I quote Maxine" Before we leave our parents, they stuff our heads like the suitcases with homemade under wear." Pg 87 paragraph 2.
I think this quote means that her parents tried to stuff as much Chinese ideas into their heads as possible, so that when they got older they could follow Chinese traditions like they did. She,(Maxine) on the other hand did not want to be Chinese normal, as she says, she wants to be American normal. She says that Chines ideas did not go with her new American normal ideas, she no longer wanted to follow Chinese ideas, she thinks that now that she lives in America, she must follow American ideas. Out with the old and in with the new, American ideas that is.
Personal Connection; Sometimes, like when my grand mother, or an older aunt comes over, she tries to get me to dress in skirts and wear collared blouses, and act like a proper girl, like only speak when spoken too and all that fun stuff, but its like, we no longer live in that era, I mean ,its the era when girls wear pants and t- shirts, and they speak when they want too. I mean, mow we live differently but, sometimes they get stuck on old traditions.
Question: Do you think that keeping old traditions alive is good, or do you believe that we should let go of old traditions and and live in the moment?
Quote two; " But America is full of machines, and ghosts, Taxi Ghosts, Bus ghosts, Police Ghosts, Fire ghosts, Meter Reading ghosts, Tree trimming ghosts, Five and dime ghosts."
Significance: I think this quote means that, in america the only people she sees are ghosts, they live here but do not come in contact with her. She sees them on the streets but does not speak to them. To her they are only ghosts, they are not like her, to her they are not flesh and blood, they are only beings that share space with her.
Reflection: At first when i read this quote, i did not know what to think, i was like, what is she saying, they are not ghosts, they are people, bu then i thuoght, oh I see what she is saying, to her, since she doesn't come in contact with them, they are nothing to her.
TKAM Post 6
14 years ago
Response: I have a grandma who is very modern, and one who came from Iowa, and they both have very different views, so I see where you're coming from.
ReplyDeleteAnswer: I think if you have a happy medium of keeping the old traditions and living in the moment. You can be a proper young woman, but you can be very modern at the same time.
Response: I really like your perspective on this quote. I had a hard time grasping this concept of the 'ghosts'. You made it A LOT easier to understand.
Janie-
ReplyDeleteQuote #1:
Response/comments:
I agree with what you said about the parents wanting their children to keep the Chinese traditions. In the story, in the sentence before your quote, Maxine talked about the deformed, dreams, and Chinese stories. I think that was what she was referring to in that quote. I think she meant that her parents would stuff her and her sister's head with Chinese stories before they left after age eighteen. What question on Ms. G's blog does that quote connect to? (ex: Why the characters moved to America, What the journey was like, What culture they brought, etc.) As for your personal connection, do you mean that your relatives try to get you to dress in their traditional country's attires?
Answer:
I think it is good to keep the old traditions. It demonstrates background and promotes diversity. Traditions/cultures can show yourself. However, I do not think those traditions or cultures should take away from the American experience. Life in America is a lot different than life in other countries. If one wanted to keep all the traditions and cultures from another country and not assimilate to America, then why would one move to America? I think you should celebrate traditions, but also appreciate American cultures.
Quote #2:
Response/comment:
I see what you are saying about Brave Orchid talking about ghosts; how they might not come in contact with her. However, I think the term "ghost" came from China (Brave Orchid's home country). In Cantonese (one language of Chinese) it is "Bat-gwai/Bat-guei". When white people came to settle in China, they were unfamiliar. To the Chinese, they seemed rude and uncivilized. So the Chinese called them "white ghosts". I think Brave Orchid took the language from her home country and uses the terms in the book.
Answer:
You don't have a question. Remember, you are allowed to repeat questions from previous posts I think.
Good job on your blog all together. Your content is good, but you just might want to read over your work from spelling and grammar before you post it. See you at school!
-Matty