Chapters 15&16- The Joy Luck Club

Literary term- dilemma: "I could choose to marry your father, or I could choose to not to marry him and go back to China." (263)

Quote- "And now I also see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood." (288)

In the final chapter, Jing-Mei meets her half-sisters for the first time. Throughout the story, Jing-Mei has struggled with her Chinese identity. When she meets her sisters and realizes that all three of them look like her mother, she realizes that her family was her Chinese identity. This quote is a powerful ending to this novel because the entire novel focuses on the differences between 4 Chinese women and their American-born daughters. At the end of the novel, Jing-Mei finds the connection to her Chinese roots through her half-sisters. Jing-Mei's revelation is effective in interconnecting all of the narrations in the novel. She finds the glue that unites all of the mothers and their daughter together in their identity. This story reminds me of the Bible story of Moses and his identity. Moses was born a Hebrew but raised by an Egyptian Pharaoh. Moses believes to be an Egyptian until he discovers his true identity as a Hebrew. After his revelation, he embraces his culture and identity and leaves behind his old way of life. Similar to Jing-Mei, Moses realizes what his true identity is and embraces this new life for the better.

Moses being found by Egyptian princess in the Nile

Chapters 13&14- The Joy Luck Club

Literary term- anaphora: " And on that day, I showed Second Wife the fake pearl necklace she had given me crushed under my foot.
And on that day, Second Wife's hair began to turn white.
And on that day, I learned to shout." (240)

Quote- "And now I must tell her everything about my past. It is the only way to penetrate her skin and pull her to where she can be saved." (242)

In chapter 12, Ying-Ying decides she must tell her daughter Lena about her past in order to pass off her soul to Lena. Ying-Ying claims that Lena and herself share part of their minds, but when Lena was born, she sprang from her and had been running away ever since. In the chapter, Ying-Ying reflects back on her life, her husbands and her children. Ying-Ying feels that Lena's father is a ghost and that is why she must give her daughter her own soul. Ying-Ying does this out of love for her daughter, which is evident by this quote. It shows that Ying-Ying cares more for her daughter than for herself. I think that Ying-Ying's love for her daughter is common to the love God has for all of us. He loves us so much that he gave his only son, Jesus Christ, so that all our sins may be forgiven. Similarly to Ying-Ying, God did this to save us from our sins.

Chapters 11&12- The Joy Luck Club

Quote- "And she's the only person I could have asked, to tell me about life's importance, to help me understand my grief." (197)

In chapter 12, Jing-Mei, or June, reflects back on a Chinese New Year dinner with her family and friends. Her mother had died three months ago and she remembers at the dinner that her mother had given her a pendant that was her mothers. Looking at the pendant now, she thinks about her life's importance and what it means. This quote displays how June feels about her mother's passing. She wonders about the meaning of her life now that her mother is gone. She wishes her mother was still around to help her cope with her grief and answer the questions she has about her life. This quote also shows the close bond June has made with her mother over the years and how important her mom is to her life. This quote also shows how June became dependent on her mother for understanding certain things in life. I can relate to how June feels in this quote. I also rely on my mom to help with problems and to teach me lessons about what is important in life. I can always count on my mom to be there when I need her the most. This is how June felt, but now that her mother is gone, she realizes how much her mother means to her.

Chapters 9&10- The Joy Luck Club

Literary term- adage: "She has a Chinese saying for what she knows. Chunwang chihan: If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold." (149)
metaphor: "In her hands, I always became the pawn. I could only run away. And she was the queen, able to move in all directions, relentless in her pursuit, always able to find my weakest spots." (180)
(comparing Waverly and her mother to chess pieces)

Quote- "I wasn't so much afraid of my mother as I was afraid for Rich. I already knew what she would do, how she would attack him, how she would criticize him." (173)

In chapter 10, Waverly tries to tell her mother that she is getting marries to a man named Rich. She knows that her mother would disapprove of him and be upset with Waverly for marrying him. This quote shows how Waverly felt about telling her mother of her marriage to Rich. She was concerned for Rich because she knew her mother would criticize him, and she did. At dinner, Waverly's mother criticized Rich's appearance, mannerisms, and behavior. Waverly knew her mother would do such things, that is why she wanted to protect Rich from her mother's disapproval. This quote also shows the distance in Waverly and her mother's relationship. It shows the fear Waverly has for her mother and their varying views of culture. Waverly's mother is very much consumed in the Chinese culture in all aspects of her life, while her daughter is accustomed to the American way of life. This theme of parental disapproval is also common in the movie "The Notebook". The two main characters, Allie and Noah, fall in love, but Allie's parents disapprove of Noah. Allie's mother criticizes Noah in many fashions, just as Waverly's mother did to Rich. Both Allie and Waverly try to convince their mothers that Noah and Rich are good men and to not judge them. 

