Everyday people go about using different types of things for their own personal needs. But do we ever think about how our actions are affecting Earth? On Friday, April 19 my school held a small 'fair' where the purpose was to create awareness of the resources that we use everyday and how we can reduce the amount of something we use, Etc to help our planet in some way. Around the entire 'fair' there were plenty posters that had different "Did you know?" facts stating how much of 'something' we use everyday and how doing 'something' about it can help the environment. Some of these were...
Save 40 liters of water by taking a shower
By recycling 1 aluminum can it's enough to run a T.V. for 3 hours
A ton of recycled paper equals 17 trees in paper produced
More than 1/3 of ALL energy is used at HOME
(Found at the Hawaiian Water Plant Station: Random Fact:
Purple is the color of non-drinkable water whereas the color Blue is drinkable (normally) Although not always true, it's believed to be true most of the time.)
These are only a few of them, there had been plenty more around the fair, but these are a few that I found the MOST interesting. Not only were there posters, but there had been sections, each with a table and posterboard explaining different aspects of the Earth and what damage we're causing (as humans) and what we can do to prevent different 'disasters'. One station that I went to explained fuel cells and their purposes. Apparently, fuel cells can be used instead of gasoline and are a better way of receiving power because it saves up energy. Fuel cells can be used with laptops and other electronics through satellites that give off solar energy.
Another station that I went to described my school campus and what the members of my school's staff are trying to do to make our campus a better place. In our school we have a Lily Pond with fish, turtles, and other thriving life. That water has been used to water our fields and such therefore conserving some water that would've been used on that grass. Also, the water doesn't evaporate any more which saves our planet even more water. Since the Lily Pond water contains nutrients as well, it also makes the grass happier and healthier. On my school campus, there are golf carts that drive by, carrying boxes and other items from one places to another. We have these golf carts because our campus is very large and it's very hard to transport things and even people from one place to another within a short period of time. Previously these golf carts had been running on gasoline, but now 85% of them run on electricity and that saves a lot of energy. Like the water, it's not only beneficial because of the conserving part, but also because it makes the air a lot cleaner for the students. The last one that I'm going to mention about how our school is trying to help the Earth is our biodegradable forks, spoons, and knives. These utensils had previously been plastic until early this year when we switched to starch based utensils. They aren't costly at all, so it's not only helping the environment but it saves some for the school to use for other environmental or educational purposes to make the atmosphere a better place for the students. Unlike regular forks, spoons, and knives, these biodegradable utensils are well, biodegradable and decompose faster than the plastic ones.
On the topic of decomposing there had been a timeline that showed how long it takes for different objects to decompose. Here is a list of things that I wrote down from that timeline:
4 yrs - Paper
25 yrs - Magazines
40 yrs - Cigarettes
120 yrs - Plastic (Bottles, Etc.)
200 yrs - Aluminum (Cans, Etc.)
300 yrs - Plastic bags
500 yrs - Styrofoam
Forever - Glass
One of the most impressive stations of all the stations was the one where a bunch of 5th grades (50 kids) had collected 1,800 bottles from the ground where they found them all over campus, Etc. and got $90 dollars for them. With this money they found a Adopt-A-Tiger Foundation where they could adopt the endangered species of Sumatran Tigers. With just $90 dollars they adopted three Sumatran tigers named Djelita, Berani, and Chrissie. The money was/is used to help these tigers and trying to help bring up their small population of 400-500 to higher numbers. When I found out about the amount of these tigers left in the world I was taken aback because I would've never even known about this before going to this station. I found it very heart warming to see that these 5th graders decided to do something for these Tigers at such a young age and already had an idea of trying to help out our Earth.
The most interesting, but a little on the repulsive side, station that I visited was the Worm Station. At this station the people explained that a specific type of worm, the Indian Blue Worms, help to decompose rubbish by eating the rubbish and pooping and peeing out a rich soil where people can use this to grow plants in. These worms are photophobic or creatures that hide from the light, so they only live in dark places. The only eat organic foods, so no meats or dairy, but some of the foods they eat include magazines, cardboard, dryer lint, junk mail, kleenex, napkins, vacuum dust, and wrapping paper. These worms really are helpful to the environment and are probably the only creepy crawlies that I will ever accept having on Earth. To give an example on how they work beneath the posterboard was a huge black trash bin where there were different types of rubbish thrown in together and worms crawling around inside making the rubbish into rich soil. I could see some of the soil as well for these worms had been there for awhile. It was amazing what work these worms could do and I was really impressed with what I saw.
