Essay on Chinese Diaspora on American Screens
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#1Historic accuracy or distortion
The Joy Luck video is a story about Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-raised daughters. The prominence of Chinese culture in San Francisco, an America city, is evident of a long history of the Chinese people which could be related to the stories narrated in the Joy Lack series of events (Marchetti 1).
#2Evidence of marginalization of the group
Marginalization is a theme that is evidently expressed in the way Lindo is treated when their house is destroyed by the flood. Though she is already betrothed at an early age, she is treated by the same family she expects to be married to as a servant, and this could be because of her social background of poverty. The poor are marginalized, and the fact that their house is destroyed by the flood is evident of poor infrastructure (Burns, Leslie & Stergios 24).
#3Effects of stereotyping or negative portrayals of the group
The negative portrayal of the group has an effect in people not feeling proud of their culture. The mention of traveling to China and being perceived as a tourist shows that those in America are now regarded by Chinese as foreigners, yet they are also not fully accepted as Americans.
#4Effects of discrimination within and outside the group
Within the group itself, there is evidence of discrimination especially directed to the girl child. Ying-ying is an example as she is cautioned by Amah, the nurse that it is wrong for a woman to voice her needs (Marchetti 3).
#5Any gender difference within the group
The elderly women are trying to instill in their daughters, concepts that will help them remember the Chinese culture despite being in a foreign country. The fact that the young girls do not develop a great interest in learning the language itself is an indication of the difference within the group (Marchetti 3). The male characters are also given superior roles and in the stories narrated, they appear to dictate what should be said and done by the women.
#6Examples of visible and invisible culture
The mother of An-mei cut a piece of her own flesh and dipped it into a bowl of soup to cure Popo, An-meis grandmother which is a customary practice believed to help in curing a sick relative. The betrothal of Lindo to Huang Tyan-yu at the age of two is also a customary practice. The wedding ceremony and the lighting of the candle were done in a cultural way (Burns, Leslie & Stergios 26).
#7Examples of strong family values vs. individual values
The anger expressed by Popo following An-meis mothers decision to abandon her children to go and cohabit with Wu-Tsing is an evidence of how the Chinese people held with esteem the importance of parenting and legal marriage. Forgiveness of An-meis mother by her daughter is also an indication of the presence of strong individual values which is also demonstrated by Lindo looking out through the window and realizes how strong she is, and decides not to despair in life but to fight on (Burns, Leslie & Stergios 25).
Works Cited
Burns, Leslie David, and Stergios G. Botzakis. "Using" The Joy Luck Club" to Teach Core Standards and 21st Century Literacies." English Journal (2012): 23-29.
Marchetti, Gina. The Chinese Diaspora on American Screens. Temple University Press, 2012.
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