Author Bio Fae Myenne Ng is a first-generation descendant of Chinese immigrants that settled in San Francisco. She grew up in the Bay Area where she attended a Presbyterian Chinese school. At the time of her youth, her mother worked as a seamstress in China Town and her father worked as a cook at a fraternity house of the University of California-Berkeley. Ng attended the University of California-Berkeley, and she later received an MFA from Columbia University. Ng is known for her bestselling novel, titled Bone. Bone is a story of assimilation of a Chinese family in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It was the first ever novel that Ng wrote and published and has been the one to make her the most successful. Since the publishing of Bone in 1993, Ng …show more content…
She is viewed as a disgrace by her parents due to her lack of time and effort spent with the family. She is now a flight attendant for American Airlines, meaning lots of time away from home and family. In the culture of her parents, women are supposed to stay home with their husbands and take care of the families, but the youngest daughter flies around the country instead. To her parents, this is a disgrace. And when she becomes pregnant, her parents urge her to “Drop the baby”. Their opinions have not changed, and they still view her as a disgrace. The only family that has not completely shunned her is her oldest sister, Lisa. The two sisters meet up, usually once a year, to discuss the family. The younger sister asks how things have changed and the older sister tells her how things have not changed. Their parents do not love each other, and they never have. They continuously argue and bicker over everything. This time they eat at an American style restaurant which makes the younger sister a bit uneasy, it is not something she is familiar with, and they begin their digest of the family drama. At the end of the story, the younger sister has kept a present for Lisa hidden. It is a red sweater. She thinks of how lucky the sweater will be because it is red, and red is a lucky color in China. She hopes that her sister will find love, not like the “love” of her parents, but real love. And …show more content…
“Family Values, Family Education and Family Tradition.” The Nationals People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, 16 Dec. 2016, en.npc.gov.cn.cdurl.cn/2021-12/27/c_693858.htm#::text=As%20an%20ancient%20saying%20goes,respect%20the%20elder%20brother%20and. Additional Resources Fae Myenne Ng’s website: http://www.myennen https://www.faemyenneng.com/ Chinese Immigration to the United States during the 1900’s. Jeanne Batalova, Raquel Rosenbloom and Jeanne Batalova. “Chinese Immigrants in the United States.” Migrationpolicy.Org, 17 July 2023, www.migrationpolicy.org/article/chinese-immigrants-united-states?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAivGuBhBEEiwAWiFmYRJp4rwc4sIdowyvWTl6xRBw4CrkqCBjdoqnLoRGuGPzcDai Chinatown, San Francisco website. http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/ Discussion Questions - "Secon 1.) What is the significance of the red sweater? What made it so special for Lisa to have it and to wear it? Why did the little sister want her to wear it? 2.) What are the differences between the two sisters, oldest and youngest? How do they contrast with each other? 3.) Why does the younger sister not live with her family anymore? How can you compare this to your own firsthand experiences with living at
In Fae Myenne Ng’s Bone, we are told the story of Chinese-American family that immigrated to the United States. The story deals with the loss of family, grief and the American Dream while also addressing the narrator’s ethnic background. But the one detail that really sticks out in the book is that it goes backwards in time, starting from when Leila is numb to the death of her sister to the moments after and before it happens. While this choice did stray from the normal conventions of stories, it was necessary in order to captivate the reader’s attention.
I enjoy reading Fae Myenne Ng’s Bone. I find her novel easy to read and understand. Although she included some phrases the Chinese use, I find no difficulty in understanding them, as I’m Chinese myself. The novel Bone is written in a circular narrative form, in which the story doesn’t follow the linear format where the suspense slowly builds up and finally reaches a climax stage. Rather the story’s time sequence is thrown back and forth. I find this format of writing brings greater suspense and mystery to the reader. When I read the book, my mind was always wondering what reasons or causes made Ona commit suicide, and this made me want to continue reading the book to know the outcome. The happenings in the story do portray reality of the lives of Chinese immigrants in America, their hardship and difficulty in adapting American lifestyle and culture. For the younger generations, adapting the American culture and lifestyle is much easier than for the older generations. This is shown in the book and it also happens in reality, which is another reason why I like this book. This is a fiction novel, but the story told is like a non-fiction book; giving readers a sense of realism. As a Chinese reading Bone, I understand the narrator’s feelings and predicaments. Although she is an Asian, her thinking lies more on the American side. Leila wants to move out to stay with Mason but yet she fears leaving her mother alone and also of what her mother might say in r...
Many can identify with what it means to be a sibling. Whether you are the oldest, youngest, or somewhere in between, you can most likely relate to the individual struggle within one. Being the oldest may carry the burden of responsibility and a sense of duty, and the youngest may feel a sense of entitlement. Whichever place one holds may depend on the person. Mai Lee Chai’s “Saving Sourdi” tells the story of two sisters who came to America with the hope of finding freedom. The two girls found anything but that. The younger sister Nea, takes the unusual role of the guardian, while the older sister Sourdi is atypically being cared for by Nea.
Several changes have occurred since the 1920s in traditional family values and the family life. Research revealed several different findings among family values, the way things were done and are now done, and the different kinds of old and new world struggles.
For nearly a century, spanning from the latter half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, Chinese-Americans and Chinese immigrants endured discrimination from the United States government and its people. The Chinese are another group of people that were treated as less than in America’s long history of legal racism. The Chinese experience is often overlooked as other
Immigration has existed around the world for centuries, decades, and included hundreds of cultures. Tired of poverty, a lack of opportunities, unequal treatment, political corruption, and lacking any choice, many decided to emigrate from their country of birth to seek new opportunities and a new and better life in another country, to settle a future for their families, to work hard and earn a place in life. As the nation of the opportunities, land of the dreams, and because of its foundation of a better, more equal world for all, the United States of America has been a point of hope for many of those people. A lot of nationals around the world have ended their research for a place to call home in the United States of America. By analyzing primary sources and the secondary sources to back up the information, one could find out about what Chinese, Italians, Swedish, and Vietnamese immigrants have experienced in the United States in different time periods from 1865 to 1990.
