A Woman’s Position in the Family:
Analyses of Love in a Fallen City and The Golden Cangue
For the bulk of the mid- to late-20th Century, Eileen Chang’s name and literary prowess fell into obscurity as a result of events related to the Cultural Revolution and her own reclusion. In C.T. Hsia’s A History of Modern Chinese Fiction, he praised Chang for her use of "rich imagery" and "profound exploration of human nature.” In his book, he also claimed Chang to be “the best and most important writer” of mid-twentieth century China. Hsia’s remarks and Ang Lee’s film adaptation of her novella, Lust, Caution, have helped to bring Chang’s name back onto the literary scene. Two of her most well-known and highly praised novellas are
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When she meets Fan Liuyuan, she takes her chances and follows him to Hong Kong. Her decision to leave Shanghai has two implications. Firstly, she wants an escape from her family. After years of following their rules and hearing their complaints about her presence, she finally has a chance to leave it all behind to find her own independence. Secondly, she is strangely attracted to Liuyuan and securing his love and attention is a conquest for her. After leaving Shanghai, Liusu stays in a hotel in Hong Kong and spends more and more time with Liuyuan. The two of them develop a relationship but their intentions are different. For Liusu, getting close to Liuyuan was a way for her to leave the Bai family. Liuyuan, on the other hand is seeking spiritual love. He professes his love for her on many occasions, but she rejects him each time. Her goal in being in a relationship with Liuyuan is to have security and Liuyuan’s words hold no meaning to her, but instead are examples of his playboy behavior: Liusu was silent for a while, but finally she burst out: “Why not go ahead and just say, flat out, that you don’t want to marry me, and leave it at that! Why beat around the bush, with all this talk of not being able to decide things? Even a conservative person like me can say, ‘First marriage for the family, second marriage for oneself.’ If someone as free and unburdened as you are can’t decide for
Also, their relationship is shaped by the pressure Suyuan puts on her daughter. When Jing-Mei was growing up, her mother had the need for her daughter to be smart, talented, and a respectful Chinese daughter. This pressure put on Jing-Mei resulted in misunderstanding between mother and daughter. Jing-Mei constantly believed, “that she was disappointing her mother,” because she felt as if she failed at everything her mother wanted her to do. She believed she could never be as perfect as her mother was. Therefore she doesn’t think she is worthy enough to take her mother’s place at the Joy Luck Club “They must wonder now how someone like me can take my mother’s place” (Tan, 27). Jing-Mei does not understand that her mother wanted the best for her; Suyuan wanted Jing-Mei to challenge herself because that is how one builds up character. Suyuan thinks her daughter could do anything she proposed to do but never put enough effort into anything “Lazy to rise to expectations” (Tan 31). Furthermore, Suyuan forced Jing-Mei to learn how to play the piano and then perform at a recital. Jing-Mei rebelled against her mother and refused to learn how to play the piano well. So, at the recital she ends up forgetting the music notes. Jing-Mei blames her embarrassment on her mother and states,
In contrast, during the era of The Story Yingying, the cultural norm for a woman was to be submissive, patient, and passive. Yingying upheld all of these cultural standards. After meeting Zhang for the first time Yingying showed no interest in him at all but overtime Yingying finally gave into Zhang and fell in love and they became engaged. Unfortunately, Zhang had to leave for a year to go take a civil service examination, but he promised her he would come back to her. She waited patiently and after a year, her fiancé returned but shortly after had to leave again to retake the examination. Again she waited patiently for his return, but he never came back. After waiting for years for her fiancé to return, she became eager to
June wants to learn more about her mother and her culture with the added pressure of meeting Suyuan’s lost daughters in China. She starts to embrace the Chinese culture and is excited to eat a traditional Chinese meal, even though she does not get the chance (page 278). She also asks her father more about Suyuan’s time in China and the meaning of her name (page 280). When June finally meets her sisters, they murmur, “‘Mama, Mama’” (page 287). June finally feels a connection with her mother and with her Chinese background. Therefore, June’s character developed because of her mother’s passing.
This memoir of Ma Bo’s sent shock waves throughout China when it was published and was even first banned by the Communist Government. This passionate story paints a clear picture for what the Great Chinese Cultural Revolution was really like. Many Chinese living today can attest to similar if not identical ordeals as expressed in Ma Bo’s story. The toils of being a young Red Guard in inner China were experienced by many if not millions. The horrors and atrocities were wide spread throughout the country, not just in Inner Mongolia. The experiences illustrated in Blood Red Sunset uniquely belong to Ma Bo’s entire generation of mislead Chinese. As expressed in the books dedication the Cultural Revolution
In Jan Wong’s entrancing expose Red China Blues, she details her plight to take part in a system of “harmony and perfection” (12) that was Maoist China. Wong discloses her trials and tribulations over a course of three decades that sees her searching for her roots and her transformation of ideologies that span over two distinctive forms of Communist governments. This tale is so enticing in due part to the events the author encountered that radically changed her very existence and more importantly, her personal quest for self-discovery.
The Sun of the Revolution by Liang Heng, is intriguing and vivid, and gives us a complex and compelling perspective on Chines culture during a confusing time period. We get the opportunity to learn the story of a young man with a promising future, but an unpleasant childhood. Liang Heng was exposed to every aspect of the Cultural Revolution in China, and shares his experiences with us, since the book is written from Liang perspective, we do not have a biased opinion from an elite member in the Chinese society nor the poor we get an honest opinion from the People’s Republic of China. Liang only had the fortunate opportunity of expressing these events due his relationship with his wife, An American woman whom helps him write the book. When
This connection begins with the comprehension of her name and her sisters’ names. “Jing” means pure and “Mei” means little sister. Instantly Jing-mei feels more Chinese because she sees the connection she as to the language through her name. “Suyuan” means long cherished wish. With the understanding of her mother’s name, her feeling of connection to her Chinese heritage dramatically expands (Norton 190). She begins to piece the puzzle of her heritage together. By understanding the meaning of their names she begins to understand and accept her Chinese heritage. Her connection to her mother’s Chinese past is now much stronger than she had once realized.
