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joy luck club and belonging ?? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter zekii
- Start date
joshwah
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2009
- Messages
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- Male
- HSC
- 2010
I've read the book, however outside of English. I saw issues of the daughters and their mixed heritage - are they chinese or american? And it is this culture clash that highlights belonging here. There is a great quote, something like "the best of american and chinese culture, how could I know that these would not mix?" Also, the struggles of the mothers to find acceptance in America, for example, the first thing that happens is they are thrust into the church and are dressed as American women dress.
Hopefully this helps somehow
No notes though.
Hopefully this helps somehow
No notes though.
Last edited:
Some quotes about Belonging from Sparksnotes:
[FONT="]Quote 1: "Over [/FONT][FONT="]the years[/FONT][FONT="], she told me the same story, except for the ending, which grew darker, casting long shadows into [/FONT][FONT="]her life[/FONT][FONT="], and eventually into mine." [/FONT][FONT="]Chapter[/FONT][FONT="] 1, pg. 21[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 2: "Your father is not my first husband. You are not those babies." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 1, pg. 26[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 3: "Even though I was young, I could see the pain of the flesh and the worth of the pain." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 2, pg. 48[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 4: "I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 3, pg. 59[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 5: "After the gold was removed from my body I felt lighter, more free. They say this is [/FONT][FONT="]what happens[/FONT][FONT="] if you lack metal. You begin to think as an independent person." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 3, pg. 63[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 6: "For woman is yin, the darkness within, where untempered passions lie. And man is yang, bright truth lighting our minds." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 4, pg. 81[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 7: "Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why don't you [/FONT][FONT="]learn to play[/FONT][FONT="] chess." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 5, pg. 99[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 8: "This house was built too steep, and a bad wind [/FONT][FONT="]from the top[/FONT][FONT="] blows all your strength back down the hill. So you can never get ahead. You are always rolling backward." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 6, pg. 109[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 9: "I discovered that maybe it was fate all along, that faith was just an illusion that somehow you're in control." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 7, pg. 121[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 10: "My mother had a look on her face that I'll never forget. It was one of complete despair and horror, for losing Bing, for being so foolish as to think she could use faith to change fate." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 7, pg. 130[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 11: "I had new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won'ts. I won't let her change me, I promised myself. I won't be what I'm not." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 8, pg. 134[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 12: "I was determined to put a stop to her foolish pride." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 8, pg. 138[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 13: "Only two kind of daughters. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!" [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 8, pg. 142[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 14: "I began to look at all events and all things as relevant, an opportunity to take or avoid." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 9, pg. 152[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 15: "And I remember wondering why it was that eating something good could make me feel so terrible, while vomiting something terrible could make me feel so good." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 8, pg. 154[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 16: "Now that I'm angry at Harold, it's hard to remember what was so remarkable about him." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 9, pg. 155[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 17: "You are busy. You want to live like mess what can I say?" [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 10, pg. 169[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 18: "I saw what I had been fighting for: it was for me, a scared child..." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 10, pg. 183[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 19: "And below the heimongmong, all along the ground, were weeds already spilling out over the edges, running wild in every direction." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 11, pg. 196[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 20: "True, cannot teach style. June not sophisticate like you. Must be born this way." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 12, pg. 206[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 21: "That was the night, in the kitchen, that I realized I was no better than who I was....And I no longer felt angry at Waverly. I felt tired and foolish, as if I had been running to escape someone chasing me, only to look behind and discover there was no one there." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 12, pg. 207[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 22: "Then you must teach my daughter this same lesson. How to lose your innocence but not your hope. How to laugh forever." Book 4, pg. 213[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 23: "to not listen to something meaningless calling to me." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 13, pg. 226[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 24: : "on the third day after someone dies, the soul comes back to settle scores. In my mother's case, this would be the first day of the lunar new year. And because it is the new year, all debts must be paid, or disaster and misfortune will follow." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 13, pg. 240[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 25: "I have always known a thing before it happens." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 14, pg. 243[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 26: "It is because I had so much joy that I came to have so much hate." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 14, pg. 247[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 27: "I wanted my children to have the best combination: [/FONT][FONT="]American[/FONT][FONT="] circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know [/FONT][FONT="]these things[/FONT][FONT="] do not mix?" [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 15, pg. 254[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 28: "Why are you attracted only to Chinese nonsense?" [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 15, pg. 259[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 29: "Look at this face. Do you see my foolish hope?" [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 16, pg. 283[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 30: "And now I also see what [/FONT][FONT="]part of me[/FONT][FONT="] is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 16, pg. 288[/FONT]
And here's some others i found in some of my past essays
[FONT="][/FONT]
“He is American warned my mother as if I had been too blind
to notice. … I’m American too, I said”. pg 117
“I still listen to my mother…be confused
by what she saw" pg 191
“It’s my fault she is this way. I wanted my children to have the best combination. American circumstances
and Chinese character. How would I know the two things do not mix.” - page 254
"My mother named me after the street we lived on, Waverley Place Jong, my official name for important
American documents.” - page 91
There is so much you can analyse from The Joy Luck Club.