Chinese parenting is competent at times but there are other times where it is more suitable to follow other forms of parenting such as the Western style.These findings have important consequences for the broader domain of parent-child relationships. Whether it is Chinese parenting or Western parenting the relationship between family members is crucial. According to Amy Chua, Chinese parenting is more effective in helping the child attain a better future through the parents’ interests, while Western parenting style reflects mainly the interests of the child.
The first Chinese immigrants to arrive in America came in the early 1800s. Chinese sailors visited New York City in the 1830s (“The Chinese Experience”); others came as servants to Europeans (“Chinese Americans”). However, these immigrants were few in number, and usually didn’t even st...
Chinese immigrants to the United States of America have experienced both setbacks and triumphs in the quest to seek a better life from themselves and their families. First arriving in America in the mid-1800s to seek jobs and escape poor conditions in their home country, the Chinese found work as labors and settled in areas known as Chinatowns (Takaki 181-183). In the early years, these immigrants experienced vast legal racism and sexism as women were forbidden to enter the country and the Chinese Exclusion Act prevented laborers from entering the country for years (Takaki 184-192). Today, the modern Chinese-American experience has changed from the experience of early Chinese immigrants. Many immigrants enter the country seeking better education as well employment (Yung, Chang, and Lai 244). Immigrant women have made great strides in achieving equality to men. Despite advancements, many immigrants still experience discrimination on some level. One example of a modern Chinese immigrant is “Ruby”, a college student who, with her parents, immigrated from Hong Kong to a suburb of Providence, Rhode Island, 7 years ago. Ruby’s story shares insight on the modern Chinese-American experience and the struggles this group still faces. Chinese immigrants have long maintained a presence in the United States, and despite many struggles, have eventually began to reap the benefits of this great nation.
In the 18th century, China was influenced by various teachings of philosophers and beliefs that the society had placed emphasis on. Filial piety (xiao) was a major practice around this period when it was strongly carried inside and outside the household. Filial piety is not only the guiding principle of Chinese ethics but it also played an affirmative role in determining the Chinese lifestyle; it was practiced daily in the family and in other areas such as education, religion and government. It was the central root of Chinese morals and the society was constructed upon the principles of xiao, which certainly became the premises of Chinese culture and the society. In Confucianism, the approach of respect, fidelity, and care toward one’s parents and elder family members is the origin of individual ethical behaviour and social agreement. One must put the needs of parents and family elders over self, spouse, and children (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011). Many philosophers and rulers such as Mencius and Chu Hsi also focused on filial piety, applying the virtue to marital life, family, death, and politics. Filial piety was demonstrate in various literatures such as “Dream of the Red Chamber”, “Six Records of a Floating Life”, and “The Classic of Filial Piety” which demonstrated the roles of individuals in Chinese society including politics.
She started working at seventeen years old to support her family. In her situation, the necessity of supporting her family is very significant in her life. In Chinese tradition, parents do not expect anything from their sons and daughters, but the sense of respect towards the hard work that Chinese parents do for their kids is a must for successful men and women to support their parents with their free-will. These people are grateful that their parents gave them existence—creating opportunities for searching for ethical values that will help them succeed.
Kwong, Peter. 1999 “Forbidden Workers: Illegal Chinese Immigrants and American Labor” Publisher: The New Press.
What has happened to Confucianism. For a long time, Confucian was accepted as the idea that a healthy society depended on a solid traditional family. Confucius himself, for example, called for people to put principle above selfish desires. People supported hierarchy. The rulers moral example would inspire the people to live good lives. But one begins to detect a new theme emerging in society especially amongst the Chinese reformers: the theme of individualism oppose to familialism. Today, would the Confucian family be more and more aware of abuse to women and children? The rituals and traditions can be seen as both positive and negative. The ways in which women suffered affirm that some rituals were abusive. There are multiple signs indeed that something has gone badly wrong with the Chinese family traditions that led to family instability.
The essay “No Name Woman” by Maxine Hong Kingston, first published in 1975, is about the narrator’s parental aunt who committed suicide after she had given birth to an illegitimate child. She reflects upon her identity as a Chinese-American woman when she remembers the story her mother told her 20 years ago, right after she reached puberty. The mother told the narrator that she had a parental aunt, whose name remains unknown. This aunt lived in a Chinese village and became pregnant, long after her husband had left the country.
In India, the Caste System supported families and supported the idea of kinship being together. There were sub-castes called jati that held responsibility for one another. A jati would consist of a few families that stuck together for generations. Similar to India, Chinese philosophies supported families. Confucius taught that one should honor parents and elders. In the Zhou dynasty it was said that a family would only prosper if all members, dead and alive, worked together harmoniously. Chinese children were taught to honor elders; chinese women were subordinate to men because of the prominence of patriarchy. While the women were subordinate to men, Chinese families also had to have a certain respect for the female members. Women in Chinese society did not have much importance in large society but they did receive respect from their families and community. During a brief period in the Qin dynasty, the emperor stated that families were for the weak and one was to deny their family. This little time period is similar to what the Buddhists thought because they believed to achieve Nirvana, one had to deny their families. In China, a big idea that stood in place of a religion was the honoring of ancestors. Because it was thought that a family could only achieve greatness if all members both