Reading Notes W14: Joy Luck Club, Part B

Jing-Mei Woo

On Stockton Street, we wandered from one fish store to another, looking for the liveliest crabs.

'Don't get a dead one,' warned my mother in Chinese. 'Even a beggar won't eat a dead one.'

If a crab gabbed on, I lifted it out and into a plastic sack. I lifted one crab this way, only to find one of its legs had been clamped onto by another crab. In the brief tug-of-war, my crab lost a limb.

'Put it back,' whispered my mother. 'A missing leg is a bad sign on Chinese New Year.' (Tan, 200).





An-Mei Hsu


I know this, because I was raised the Chinese way: I was taught to desire nothing, to swallow other people's misery, to eat my own bitterness.

And even though I taught my daughter the opposite, still she came out the same way! Maybe it is because she was born to me and she was born a girl. And I was born to my mother and I was born a girl. All of us are like stairs, one step after another, going up and down, but all going the same way (Tan, 215).



Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Penguin Books, 2014, pp. 197-288.

Reading Notes W14: Joy Luck Club, Part A

Jing-Mei Woo

*Five months ago, after a crab dinner celebrating Chinese New Year, my mother gave me my 'life's importance,' a jade pendant on a gold chain.

*The pendant was not a piece of jewelry I would have chosen myself.

*It was almost the size of my little finger, a mottled green and white color, intricately carved.

*To me, the whole effect looked wrong: too large, too green, too garishly ornate.

*I stuffed the necklace in my lacquer box and forgot about it.


*But these days, I think about my life's importance.

*I wonder what it means, because my mother died three months ago, six days before my thirty-six birthday.

*And she's the only person I could have asked, to tell me about life's importance, to help me understand my grief.


*I now wear the pendant everyday. I think the carvings mean something, because shapes and details, which I never seem to notice until after they're pointed out to me, always mean something to Chinese people (Tan, 197).

 Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Penguin Books, 2014, pp. 197-288.

Topic Brainstorm for Project 3

 I am interested in the the topic of choosing a reading and considering the following:
What does this work reflect about its historical, social, political and/or economic context? You may focus on race, class, power, cultural values and beliefs, historical events, the author's biography, gender, psychology, etc. This topic interest me because the book I chose, The Joy Luck Club is about a Chinese family that lives in San Francisco, CA. I will be able to focus on the Chinese cultural values and beliefs.

The next topic I am interested in is to pick a subject: love, work, freedom, etc. Then choose two selections and discuss how that subject is discussed in those selections. Use literary devices to help frame your discussion. This topic interest me because there is a lot of stories on love in The Joy Luck Club, as well as in the other stories that we had to read for this class. I can see a lot of similarities on love in the different stories and different characters. I have previous experience in comparing essays so I think that will help me write on the similar love situations in my book of choice and of another book.  


Finally, the third topic I am interested in is on writing on how a setting influences character development. This topic interest me because it will help me to analyze a story. I think I may have had experience in writing about a novel's setting when I wrote about The Hunger Games. It has been a while since I have written that, so I vaguely remember. I would like to learn on that topic specifically, on how the setting influences character development. The strengths I can bring to this topic is that I am a very observant person and I think this will help me write on this topic. I will be able to pay attention to the setting and on how the setting connects to the character.

Reading other people's projects has helped me see the different writing styles and has given me ideas on writing my next project. 

Week 13 Analysis: Close Reading of Joy Luck Club, 2nd Section

"'I remember a boy who lost his hand in a firecracker accident,'" she said. "'I saw the shreds of this boy's arm, his tears, and then I heard his mother's claim that he would grow back another hand, better  than the last. This mother said she would pay back an ancestral debt ten times over. She would use a water treatment to soothe the wrath of Chu Jung, the three-eyed god of fire. And true enough, the next week this boy was riding a bicycle, both hands steering a straight course past my astonished eyes!'"(Tan, 128).

