An Mei Analysis Essay

In this passage, An-mei reflects on the importance of family. An-mei’s mother cuts out a piece of her forearm in an attempt to cure Popo, even though Popo had previously kicked her out of the house. Watching this, An-mei realizes that no matter what Popo has done in the past, the mother owes her life to Popo, since her “skin”, her very being, contains the blood of her ancestors. The sacrifice of flesh, then, is a “pain [she] must forget”, because the pain of losing Popo would be far worse. As such, once An-mei sees her mother sacrifice so much for Popo, she learns the importance of loving one’s family. This impact of this message is strengthened by the passage’s diction. An-mei begins by saying the honor between mother and daughter is “shou so deep it is in your bones”. The word shou, or respect for family, first appears when the auntie slaps An-mei’s little brother for lacking shou. In that context, the word is used to scold, and therefore has a negative connotation. Later, however, after watching her mother injure herself for Popo, An-mei feels a powerful respect for her, which she describes as the shou in her “bones.” In this …show more content…
The last sentence is made of three fragments in which the word “no” repeats three times. Commonly used in storybooks, the repetition of three parallel phrases creates a singsong rhythm that creates a sense of satisfaction or closure. With this in mind, repetition in this passage creates a sense of closure that indicates how An-mei has accepted the necessity of respecting her family. The satisfactory ending suggests that An-mei is also satisfied with her discovery. The short length of the three phrases furthers the sense of closure, since short phrases are often used to create a rhythm that suggests an ending is near. In that way, sentence structure highlights An-mei’s satisfaction and shows how An-mei has learned to “remember what is in [her]