Quote #1:
To make my waking life American-normal, I turn on the lights before anything untoward makes an appearance. I push the deformed into my dreams, which are in Chinese, the language of impossible stories. Before we can leave our parents, they stuff our heads like the suitcases which they jam-pack with homemade underwear.
~Maxine, page 87
This quote shows the fear Maxine has because of her mother’s stories. I think it also shows how hard it is to mix Chinese culture in with American culture. Since I am half Chinese I see how different the cultures are, especially with a friend that basically is a Chinese American. He does bring a lot of who he is and where he is from into his personality but he also does show some typical American qualities.
My personal connection to this is how my friend is a Chinese American and although I do not fully know what it is like to him or to her in this case. I do see what impact it has to be raised in a country completely different from your home country.
Question #1:
Do you think that your home country is so different? Why or Why not?
Quote #2:
She sends me on my way, working always and now old, dreaming the dreams about shrinking babies and the sky covered with airplanes and a Chinatown bigger than the ones here.
~Maxine, page 109
For me this was just one of the quotes that kind of stick with you. It also made me think. I also was supposed to stop a couple pages ago (I read a bit too far ahead >.<) because it was getting into the really good part of the book and this quote was letting me put it down. Not because it was a bad quote but one of those ones where you sit for a moment thinking about it.
My connection to this is that I know what she is talking about when she says that. And that might sound a bit general but it’s not really once you think about it. It takes awhile to finally understand at what point she is trying to make by writing this quote and what she is talking about.
When the author writes “working always and now old” what do you personally think she means by that?
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2 comments:
Quote 1:
I totally agree with your reasons for selecting this quote. I think that keeping her culture and traditions alive in the U.S is really challenging thing to do especially when you are living in a foreign country. I know that it is difficult keeping your culture alive in a country that does not cherish or have the same beliefs as your culture may have, but it is especially difficult for Maxine just because she is in the 60's; a time period when segregation and discrimination was still a huge issue that America had to deal with.
Question 1:
I think that my home country is different for sure. China is filled with so many different cultures, traditions, and languages. I know China is different than America because people there work to live where here in America, we live to work.
(I have to comment on the 2nd one later tonight)
Quote 2:
I agree with you Esteban. I think that Maxine is trying to say that her mom did everything she could, working as hard has she could, and when sending Maxine to visit her home country, memories floaded her mind as to what she remembers from China. She remebered the airplanes covering the sky and shriking babies because she trained to be a midwife. But also, she dreamed about her daughter being able to visit her country which as Aiaa described it, a Chinatown bigger than here. I loved that part because it tells us that Maxine will get to step out and experience her own culture away from Chinatown in New York.
Question 2:
I think that she means that as succesful as she was, she is old now and all she can do is make sure her children understand their culture and history and never lose it.
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