"And then my mother became very quiet. She spoke again in a thoughtful, respectful manner (Tan, 128). "'An ancestor of ours once stole water from a sacred well. Now the water is trying to steal back. We must sweeten the temper of the Coiling Dragon who lives in the sea. And then we must make him loosen his coils from Bing by giving him another treasure he can hide'" (Tan, 129).

"My mother poured out tea sweetened with sugar into the teacup, and threw it into the sea. And then she opened her fist. In her palm was a ring of watery blue sapphire, a gift from her mother, who had died many years before. This ring, she told me, drew coveting stares from women and made them inattentive to the children they guarded so jealously. This would make the Coiling Dragon forgetful of Bing. She threw the ring into the water" (Tan, 129).

I found this part very interesting. This is in the section of one of the daughters, "Rose Hsu Jordan". This is what happens after Rose's younger brother, "Bing" falls into the sea during a family trip. Rose was in charge of watching him, but she was not careful. She manipulated him, and he eventually fell into the sea. When he fell Rose did not say anything right away. She stayed silent and it wasn't until her sisters returned that the parents find out that Bing was missing.

I find it interesting that Rose's mom believed in this sort of Chinese superstition to bring her son back safe and alive. While I was reading what she did, like throwing her sapphire ring into the ocean to resurrect her son, I was hoping that her wish would be granted, but unfortunately it wasn't.



 Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Penguin Books, 2014, pp. 1-288.

Reading Notes W13: Luck Club, Part B

I didn't tell anyone about the things I saw, not even my mother. Most people didn't know I was half Chinese, maybe because my last name was St. Clair. When people first saw me, they thought I looked like my father, English-Irish, big-boned and delicate at the same time. But if they looked really close, if they knew that they were there, they could see the Chinese parts. Instead of having cheeks like my father's sharp-edged points, mine were smooth as beach pebbles. I didn't have his straw-yellow hair or his white skin, yet my coloring looked too pale, like something that was once darker and had faded in the sun (Tan, 104).

And my eyes, my mother gave me my eyes, no eyelids, as if they were carved on a jack-o'-lantern with two swift cuts of a short knife (Tan, 104).

"Don't look at her,'" said my mother as we walked through Chinatown in Oakland. She had grabbed my hand and pulled me close to her body. And of course I looked. I saw a woman sitting on the sidewalk, leaning against a building. She was old and young at the same time, with dull eye as though she had not slept for many years. And her feet and her hands-the tips were as black as if she had dipped them in India ink. But I knew they were rotted. "'What did she do to herself?'" I whispered to my mother. "'She met a bad man,'" said my mother. "'She had a baby she didn't want'"(Tan, 105).




Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Penguin Books, 2014, pp. 1-288. 

Reading Notes W13: Luck Club, Part A

My mother would proudly walk with me, visiting many shops, buying very little. "'This is my daughter Wave-ly Jong,'" she said to whoever looked her way. One day, after we left a shop I said under my breath, "'I wish you wouldn't do that, telling everybody I'm your daughter.'"..."'Aiii-ya. So shame be with other?'" She grasped my hand even tighter as she glared at me..."'Embarrass you be my daughter?'" Her voice was cracking with anger... I knew it was a mistake to say anything more, but I heard my voice speaking. "'Why do you have to use me to show off'? If you want to show off, then why don't you learn how to play chess.'" My mother's eyes turned into dangerous black slits. She had no words for me, just sharp silence (Tan, 99).

 Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Penguin Books, 2014, pp. 1-288.

Project 2 (Revision 2)

Project 2 (Revision 2)

Laura Reyes

Prof. Joellen Hiltbrand

Engl-205, Sec 8437

 21 April 2019

Editing Challenges Used:

 Sentence length

Check Your verb tense

Slow down and read out loud when you proofread

 

 Project 2: Social Classes

                        In society there are class differences. We have low-class, middle-class and high class. In reading, The Californians, by Gertrude Atherton, I came to the conclusion that Magdalena and Helena were from different social classes. Magdalena and Helena were two friends who lived in San Francisco, CA. They were two young girls, who seemed to be in high school still and were home schooled. They lived in a time where it was not normal for females to go out alone, yet they were adventures and rebellious. They explored the streets of San Francisco, entertained by the fires and sympathetic to the victims of them. Moving along, Magdalena is middle-class, and Helena is high-class.  

