Mirror, mirror on the wall; who’s the fairest of them all? And she, whose fairness inspired such awe; why, oh why, is she the one who never saw? Shown in this picture is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. She is my mother - clothed in a fine silk western style gown adorned with delicate floral embroidery – on her wedding day, a day meant to be eternally cherished as a celebration of love. While my mother does recall that day as a day of jubilance and joyous festivities, her recollection is also tinted with a slight shadow of sadness and even, dare I say, regret.
Born into the aristocracy of the mountains of Southern China, my mother grew accustomed to a lifestyle of luxury from an early age. Her father – my grandfather – was a
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Everything he held dear. His dear wife, his dear son, his dear daughters: destroyed.
My mother told me how much she cried and cried and cried. She was scared – terrified – of leaving her castle walls to enter the real world. Tearing apart, she felt as if the heavens abandoned her, beaten her, left her alone in a world overcome by debilitating darkness. Little did she realize that the only reason the heavens darkened her world was so that the blessing she was about to receive could shine that much brighter.
That blessing unveiled itself in room 305B of the local high school, a room well known by the student body as the source of the smooth, idyllic melodies of Liang Lao Shi, or Teacher Liang. Liang Lao Shi was a young high school graduate who became a music teacher at his alma mater. He had great ambitions to save up his salaries to attend university and become a great businessman, ambitions that were hindered when he fell victim to the affairs of the heart. Taking refuge from her unraveling world, my mother often visited room 305B to indulge in the sweet escape of music. Although her fingers didn’t gracefully dance across the keys like Liang Lao Shi’s did, he still came to admire her greatly. She captured his poor defenseless heart and devotion as did he did to hers. Against all odds, the two fell madly in love.
Liang Lao Shi was many things. He was kind, he was smart,
When Sonny plays the piano his brother “heard what he had gone through.. I saw my mother’s face again, and felt for the first time” (275) The narrator is reminded of the struggles he went through and relates back to
I’m bound into a vicious cycle of obscurity so deep that the choice was luminous. I seem less than myself, but at the same time, I can feel relaxed- even self-righteous, believing that I, a mere mortal, am immanent within this existing plane… And, I ask, Why must we face reality and not become lost in the gray abyss of our mind when it returns to the dawn of darkness from whence it came? Truly, it is comforting there…
Four Chinese mothers have migrated to America. Each hope for their daughter’s success and pray that they will not experience the hardships faced in China. One mother, Suyuan, imparts her knowledge on her daughter through stories. The American culture influences her daughter, Jing Mei, to such a degree that it is hard for Jing Mei to understand her mother's culture and life lessons. Yet it is not until Jing Mei realizes that the key to understanding who her
The mirror on the bedroom wall examines the public perception of her private life. Looking only at its reflection, the audience cannot tell the room is in a mess; the rosebush and the dirt trail are not apparent to the audience. In the mirror, only the back of woman’s head is evident. Her face and her emotions are hidden from the mirror. It appears as if she is doing an ordinary task; she could very well be sitting on the bed, reading a book. She turns her back to the mirror and denies it a true reflection.
In the book “A Long Way Gone” music plays a role as a healer and a saviour.
The poem the Mirror is about beauty standards. She talks about how, as a mirror, she shows exactly what she sees and she tells no lies. The narrator states, “I am not cruel, only truthful.” When the narrator becomes a lake, she can also only show truth and reflection of one’s self. The Mirror represents the truth of who we actually are, even if society has portrayed us as or forced us to be someone else.
Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing to the early 20th century, many Chinese families struggled to gain social, economic, and educational stature in both China and the United States. In the book, A Transnational History of a Chinese Family, by Haiming Liu, we learn about the Chang family rooted in Kaiping County, China, who unlike many typical Chinese families’ exemplified hard-work and strong cultural values allowing them to pursue an exceptional Chinese-American lifestyle. Even with immigration laws preventing Chinese laborers and citizens to enter unless maintaining merchant status, Yitang and Sam Chang managed to sponsor approximately 40 relatives to the states with their businesses in herbalist
The book is neither meant to be a theological treatise nor an academic exposition but a toolkit to unleash human potentials; a resource for intervention in dealing with human life hurts and as a channel of Gods healing and liberation through Jesus Christ.
I can look at things I never looked at. I can attach faces to grief and love and pity and God. I can be brave. I can make myself feel again.” (180)
“Hello, HELLO!” I remember when I was 8 years young and I had just come home from a long day of what I had believed to be rigorous work. I had hoped upon my arrival there would be someone I would be able to speak to about my day. I had not heard a sound besides the gust of wind which slammed the door shut behind me “Whoosh Bang”. With no one in sight, I had bursted into tears with the absence of the sign of life. My parents had divorced when I was 7 years old which truly affected my life. As a child I remember sunday breakfast with my family and many activities and trips taken as a
After reading “what the mirror said”, some readers may say that this poem was not written to embrace the woman’s beauty but to explain that she is confusing and hectic. A reader with this point of view would
The human experience is what connects people to one another. What we experience defines who we are and who we become. It also defines how we interact with others. The amazing thing is that not only do the events that bring joy, peace and happiness connect us but also those that bring anxiety, fear and despair. This brings to light the fact that God somehow in his sovereignty uses all things for the good of those who love Him. These ideas are brought to light in Jerry Sittser’s book, A Grace Disguised which is his personal journey of loss and the insight and experience that was gained in the face of great tragedy. In his book, Sittser discusses various insights he has gained, such as how Christian’s view sorrow, how families recover when
Reading this book has been interesting and heartbreaking experience. A Year of Magical Thinking, a journey through the grieving process. While dealing with the death of her husband, she is confronted with the sickness of her only child. This book touches me, and it makes me think of what would happen if my loved one died. This paper is a reflection of my thoughts and feelings about this woman’s journey that has been explored by book and video. I will also explore the author’s adjustment process, and how she views her changed self.
According to Lee Chew, a Chinese immigrant who arrived in the 1870’s , Chinese people had minimalistic life styles. They were unpretentious because they had an
I was propelled even further into metaphysical realms whilst grasping for insight and credibility for my so-called paranormal experiences when my dad crossed over. It soon became apparent that I needed a compass to navigate the seemingly uncharted seas of grief and pain. It was my writing eventually became that compass! My morning pages, inspired by Julia Cameroon, brought immense healing as the floodgates of tears opened. Memories surfaced in the form of words and images, drifting across the oceans of