Summary
In the last pages of Chinese Cinderella, Adeline gets sick, is treated at a hospital, and returns to her house to recuperate for a week. Later on, Adeline writes an essay, for a contest, dedicated to her Grand Father, Ye Ye. Before she gets news that she wins the contest, her grandfather dies and she is heartbroken. When she gets news that she won, her father requests her home after school where he talks to her about how proud he is that she won and was on the news. She asks him about going to school in England with her two older brothers, and he agrees, having her study to become a doctor. In the end, she receives a letter from her Aunt Baba, where she tells her about how she misses Adeline, and about a Chinese story similar to Cinderella.
Quote
"Ye Xian ran home but lost one shoes, which was found by the War Lord."(Yen Mah 196)
Reaction
Finally!! I didn't expect the happiness of Adeline would come in the very very end! But I'm glad that things get better for her and that she is able to go to college in england! I also know now why the story is titled "Chinese Cinderella." Her Aunt Baba thinks of Adeline as the Chinese Cinderella in the story of Ye Xian. In the quote on page 196, it clearly shows how the Chinese story relates to the American story about a missing shoe. I'm glad that things are brighter for Adeline!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Chinese Cinderella- pg 123-164
Summary
In these 41 pages of Chinese Cinderella, Adeline is flown from Shanghai, China, back to Tianjin, where she would attend a boarding school, the same school she attended in kindergarten. During this, Communists, who dislike believers of God, are engaged in war. This is the reason that girls in the boarding school are leaving Tianjin to Hong Kong or Shanghai. In December, Adeline is the only pupil left, until her Aunt Reine came to her rescue to bring her to Hong Kong to reunite with her family and malevolent step mother Niang. As she was reunited, no one really cared for her return but for her Aunt Reine and her family of Victor and Claudine, a French family. During her return, the entire family, hers and her aunts, went out for site-seeing, though she was never invited, and when she was, Niang says that its too full in the car. Later on, Adeline attends a new school and is again, not visited by any of her family.
Quote
"Theirs was the gaze that glances but does not see." (Yen Mah 148)
"Father was at the office, and Little Sister was attending a birthday party." (Yen Mah 157)
Reaction
As I read throughout this novel, I feel like i am losing hope that Adeline will not have a happy ending because, one after another, she lives a dismal life when she is basically with her real family. From page 148 in Chinese Cinderella, when Adeline is finally united with her family, Niang AND her father do not look at her. Even when Aunt Reine includes Adeline in, when telling about how they brought their daughter with them to Hong Kong, neither Niang nor the father look at Adeline. I find this really depressing. In the quote on page 157, where Little Sister is attending a birthday party and Adeline is home, it reminded me of how Adeline attended a birthday party of friends, earlier in the novel. I think that it's obvious that Niang is bias, favoring her own flesh and blood more that her step children.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
"Chinese Cinderella" Pg 83-123
Summary
From pages 83 to 123, things for Yen Jun-ling have went up but also went down, like a roller coaster. In the beginning of these pages, Jun-ling gets a pet duck which she names PLT for Precious Little Treasure that she and her friend Chun-mei created. The pet is obedient and is described as Jun-ling's best friend other than her aunt Baba. Unfortunately, PLT dies by being attacked by Jack, the families pet dog. Later, in the next chapter, Jun-ling's older sister, at seventeen years old, gets married to a thirty-year old man, as a arranged marriage. Afterwards, Jun-ling has a day off, that her parents don't know about, and she decides to celebrate her friend, Chun-mei's birthday. When Jun-ling gets home she is punished, because Chun-mei called her house, waiting for Jun-ling, by being slapped and not having food until her father gets home. When he does, Jun-ling is punished again, but with a whip to the back. In these pages, she is also elected class president, but when her friends come over to celebrate her victory, she is again punished by her step-mother. Though, this time, she is to be disowned and sent to an orphanage in Tianjin. What else lies in her future?
Quotation
"How is it possible? I, the same despised daughter publicly rejected by my parents yesterday, an now being honored by my teacher and classmates? Which is the true me?"(Yen Mah 119)
Reaction
In these pages, i feel sorry for the narrator because bad things are happening to her, the next one worse than the last. I also feel like almost yelling in anger at her step-mother Niang because she accuses Jun-ling of theft, lying, and being a bragger because she was elected president. I also think that she gets bad parenting because she is beaten, insulted, and ,again, accused of things that lead to her being slapped, or whipped, or worse, having to be disowned and sent away to a Tianjin orphanage, for a new school, new family, and new friends. I personally think that having to leave friends is a miserable fate for her.