                        Magdalena’s family did not own a library, so she was a life member of the Mercantile Library (Hicks et al. 312). This shows that she did not come from wealth. If she was wealthy, then she would not have to use someone else’s library and instead she could have one to use in her own home.

                        Magdalena’s monthly allowance was not much. She only received five dollars a month in allowance (Hicks et al. 313). This shows that Magdalena’s family did not have a lot of money because they only gave her five dollars a month for allowance. Therefore, she was middle-class.

                        Magdalena could not afford to travel to another country. “’Magdalena did not speak of her conversation with her own parent’” (Hicks et al. 313).  A person who is high-class can afford to travel. Money would not be an issue how it is at this time for Magdalena. Not only was Magdalena unable to travel to another country because of money but she was embarrassed to share this with Helena.

                        Magdalena did not have money to help others. “’And I have nothing to give them,’” thought Magdalena, bitterly; but she was too proud to speak (Hicks et al. 314). A person of high-class can definitely help others. They have money to spare. Here Magdalena is on the spot because this is a time where these people have just lost their belongings and homes due to a fire and can use some financial support, but Magdalena cannot offer that.

                        Others did not ask money from Magdalena’s father. “’…It’s no use asking anything of old Yorba…’” (Hicks et al. 318). This is what Tom Shannon from the police station said to Magdalena and Helena when they were arrested. This shows that even the people at the police station knew that Magdalena’s father could not afford to give them money. They obviously knew he did not have money to spare.

                        Helena made demands. "'I want a hack,'" she said peremptorily to the man in charge. "'And double quick, too.'"(Hicks et al. 313). Helena said this and she obviously comes from money because she is demanding a ride for both herself and Magdalena. Helena is obviously high-class; you can tell by the way she talks and makes demands. A person of high-class usually does not think twice of asking for what they want because they know they can get it because they have the money and money equals power a lot of times.

                        Helena carried more money than the average person. When Helena did not think twice and instantly pulled out ten dollars to pay the taxi, Magdalena was shocked. Her own allowance was only five dollars a month (Hicks et al. 313). This shows that Helena and Magdalena came from a different class. Since, Magdalena is middle-class, then Helena is high-class because she has more allowance than Magdalena and did not think twice to spend it.

                        Helena can afford to travel to another country. “’He’s feeling awfully soft over my going away. Poor old Jack, he’ll feel so lonesome without me. But we’ll have a gay old time traveling together in Europe when I’m through’” (Hicks et al. 313).  This is when Helena is talking about the trip that she and Magdalena were planning. Helena, being high-class can afford to go on this trip to Europe. Her dad is able to pay for her trip.

                        Helena had a higher allowance than Magdalena, “’I got fifty dollars out of Jack to-night’” (Hicks et al. 313). Fifty dollars is a lot of money, compared to five dollars, and I am sure that fifty dollars was worth a lot more in 1898 than in the present time. This is yet more evidence that Helena was high-class.

                        Helena had money to offer to those in need. “’Poor devils!’” exclaimed Helena. “’I am so glad I have some silver with me’” (Hicks et al. 314). She could afford to help those less fortunate. This took place when she had a close encounter with the people who lost their homes because of a fire.  She obviously came from a high-class family, to give away her silver to the victims of the fire.
                        Helena was aware that she was high-class. She must have known that when she was taking the risk to go out on the street with Magdalena, they would be okay and if they were discovered she could get themselves out of trouble since she came from a high-class family. She must have been prepared and knew exactly what to say if they were to be caught.
                       Magdalena knew she came from a lower-class than Helena, she knew that she was middle-class. When Helena reminded her of the travel to Europe, this is when Magdalena was reminded that she was middle-class. Her father could not afford to send her there, and she was too ashamed to tell Helena the truth. 
                      In conclusion, in society there are class differences. There is low class, middle class and high-class. Helena is high-class and Magdalena is middle-class. I enjoyed reading this story. It was entertaining and I was able to be in a different time, while reading it. Furthermore, the world is not fair and a lot of times people in the high-class are able to bribe themselves out of trouble. So, it is important for us to distinguish the different social-classes in society so that one can act accordingly, to prevent trouble if possible. One may never know when this knowledge will be handy. An example is when Helena from The Californians, was aware of her social class and took the risk of going out on the street with Magdalena. Furthermore, if someone from low-class was caught in the same situation, he or she most likely would have been arrested. That is why it is important to be aware of different social-classes.  

