the reader an idea on how the story is going play out or what is the conflict is going to be. The reason Chin-kee is embarrassing Danny is because he is the stereotypical version of a Chinese person. Danny doesn’t like having himself and his family portrayed like that. Also, Chin-kee flirts with the girl that Danny wants to ask out, which also embarrasses Danny. “ Wha--? Confucius say, Hubba Hubba. Such pletty Amellican girl wiff bountiful Amellican bosom! Must bind feet and bear Chin-kee’s children, says Chin-kee….. Perhaps Chin-kee can find pletty Amellican girl for hisself when he attend Amellican school tomollow wiff cousin Da-nee”(pg. 51). This quote foreshadows a future conflict between Danny, Chin-kee, and their peers. There are multiple plot elements that help the story escalate and become and full story. There is more plot elements in the story but I picked the ones I saw first in each story. Now, you decide what you
Lastly, the literary element tension. Tensions should appear and progress in relation to their importance. Have lower tension symptomatic of an issue. Also, the bigger the problem (to you, the author) the more it should appear and progress. Be aware and ready to add a transition between the narration and the action. One last final piece of tension is that each event doesn’t have to be massive; use small, common situations to reveal the story’s
Every book has a theme, a main idea that is carried throughout the story, and most novels have more than one. Main ideas are threads that weave the story together. Ideas like friendship or love often are used to tell the story. Witness by Karen Hesse has an obvious theme of racism; however, love, hate, and sacrifice are woven into the plot with sacrifice being the most important.
In the beginning of the story, the author describes the Chin Yuen's as American in appearance yet Chinese in customs. Throughout the story she continues to describe the deterioration of the Chinese customs by American ideal. This is pinpointed when Mr. Chin Yuen decides to let his daughter marry the boy that she loves. The conversation that Mr. Spring Fragrance has with Young Carman explains that only in American culture is it customary to find love before marriage; in the Chinese tradition, all marriages are arranged. This clearly exemplifies the manner in which the Chinese characters are more and more disregarding their Chinese culture and taking on this new American standard of living. Ironically, Sui Sin Far conveys the notion that the American tradition is not necessarily better than the Chinese tradition. More so she demonstrates the struggle of identity between two worlds that both make sense. Though Laura and Kai Tzu have found their happiness in the American tradition of marriage, the reader discovers that Mr. and Mrs. Spring Fragrance are equally as happy even through the Chinese tradition of marriage.
The family's personal encounters with the destructive nature of the traditional family have forced them to think in modern ways so they will not follow the same destructive path that they've seen so many before them get lost on. In this new age struggle for happiness within the Kao family a cultural barrier is constructed between the modern youth and the traditional adults with Chueh-hsin teeter tottering on the edge, lost between them both. While the traditional family seems to be cracking and falling apart much like an iceberg in warm ocean waters, the bond between Chueh-min, Chueh-hui, Chin and their friends becomes as strong as the ocean itself.
Growing up in the American education system, I always took my education for granted. My mother would always say, “You know how much people would want to be in your place and go to school?” In Chinese culture, education is the only way to achieve upward social mobility and leave the poor social economic class; whether you are rich or poor, you must have education and go to school. Education is not equal for everyone so how can one play the game when it is set up against you. Education is based on the resources that are offered in the area, thus if you live in a poor area, you get fewer resources. When the One Child policy was passed, it helped because all the family’s resources are focused on one child but the child is the only one to take care
Plot is the organized pattern or sequence of events that make up a story. Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution are the five elements of plot. The short story Greasy Lake uses plot as a single literary device.
This predicament is resolved when Danny, at the end of the book, he cuts off his earlocks and wear modern clothes. Danny's dad also realizes that he cannot control Danny from becoming a modern kid. "This is America. This is not Europe. It is an open world here . . . . All his life he will be a tzaddik. He will be a tzaddik for the world. And the world needs a tzaddik." ( Potok,
...s more and more irritated by Chin-Kee. It comes to a point where he has a fight with Chin-Kee (207). At the end of the fight, Danny manages to knock off Chin-Kee's mask, which reveals his true identity as the Monkey King (212). Danny is transformed back to Jin Wang. Jin realizes he should be happy with whom he really is and that transformations are not necessary. Through these back and forth transformations, Jin finally is at peace with his true identity and who he should continue to be.