At the end of the entire Sustainability Fair I went to the end where there had been a 'WORM GAME' where a person would pick a drawn, colored, and paper cut worm with a question on it from a huge box of sand. On the worm was a question, a question for the person who had received it to answer. They gave the people a chance to walk around to find the answer if they didn't know it already which I found very kind because it gave each person a chance to learn something new. When you got the answer correct they gave you a coffee cup, which held a slip of paper explaining that by using that cup we could save the hundreds of cups we use every day on campus. Instead of using these cups everyday we could use these coffee mugs and ask the snack bar ladies to fill them up with soda with a charge of only 50 cents. I found this a really creative and smart way for my school to try and help the environment and I think that it could make an impact on the amount of cups we use.
The entire Sustainability Fair was breathtaking. It really was marvelous and I had a lot of fun walking around and learning all these new things. I was surprised at most of the stuff that I learned, but happy at the same time. After going to the fair I couldn't help but smile because I was so glad that my school was trying so hard to make Earth a better place. I'm glad that my school had been taking part of helping the environment and really trying to do all these different things. Nothing comes without effort, and effort is what my school is willing to give.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Quotes from A Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe
This is the last WW post I am making which consists of important quotes. A Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe was the final chapter in Woman Warrior, it summarized many elements, themes, Etc expressed within the entire book and set a good closure for this novel.
"I made other children open their mouths so I could compare theirs to mine. I saw perfect pink membranes stretchinginto precise edges that looked easy enough to cut. Sometimes I felt very proud that my mother committed such a powerful act upon me. At other times I was terrified - the first thing my mother did when she saw me was to cut my tongue." (pg. 164)
This quote reflected the side of Maxine Hong that tried so hard to embrace what she had. Even if it was odd to have a 'cut tongue' she wanted to compare it to others and show them how different she is. I also considered the fact that her tongue being cut by her mother had just been a simple metaphor which described herself and the person that she had become. Her mother had been trying so hard to hurt her in every way that she'd leave cuts in Maxine's heart and mind. It would damage herself, but she'd always try to stand back and stand up for herself, but this would only be on and off. It wouldn't be a continuous feeling, but when feeling strong and confident she'd show her feelings off, when the feelings were opposite she'd shy herself away from others, ashamed of what she was.
"A dumbness - a shame - still cracks my voice in two, even when I want to say "hello" casually, or ask an easy question in front of the check-out counter, or ask directions of a bus driver...A telephone call makes my throat bleed and takes up that day's courage." (pg. 165)
The difficulties that Maxine had to face with her cut tongue were infinite. It was another example of how the lack of communication made her have a hard life where she suffered to speak, just too ashamed because of her own voice. She knew what it sounded like and she didn't like it. In order not to deal with the comments and snickers she expected because of what she sounded like, she decided that it was better to keep her mouth shut as much as she could. Connecting to the idea of how the 'cut tongue' might just be a metaphor, maybe Maxine Hong is just ashamed of herself and doesn't want to reveal herself and who she is to others because she doesn't want to come face to face with the comments (which she expects are bad) that others might give her.
"I liked the Negro students (Black Ghosts) best because they laughed the loudest and talked to me as if I were a darling talker too...Some Negro kids walked me to school and home, protecting me from the Japanese kids, who hit me and chased me and stuck gum in my ears. The Japanese kids were noisy and tough." (pg. 166)
The concept of 'ghosts' reoccurs in this part of the book, but this time the ghosts are good. It builds up the idea that everything in someone's life is a type of ghost, whether it's good or bad, the ghosts are just everywhere. In this case the ghosts protected Maxine Hong and tried to help her out while fending off those that were hurting her. In this case, ghosts were the angels that watched over Maxine and wanted her to feel accepted. They didn't want to cause any harm and had no intention of harming her at all.
"When it was my turn, the same voice came out, a crippled animal running on broken legs, You could hear splinters in my voice, bones rubbing jagged against one another. I was loud, though. I was glad I didn't whisper." (pg. 169)
Another quote that described the unpleasant sound of Maxine Hong's voice. The difference is that this quote says that Maxine Hong tries to be loud and speak out instead of shying away from others. Maybe only when she was required to speak did she talk and when she did talk she tried her best to be loud and outspoken which might have taken away the attention from her weird voice. I thought this quote also showed how Maxine Hong was trying to fight the pain her mom had caused her and trying to cope with everything she had because she knew that there was no way to get rid of it and she had to live with what she had. Maxine had decided to embrace her voice and present it to the world trying not to be ashamed and trying to be confident in herself, for herself.
