No Name Women Essay

There are many similarities and differences between the women living in Rome and Han China during 753 B.C.E. to 330 C.E. In both societies; women were property to the male figure of the household whether that be their father or husband. Obviously equality was not a concept in neither Ancient Rome or Han China. In Rome, women played no public role whatsoever, but in Han China, women engaged in various professions in and outside of the home. Another important difference between these two places is that under no circumstances were the Roman women allowed to obtain political power, while, in Han China, women were given power. Regarding Ancient Rome, most of the information stated in this essay pertains to the women in the upper classes.

Kingston's story seeks meaning in the Chinese culture system in order to strengthen her individual identity. It also shows that certain aspects of the people and traditions of a cultural background can be disturbing at times. "To be a woman, to have a daughter in starvation time was enough... Women in the old China did not choose (Kingston 6)." The Chinese community that held the most meaning for Kingston's cultural identity had been lost somewhere in the past. The only knowledge Kingston has of anything Chinese had come from her mother, but that was not enough for her. She has only vague memories and imaginations of such a community that serve as a backdrop for the goal she seeks in strengthening her identity in relation to her ancestral and cultural makeup.

My mother was in the room. And it was perhaps the first time she had heard me give a lengthy speech using the kind of English I have never used with her.”(417) Overcoming the barrier between languages she spoke aided Tan in building a bridge between cultures. She changed her language to assimilate into American culture while also keeping familial culture. A piece of heritage that uses a language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk. Tan grew up with this language and she still uses it with her mother, husband and in her books. (418) Another method to find identity in a new host society is through appearance. In the essay, “No Name Woman” by Maxine Kingston ideals in appearance were passed from generation to generation. Altering ideals when creating identity is noticed in Kingston’s essay. A long held tradition in many Chinese families is that many generations live under the same roof and this can cause a conflict in ideals. Conflicting ideals between generations is shown as Tan tells how the younger generation hid the identities of their sexual color and their character. Hiding these new identities they hoped to avoid potential conflict with generational ideals. Kingston did not hide her identity, she found herself “walking erect (knees straight, toes pointed forward, not pigeon-toed, which is Chinese-feminine) and speaking in an audible

The empires of Rome and China were very great ones, they both had many similarities and differences in the way they ran their empires. One major difference was the way they treated their women. Both Chinese and Roman women were unequal in social status than the men of the empires were, but they were definitely treated different in both empires. Women of China were treated quite harshly and were expected to take orders at all times by their husbands, and were to serve them always. This started to happen especially after Confucius died because he taught people to treat each other the same, “after his death women became less free and lost status,”(Arvind 10). Women of Rome were treated like goddesses; they were to stay at home as housewives

Women during this time were considered inferior to the men. A stereotypical woman in China was, “passive, dependent, obedient, and helpless”. Women were considered guests in their own houses before marriage and after marriage the women became part of their husband’s family. This must have meant that family loyalty for the women was not as important, but it was more important for the men. The expectation was that women were to agree with their husbands regardless of whether or not they were actually correct. When out in public, they should cover up as much of their skin as possible and not raise their voices when they are spoken to. This was a difficult time for women, but Empress Wu found a way to ignore these stereotypes. Her beauty and intelligence attracted Taizong and he made her part of his concubine. She eventually married the son of Taizong, Gaozong, making her empress of China. After the death of Gaozong their son Ruizong ruled as emperor, but eventually Empress Wu threw him into exile and took the position for herself starting her rule in 690. This represents her more brutal nature and how she would not let anything or anyone get in her way, including her son. Since she had overcome the adversities of women Wu worked hard during her reign to allow more opportunities for women than previously. In

As civilizations grew and morphed into the international superpowers of today, they also gave rise to vast seas of inequalities. Inequalities between those of different social rankings, inequalities in the workplace, and, most importantly, inequalities between genders were just a few of the looming stratifications accompanying the rise of society. However, these inequalities were expressed differently by different peoples and societies. Although patriarchies were the social norm of the time, the patriarchies of Han Dynasty China, Tang Dynasty China, and Song Dynasty China each had small nuances that made their patriarchies positively peculiar. These nuances include, but are not limited to the level of social and economic freedom afforded to women, the powers women held, and the level of brutality women experienced.

