The response paper written by Elliot Tan is a well-written analysis of the recurring health economics question of whether or not the government should cover prescription drugs. With regards to the assignment, I found that the two primary criteria were correctly identified in the paper and were explained in a coherent manner. However, not enough emphasis was placed on answering the final two questions assigned.…
Over the course of three stories, the reader can see how the characters of “Gwilan’s Harp” by Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Washwoman” by Isaac Singer, and “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, overcome their sorrow and loss of joy. Although there is the resounding tragedy that leaves a bittersweet feeling at the end of all three stories, the characters still manage to find joy through their circumstances. From Gwilian discovering her true potential, to the Washwoman's work ethic, to the bittersweet tale of The Last Leaf, these three stories are filled with people overcoming their loss of joy.…
The Joy Luck Club, by the Chinese-American author Amy Tan, deals with many different themes. However, the idea from this novel that piqued my interest the most was how the story dealt with the language and cultural barriers that exist between generations in families that have immigrated to the United States. The book deals with four Chinese women who moved to the United States in hopes of finding better lives for their children, and it deals with each of their daughters who have grown up in America, yet were raised by their mothers' traditional Chinese cultural standards. The Joy Luck Club alternates back and forth each chapter, with one of the mothers telling an anecdote of her past and next one of the daughters speaking from her point of…
A thesis statement informs the readers of the content, the argument, and often the direction of a…
Children often do not understand our parent’s intentions for growth until we are able to empathize with them. When a child is misunderstood by their parent, they feel neglected and have trouble understanding others. In the Joy Luck Club, four Chinese women immigrate to the United States in the mid-1900s during the Chinese Communist Revolutions. Settling in a Americanized country proved to be challenging due to cultural differences, language barriers, and conflicted history in China. The relationships these women formed with their daughters were influenced by new and old customs. In The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan illustrates how a relationship between a parent and child can change over time due to vast differences in beliefs and expectations.…
Family members may get into occasional disagreements, but at the end of the day they are supposed to look out for and protect one another. However, when a fight between family members stubbornly drags on, it can cause major conflicts within the family. In Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom and Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, the author tackles the topic of mother-daughter relationships. However, both of the author’s perspectives on the relationships differ from one another. In Amy Chua’s work, the chapter portrays a patient and serene relationship between the mother and daughter. Contrary to that, in Amy Tan’s work, there is a strained and hostile relationship within the passage.…
Symbolism is frequent in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. The two symbols I chose are the jade pendant and the red candle. Each symbol has a significant meaning to the respective characters. In the “Best Quality” her now deceased mother Suyuan gives June a green pendant(life’s importance). The pendant was given to her after she and Waverly Jong got into a verbal altercation. In order, to fully understand why her mother decided to her the pendant you have to break down the situation. As a child, Waverly Jong told her told as quoted "You're not a genius like me." Jing-mei even reiterates to her mother “I'm not a genius!” Jing-mei is someone who has never known her worth she tends to feel anxious and self-conscious about everything. Furthermore, she…
Literature let it be a poem, short story, or novel has a central theme. The theme is the author 's way of explaining a situation, topic, or an idea they feel strong about getting across within their writings. Usually, the title of a short story’s paints the correlates to the theme or themes of a short story. These literary elements are plot, point of view, tone, setting, character, and symbolism. I’ll be using two key literary terms that give focus to the themes of this short story. The setting and symbolism used within the story are key factors that give the ready a clear picture true journey the old African-American woman is taking on.…
The Joy Luck Club is a movie about the fate of four Chinese immigrant mothers; Suyuan, An-mei, Lindo , and Ying-ying , and their four Americanized daughters; June, Rose, Waverly, and Lena. In The Joy Luck Club the daughters are too young and naive to understand their mothers and the hardship they faced. The mothers want their daughters to break the American habit of only looking at people’s outward appearances. The mothers’ want their daughters to realize that they have a better life in America than their mothers’ did in China. By the end on the novel the daughters are able to understand where their mother came from through stories and experiences the mothers tell the daughters their background. The mothers’ life experiences that help every daughter identify a healthy relationship with themselves and their partners and to not tolerate domestic violence.…
“I knew from their snow white bellies and pretty voices they were magpies, birds of joy.” An Mei’s mom (243). Magpies are one of the many symbols used in the book The Joy Luck Club. Magpies were used to symbolize how some people’s joy comes from others sorrow. Double meaning and presentations of simple life situations are used as symbols throughout the book.…
The complexity and intricacy of a civilization and its people will be considered an incomplete puzzle without the presence of weddings, funerals, parties and other social occasions as told by author Amy Tan in her piece de resistance Joy Luck Club. In times of festivity and joy, the characters can be assured that their family and friends, particularly, their mothers, are standing by their side no matter what. Of course, the true bliss and euphoria from fortunate events cannot be truly appreciated without the onset of tragedies, catastrophes and calamities that bring out a raw, vulnerable state and emotion reaction from all characters alike. Nonetheless, Alice Waters emphasizes “...the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be…
“The most difficult thing in life is to know your self.” This quote stated by Thales, a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus, adequately describes the posing conflicts in Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club. The desire to find ones true identity, along with the reconciliation of their Chinese culture and their American surroundings, is a largely significant conflict among the characters of the novel. In the discovery of ones individuality develops a plethora of conflicts involving the theme of a lack of communication and misinterpretation of one another. Although, as time progresses, the various conflicts of the characters in The Joy Luck Club that pose major threats to a flourishing mother-daughter relationship are resolved with an understanding of one another, as well as oneself.…
In the Joy Luck Club, there are some symbols which represent love, wishes, and marriage. According to these symbols, they lead readers to comprehend the deeper meaning of the given symbols and have an epiphany at the end of the story. Symbols help you call up the reminiscences and realize something in life was important; and that is love, which is always be remembered in mind.…
Mother/daughter relationships are a significant aspect of the Joy Luck Club. Characteristics of each mother/daughter relationship relate to the four main themes of the novel. These being, parent/child conflict, the discovery of identity, the idea of balance and harmony as well as the use of symbolism. An example of one mother/daughter relationship in the Joy Luck Club, is that of Lindo and Waverly Jong.…
Provided that there are many problems that one self has in their lifetime, Car Radio symbolizes a couple of them. For one, the mask is symbolized as a shield from hiding oneself from one’s true identity. Throughout the lyrics the mask is represented as a disguise from the world, preventing it from knowing your thoughts and feelings within you; as if having this fear of truly revealing of what you are inside. In addition, the crowd symbolizes an overcomed experience one feels when surpassing that struggle within oneself. The crowd is in representation of Tyler's thoughts in relation with his car radio being stolen. In total the overall theme is don't suppress your thoughts and become overwhelmed because if you face your struggles, you have a…