"You can't entrust your voice to the Chinese, either; they want to capture your voice for their own use. They want to fix up your tongue to speak for them." (pg. 169)
This quote goes back to the idea of looking deep into the Chinese culture that had mentioned quite a bit in the other chapters as well. It is saying that you can NEVER trust the Chinese with your own voice, which I found kind of ironic because Maxine didn't trust her voice with her mom. Her mother had been the one that had cut her tongue so that she would never be tongue-tied, which was a very weird perspective on cutting the tongue. Maxine Hong had never chose to get her tongue cut, but because her tongue had been cut she had restrained from talking therefore making it easier for the mom to do all the speaking. The last sentence of the quote gives deeper questions and thoughts to the readers because the mom had 'fixed' Maxine Hong's tongue to make her able to speak faster without hesitation. Even if the mom had wanted this and tried to make it happen, it hadn't happened, it had only made the situation worse. Maybe this is the reason for this quote in the book, because Maxine doesn't trust anyone, especially her mom and even herself.
"And the Chinese can't hear Americans at all; the language is too soft and western music unhearable...Normal Chinese women's voices are strong and bossy. We American-Chinese girls had to whisper to make ourselves American-feminine." (pg. 172)
Another quote that goes deep into cultures, but this one is more of a comparison. I like the expression 'American-feminine' used in this quote because it's just a funny way of saying these things. It's saying that each nationality had their own way of expressing their feelings, and for America it seems to be that 'quiet' is the best solution where in China being 'loud' is the only option. I think the reason for this is because America is such a free country where everyone's voice really is heard because everyone has their own rights living in America (it was given to them because they are citizens of America). Whereas in China there was so much poverty, still exists today, where not everybody is heard and you have to fight in order for others to listen to you, and that's why you have to be loud. If you're quiet like the Americans then no one will want to listen to your voice, they probably wouldn't be able to hear it anyway.
"I had fragility...I hated her weak neck, the way it did not support her head but let it droop; her head would fall backward...I wanted a stout neck. I grew my hair long to hide it in case it was a flower-stem neck. I walked around to the front of her to hate her face some more...Her skin was fleshy, like squid out of which the glassy blades of bones had been pulled. I wanted tough skin, hard brown skin. I had callused my hands; I had scratched dirt to blacken the nails, which I cut straight across to make stubby fingers....She was so neat. Her neatness bothered me. I hated the way she folded the wax paper from her lunch; she did not wad her brown paper bag and her school papers. I hated her clothes - the blue pastel cardigan, the white blouse with the collar that lay flat over the cardigan, the homemade flat, cotton skirt she wore when everybody else was wearing flared skirts. I hated pastels; I would wear black always...She wiped her eyes with her papery fingers...The skin on her hands and arms seemed powdery-dry, like tracing paper, onion skin. I hated her fingers. I could snap them like breadsticks." (pg. 176-177)
The constant use of 'hate' was a very strong element within these different sentences that I captured in this sequence. Apparently Maxine was trying to toughen up this fragile girl who she had known for quite awhile and began comparing this girl to herself. It seems as if Maxine can't stop the comparing obsession because she has a fascination with learning about others as well as herself. This quote reflected Maxine's angry and tough side, the side she inherited from her mother - being a strong, confident women and having every aspect of your body showing that off.
"They were all funny-looking FOB's, Fresh-off-the-Boat's, as the Chinese-American kids at school called the young immigrants. FOB's wear high-riding gray slacks and white shirts with the sleeves rolled up." (pg. 193-194)
I found this quote very interesting because of the use of FOB, which is actually a commonly used term today. It's funny how this book, not published too long ago, talks about this older time period where the word FOB had originated. It just gave a little history on the vocabulary and explaining a little about how it began.
"My telling list was scrambled out of order...But they kept pouring out anyway in the voice like Chinese opera. I could hear the drums and the cymbals and the gongs and brass horns." (pg. 203)
Maxine Hong finally breaks her shell and speaks her heart out telling her mom her true feelings about her and everything, every event that had occured in her life. When she did this, magic happens and Maxine Hong's voice becomes this beautiful orchestra where there are drums, cymbals, gongs, and brass horns. I think that her voice had just been a mirror image of her brain and because she had been thinking bad thoughts about herself her voice was a mess, sounding horrible and unpleasant. When Maxine finally tries to look on the positive side of things and faces the one enemy she had been battling all along, her mother, her brain opens up and sends signals to Maxine Hong's vocal cords that she has finally done was she should've done from the beginning - stand up for herself.