Chapter 8- The Joy Luck Club

Literary term- dialect: " 'Who ask you be genius?' she shouted. 'Only ask you be your best. For you sake. You think I want you be genius? Hnnh! What for! Who ask you!' " (136)

Quote- "When my mother told me this, I felt as though I had been sent to hell. I whined and kicked my foot a little when I couldn't stand it anymore." (136)

Jing-Mei's mother was persistent about Jing-Mei becoming a prodigy. Her mother forced her to take piano lessons and learn to play. Jing-Mei did not want to take lessons or become a prodigy. This quote shows how Jing-Mei feels about taking piano lessons. While her mother just wanted Jing-Mei to be successful, she failed to consider Jing-Mei's feelings and forced her to do something she did not want. A similar situation occurs in the movie "Double Teamed". In the movie, two twin sisters move to a new school. One sister, Heather decides to play basketball, while the other sister, Heidi, gets involved in theatre. The girl's father forces Heidi to give up theatre and play basketball because it would be beneficial in receiving college scholarships. Heidi did not want to play but her father forced her, just as Jing-Mei's mother forced her to play the piano.

Chapter 7- The Joy Luck Club

Literary term- cliche: " 'Don't dig so hard. You'll bust a hole in the wall and fall all the way to China.' " (125)

Quote- "But somehow, when you lose something you love, faith takes over." (131)

In chapter 7,Rose Hsu watches her four year old brother, Bing, fall into the ocean. Rose was supposed to be watching Bing, but she couldn't react fast enough to Bing's fall. Rescue and search teams look for Bing all night, yet they cannot find him and call the search off. Rose and her mother return to the beach the next morning in hopes of finding Bing's body, but they leave without finding him. Rose blames herself for Bing's death because she let Bing walk along cove wall, where he fell. At the end of the chapter, Rose reflects on the death of her brother. This quote portrays Rose's faith and and understanding of the situation. It shows how Rose has grown spiritually and how she has learned not to blame herself for this accident. This quote can relate to my life as well. When my aunt passed away, I was devastated. Experiencing the loss of a loved one is tragic, but my faith really helped me get through it. My faith gave me strength to cope with my loss and better understand it, just as Rose's faith did for her. 

Chapter 6- The Joy Luck Club

Literary term- irony: "I was stunned. I could almost see them hugging and kissing one another. I was crying for joy with them, because I had been wrong." (115)

Quote- "And I knew that was not true. I knew my mother made up anything to warn me, to help avoid some unknown danger." (105)

Lena St. Clair's mother was very protective of her daughter. She often told her untrue stories to protect Lena from danger. She would tell Lena harsh consequences of certain actions, however, these were not true answers. Lena's mother had Lena's best interest in mind when she told her these stories. She was just trying to protect her daughter from danger. This quote shows that Lena's mother would say anything to warn Lena of any type of danger. This reminds me of something my father told me once when I was a young girl. He told me that if I swallowed my gum, my intestines would stick together. When he told me this, I was frightened and told him I would stop swallowing my gum. I now know that he made up that story to get me to stop swallowing gum. Although he made up the consequence of this act, he did it for my benefit, similar to what Lena's mother did.

Chapter 5- The Joy Luck Club

Literary term- dialogue: "As she wiped each piece with a soft cloth, she said, 'Next time win more, lose less.'
'Ma, it's not how pieces you lose,' I said. 'Sometimes you need to lose pieces to get ahead.' 
'Better to lose less, see if you really need.'" (97) conversation between Waverly Jong and her mother

Quote- "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."

Waverly Jong becomes a national chess champion at just the age of nine and is known as "the Great American Hope, a child prodigy and a girl to boot." This accomplishment brings her mother much joy and she starts to show Waverly Jong off in public. Whenever the two go to the market, Waverly Jong's mother tells whoever passes that Waverly is her daughter. Her mother is very proud, however Waverly is embarrassed by this and wishes she would stop telling everyone she is her daughter. This quote shows how proud Waverly's mother is of her and that she wants everyone to know she is her daughter. This quote and theme of pride in one's child reminds me of stickers on the back of cars I often see that read "My Child is on the Honor Roll" at whatever school it may be. It seems as though parents are flaunting their children's accomplishments for everyone else to see. In my opinion, I think these stickers are the opposite of humbling and boastful. While accomplishing good grades is something to be proud of, I don't see the need for that accomplishment to be fashioned on the back of a car. This example is similar to how Waverly's mother acts; she is proud and wants everyone to know that a national chess champion is her daughter.

