Friday, February 13, 2015
Filled With Joy
When I consider myself to be filled with joy, the occasion is not always a huge extravaganza and it doesn't always require a large amount of work. Sometimes, I'm filled with joy over simple things like doing something I love to do. One of those simple times that I was filled with joy was last night. I walked down the stairs and around the corner to a room which everyone calls the art room. Of course, the room, being the art room in he house, is filled to the top with random "art supplies that my brother and I could use for school projects" (my dad) despite my parents efforts; I love it anyways. My favorite "art supplies" in the room is actual art supplies in the shelves where the paints and canvases are. Last night, I borrowed a few paints and took a canvas, opened up my sketchbook to plan what to paint, and then started to smear colors onto what was going to be a piece of "art." This kind of joy is like butter that is left on a warm piece of toast, spreading quietly, smoothly, and without anyone noticing until someone bites the side of the toast and tastes it. Another way to say this, is that I was filled with joy without needing to specifically identify it.
My Reaction to Maya Angelou Saying That I Must Not BeDefeated
"You can encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated." -- Maya Angelou
My first reaction after I read the quote is to simply interpret it. To me, the above quote means that people make mistakes in life but they should improve and continue to reach for their goals. This brings me to making a connection or relating tone quote. If I relate to the quote, there is a more likely chance of me remembering it. One part of my past that relates to this quote happened when I used to figure skate. A few years ago, I tried mastering a jump called an single axel. A single axel is one and a half rotations in the air that happens when a skater jumps from a forward position. The first time I tried to jump and land an axel, I almost had it. For the next year after that attempt, I went through phases of jumping and landing it, and completely wiping out. Once, I had to go to the emergency room to get stitches because I split my chin open. In the end, I landed the jump and mastered it because I was not defeated.
My first reaction after I read the quote is to simply interpret it. To me, the above quote means that people make mistakes in life but they should improve and continue to reach for their goals. This brings me to making a connection or relating tone quote. If I relate to the quote, there is a more likely chance of me remembering it. One part of my past that relates to this quote happened when I used to figure skate. A few years ago, I tried mastering a jump called an single axel. A single axel is one and a half rotations in the air that happens when a skater jumps from a forward position. The first time I tried to jump and land an axel, I almost had it. For the next year after that attempt, I went through phases of jumping and landing it, and completely wiping out. Once, I had to go to the emergency room to get stitches because I split my chin open. In the end, I landed the jump and mastered it because I was not defeated.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Why do Winnie and Hulan still put up with each other?
To answer the question of why Winnie and Hulan put up with each other, a simple answer is that they are family. There is more than one definition for family. Family can mean that people are related by blood or all have the same ancestor. Family can also mean people who related to each by loyalty and intimacy. Hulan and Winnie are family by using the second definition above. This kind of feeling of family grows over time and what the people in the family have been through together. The two woman have spent a large portion of their lives together because of their husbands' work. They have also been through many events together. They have even been through war together. Going back to the main question, Hulan and Winnie do not agree on everything but they are family.
Stories About Stars
"Her [Hulan's] always ended with some sort of hero popping up and marrying an ugly animal who then turned out to be a kind and beautiful prince. I think mine had to do with lessons learned too late- not to eat too much, not to talk to loud, not to wander out at night late by yourself- in any case, always people who fell off the earth and into the sky because of their willful ways."
- The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan on page 230
The quote above is Winnie looking back on the stories that she and Hulan made up about the different patterns of stars that they saw in the sky. The stories they make up encompass their hopes, dreams, and even parts of their realities at the time.
Hulan's story encompasses her reality because she married the man who originally would not help her sister, the girl who he had gotten pregnant. An ugly animal compares Hulan's first impression of her husband to an animal in a fairy tale. Then, she ends up marrying this man who redirects her poor life style to a wealthier one he pays for. Later in the novel, the reader learns how much Hulan despises the thought of herself being poor. Since her husband took Hulan away from her despised life of being poor and made her rich, she probably believed this to be an act of kindness so this man can be compared to a prince.
Winnie's stories were about lessons that she didn't learn on time. This reflects her relationship with Wen Fu. The other examples she lists are probably stories she read or heard when she was little. One of the lines that stands out to me is the last one. This line states her fears. In other words, Winnie is scared that if she is willful or stubborn, she will end up in an unknown and mysterious place which scares her. This might be a reason for why she did not stand up to Wen Fu until much later in her life.
Keeping this section in the novel was clever of Amy Tan because it reminds the audience of the lives that the two characters have lived so far. How much of our own creativities reflect our hopes, dreams, and lives?
- The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan on page 230
The quote above is Winnie looking back on the stories that she and Hulan made up about the different patterns of stars that they saw in the sky. The stories they make up encompass their hopes, dreams, and even parts of their realities at the time.
Hulan's story encompasses her reality because she married the man who originally would not help her sister, the girl who he had gotten pregnant. An ugly animal compares Hulan's first impression of her husband to an animal in a fairy tale. Then, she ends up marrying this man who redirects her poor life style to a wealthier one he pays for. Later in the novel, the reader learns how much Hulan despises the thought of herself being poor. Since her husband took Hulan away from her despised life of being poor and made her rich, she probably believed this to be an act of kindness so this man can be compared to a prince.
Winnie's stories were about lessons that she didn't learn on time. This reflects her relationship with Wen Fu. The other examples she lists are probably stories she read or heard when she was little. One of the lines that stands out to me is the last one. This line states her fears. In other words, Winnie is scared that if she is willful or stubborn, she will end up in an unknown and mysterious place which scares her. This might be a reason for why she did not stand up to Wen Fu until much later in her life.
Keeping this section in the novel was clever of Amy Tan because it reminds the audience of the lives that the two characters have lived so far. How much of our own creativities reflect our hopes, dreams, and lives?
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