"That's what we're supposed to say. That 's what Chinese say. We like to say the opposite." (pg. 203)
Although Maxine Hong speaks out her mind Maxine's mother remains as the stubborn and ignorant lady she had always been. She tells Maxine these things that still made Maxine a little sad, but she doesn't react as she would've before. Maxine learns the truth that had been there all along (as well as her confidence), which was that her mom always said bad things about her just to build up her mental strength. Not realizing that this might've been true from the beginning Maxine just told herself that there was something wrong with her and that's why her mom didn't like her, but in fact Maxine Hong's mom really did care about Maxine and her future and only thought that by doing the things she did would make Maxine the strong character she had finally become. Maxine's mom didn't want her daughter to be weak and fragile, but strong and able to speak up for herself and maybe, just maybe Maxine's mom had actually been waiting for that day when Maxine talks to her like that. She might've acted like she didn't care, but deep down she must've been so proud of her daughter for finally finding herself.
"Her is a story my mother told me, not when I was young, but recently, when I told her I also talk story. The beginning is hers, the ending, mine." (pg. 206)
A quote which reflects mother and daughter connection. "The beginning is hers" to me showed that Maxine's mom may have started her life - cutting her frenum (in the tongue), telling her to do this and that, telling her stories, showing her how to be strong, and so much more. But "the ending, mine" Maxine had created her own ending by talking to her mom and telling her how she really felt and how angry she had been with her mother over the years. Maxine finally found who she was and her own inner strength which had been hiding all along.
"During her twelve-year stay with the barbarians, she had two children. Her children did not speak Chinese. She spoke it to them when their father was out of the tent, but they imitated her with senseless singsong words and laughed. The barbarians were primitives. They gathered inedible reeds when they camped along rivers and dried them in the sun....Then, out of Ts'ai Yen's tent, which was apart from the others, the barbarians heard a woman's voice singing, as if to her babies, a song so high and clear, it matched the flutes. Ts'ai Yen sang about China and her family there. Her words seemed to be Chinese, but the barbarians understood their sadness and anger...Her children did not laugh, but eventually sang along when she left her tent to sit by the winter campfires, ringed by barbarians...She brought her songs back from the savage lands, and one of the three that has been passed down to us is "Eighteen Stanzas for a Barbarian Reed Pipe," a song that Chinese sing to their own instruments." (pg. 208-209)
This woman Ts'ai Yen reminded me a little of Maxine Hong herself, because even though the situations are different the actual aspect of both life stories are the same. Maxine had been controlled by her mom most of her life but she found herself after using her voice and standing up for who she was. Ts'ai Yen had been taken away by this barbarian man and had had two children with him who didn't even respect her own culture. But she found herself through her own voice as well, but in song, (like Maxine's orchestra of a voice) and it also connected to the barbarians around her and her children finally found a way to respect their own mother. The importance of both stories is great because they both express that the only way to be who you truly are is finding yourself and expressing that in any way possible with your voice and your actions.
"I made other children open their mouths so I could compare theirs to mine. I saw perfect pink membranes stretchinginto precise edges that looked easy enough to cut. Sometimes I felt very proud that my mother committed such a powerful act upon me. At other times I was terrified - the first thing my mother did when she saw me was to cut my tongue." (pg. 164)
This quote reflected the side of Maxine Hong that tried so hard to embrace what she had. Even if it was odd to have a 'cut tongue' she wanted to compare it to others and show them how different she is. I also considered the fact that her tongue being cut by her mother had just been a simple metaphor which described herself and the person that she had become. Her mother had been trying so hard to hurt her in every way that she'd leave cuts in Maxine's heart and mind. It would damage herself, but she'd always try to stand back and stand up for herself, but this would only be on and off. It wouldn't be a continuous feeling, but when feeling strong and confident she'd show her feelings off, when the feelings were opposite she'd shy herself away from others, ashamed of what she was.
"A dumbness - a shame - still cracks my voice in two, even when I want to say "hello" casually, or ask an easy question in front of the check-out counter, or ask directions of a bus driver...A telephone call makes my throat bleed and takes up that day's courage." (pg. 165)
The difficulties that Maxine had to face with her cut tongue were infinite. It was another example of how the lack of communication made her have a hard life where she suffered to speak, just too ashamed because of her own voice. She knew what it sounded like and she didn't like it. In order not to deal with the comments and snickers she expected because of what she sounded like, she decided that it was better to keep her mouth shut as much as she could. Connecting to the idea of how the 'cut tongue' might just be a metaphor, maybe Maxine Hong is just ashamed of herself and doesn't want to reveal herself and who she is to others because she doesn't want to come face to face with the comments (which she expects are bad) that others might give her.