           

Work Cited

Hicks, Jack, et al. The Californians. The Literature of California. University of California            Press, 2000. pp. 311-320.

Week 12 Analysis: Literary Analysis of Joy Luck Club

My book of choice is The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. I do like this book for the most part, but  it does get confusing at times.  This story starts off with one of the daughters, Jing-Mei Woo, who has  been asked to take her deceased mother's spot in The Joy Luck Club, where the group of four women played mah jong in San Francisco, CA. "My father has asked me to be the fourth corner at the Joy Luck Club. I am to replace my mother, whose seat at the mah jong table has been empty since she died two months ago" (Tan, 19). "My mother started the San Francisco version of the Joy Luck Club in 1949..."(Tan, 20).

  Jing-Mei Woo starts to tell her mother's story in the third person and then switches to the first person, as if she was reliving the moments where her mother would tell her, her stories. "'I dreamed about Kweilin before I ever saw it,'" my mother began, speaking Chinese (Tan, 21). Woo's mother goes on talking about her life and how it led to the Joy Luck Club.

The theme is not clear to me yet, but I am thinking it will be about growing to appreciate your origins. I think this because so far, I am reading about the stories of different mothers and daughters and I notice there is conflict. They are all Chinese but seems like the daughters I have read about grew up in San Francisco and the mothers in China. I can see that the mothers and daughters have a different way of thinking, which is natural, since they grew up in a different country and had different experiences.

I think the historical context is the Chinese ancestry. The characters are all Chinese and specifically the mothers are more accustomed to the Chinese culture, since they grew up in China.



Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Penguin Books, 2014, pp. 1-96.

Reading Notes W12: Luck Club, Part B

Something was always missing. Something always needed improving. Something was not in balance. This one or that had too much of one element, not enough of another. The elements were from my mother's own version of organic chemistry. Each person is made up of five elements, she told me. Too much fire and you had a bad temper. That was like my father, whom my mother always criticized for his cigarette habit and who always shouted back that she should keep her thoughts to herself. I think he now feels guilty that he didn't let my mother speak her mind (Tan, 31).

Too, little wood and you bent too quickly to listen to other people's ideas, unable to stand on your own. This was like my Auntie An-mei (Tan, 31).

Too much water and you flowed in different directions, like myself, for having started a degree in biology, then half a degree in art, and then finishing neither when I went off to work for a small ad agency as a secretary, later becoming a copywriter (Tan, 31).






 Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Penguin Books, 2014.

Reading Notes W12: Luck Club, Part A

When I arrive at the Hsus' house, where the Joy Luck Club is meeting tonight, the first person I see is my father. "'There she is! Never on time!'" he announces. And it's true. Everybody's already here, seven family friends in their sixties and seventies. They look up and laugh at me, always tardy, a child still at thirty-six (Tan, 27).

Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Penguin Books, 2014.

Week 11 Analysis: Close Reading of Bulosan

Thesis: The discrimination the Filipino people faced in California.



They think every Filipino is a pimp,' he said. "But there are more pimps among them than among all the Filipinos in the world put together. I will kill one of these bastards someday!' They questioned Doro curtly, peered into the car, and told us to go on. I came to know afterward that in many ways it was a crime to be a Filipino in California (Hicks, 606). This shows the racism that is going on in California.

