Ha Jin – The Bridegroom Essay

The piece describes what she envisioned her time in China would be like; visions of small talk and drinking tea danced in her head (Schmitt 125). This is a bit admirable to a more reserved person because it shows how outgoing she is when diving into a new culture. However, the reality of a language barrier and day to day behavior settled in. A series of uncomfortable exchanges illustrate the challenge of being accepted into a new culture. Described in the essay are people standing around in bath robes and under garments and popping in and out of rooms like some sort of clown

In the story “The Wedding Gift” the protagonist is Kezia Barnes. She is an orphan taken in at the age of fourteen by the Barclay’s as a worker. In the beginning of the story Kezia is well-mannered, naive and very quiet. In the text it says, “She was a meek little thing, as become an orphan brought up as a house help in the Barclay’s home.” The Barclay’s behavior towards Kezia is that they treat her, as if she is less of a human in the house. An example of this is when the Barclays’s fixed an arrange marriage for Kezia with someone much older than her, for their own good. Although, Kezia was not very fond of the decision. She remained quiet. As the story evolves, Kezia becomes rebellious. During their journey to Bristol Creek, due to a brutal

The wedding ceremony is a celebratory event romanticized by couples nationwide for its ability to unite creativity and tradition in a convenient package. One need only observe the plethora of wedding trends, from outlandishly alternative to stringently orthodox, to understand how important representing individuality remains among contemporary couples. In retrospect, much of the symbolisms attributed to these trends come from centuries of applied social significance; couples see the most value in a marriage celebration which allows them to flaunt their unique qualities as individuals while simultaneously modeling the long-standing customs of preceding weddings. In the 2002 film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, director Joel Zwick illustrates the

Over there nobody will look down on her, because I will make her speak only perfect American English.  And over there she will always be too full to swallow any sorrow!  She will know my meaning because I will give her this swan- a creature that became more than what was hoped for.”  (Tan 1)  The culture in China the mothers of Joy Luck dealt with was unlike anything their daughters could ever imagine or appreciate. Between the mothers Lindo, Suyuan, An-mei and Ying-ying, the Chinese culture forced them into being married by a matchmaker, giving up babies, witness desperate attempts to save loved ones, and having an abortion.  In many ways the Chinese culture scared each woman, although they were proud of their heritage, their daughters deserved better.  These four mothers had very high hopes for the better lives that they wanted to give their daughters by raising them in America.  They didn’t like or want to have their daughters looked down upon, just because they were Chinese women.  From each of their own experiences, they learned that they wanted to improve the lives of their following generation.

Good evening. I would like to begin by welcoming each and every one of you to this joyous and stressful occasion.

Originally, Liang’s “parents were deeply involved in all the excitement of working to transform China into a great Socialist country” (4). Over a serious of unfortunate events, though, he became the child of a “Rightist’s cap” mother and a “Reactionary Capitalist stinking intellectuals” father (9, 51). Impacted by the shattering of his family and horrific bloodshed created by fighting, Liang Heng began to question the Cultural Revolution. He claimed that his “family had scarified so much… but it had given [them] nothing in return” (148). Liang Heng presents his shift in ideology to demonstrate that most Chinese were no longer in support of a Communist nation. His “troubles were common enough and anyone could see there was a discrepancy between the glorious words of the newspapers and [their] painful reality (232). Even Liang Heng’s father, after many years of devotion, found that he could no longer defend the Party’s policies after he experienced the ill-treatment of the peasants in the country

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen - I am the groom's father, Ken, and I have the great privilege of being best man. I have recently found out there are two reasons why J W asked me to do this job. 1) To make him look younger and slimmer in the photos. 2) Because he didn't want to burden any of his friends with the terrible prospect of having to give this speech.

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

Rather than a life of isolation under her husband’s domain in the New World, she deliberately makes the decision to take on the challenge of learning the new customs of life in order to connect with society. Furthermore, not only does Mrs. Spring Fragrance learn the language of the New World, but she also embraces it and applies it to her everyday life in her relationship with her neighbors and her husband. As her young neighbor Laura struggles with the cultural disparities regarding love and relationships, Mrs. Spring Fragrance exercises New World poetry to soothe problems arising from Old World tradition. Mrs. Spring Fragrance’s neighbors, the Chin Yuens, demonstrate the difficulties that arise from simply ‘looking the part’ of an American, rather than fully understanding the culture. Sin Far writes, “although the Chin Yuen parents lived in a house furnished in American style, and wore American clothes…they religiously observed many Chinese customs, and their ideals of life were the ideals of their Chinese forefathers” (17). This practice ultimately contributes to their daughter Laura’s inner conflict when she cries to Mrs. Spring Fragrance, “Kai Tzu and I so love; but never, ah, never, can we take it together again” (17). In response, Mrs. Spring Fragrance says, “you really must not grieve like that.” “’Tis better to have loved and lost. Than never to have loved at all” (18). This proves how the root of immigrant happiness doesn’t

Medieval China, as seen in the Stories from a Ming Collection, was characterized by distinct separations between men and women’s abilities, typical old fashioned family structure, and a desire to advance their social status. Throughout all the stories in this book, it dives deep into different aspects of how men and women are treated, how families were structured and how that affects their lives, as well as the values these people held. A very common trend in the stories was how different men and women were treated and the limitations they may or may not had.

     The film¡¦s name is Father of the Bride. It involves George Banks (Steven Martin), and Annie Banks (Kimberly Williams). The time period is in 1991. The technique of the filmmaker is very good, it tells the middle age people¡¦s thoughts and feelings.

Cheryl Langford has had a lifetime of Always The Bridesmaid, Never The Bride. Growing up with her best friend Beth, she always felt she lived in her best friend's shadow. Beth was an amazing friend, but Cheryl wanted to stop feeling like a supporting character in her own life. So when she heard that Beth was going to get married to a Bear Shifter bodyguard, it was a bittersweet event. Then she met Derrick, the groom's Bear Shifter brother, and her life would never be the same.

a partner of their choosing, rather than the old tradition of a mate being selected

In a village left behind as the rest of the China is progressing, the fate of women remains in the hands of men. Old customs and traditions reign supreme, not because it is believed such ways of life are best, but rather because they have worked for many years despite harsh conditions. In response to Brother Gu’s suggestion of joining communist South China’s progress, Cuiqiao’s widower father put it best: “Farmer’s have their own rules.”

Jung Chang’s Wild Swans combines a first person narrative and real historical events to create a story that is both compelling and informative. Though the author tells different tales in the three parts of the book, the themes of violence, oppression, and abuse of power remain static throughout. In retelling stories from three generations, Chang depicts the hardships faced by citizens of opposite genders and different ages in twentieth-century Communist China. Through the author’s vivid details, the reader gets a look into how women were perceived and mistreated in society. Chang, her mother, and her grandmother all accepted subservient roles in the household. What is interesting to consider is how traditional values held up during the reign of the Communist party. Throughout the novel, the reader sees the female characters struggling to uphold conventional ideals while simultaneously adjusting to new responsibilities brought forth by the party and attempting to establish their power as women. It is worth considering whether the party alone was responsible for not doing away with the old traditions and expectations for females, or if society as a whole perpetuated these values through their actions and treatment of one another. This essay will seek to make sense of that question through critical analysis of the novel.