"I liked the Negro students (Black Ghosts) best because they laughed the loudest and talked to me as if I were a darling talker too...Some Negro kids walked me to school and home, protecting me from the Japanese kids, who hit me and chased me and stuck gum in my ears. The Japanese kids were noisy and tough." (pg. 166)
The concept of 'ghosts' reoccurs in this part of the book, but this time the ghosts are good. It builds up the idea that everything in someone's life is a type of ghost, whether it's good or bad, the ghosts are just everywhere. In this case the ghosts protected Maxine Hong and tried to help her out while fending off those that were hurting her. In this case, ghosts were the angels that watched over Maxine and wanted her to feel accepted. They didn't want to cause any harm and had no intention of harming her at all.
"When it was my turn, the same voice came out, a crippled animal running on broken legs, You could hear splinters in my voice, bones rubbing jagged against one another. I was loud, though. I was glad I didn't whisper." (pg. 169)
Another quote that described the unpleasant sound of Maxine Hong's voice. The difference is that this quote says that Maxine Hong tries to be loud and speak out instead of shying away from others. Maybe only when she was required to speak did she talk and when she did talk she tried her best to be loud and outspoken which might have taken away the attention from her weird voice. I thought this quote also showed how Maxine Hong was trying to fight the pain her mom had caused her and trying to cope with everything she had because she knew that there was no way to get rid of it and she had to live with what she had. Maxine had decided to embrace her voice and present it to the world trying not to be ashamed and trying to be confident in herself, for herself.
"You can't entrust your voice to the Chinese, either; they want to capture your voice for their own use. They want to fix up your tongue to speak for them." (pg. 169)
This quote goes back to the idea of looking deep into the Chinese culture that had mentioned quite a bit in the other chapters as well. It is saying that you can NEVER trust the Chinese with your own voice, which I found kind of ironic because Maxine didn't trust her voice with her mom. Her mother had been the one that had cut her tongue so that she would never be tongue-tied, which was a very weird perspective on cutting the tongue. Maxine Hong had never chose to get her tongue cut, but because her tongue had been cut she had restrained from talking therefore making it easier for the mom to do all the speaking. The last sentence of the quote gives deeper questions and thoughts to the readers because the mom had 'fixed' Maxine Hong's tongue to make her able to speak faster without hesitation. Even if the mom had wanted this and tried to make it happen, it hadn't happened, it had only made the situation worse. Maybe this is the reason for this quote in the book, because Maxine doesn't trust anyone, especially her mom and even herself.
"And the Chinese can't hear Americans at all; the language is too soft and western music unhearable...Normal Chinese women's voices are strong and bossy. We American-Chinese girls had to whisper to make ourselves American-feminine." (pg. 172)
Another quote that goes deep into cultures, but this one is more of a comparison. I like the expression 'American-feminine' used in this quote because it's just a funny way of saying these things. It's saying that each nationality had their own way of expressing their feelings, and for America it seems to be that 'quiet' is the best solution where in China being 'loud' is the only option. I think the reason for this is because America is such a free country where everyone's voice really is heard because everyone has their own rights living in America (it was given to them because they are citizens of America). Whereas in China there was so much poverty, still exists today, where not everybody is heard and you have to fight in order for others to listen to you, and that's why you have to be loud. If you're quiet like the Americans then no one will want to listen to your voice, they probably wouldn't be able to hear it anyway.
"I had fragility...I hated her weak neck, the way it did not support her head but let it droop; her head would fall backward...I wanted a stout neck. I grew my hair long to hide it in case it was a flower-stem neck. I walked around to the front of her to hate her face some more...Her skin was fleshy, like squid out of which the glassy blades of bones had been pulled. I wanted tough skin, hard brown skin. I had callused my hands; I had scratched dirt to blacken the nails, which I cut straight across to make stubby fingers....She was so neat. Her neatness bothered me. I hated the way she folded the wax paper from her lunch; she did not wad her brown paper bag and her school papers. I hated her clothes - the blue pastel cardigan, the white blouse with the collar that lay flat over the cardigan, the homemade flat, cotton skirt she wore when everybody else was wearing flared skirts. I hated pastels; I would wear black always...She wiped her eyes with her papery fingers...The skin on her hands and arms seemed powdery-dry, like tracing paper, onion skin. I hated her fingers. I could snap them like breadsticks." (pg. 176-177)
The constant use of 'hate' was a very strong element within these different sentences that I captured in this sequence. Apparently Maxine was trying to toughen up this fragile girl who she had known for quite awhile and began comparing this girl to herself. It seems as if Maxine can't stop the comparing obsession because she has a fascination with learning about others as well as herself. This quote reflected Maxine's angry and tough side, the side she inherited from her mother - being a strong, confident women and having every aspect of your body showing that off.