It was the end of the flower season, so the Filipino workers were all in town. They stood on the sidewalks and in front of Japanese stores showing their fat rolls of money to the girls. Gambling was going on in one of the old buildings, in Mexican district, and in a cafe across the street Mexican girls and Filipinos were dancing. I went inside the cafe and sat near the counter, watching the plump girls dancing drunkenly (Hicks, 607). This is interesting. First of all, it seems like fall has begun since the flower season has ended and these Filipinos were farmers. Also, I noticed the Mexican girls were described as plump. I wonder why the author described them as fat. I wonder if there were a lot of Mexican fat girls during that time or if they were just curvy. I also noticed that the Mexicans and Filipinos got along very well. I have heard a lot of Filipinos say Mexicans and Filipinos are the same.

I opened the door quietly and entered. I heard him talking to a man in one of the rooms upstairs. When I reached the landing a hard blow fell on my head. I rolled on the floor. Then I saw him with a gun in his hand, poised to strike at my head again. Standing behind him was my brother Amado, holding a long -bladed knife (Hicks, 607). Carlos reunites with his brother Amado, here.

'You should have written to me,' he said. 'You shouldn't have come to America (Hicks, 608). America has not been what Carlos's brother hoped it would be. He seems very disappointed.

'Life is tough, Carlos,' said my brother. 'I had a good job for some time, but the depression came. I had to do something. I had to live, Carlos!' (Hicks, 609). Seem like Carlo's brother was into making dirty money. I am thinking he was either a pimp or drug dealer, or both.

'Please, God, don't change me in America!' I said to myself, looking the other way so that I wouldn't cry (Hicks, 610). Carlos realizes that his brother has changed to a bad person.

I enjoyed reading this story, it was easy to understand and did not bore me.




Hicks, Jack, et al. “America Is in the Great.” The Literature of California, vol. 1, University of
     California Press, 2000, pp. 604–610.

Reading Notes W11: Bulosan, Part B

'They think every Filipino is a pimp,' he said. "But, there are more pimps among them than among all the Filipinos in the world put together. I will kill one of these bastards someday!' They questioned Doro curtly, peered into the car, and told us to go on. I came to know afterward that in many ways it was a crime to be a Filipino in California (Hicks, 606).




Hicks, Jack, et al. “America Is in the Great.” The Literature of California, vol. 1, University of 
     California Press, 2000, pp. 604–610.

Reading Notes W11: Henderson, Part A

*up thru Berkeley trees
*beyond the grand white hotel
*where upon the mountain crest
*California 13 above Oakland
*running with the silver gleam of the bay
*and the distant mountain range across the waters
*heading for L.A.
*past the windmills and the Valley,
*Breadbasket of America agribusiness cornucopia
*Highway 5 in the mist of nowhere
*no cities or radio only rest stops and gasoline
*to the rise of the Grapevine and the descent
*a cloud that seems to be the aftermath of an atomic bombing
*presents the famous atmosphere of Los Angeles

Henderson, David, "California 13." Neo- California, pp.118-132.

Project 2 (Revision 1)

Laura Reyes

Prof. Joellen Hiltbrand

Engl-205, Sec 8437

14 April 2019

Editing Challenges Used:

 Stick close to the text (s and focus on Literary Analysis)

Expand your submission

Start strong; end strong

 

 Project 2: Social Classes

                        In society there are class differences. We have low-class, middle-class and high class. In reading, The Californians, by Gertrude Atherton, I came to the conclusion that Magdalena and Helena were from different social classes. Magdalena and Helena were two friends who lived in San Francisco, CA. They were two young girls, who seemed to be in high school still and were home schooled. They lived in a time where it was not normal for females to go out alone, yet they were adventures and rebellious. They explored the streets of San Francisco, entertained by the fires and sympathetic to the victims of them. Moving along, Magdalena is middle-class, and Helena is high-class.  

                        Magdalena’s family did not own a library (Hicks et al. 312). This shows that she did not come from wealth. If she was wealthy, then she would not have to use someone else’s library and instead she could have one to use in her own home.

                        Magdalena’s monthly allowance was not much. Magdalena’s allowance was only five dollars a month (Hicks et al. 313). This shows that Magdalena’s family did not have a lot of money because they only gave her $5 dollars a month for allowance. Therefore, she was middle-class.

