Lost Sister 'Quiz'

In class today, there were questions about a poem called 'Lost Sister' that we had to answer. Mr. Watson told us that it was like a 'quiz' and we had to do it in a time limit of about fifteen minimum minutes. The first question asked something like, "What was the quote that appealed to you the most?" The second question asked something like, "How does the poem relate to our 'selves'?"


1) The quote that I thought was the most significant in the poem 'Lost Sister' was at the beginning of the poem where the girl, who's narrarating the poem, name is described.

"Jade --
the stone that in the far fields
could moisten the dry season,
could make men move mountains
for the healing green of the inner hills
glistening like slices of winter melon."

Before this part of the poem comes up, the girl introduces where she comes from, China,and how common her name is in this country. This quote had an impact on me because I am given an image of the color that the name is and the taste when hearing the name. Although it is not a long description there is a lot of feeling in each phrase making the name become alive.

2) This poem gives a history and a sense of what a Chinese women's life is like - how they are treated and what their responsibilities are in the Chinese community. Although the poem is about one girl, Jade, it is talking about many Chinese women that live a similar life to her. By living under the same influence the minds of these women would work in similar ways because they would've grown up learning the same values and techniques. This shows how culture has a big impact on how a person might become and the personality they might have in the future.