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines egotism as "the feeling or belief that you are better, more important, more talented, etc., than other people". This narcissism can be seen most prominent in the bustling metropolis where self-love is proclaimed: Los Angeles. This story takes place in L.A. and the main character Jake is without a doubt, superficial, egotistic, and will do anything and everything he needs to do to get what he desires. While the stories of love everyone around the world is accustomed to are the ones in which the girl meets the guy and they both fall in love instantaneously and live happily ever after deeply in love; Love in L.A. by Dagoberto Gilbs puts a new twist on an age-old motif that still resonates with the world today.
In “The Love of My Life” China is an irrational young teenage girl. She is an intelligent girl that tries to have good grades and be on top of her class. China was raised from rich parents. She didn’t have to worry about money nor paying for college. She was a spoiled young girl that also got everything she had ever requested. China cared for people’s opinions and wanted to represent her family’s name in a good, well-spoken way. China felt in love with a guy named Jeremy, a type of emotion that could be considered destructive fondness.
Her mother new she would have that sudden change of mind set because she new eventually Jing Mei would visit China and finally feel what it was like to feel Chinese. When her mother passes away and Jing Mei has to go find her mothers twin daughters to tell them the tragedy that had happened we see this affects her in a profound way. We see a change in Jing Mei when they arrive to Guangzhou. Her father and her where there to meet her fathers aunt and family members, we see how Jing Mei realizes the change in her fathers mood when her arrives to his homeland in comparison when he was in San Francisco. She notices that while her father was traveling he saw nothing out the window, nothing impressive, but when he arrived at Guangzhou she felt his joy to be there and see his family he hadn’t seen in so long.
“Lust, Caution” is an erotic movie produced by Ang Lee and authored by Eileen Chang. The movie bases on spring, which is a short story by Ching Ke Ching. Ang Lee employs use of the Chinese literature to produce a film that will be acceptable in China and on the international platform. The production of the movie factored in several aspects of the Chinese language.
On the surface, it’s a story that tells how a traitor is risked by a sex-trap by a passionate young student, which fits the traditional ideology for men to be alert facing beautiful and sexy women. However, under the surface, Zhang Ailing intends to express her sympathy towards women. Women employ their bodies and loves to be the sacrifices for men to enjoy the honor and pleasure. In Jiazhi’s case, she sacrificed her body to achieve the nationalist goal but her classmates mocked her and discriminated her. She fell in love with Mr. Yi and tried to save his life but then lost her own life.
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was started by Mao Zedong in an attempt to rid himself of his enemies. While it may have accomplished its purpose, many innocents were killed as well. Families, parent and child, were ripped apart in Mao’s paranoia. The author, Moying Li, grew up in this period of history. Her family suffered alongside millions of others who had come under fire from the government and Communist Party. Snow Falling in Spring was her attempt to at coming to terms with her life and the events that had happened in it. It describes significant parts in the later years of Mao, starting the Great Leap Forward and ending with the death of the once beloved Chairman. Moying Li tells of her childhood to early adulthood when her whole world came crashing down with the Cultural Revolution. And she is most certainly qualified to be telling the story. Ms. Li first started writing and publishing works from the time she was still in China, at college. Her previous book, Beacon Hill: The Life & Times of a Neighborhood, had won the Julia Ward Howe Award. Snow Falling in Spring had won the IRA Children’s and Young Adult’s Book Award and was named a Notable Social Studies Trade Book. It was selected as a winner for the 2009 Massachusetts Book Award for Non-fiction (adult category) (Li, About the Author). As the story is a memoir, it shows bias in the fact that the author is inclined to show herself and her struggles in a way that generates support for what she has gone
Films with no spoken dialogue can be confusing to understand, but it shows you many expressions like the music or the actor's face or gestures. When you hear the music and understand the gesture than it won’t be difficult to understand what is going on. This silent film is about Charlie, who is the tramp, fells in love with a blind woman but has trouble with paying her rent. Charlie meets a drunk millionaire who becomes his friend after saving him, when he isn’t drunk, he doesn’t remember Charlie. Moreover he gives Charlie money when he is drunk to give it to the blind women. Charlie Chaplin’s rough city, City Lights uses love between a blind woman and the instrumental music to develop the film’s theme of love and beauty during the busy society.
Family loyalty in China has had a tumultuous past filled with fluctuation between remaining loyal to the state, yet also remaining loyal to blood relatives. In the autobiography that also serves as a biography, Wild Swans, by Jung Chang, this is seen. The book, which outlines the biographies of the author’s grandmother and mother, as well as her own autobiography, gives an interesting look into the lives of the Chinese throughout the 20th century. This book is beyond eye opening, and is truly a raw glimpse into the daily lives of women throughout China, struggling with situations that no human should ever be thrown into. I loved this book and was truly scared about the world that it opened me up to. The book does many things well, but also has its faults. The author consistently and clearly exemplifies the social hierarchy that consumes China, as well as its obsession with cultural stagnancy. The author also gives intense imagery that thrusts the reader into the scene, and creates a new reality showcasing the truths of China. Although both of those things take main stage in the book, there are a few weaknesses in the book. One, asking the question of how she had such clear anecdotes on her grandmother and mother’s life, how did she have such intimate details? The second shortcoming that Jung Chang had a subjective view of China, partly being that she loves China despite the cards it has dealt her. Her life was not short of hardships, but her family was typically