Tuesday, March 17, 2020

True or False Essays - Yang, Monkeys In Chinese Culture, Chen, Wa

True or False Essays - Yang, Monkeys In Chinese Culture, Chen, Wa True or False The book American Born Chinese, written by a Chinese-American Gene Luen Yang, was published in December, 2008, and the whole book is composed of three different stories that connect to each other. The main characters in these three stories are the Monkey King, Jing Wang, and Dannys cousin, Chin-Kee. The Monkey King is extremely persistent and arrogant, Jing Wang is a Chinese-American, but he hates his identity as an Asian, and Chin-Kee who is Dannys cousin likes tricks, has an ugly appearance and speaks English with a strong Chinese accent. The criticism in personality, appearance and lifestyle in this book illustrates Americans negative view of Chinese people. The personality of Chinese people in this book was unacceptable. First example was Chin-Kee. Danny was a main character in one of the stories, and Chin-Kee was his cousin. One day, when Dannys mother told him that Chin-Kee came to their house, Dannys facial appearance looked scared and afraid (Yang 47). It was strange because when people have relatives come and meet them, they think it is okay or feel happy. But when Danny knew his cousin was coming, he was so afraid. It made me feel bad and showed me that Chin-Kee was a scary person and Danny didn't want to see him. It let me guess that Danny hated Chin-Kee very much. Another example was Jing Wang. One day, Suzy Nakamura, girlfriend of Jings best friend Wei-Chen Sun, told bad things about herself to Jing. Unexpectedly, Jing kissed her after she said those things (Yang 188). His action was rude and very impolite to Suzy and his friend, Wei-Chen. It confused the readers and caused them to feel that Jing was a bad person. He did bad th ings to his best friends girlfriend, and he didn't apologized to him until they met again a long time later. Both of these showed us that Chinese people were rude and scary, and their actions were different to accept. The drawings of Chinese peoples appearance are bad. As we know, typical Asian people all have black hair, brown eyes, and yellow skin. Jing Wang looks like that. But the face drawing of Chin-Kee in this book is unbearable to be seen. He has a very ugly face, weird behaviors and words. His eyes are very small, we can't even see his eyes. He has a bulbous nose and a big mouth with buck teeth in it. Sometimes when he talks, the saliva will come out of his mouth (Yang 50). He is very good at studying; even so, he always does tricks people, like peeing in Dannys friend, Steves coke, and saying some pretty vulgar stuff to girls. When Chin-Kee saw Melanie, Dannys friend in his house, Chin-Kee said, such pletty Amellican girl whiff bountiful Amellican bosom! Must bind feet and bear Chin-Kees children (Yang 50). His words was very rude for a girl. He also has a heavy accent when he is talking. For example, he says Amellica as America, Da-nee as Danny. These facial and action descriptions of C hin-Kee give many narrow ideas of Chinese people and make me think that all of the Chinese people are like that. This book also shows many prejudices about Chinese people and influences the perspective of Chinese in American peoples eyes . Jing Wang ate dumplings at lunchtime when he was in elementary school. After his classmates saw that, one of them said, Stay away from my dog (Yang 32). That showed American people don't know what a dumpling actually is and his classmate mistakenly assumed it was made with dog. The book suggests Chinese people eat dogs. After that happened, Jing never ate dumplings at school ever, he only ate sandwiches later on. The same thing happened to Chin-Kee too. He ate crispy fried cat noodle when he was in Dannys school. However, thats not common for Chinese people to eat animals. There are also many stereotypes of Chinese people. When the teacher introduced Jing to the class when he came to school in the first day, the teacher spelt his name wrong. The teacher said, Class, Id like us all to give a warm Mayflower Elementary welcome to your new friend and classmate Ji ng

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Medeas Monologue by Euripides (Mother Character)