Chapter 4- The Joy Luck Club

Literary term- invective: "And when she found nothing, after inspecting my ears and my nose and counting my fingers, she called me names, using words I had never heard before. But they sounded evil, the way she hurled and spat the words out. She yanked off my jacket, pulled off my pants. She said I smelled like 'something evil this' and I looked like 'something evil that.'" (77)

Quote- "All these years I kept my true nature hidden, running along like a small shadow so nobody could catch me. And because I moved so secretly now my daughter does not see me." (67)

Ying-Ying St. Clair tells us this quote at the beginning of the chapter before she explains how she lost herself. Ying-Ying tries to keep her feelings to herself, but in doing so, it makes it as though her daughter does not know her. Her daughter is now concerned with material items, and Ying-Ying has become very distant from her daughter. They have differing opinions on what it important, however, neither of them express these feelings which results in a distance in their relationship. This quote shows how Ying-Ying kept her feelings hidden and how she would hide from her problems.  The quote also expresses how her relationship with her daughter has severed because of this. This quote reminds me of something my mother once told me: "Keep your relationships with the ones you love open and honest, that way you will always know them." I believe what my mom is saying in this quote is not to forget the ones you love by forgetting who they are. One has to be honest about how they feel so there is no distance in the relationship, which can lead to people not even knowing each other anymore.

Chapter 3- The Joy Luck Club

Literary term- vernacular: "I remember them because one lady made watery 'shrrhh shrrhh' sounds. When I was older, I came to recognize this as a Peking accent, which sounds quite strange to Taiyuan people's ears." (50)

Quote- "I remember the day when I finally knew a genuine thought and could follow where it went. That was the day I was a young girl with my face under a red marriage scarf. I promised not to forget myself." (66)

In chapter three, Lindo Jong has an arranged marriage. Her parents had the matchmaker arrange who her husband was at just the age of two. Lindo Jong was sent to live with her future husband, Tyan-yu when she was twelve and married him at the age of sixteen. Tyan-yu's mother, Huang Taitai, was very controlling of her and was also very demanding. Lindo Jong was very unhappy in her current situation and contrived a plan to get out of her marriage. Once she is free form her marriage, she recalls that she can finally think for herself and make her own decisions. She acquired a sense of self after escaping her marriage. This quote is effective in portraying how Lindo Jong feels relieved that she can be free to think and act for herself. This theme of a sense of self and freedom is common to the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand. In this novel, the main character, Equality 7-2521 lives in a society where the government tries to control everyone and make it so every person was equal. In doing so, however, one had no sense of self, could not think his own thoughts, or even use the word "I".  At the end of  the novel, Equality develops an ego, or a sense of self, and realizes the importance of individuality, similar to Lindo Jong.

Chapter 2- The Joy Luck Club

Literary term- simile: "Auntie had a tongue like hungry scissors eating silk cloth." (44)


Quote- "As she rubbed this spot, I became very still. It was though she was rubbing the memory back into my skin." (46)

When An-mei was a young girl, she lived with her aunt, uncle, grandmother, and brother at her aunt and uncle's family home  in Ningpo.  Her mother left to be the concubine of a man named Wu-Tsing, consequently, An-Mei had lost all memory of her mother. When An-Mei was four, her mother arrived at An-Mei's aunt's home and begged to get An-Mei back. During her stay, a boiling pot of soup fell and spilled on An-Mei's neck, causing it to scar. An-Mei's grandmother and aunt chased her mother away after this incident. Her mother returned five years later because An-Mei's grandmother, Popo, had fallen deathly ill. While brushing her hair, An-Mei's mother began to rub the scar on An-Mei's neck. This causes all of An-Mei's memories of her mother to come back to her and she remembers that her mother had come back for her years before. From this night forward, An-Mei loves her mother once again. This quote sets up the relationship between An-Mei and her mother for the rest of the story. A movie that relates to this theme of memory is "The Notebook". Throughout the movie, Noah reads a story to his wife Allie, who is suffering from Alzheimer's. Allie doesn't know that the man reading her the story is her husband or that the story is actually her life. At the end of the movie Allie remembers that Noah is her husband and the story he tells her is of their life together. She recalls this memory after Noah finishes the story and they spend the night together. Both An-Mei and Allie recall memories from their past after the ones that they love spend time with them.

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.  ~ The Wonder Years

Chapter One- The Joy Luck Club

Literary Term- flashback: "I remember my mother telling me about the Hsu's trip to China three years ago." (35) 


Quote- "So we decided to hold parties and pretend each week had become the new year. Each week we could forget past wrongs done to us. We weren't allowed to think a bad thought. We feasted, we laughed, we played games, lost and won, we told the best stories. And each week, we could hope to be lucky. That hope was our only joy. And that's how we came to call our little parties Joy Luck." (25) 
Jing-mei, the main character, is the daughter of a Chinese immigrant to San Francisco. Her mother and three other women began the Joy Luck Club. In a time of oppression and warfare between China and Japan, these women met to bring feelings of hope and joy into a dark, painful period in their society. This quote effectively explains what the Joy Luck Club entailed and it's purpose. A similar situation in American history is relatable to this quote. Many Africans were enslaved in the American colonies throughout the eighteenth century. While these slaves were treated brutally and faced oppression and adversity, they found joy and hope through their cultural roots. They used music, dance, religion, and oral tradition to illustrate the resilience of the human spirit under bondage. They threw celebrations in slave quarters with song and dance. These parties and their strong  sense of community allowed them to experience hope and joy even under bondage. 

This eighteenth-century painting depicts a celebration in the slave quarters on a South Carolina plantation