[FONT="]Quote 1: "Over [/FONT][FONT="]the years[/FONT][FONT="], she told me the same story, except for the ending, which grew darker, casting long shadows into [/FONT][FONT="]her life[/FONT][FONT="], and eventually into mine." [/FONT][FONT="]Chapter[/FONT][FONT="] 1, pg. 21[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 2: "Your father is not my first husband. You are not those babies." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 1, pg. 26[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 3: "Even though I was young, I could see the pain of the flesh and the worth of the pain." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 2, pg. 48[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 4: "I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 3, pg. 59[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 5: "After the gold was removed from my body I felt lighter, more free. They say this is [/FONT][FONT="]what happens[/FONT][FONT="] if you lack metal. You begin to think as an independent person." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 3, pg. 63[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 6: "For woman is yin, the darkness within, where untempered passions lie. And man is yang, bright truth lighting our minds." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 4, pg. 81[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 7: "Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why don't you [/FONT][FONT="]learn to play[/FONT][FONT="] chess." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 5, pg. 99[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 8: "This house was built too steep, and a bad wind [/FONT][FONT="]from the top[/FONT][FONT="] blows all your strength back down the hill. So you can never get ahead. You are always rolling backward." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 6, pg. 109[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 9: "I discovered that maybe it was fate all along, that faith was just an illusion that somehow you're in control." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 7, pg. 121[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 10: "My mother had a look on her face that I'll never forget. It was one of complete despair and horror, for losing Bing, for being so foolish as to think she could use faith to change fate." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 7, pg. 130[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 11: "I had new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won'ts. I won't let her change me, I promised myself. I won't be what I'm not." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 8, pg. 134[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 12: "I was determined to put a stop to her foolish pride." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 8, pg. 138[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 13: "Only two kind of daughters. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!" [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 8, pg. 142[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 14: "I began to look at all events and all things as relevant, an opportunity to take or avoid." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 9, pg. 152[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 15: "And I remember wondering why it was that eating something good could make me feel so terrible, while vomiting something terrible could make me feel so good." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 8, pg. 154[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 16: "Now that I'm angry at Harold, it's hard to remember what was so remarkable about him." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 9, pg. 155[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 17: "You are busy. You want to live like mess what can I say?" [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 10, pg. 169[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 18: "I saw what I had been fighting for: it was for me, a scared child..." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 10, pg. 183[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 19: "And below the heimongmong, all along the ground, were weeds already spilling out over the edges, running wild in every direction." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 11, pg. 196[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 20: "True, cannot teach style. June not sophisticate like you. Must be born this way." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 12, pg. 206[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 21: "That was the night, in the kitchen, that I realized I was no better than who I was....And I no longer felt angry at Waverly. I felt tired and foolish, as if I had been running to escape someone chasing me, only to look behind and discover there was no one there." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 12, pg. 207[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 22: "Then you must teach my daughter this same lesson. How to lose your innocence but not your hope. How to laugh forever." Book 4, pg. 213[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 23: "to not listen to something meaningless calling to me." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 13, pg. 226[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 24: : "on the third day after someone dies, the soul comes back to settle scores. In my mother's case, this would be the first day of the lunar new year. And because it is the new year, all debts must be paid, or disaster and misfortune will follow." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 13, pg. 240[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 25: "I have always known a thing before it happens." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 14, pg. 243[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 26: "It is because I had so much joy that I came to have so much hate." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 14, pg. 247[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 27: "I wanted my children to have the best combination: [/FONT][FONT="]American[/FONT][FONT="] circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know [/FONT][FONT="]these things[/FONT][FONT="] do not mix?" [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 15, pg. 254[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 28: "Why are you attracted only to Chinese nonsense?" [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 15, pg. 259[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 29: "Look at this face. Do you see my foolish hope?" [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 16, pg. 283[/FONT]
[FONT="]Quote 30: "And now I also see what [/FONT][FONT="]part of me[/FONT][FONT="] is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood." [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Chapter 16, pg. 288[/FONT]
And here's some others i found in some of my past essays
[FONT="][/FONT]
“He is American warned my mother as if I had been too blind
to notice. … I’m American too, I said”. pg 117
“I still listen to my mother…be confused
by what she saw" pg 191
“It’s my fault she is this way. I wanted my children to have the best combination. American circumstances
and Chinese character. How would I know the two things do not mix.” - page 254
"My mother named me after the street we lived on, Waverley Place Jong, my official name for important
American documents.” - page 91
There is so much you can analyse from The Joy Luck Club.