Medeas Monologue by Euripides (Mother Character) In one of the most chilling monologues in all of Greek Mythology, Medea seeks revenge against the heroic yet callous Jason (the father of her children) by killing her own offspring. Found in the play Medea by the Greek writer Euripides,  this monologue offers an alternative to the traditional female monologues found in classic literature. In the play, Medea kills her children (offstage) and then flies away on the chariot of Helios, and while many have argued that this play demonizes women, others contend that Medea represents literature’s first feminist heroine, a woman who chooses her own destiny despite the hand she was dealt by the gods. Although not the typical  mother character monologue, Madeas monologue  is deeply expressive of the difficulty and multiplicity of the emotions love, loss, and revenge, making it a truly excellent audition piece for female actors who want to convey their ability to portray a depth of complex emotions. Full Text of Medeas Monologue Taken from an English translation of the Greek play by  Shelley Dean Milman  found in The Plays of Euripides in English, vol ii, the following monologue is delivered by Medea upon discovering Jason has left her for the princess of Corinth. Upon this realization that shes been left alone, Madea attempts to take control of her own life and says: O my sons!My sons! ye have a city and a houseWhere, leaving hapless me behind, withoutA mother ye for ever shall reside.But I to other realms an exile go,Ere any help from you I could derive,Or see you blest; the hymeneal pomp,The bride, the genial couch, for you adorn,And in these hands the kindled torch sustain.How wretched am I through my own perverseness!You, O my sons, I then in vain have nurtured,In vain have toiled, and, wasted with fatigue,Suffered the pregnant matrons grievous throes.On you, in my afflictions, many hopesI founded erst: that ye with pious careWould foster my old age, and on the bierExtend me after death- much envied lotOf mortals; but these pleasing anxious thoughtsAre vanished now; for, losing you, a lifeOf bitterness and anguish shall I lead.But as for you, my sons, with those dear eyesFated no more your mother to behold,Hence are ye hastening to a world unknown.Why do ye gaze on me with such a lookOf tenderness, or wherefore smile? for theseAre your last s miles. Ah wretched, wretched me!What shall I do? My resolution fails.Sparkling with joy now I their looks have seen,My friends, I can no more. To those past schemesI bid adieu, and with me from this landMy children will convey. Why should I causeA twofold portion of distress to fallOn my own head, that I may grieve the sireBy punishing his sons? This shall not be:Such counsels I dismiss. But in my purposeWhat means this change? Can I prefer derision,And with impunity permit the foeTo scape? My utmost courage I must rouse:For the suggestion of these tender thoughtsProceeds from an enervate heart. My sons,Enter the regal mansion.  [Exuent SONS.]  As for thoseWho deem that to be present were unholyWhile I the destined victims offer up,Let them see to it. This uplifted armShall never shrink. Alas! alas! my soulCommit not such a deed. Unhappy woman,Desist and spare thy children; we will liveTogether, they in foreign realms shall cheerThy exile. No, by those avenging fiendsWho dwell w ith Pluto in the realms beneath,This shall not be, nor will I ever leaveMy sons to be insulted by their foes.They certainly must die; since then they must,I bore and I will slay them: tis a deedResolved on, nor my purpose will I change.Full well I know that now the royal brideWears on her head the magic diadem,And in the variegated robe expires:But, hurried on by fate, I tread a pathOf utter wretchedness, and them will plungeInto one yet more wretched. To my sonsFain would I say: O stretch forth your right handsYe children, for your mother to embrace.O dearest hands, ye lips to me most dear,Engaging features and ingenuous looks,May ye be blest, but in another world;For by the treacherous conduct of your sireAre ye bereft of all this earth bestowed.Farewell, sweet kisses- tender limbs, farewell!And fragrant breath! I never more can bearTo look on you, my children. My afflictionsHave conquered me; I now am well awareWhat crimes I venture on: but rage, the causeOf woes most grievous to the human race,Over my better reason hath prevailed. Even Euripides contemporaries found the monologue and play to be shocking to the Athenian audiences at the time, though this may have stemmed more from the artistic liberties Euripides took in retelling Medeas story- the children historically were said to have been killed by the Corinthians, not by Medea- and the play itself was ranked third of three at the Dionysia Festival where it premiered in 431 B.C.