Chin-Kee in the ‘Danny” storyline is interpreted as Yang’s attempt to show overt examples of stereotypes. Chin-Kee’s vocabulary brings forth the stereotype that “Asian people talk funny”. In American Born Chinese, Chin-Kee exclaims, “Harro! Cousin Da-Nee finarry come” (Yang 204). The way Chin-Kee speaks as he addresses his cousin is stifled, so Chin-Kee’s language enforces the opinion of some that poke fun of Asian people speaking “that way”. By po...
The definition of the word theme is the message about life or human nature that is “the focus” in the story that the writer tells. (Glossary of Literary Terms). One of the messages the author is trying to get across to the reader is, the ability to accept ones true self. June May continuously worries about what her family will think about her. “And rather than be impressed, I am worried about the expense, as well as the appearance it must give Aiyi, that we rich Americans cannot be without our luxuries even for one night.” (187). Her family is over joyed with them visiting and could care less about judging her or her father. June learns by the end of her trip that she needs to accept herself and stop worrying about what others my think. How she sees herself is what matters. Another theme in this story is that blood is thicker than distance. This meaning regardless how far away family may be, they will always be a part of her culture and history. June May’s family in China loves her and cares for her, despite the fact that they have never met before. None of that matters because family is blood and no matter the circumstance they will always be a part of her Chinese heritage. “You wrote and said you would come for only one day. One day! How can you see your family in only one day!”(186). June’s father, Canning Woo, had told his aunt that they would come to China and visit for one day. His aunt was
Danny wears the traditional side curls, skullcap, and a beard and is educated in Yiddish. Because of this he sees himself as a true Jew. He believes that the other Jewish are less religious and righteous. However, Danny becomes best friend with a Jew Reuven who is not looking like Danny. He met him at a baseball game that during the novel Reuven will have a big influence in Danny’s life. When we take a look at this scene we find different characters of Danny. He ...
As the four women entered America, which is far from their motherland China, they experience a change of culture, the American culture, which was dominant than the Chinese. The Chinese mothers are faced with a difficult task of how to raise their American-born daughters with an understanding of their heritage. The daughters clearly show a gap in culture between the Chinese culture and American culture. The mothers wanted their daughter to follow the Chinese traditions, but the daughters followed the American traditions and even some of them got married to American men. The mothers tried to tell their daughters the story about the Chinese ancestors but the daughter could not follow them and the daughters thought their mothers were backwards and did not know what they are saying. As much as the mothers tried to show love to their daughters, the daughters usually responded negatively. They often saw their mothers’ attempts to guidance as a failure to understand the American culture. Being Chinese and living in America, both the mothers and the daughters struggle with many issues like identity, language, translation, and others. The mothers try to reconcile their Chinese pasts with their American presents; the daughters try to find a balance between independence and loyalty to their heritage
With the globalization and modernization, there is a social tendency to melt different individuals into an integral and international community. In America, individuals from different culture struggle with assimilation to the white mainstream. They find it painful but worth to mute racial identity for future success. Assimilation to an advanced culture is a somewhat progress and broaden the space for self-growth. But sometimes individuals feels pressure to force them blend in the surroundings. On the contrary, some individuals use the advantages of racial differences to exceed others in the mainstream. Amy Chua, in her essay “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior”, takes advantage of the fact that American parents underrate rote repetition and insists
Knowing that it would be four years of relentless pestering, I knew that someday I would surpass my tormentors; I would keep under cover of my books and study hard to make my brother proud one day. It would be worth the pain to someday walk into a restaurant and see my former bully come to my table wearing an apron and a nametag and wait on me, complete with a lousy tip. To walk the halls of the hospital I work in, sporting a stethoscope and white coat while walking across the floor that was just cleaned not to long ago by the janitor, who was the same boy that tried to pick a fight with me back in middle school. To me, an Asian in an American school is picking up where my brother left off. It’s a promise to my family that I wouldn’t disappoint nor dishonor our name. It’s a battle that’s gains victory without being fought.
June-May fulfills her mother’s name and life goal, her long-cherished wish. She finally meets her twin sisters and in an essence fulfills and reunites her mother with her daughter through her. For when they are all together they are one; they are their mother. It is here that June-May fulfills the family portion of her Chinese culture of family. In addition, she fully embraces herself as Chinese. She realizes that family is made out of love and that family is the key to being Chinese. “And now I also see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood.” (Tan 159). Finally, her mother’s life burden is lifted and June-May’s doubts of being Chinese are set aside or as she says “After all these years, it can finally be let go,” (Tan 159).