here. zoning out a little. Where are all of the people who would want to edit an english paper??!
--mandy
ETA: well if
5x5 or anyone who just loooooves to edit an essay.
....
Every child grows up to be a unique person, having her own thoughts, solving her own problems and developing her own expectations. Eventually they would grow old and perhaps have their own family and teach their kids the same values that they were taught when they were children. Rarely do those values change, and when they do, it is often because of adaptations to society. In The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, the contrast of the settings — China and America — creates a conflict between the ideals and values of the mothers and daughters. As the novel develops the fight for the Chinese cultural identity in America became more apparent. The significance of the two contradicting settings shows through in the values gained by the mothers in China, the American ideals of the daughters and the clash of Chinese and American philosophies at home.
The mothers of the novel grew up in different parts of China. While they all came from a different background, they were all brought up with similar values. In pre-World War II China, a girl was expected to always be obedient to her family. While the tradition of arranged marriages were fading, children were still being betrothed at the age of two. Children were never taught with compassion because love was never spoken of openly in the Chinese culture. Most Chinese parents scolded their children as a sign of affection. The young girls in China were always told that everything they do should be in the best interest of the family honour. Without family and pride they would be just as worthless as a poor man on the street. “When you lose your face, An-mei, it is like dropping your necklace down a well. The only way you can get it back is to fall in after it.” (Tan, 36) While none of the women really liked the rules they grew up learning the traditional Chinese values. The mothers’ childhood settings influenced them to become adults who showed no emotions. They all put on a mask of placidity while they were in public, never having any angry outbursts. They naturally grew into the roles of a typical Chinese mother, someone who expected their daughters to be obedient and care for the family pride. For them, this was the way that Chinese children were brought up; it was not something that could be changed.
In America, the daughters were born into a society where everyone had their own freedom of speech. Children were allowed to express themselves and be naughty. America was a place where your opinion could be heard and was welcomed. They were surrounded by people who showed their love openly with hugs and kisses. The American people were able to solve their problems by talking about them. America was a place where people got paid to listen to other peoples’ mid-life crisis. When they were children, it was important to be “American” because there was always a desire to be like the people that surrounded them in the community. Even as they grew into young women, their principles were those principles of young American women. Waverly Jong eloped with her childhood sweetheart and later got a divorce. Lena St. Clair and Rose Hsu Jordan were both on the verge of a divorce from their husbands. To break up a marriage was stereotypically a very North American thing to do as divorces happened rarely in Chinese culture. The daughters have also learned common American customs such as tipping the waiters and being polite in public. “And while my mother used the restroom, I slipped the waiter a five-dollar bill. He nodded to me with deep understanding” (Tan, 184) Outside of their mothers’ homes they lived by the American culture. To the daughters, the American way of life was always the better way.
Neither the daughters nor the mothers lived the way that they thought they should have lived. At home the two cultures clashed, creating conflicts between mothers and daughters. The mothers were raised in an environment where the rewarding of a child was determined by his or her obedience. "Only two kind of daughters. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!" (Tan, 153) They had never had any chance at a good education so they push their daughters to always be better. Suyuan Woo had tried many times to make her daughter, An-mei, a child prodigy, never accepting her daughter just for who she was. Lindo Jong pushed her daughter to be the best chess player she could be but she always vocally took credit for her daughter’s skills. When the mothers get together to play mah jong, they would often compare their own daughter’s accomplishments to show off; because they have the Chinese family pride. To the daughters, their American ways could never seem to please their mothers. They felt as if their mothers wanted them to be more like them, more Chinese. The competition between their mothers seemed silly and inane; a pointless game which only resulted in jealousy and greater pressure to beat their friends. What they have always wanted was their mothers’ approvals. “You have career. You are busy. You want to live like mess, what I can say?” (Tan, 186) The mothers’ disapproval and their emotional distance made them appear to be cold and unloving. The mothers and the daughters do not realize that the American and the Chinese cultures cannot mix. This resulted in many arguments and misunderstandings at home.
For a long time, the American-born daughters never understood their mothers. To them, China was a strange and distant land, a place where fairytales took place. This novel told a tale of the fight for cultural identity. China taught the mothers their morals and their strong beliefs while the daughters embraced the American cultures and its values. The contrast between the two different cultures created a conflict between the Chinese-raised mothers and the American born daughters. The conflict was resolved overtime as the daughters understood themselves better, because being Chinese is not just a title someone carries with them; it is a part of them, a part of their own unique identity.
that's my ISU setting analysis for
The Joy Luck Club
I really hope it's just worse here... And I really hope I don't act like that.
and :run: and :snack: and 
)...but for now he is gonna be in Colorado till the end of the year...and yest it seems closer but we don;t know if it will mean anymore visits....i certainly hope so..