                        Magdalena could not afford to travel to another country. “’Magdalena did not speak of her conversation with her own parent’” (Hicks et al. 313).  A person who is high-class can afford to travel. Money would not be an issue how it is at this time for Magdalena. Not only was Magdalena unable to travel to another country because of money but she was embarrassed to share this with Helena.

                        Magdalena did not have money to help others. “’And I have nothing to give them,’” thought Magdalena, bitterly; but she was too proud to speak (Hicks et al. 314). A person of high-class can definitely help others. They have money to spare. Here Magdalena is on the spot because this is a time where these people have just lost their belongings and homes due to a fire and can use some financial support, but Magdalena cannot offer that.

                        Others did not ask money from Magdalena’s father. “’…It’s no use asking anything of old Yorba…’” (Hicks et al. 318). This is what Tom Shannon from the police station said to Magdalena and Helena when they were arrested. This shows that even the people at the police station knew that Magdalena’s father could not afford to give them money. He was not wealthy.

                        Helena made demands. "'I want a hack,'" she said peremptorily to the man in charge. "'And double quick, too.'"(Hicks et al. 313). Helena said this and she obviously comes from money because she is demanding a ride for both herself and Magdalena. Helena is obviously high-class; you can tell by the way she talks and makes demands.

                        Helena carried more money than the average person. When Helena did not think twice and instantly pulled out ten dollars to pay the taxi, Magdalena was shocked. Her own allowance was only five dollars a month (Hicks et al. 313). This shows that Helena and Magdalena come from a different class. Since, Magdalena is middle-class, then Helena is high-class because she has more allowance than Magdalena and did not think twice to spend it.

                        Helena can afford to travel to another country. “’He’s feeling awfully soft over my going away. Poor old Jack, he’ll feel so lonesome without me. But we’ll have a gay old time travelling together in Europe when I’m through’” (Hicks et al. 313).  This is when Helena is talking about the trip that she and Magdalena were planning. Helena, being high-class can afford to go on this trip to Europe. Her dad is able to pay for her trip.

                        Helena had a higher allowance than Magdalena, “’I got fifty dollars out of Jack to-night’” (Hicks et al. 313). Fifty dollars is a lot of money, compared to five dollars, and I am sure that fifty dollars was worth a lot more in 1898 than in the present time. This is yet more evidence that Helena was high-class.

                        Helena had money to offer to those in need. “’Poor devils!’” exclaimed Helena. “’I am so glad I have some silver with me’” (Hicks et al. 314). She could afford to help those less fortunate. This took place when she had a close encounter with the people who lost their homes because of a fire.  She obviously came from a high-class family, to give away her silver to the victims of the fire.
                        Helena was aware that she was high-class. She must have known that when she was taking the risk to go out on the street with Magdalena, they would be ok and if they were discovered she could get themselves out of trouble since she came from a high-class family. She must have been prepared and knew exactly what to say if they were to be caught.
                       Magdalena knew she came from a lower-class than Helena, she knew that she was middle-class. When Helena reminded her of the travel to Europe, this is when Magdalena was reminded that she was middle-class. Her father could not afford to send her there, and she was too ashamed to tell Helena the truth. 
                      In conclusion, in society there are class differences. There is low class, middle class and high-class. Helena is high-class and Magdalena is middle-class. I enjoyed reading this story. It was entertaining and I was able to be in a different time, while reading it. Furthermore, the world is not fair and a lot of times people in the high-class are able to bribe themselves out of trouble. So, it is important for us to distinguish the different social-classes in society so that one can act accordingly, to prevent trouble if possible. One may never know when this knowledge will be handy. An example is when Helena from The Californians, was aware of her social class and took the risk of going out on the street with Magdalena. Furthermore, if someone from low-class was caught in the same situation, he or she most likely would have been arrested. That is why it is important to be aware of different social-classes.  

           

Work Cited

Hicks, Jack, et al. The Californians. The Literature of California. University of California            Press, 2000. pp. 311-320.