Poem Analysis: Lost Sister By Cathy Song

The poem “Lost Sister,” by Cathy Song examines the zone and dilemma of a woman being lost between two cultures. The poem demonstrates how the author feels psychologically lost. This poem is about a Chinese woman who is facing the difficult reality of being a Chinese immigrant. In the poem “Lost Sister,” Cathy Song explores the lives of two generations of Chinese women, and how they are linked by culture through the use of theme, tone, and comparison. “Lost Sister,” has major themes that examine one’s identity, a sense of belonging, and rebellion as it relates to freedom. People are often caught between two cultures, and their self-identity is altered. In the first part of the poem, Song discusses the limitations of the women peasants in …show more content…
One sister remains in China, and the other one immigrates to America. The tone in this poem is questioning, sad, and emotional. The speaker addresses the limits imposed on her as a woman, while acknowledging that the freedom makes her feel disconnected from her own identity. Song does this to explore the conflict between tradition and independence. She also does this, so the readers can see ways culture binds and confines people, yet connects people to a sense of security and identity. One sister in this poem suffers liberal limitations placed on females, such as the practice with the foot biding, and the women roles of being restrained to the household. Song implies that by stating, “they gathered patience, learning to walk in shoes the size of teacups, without breaking the arc of their movements/ but traveled far in surviving” (Lines 15-23). The other sister escapes these limitations as she migrates to United States because women have more freedom. However, this causes the sister to experience a different set of identity issues. Song uses tone to describe how navigating through a foreign world and its cultural barriers can cause a burden on self through