"They were all funny-looking FOB's, Fresh-off-the-Boat's, as the Chinese-American kids at school called the young immigrants. FOB's wear high-riding gray slacks and white shirts with the sleeves rolled up." (pg. 193-194)
I found this quote very interesting because of the use of FOB, which is actually a commonly used term today. It's funny how this book, not published too long ago, talks about this older time period where the word FOB had originated. It just gave a little history on the vocabulary and explaining a little about how it began.
"My telling list was scrambled out of order...But they kept pouring out anyway in the voice like Chinese opera. I could hear the drums and the cymbals and the gongs and brass horns." (pg. 203)
Maxine Hong finally breaks her shell and speaks her heart out telling her mom her true feelings about her and everything, every event that had occured in her life. When she did this, magic happens and Maxine Hong's voice becomes this beautiful orchestra where there are drums, cymbals, gongs, and brass horns. I think that her voice had just been a mirror image of her brain and because she had been thinking bad thoughts about herself her voice was a mess, sounding horrible and unpleasant. When Maxine finally tries to look on the positive side of things and faces the one enemy she had been battling all along, her mother, her brain opens up and sends signals to Maxine Hong's vocal cords that she has finally done was she should've done from the beginning - stand up for herself.
"That's what we're supposed to say. That 's what Chinese say. We like to say the opposite." (pg. 203)
Although Maxine Hong speaks out her mind Maxine's mother remains as the stubborn and ignorant lady she had always been. She tells Maxine these things that still made Maxine a little sad, but she doesn't react as she would've before. Maxine learns the truth that had been there all along (as well as her confidence), which was that her mom always said bad things about her just to build up her mental strength. Not realizing that this might've been true from the beginning Maxine just told herself that there was something wrong with her and that's why her mom didn't like her, but in fact Maxine Hong's mom really did care about Maxine and her future and only thought that by doing the things she did would make Maxine the strong character she had finally become. Maxine's mom didn't want her daughter to be weak and fragile, but strong and able to speak up for herself and maybe, just maybe Maxine's mom had actually been waiting for that day when Maxine talks to her like that. She might've acted like she didn't care, but deep down she must've been so proud of her daughter for finally finding herself.
"Her is a story my mother told me, not when I was young, but recently, when I told her I also talk story. The beginning is hers, the ending, mine." (pg. 206)
A quote which reflects mother and daughter connection. "The beginning is hers" to me showed that Maxine's mom may have started her life - cutting her frenum (in the tongue), telling her to do this and that, telling her stories, showing her how to be strong, and so much more. But "the ending, mine" Maxine had created her own ending by talking to her mom and telling her how she really felt and how angry she had been with her mother over the years. Maxine finally found who she was and her own inner strength which had been hiding all along.
"During her twelve-year stay with the barbarians, she had two children. Her children did not speak Chinese. She spoke it to them when their father was out of the tent, but they imitated her with senseless singsong words and laughed. The barbarians were primitives. They gathered inedible reeds when they camped along rivers and dried them in the sun....Then, out of Ts'ai Yen's tent, which was apart from the others, the barbarians heard a woman's voice singing, as if to her babies, a song so high and clear, it matched the flutes. Ts'ai Yen sang about China and her family there. Her words seemed to be Chinese, but the barbarians understood their sadness and anger...Her children did not laugh, but eventually sang along when she left her tent to sit by the winter campfires, ringed by barbarians...She brought her songs back from the savage lands, and one of the three that has been passed down to us is "Eighteen Stanzas for a Barbarian Reed Pipe," a song that Chinese sing to their own instruments." (pg. 208-209)
This woman Ts'ai Yen reminded me a little of Maxine Hong herself, because even though the situations are different the actual aspect of both life stories are the same. Maxine had been controlled by her mom most of her life but she found herself after using her voice and standing up for who she was. Ts'ai Yen had been taken away by this barbarian man and had had two children with him who didn't even respect her own culture. But she found herself through her own voice as well, but in song, (like Maxine's orchestra of a voice) and it also connected to the barbarians around her and her children finally found a way to respect their own mother. The importance of both stories is great because they both express that the only way to be who you truly are is finding yourself and expressing that in any way possible with your voice and your actions.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Cycle 22: At the Western Palace
Quotes from At the Western Palace which I felt described a lot about a character, morals that cultures have, or just something I felt was interesting.
