Chinese mythology

Tina Lifford once said, “When you know yourself you are empowered. When you accept yourself you are invincible.” In the novel American Born Chinese, Jin Wang is a young Chinese-American boy who is taking on the arduous task of accepting his identity. He is unable to decide how he should present himself to others. The preservation of his culture and heritage is fresh in his mind but he would also like to become the perfect American boy. The author, Gene Luen Yang had a tough childhood in which he…

traditional Chinese beliefs. The daughters, however, were all born in America or moved to America a young age, so their lives outside of the home were American. The source of conflicts in the book is mostly that the mothers are more traditionally Chinese and the daughters are more Americanized. The root of these problems can be traced back to the concept of happiness. “[The Fu-Jen Catholic University has] shown that distinct characteristics of the conception of happiness are prevalent in Chinese…

Lost Names by Richard Kim Richard Kim’s short story “Lost Names”, is a historical fiction piece taking place in 1940, in the midst of Japan’s imperial occupation of Korea during World War II. The story follows a young boy’s daily routine, until he is interrupted to undergo an infamous ritual imposed upon colonized Koreans by the Japanese—the replacement of their native names with Japanese names. The boy is trying to understand the bleakness of his surroundings and avoid the pain of being…

Amber Tarka Summary In Encouraging Learning by Hsun Tzu, the argument Tzu provides is based on the very strict Confucius order. Confucius educated individuals to follow a given set of rules and not to venture away from the rules. Tzu’s main argument is to never discontinue your education, with education you can achieve the maximum form of yourself. He also stressed the importance of the people you surround yourself with. He says that people around you have a great influence on your…

the late 1850’s, some Americans felt threatened by the increasing amount of Chinese immigrants joining the American Labour Force. In order to make-up their troubled feelings towards Chinese immigrants, California passed The Anti-Coolie Act in 1862 which was $2.50 Police Tax charged to a Chinese immigrant in order to work or carry out business. In short, the Anti-Coolie Act was an attempt to lessen the immigration of Chinese people by demoralizing them through means of low economical income in…

of Cannery Row could said to be all these. Many of Lee Chong’s actions are described as "Oriental" or "Chinese," like when he forgives Mac "all in an Oriental moment" or when he reacts to Horace’s death in “a calm and eternal Chinese sorrow (16)” (Kawaii, 110). Whether Steinbeck purposefully wrote a character that was very stereotypically 20th century American-Chinese or simply used the Chinese Americans he saw in Ocean View Avenue for inspiration is unknown. Clearly, however, his description…

Lao-tzu, an author, once stated, “This is what life is made of: Fire Earth Metal Wood & Water.” Fan Shen wrote a book called Gang of One: Memoirs of a Red Guard. In the memoir, he described his life as he grew up in Communist China. The book covers the five stages of Fan Shen’s life which correspond with the quotation by Lao-tzu. Fan Shen’s life consisted of constant battles with the Communist Party. This however, allowed for Fan Shen to get the most out of his extraordinary life. Fan Shen…

The story, “Ties that Bind, Ties that Break” is about a young girl, Ailin Tao, that grows up in a society where women need to get their feet bound in order to impress men and get married. This story is told as a flashback when she was young. As she grows up, a revolution is also going on. She lives with her family, the Tao Family, in Nanjing, China. China was first an Empire. After the revolution in 1912, it became a republic. Ailin obviously has to get her feet bound as she becomes older.…

To the Navajo people, hozho is the idea of remaining in balance with the entire cosmos. It is more than just a word to traditional Navajo people. They strive to maintain their inherent bond with nature in everything they do. It is seen in their ceremonies and gatherings, but also in every aspect of their day to day life. It can be seen in their work, harvesting methods, and eating habits. The idea of hozho is the foundation of what might be thought of as religion in Navajo culture. However…

For the first time reading Trying to Find Chinatown by David Henry Hwang in 1996 which tells the story of two very contrasting culture perspectives of the Caucasian man Benjamin and the Chinese man Ronnie. The first time reading this, I was a bit taken off how rude Ronnie is at Benjamin and how unnatural the characters talk. As I read further and analyzed it, the brash arguments that Ronnie and Benjamin have are meant to be very exuberant and “in your face” about a culture that is not too often…