feels cut in half as if her new American world were to pull her apart

In “No Name Woman,” the theme of silence starts with the elementary words of the memoir stating you must not tell anyone. This statement is ironic because Kingston is in fact telling everyone, giving voice to Chinese customs and the lives that are foregone. As written in her memoir, she states, “You must not tell anyone,” my mother said, “what I am about to tell you. In China your father had a sister who killed herself. She jumped into the family well. We say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born.” (Deshazer 308). It is especially notable and ironic that the memoir begins with the phrase “You must not tell anyone.” Her effort in No Name Woman is to write about that which is never said; her unnamed dead aunt, and the outrageous behaviors in her mother’s Chinese village. Kingston was not necessarily silenced direct by a male figure; however, the words said by her mother “You must not tell anyone” is a representation of Kingston father’s authorization voice through her mother’s explanation. Kingston’s effort is also about discovering a voice, as both a Chinese-American

It is not uncommon for individuals to follow the crowd and do something just because it is popular, especially if it is a group of people who are close the individual. Often the ideals of the group do not align with the individual's principles but he or she is too timid to voice their unpopular opinion. This scenario is present during Kingston’s childhood. Kingston does not agree with her family’s treatment of her aunt, however, Kingston abides by her family’s rules of not speaking or acknowledging the aunt’s existence. In “No Name Woman” Kingston takes her readers through her own intellectual and emotional processing of her aunt’s story, which lends the story’s narrative/rhetorical strength.

“No Name Women” by Maxine Hong Kingston explains the different concepts of the looking glass-self; “The looking glass-self is our self-concept, our sense of self, through a kind of social mirror.” Nonetheless our self-concept is determined by how others react towards us. “No Name Women” tells a story about a mother revealing a dark family secret. The story begins with the mother telling Kingston that what she is going to tell her is not to be told to anyone. Kingston’s mother then reveals to her that her father had a sister in “China” that committed adultery and gave birth to an illegitimate child then drowned herself and the child in the family well. “No Name Women” describes the story of a women being “silenced” because of her

Kingston’s ancestors frequently impose their culture and tradition on the young girl through the stories she absorbs, thus repressing her personal identity. Towards the conclusion of her novel, she tragically remarks, “If only I could let my mother know the list [of things she wants to change], she—and the world—would become more like me, and I would never be alone again” (Kingston 198). Kingston recognizes in becoming a woman, her own woman, she must diverge from her mother and societies’ expectations, which ultimately will create a rift for them. Blinde states there are “vast discrepancies between Chinese and American thought progression: thought connectives that may logically lead to conclusions in one culture often progress in different and surprising directions in another culture” (Blinde 61).

The society has changed over the year from the early twenty to nowadays. One time, I read this article; it said something about how men and women are the same, but still, have some different qualities. If you really think about it, men are more dominant than women. In the early twenties, women could not get a job because that was the man's job to provide for the family. When men and women would get married that would mean they would be together until you die because there was no such thing as getting divorced. There might be some punishments if a woman doesn't follow what a women is suppose to do, like if a women is with another man while she is still married. In the story, No Name Women by Maxine Hong Kingston, it talks about how all the men in the

An-Mei tells her daughter that even though she did not grow to believe in the Chinese customs such as the wife being completely subservient to the husband and living to please those who are supposedly of higher rank her daughter seems to live under those principles. She encourages her daughter to move away from that system, because it denies her the happiness she shared with her husband. An-Mei and her daughter strayed from the codes of their heritage to find something that “works” for them and may become a new culture over time if it continues to “work”. This idea may be pertinent to women even more so, because many cultures have placed them as inferiors and if it does not “work” for them they should know that it is possible to find another way- their own

The late Qing gender-sex system continued to put women in an inferior position to men. The idea of cloistering women became the standard for females all over the country. Whether rich or poor, women aspired to lead a cloistered life. However, only the elite women, known as the gui xiu, were actually able to to put the ideals into practice. They were the ones with the money and education to do so. On the other side of the spectrum were the bare sticks, poor peasant women who couldn’t afford to stay cloistered. Despite their limitations, the bare sticks still did what they could to practice cloistering. This insistence on adhering to the ideals limits the women in their everyday life, subordinating them to the wills of men.

No Name Woman focuses on Kingston’s mother telling her story about her aunt’s suicide and what lead to such drastic decision. While explaining the story Kingston reveals superstitions that Chinese communities have and how it influenced her aunt’s death. Aiaa, the aunt, was the only daughter and was obviously cherished however when she becomes pregnant and her community finds out chaos beginnings. The community start harassing her and her family’s house and eventually she becomes isolated. The moral of the story is that womanhood has been considered the worst thing since the dawn of time an Kingston’s essay and the Chinese Culture do not fail to fulfill such injustice.