"Her bad boy and bad girl were probably sneaking hamburgers, wasting their money. She would scold them...Her American children had no feelings and no memory." (pg. 114-115)
I found this quote interesting because of the explanation it has for Brave Orchid's "American Children". When reading all that she says about her 'American Children' it seems as if she disrespects the American culture and thinks that the Chinese culture has more respect and such. I didn't like this personality shown of Brave Orchid because it made her look like a bad woman who didn't respect the culture she was living with and who didn't like her children and very stubborn and ignorant.
"She was a tiny, tiny lady, very thin, with little fluttering hands, and her hair was in a gray knot. She was dressed in a gray wool suit; she wore pearls around her neck and in her earlobes. Moon Orchid would travel with her jewels shower. Brave Orchid momentarily saw, like a larger, younger outline around this old woman, the sister she had been waiting for." (pg. 117)
This is the first quote described about Moon Orchid, Brave Orchid's sister. It gave me a clear image in my head of how Moon Orchid looked like. It was quite descriptive talking about her age and the things that she was wearing. It also talked a little about the type of person Moon Orchid was, wearing a pearl necklace while traveling to America.
"Lovely Orchid, the youngest aunt, owned either a shoe store or a shoe factory in Hong Kong, That was why every Christmas she sent a dozen pairs, glittering with yellow and pink plastic beads, sequins, and turquoise blue flowers." (pg. 119)
This is another description of another sister, the youngest sister, Lovely Orchid. It's amazing how the readers had never been informed of any of Brave Orchid's sisters until now and it was fun to learn about them. All three sisters seem to be very different based on the types of things they do. After learning about two of Brave Orchid's sisters I'm wondering if she has any more, or if she has brothers that might be mentioned in the next chapter of the book.
" "Eat!" Brave Orchid ordered. "Eat!" She would not allow anybody to talk while eating. In some families the children worked out a sign language, but here the children spoke English, which their parents didn't seem to hear." (pg. 123)
Another cultural difference and I also learned that Brave Orchid may have not understood much English. Although the story is written entirely in English there had been parts in the book where Maxine Hong writes "the children spoke in English" therefore meaning that most of what we've read must've been told in the Chinese Language.
"Brave Orchid looked at this delicate sister. She was such a little old lady. She had long fingers and thin, soft hands. And she had a high-class city accent from living in Hong Kong. Not a trace of village accent remained; she had been away from the village for that long." (pg. 127)
This was a deeper description of Moon Orchid and her weaknesses. Apparently she is a very frail woman compared to Brave Orchid, who is loud and obnoxious. Even if they are sisters, they don't quite seem to share much similarities at all. It described the place which she came from and talked a little about how she lived her life.
"When she complimented them, they agreed with her! Not once did she hear a child deny a compliment." (pg. 134)
This quote was written from the perspective of Moon Orchid, who had just come from China to America and is fascinated with the American Culture. In this part of the book, Moon Orchid had been carefully observing the life of Brave Orchid's children and even imitating them. She tested things with the children, her nieces and nephews, and learned that they enjoyed hearing compliments and welcomed all of her compliments with open arms.
"Brave Orchid rushed along besides her relection in the glass. She used to be young and fast; she was still fast and felt young. It was mirrors, not aches and pains, that turned a person old, everywhere white hairs and wrinkles. Young people felt pain." (pg. 147)
A very interesting quote in the book because I learned a little about what Brave Orchid felt about herself. She knew how strong and capable she was, but looked a little down on herself. After reading this quote I had asked myself, "Does Brave Orchid yell at her children and Moon Orchid to make herself feel better, or is that just her personality?" She knows that she's getting old, and maybe she's afraid of death, even if she doesn't want to admit. Maybe she's not even afraid of death, she's just afraid of aging and being weaker than others. She seems as if she doesn't want to lean or rely on anybody but herself.
"Brave Orchid's daughters decided fiercely that they would never let men be unfaithful to them. All her children made up their minds to major in science or mathematics." (pg. 160)
This quote explains a little about womanism within Brave Orchid's family. Apparently after watching their Aunt, her daughters wanted to be stronger than Moon Orchid and wanted to be like their mother - a strong, independent woman. I thought it was amusing for Maxine Hong to write that they majored in science and mathematics to become this strong woman. Is that an inference stating that to be a stronger woman you have be good in those areas? It was a very interesting part for Maxine Hong to add at the end of the chapter.