From pages 83 to 123, things for Yen Jun-ling have went up but also went down, like a roller coaster. In the beginning of these pages, Jun-ling gets a pet duck which she names PLT for Precious Little Treasure that she and her friend Chun-mei created. The pet is obedient and is described as Jun-ling's best friend other than her aunt Baba. Unfortunately, PLT dies by being attacked by Jack, the families pet dog. Later, in the next chapter, Jun-ling's older sister, at seventeen years old, gets married to a thirty-year old man, as a arranged marriage. Afterwards, Jun-ling has a day off, that her parents don't know about, and she decides to celebrate her friend, Chun-mei's birthday. When Jun-ling gets home she is punished, because Chun-mei called her house, waiting for Jun-ling, by being slapped and not having food until her father gets home. When he does, Jun-ling is punished again, but with a whip to the back. In these pages, she is also elected class president, but when her friends come over to celebrate her victory, she is again punished by her step-mother. Though, this time, she is to be disowned and sent to an orphanage in Tianjin. What else lies in her future?
Quotation
"How is it possible? I, the same despised daughter publicly rejected by my parents yesterday, an now being honored by my teacher and classmates? Which is the true me?"(Yen Mah 119)
Reaction
In these pages, i feel sorry for the narrator because bad things are happening to her, the next one worse than the last. I also feel like almost yelling in anger at her step-mother Niang because she accuses Jun-ling of theft, lying, and being a bragger because she was elected president. I also think that she gets bad parenting because she is beaten, insulted, and ,again, accused of things that lead to her being slapped, or whipped, or worse, having to be disowned and sent away to a Tianjin orphanage, for a new school, new family, and new friends. I personally think that having to leave friends is a miserable fate for her.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
"Chinese Cinderella" Pg 1-41
Summary
Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah, is about a young Chinese girl, living in the twentieth century of China, who is badly treated by her siblings and guardians. So far in the novel, Adeline earns a button that represents her leading her class. While her guardians applaud her for it, most of her siblings loathe her for it. Her big sister and second brother attack her when no one sees. Later, the narrator explains why her grandmothers feet are small: because during her time, she was forced to bind her feet to stay small so it would be attractive. Thirty years ago from the present time in the novel, that law in China was abolished. Afterwards, it is explained to us that there are Japanese businessmen who want to be partners with the narrators mother, and because of that, the father goes missing for about a year. During that year, the narrator's stepmother, Niang, leaves with the youngest brother and also disappears. It was a better life style for her as she states during the time her father is gone, until her grandmother dies of a massive stroke. After a year, the children finally meet with their father again, and move to Shanghai, where new rules are placed for their household and the children go to new schools. At first, the narrator is brought to school by the cook when everyone else is gone, and as she leaves school, no one picks her up. She tries to try to find the way home, but ends up lost and calls her father when she is welcomed in a restaurant. Apparently, no one misses her or knew that she didn't get home yet, so her father comes and gets her, and gives her a map for when she gets lost. Later, she and her siblings are forced to walk to school, even though it's a long way from home, and yet she and her siblings could take what was called a "tram".
Quotation
"Continue studying hard and bring honor to our Yen family name so we can be proud of you." (Yen 11)
Reaction
I think that this quote is a sad one because i thought that parents would already be proud of their children instead of a few years after they start school. I also find it really horrible that during the first 41 pages of Chinese Cinderella the narrator is the one who is always left out like when she waits for someone to bring her to her new school in Shanghai and who brings her home. But since it's titled Chinese Cinderella, I think that things will be a whole lot better for Adeline.
Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah, is about a young Chinese girl, living in the twentieth century of China, who is badly treated by her siblings and guardians. So far in the novel, Adeline earns a button that represents her leading her class. While her guardians applaud her for it, most of her siblings loathe her for it. Her big sister and second brother attack her when no one sees. Later, the narrator explains why her grandmothers feet are small: because during her time, she was forced to bind her feet to stay small so it would be attractive. Thirty years ago from the present time in the novel, that law in China was abolished. Afterwards, it is explained to us that there are Japanese businessmen who want to be partners with the narrators mother, and because of that, the father goes missing for about a year. During that year, the narrator's stepmother, Niang, leaves with the youngest brother and also disappears. It was a better life style for her as she states during the time her father is gone, until her grandmother dies of a massive stroke. After a year, the children finally meet with their father again, and move to Shanghai, where new rules are placed for their household and the children go to new schools. At first, the narrator is brought to school by the cook when everyone else is gone, and as she leaves school, no one picks her up. She tries to try to find the way home, but ends up lost and calls her father when she is welcomed in a restaurant. Apparently, no one misses her or knew that she didn't get home yet, so her father comes and gets her, and gives her a map for when she gets lost. Later, she and her siblings are forced to walk to school, even though it's a long way from home, and yet she and her siblings could take what was called a "tram".
Quotation
"Continue studying hard and bring honor to our Yen family name so we can be proud of you." (Yen 11)
Reaction
I think that this quote is a sad one because i thought that parents would already be proud of their children instead of a few years after they start school. I also find it really horrible that during the first 41 pages of Chinese Cinderella the narrator is the one who is always left out like when she waits for someone to bring her to her new school in Shanghai and who brings her home. But since it's titled Chinese Cinderella, I think that things will be a whole lot better for Adeline.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)