"Her bad boy and bad girl were probably sneaking hamburgers, wasting their money. She would scold them...Her American children had no feelings and no memory." (pg. 114-115)
I found this quote interesting because of the explanation it has for Brave Orchid's "American Children". When reading all that she says about her 'American Children' it seems as if she disrespects the American culture and thinks that the Chinese culture has more respect and such. I didn't like this personality shown of Brave Orchid because it made her look like a bad woman who didn't respect the culture she was living with and who didn't like her children and very stubborn and ignorant.
"She was a tiny, tiny lady, very thin, with little fluttering hands, and her hair was in a gray knot. She was dressed in a gray wool suit; she wore pearls around her neck and in her earlobes. Moon Orchid would travel with her jewels shower. Brave Orchid momentarily saw, like a larger, younger outline around this old woman, the sister she had been waiting for." (pg. 117)
This is the first quote described about Moon Orchid, Brave Orchid's sister. It gave me a clear image in my head of how Moon Orchid looked like. It was quite descriptive talking about her age and the things that she was wearing. It also talked a little about the type of person Moon Orchid was, wearing a pearl necklace while traveling to America.
"Lovely Orchid, the youngest aunt, owned either a shoe store or a shoe factory in Hong Kong, That was why every Christmas she sent a dozen pairs, glittering with yellow and pink plastic beads, sequins, and turquoise blue flowers." (pg. 119)
This is another description of another sister, the youngest sister, Lovely Orchid. It's amazing how the readers had never been informed of any of Brave Orchid's sisters until now and it was fun to learn about them. All three sisters seem to be very different based on the types of things they do. After learning about two of Brave Orchid's sisters I'm wondering if she has any more, or if she has brothers that might be mentioned in the next chapter of the book.
" "Eat!" Brave Orchid ordered. "Eat!" She would not allow anybody to talk while eating. In some families the children worked out a sign language, but here the children spoke English, which their parents didn't seem to hear." (pg. 123)
Another cultural difference and I also learned that Brave Orchid may have not understood much English. Although the story is written entirely in English there had been parts in the book where Maxine Hong writes "the children spoke in English" therefore meaning that most of what we've read must've been told in the Chinese Language.
"Brave Orchid looked at this delicate sister. She was such a little old lady. She had long fingers and thin, soft hands. And she had a high-class city accent from living in Hong Kong. Not a trace of village accent remained; she had been away from the village for that long." (pg. 127)
This was a deeper description of Moon Orchid and her weaknesses. Apparently she is a very frail woman compared to Brave Orchid, who is loud and obnoxious. Even if they are sisters, they don't quite seem to share much similarities at all. It described the place which she came from and talked a little about how she lived her life.
"When she complimented them, they agreed with her! Not once did she hear a child deny a compliment." (pg. 134)
This quote was written from the perspective of Moon Orchid, who had just come from China to America and is fascinated with the American Culture. In this part of the book, Moon Orchid had been carefully observing the life of Brave Orchid's children and even imitating them. She tested things with the children, her nieces and nephews, and learned that they enjoyed hearing compliments and welcomed all of her compliments with open arms.
"Brave Orchid rushed along besides her relection in the glass. She used to be young and fast; she was still fast and felt young. It was mirrors, not aches and pains, that turned a person old, everywhere white hairs and wrinkles. Young people felt pain." (pg. 147)
A very interesting quote in the book because I learned a little about what Brave Orchid felt about herself. She knew how strong and capable she was, but looked a little down on herself. After reading this quote I had asked myself, "Does Brave Orchid yell at her children and Moon Orchid to make herself feel better, or is that just her personality?" She knows that she's getting old, and maybe she's afraid of death, even if she doesn't want to admit. Maybe she's not even afraid of death, she's just afraid of aging and being weaker than others. She seems as if she doesn't want to lean or rely on anybody but herself.
"Brave Orchid's daughters decided fiercely that they would never let men be unfaithful to them. All her children made up their minds to major in science or mathematics." (pg. 160)
This quote explains a little about womanism within Brave Orchid's family. Apparently after watching their Aunt, her daughters wanted to be stronger than Moon Orchid and wanted to be like their mother - a strong, independent woman. I thought it was amusing for Maxine Hong to write that they majored in science and mathematics to become this strong woman. Is that an inference stating that to be a stronger woman you have be good in those areas? It was a very interesting part for Maxine Hong to add at the end of the chapter.
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