Understanding Far

On Wednesday class, some people expressed that they would've understood Far's nature and intention better if they had read her "biography" piece before reading the book. In that case, would we have raised so many questions on her views and credibility? And looking back, the readers should consider if they had reminded themselves where and when it was written before criticizing or judging.

ESSAY #1 DRAFT DUE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th

If you would like to remain anonymous while your classmate looks over your paper, create a false name for your draft. It should be something you can easily identify and remember.

If you are unable to come to class that day, email me your paper before noon on Monday.

The Chinese in America

I know that she is writing positively about Chinese Americans to contrast what is already being said, but to make the stories more truthful she should write about both the wrong and the right things Chinese Americans do in equal amounts. She is so one sided in her characterizations they are hard to get through today because we know that people are not this one-dimensional. People are complex and I think she should have made that known. Her audience is not the most intelligent group, if she wrote more honestly it might have appealed to the intellectual and maybe would have benefited her people more. Its just really repetitive and we get the picture, Chinese people are good, what else is there to these stories. It does not grab you the way her first biography does, Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian.

Autobiography

Sui Sin Far autobiography in the handout gave a more clear understanding of her and the need to write her short stories. In her autobiography about herself see discover that she was different an American Chinese. She became super aware of the indentity conflict within herself. Siu Sin Far wanted other to become aware of this conflict of being an Asian American. Her mother seem to try to suppress it from her and within herself. Reading about the Asian culture in their country it was a close society and culture and race was not discussed openly. This may be the reason that she was so hard on Sui Sin Far. It is very important to discuss assimilation and being accepted, but we did not go into it in class.

I do wonder somtimes, if there was ever a moment in her life when she was happy.

Sin Far's autobiography was very interesting for me. I had no idea that she experienced what it felt like to be a mysterious specimen. Throughout her childhood, from what she wrote, I thought she was looked upon like an entirely different species. At the party, people would look at her up and down even when she was just a child. I did like the part when she was a stenographer and stood up for herself when everyone was putting the Chinese down. I can see why she writes the stories the way she does. A lot of them have to do with what she went through in life. Sometimes I think she repeats herself.

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The Statue O' Steven s0n

A statue in San Francisco of Robert Louis Stevenson was referenced in the first shorty story we read. There was some confusion amongst the class as to why it was there. Stevenson spent much time in the Pacific Islands for health reasons, visiting San Francisco for a stay as well (He traveled widely). Stevenson was greatly inquisitive about other cultures, and was personal friends with many people of varying lineage, including King David Kalakaula of Hawaii. Thus the line "Robert Louis Stevenson would have thought about it," as the white journalist did not, as to why his article upset the Chinese community. Cause Robert Louis Stevenson was a man who was so smarts and borad minded, whereas the journalist was a narrow minded fool, that's what the autoher is getting at, kind of.

-I am the Goose!

Chinese in America

What did everyone think about the Chinese in America stories. Some stories seemed to be about how comeing to america benifeted the Chinese who came over such as Scholor or Cook? in part I or The Story of Forty-niner in part III. Others seemed to be about how they adapted when they came over and how some of thir belifes changed, such as in The New and the Old from part II and Like the American from part III. That one was my fav it was so sweet. Many of the stories had elements about how some of them liked how things were done in america. But other's had pices of how hard the change was and how thye were not always treeted well. I think the dynamics of the stories and the many diffrent subject they covered really highlighted just how everybody's experiance was diffrent and how even if they all came from the sameplace and to the same place their reasons and how thing eventualy ended for them are all diffrent. That pretty much sums up the immigrent expirance for any immigrent group that has ever come to america during any age.

Where is Su Sin Far Going with this book?

Here are a couple of questions for this new post: WHERE IS SUI SIN FAR going with this book? And if she is going somewhere what are her audience supposed to do with all her bias, and unreliable stories? I have been saying this from day one, how could someone who has not experienced the chinese traditions and cultures, in other words how could Sui Sin Far who has only experienced half of what she really is be reliable and trustworthy. She has never been to china and experienced what real imigration to America from a REAL third world country (Britian and Canada do not count) REALLY feels like. How could some one who only knows what being a mixture is like (she is both half chinese and white), really be the one who is reliable with accurate decriptions of what really went on back then. I mean come on, half of what she writes is tended to protect only her Chinese background and her chinese people. Has she waked up and had some coffee, or should someone tell her that she is half white and american too. What really made me angry in one of her stories, The Story of Wah on page 235 is that she ended with the Chinese man saying no to doing an illegal business of selling opium, she writes "But Wah refused to have anything to do with business...I wish for my countrymen to rise, not to fall" (Far, 236). The real truth that she is trying to convey to her readers is that ALL Chinese people always say no to bad things and that they are all good people. I guess i was born yesterday and realized that when i say no to drugs, or any other white, black or american person says no to drugs they are not as pure and moral as the Chinese people she is trying to support, i guess we are all like Mark Carson who hurts, mocks, misleads, and betrays the Chinese people . But wait Sui Sin Far, you forgot something your parents weren't both Chinese. Yes i know it might not feel right, and your skin might not show it, but you are white too...sorry baby, blame your parents not the rest of the world for your ordeal. However this is not the point i am trying to make, because you are half white and half chinese does that mean you are rightfully and allowed to be singled out from this purism and moralism of the Chinese people you speak of, just like you singled out the "one friend who was both Chinese and american" from the story, A Love Story from the Rice Fields of China on page 266. Sui Sin Far i am sorry but this is not a carnival, we have different races breeding all the time, and if you didn't know - YOU ARE ONE OF THEM. Sui Sin Far needs to get to her point, most of her readers are lost with copied work of previous written books and short stories by great men and women from the past. I admire Sui Sin Far's admiration to help her Chinese people during the rough and the bad times they faced when coming to America, but when one forgets about there true identity of what they truely are, one tends to lose touch with the real meaning of the cause they are trying to support. Yes Sui Sin Far's stories are delightfull but she tends to forget that she is an American and white too, and when she loses touch with this side, she loses touch with the American white public. There was a reason why she was given a chance to be both white and chinese, somebody gave her the power and reason to state that we are all the same people, race, and color- this is because if we weren't there would be restrictions on the chromosomes for interbreeding. With this book she lacks the effort for both white, chinese, and mixture to unite as one.

Realiable

Sui Sin Far, is a reliable sourse Being raised both my Chinese and American parents, though even though being born in England she had experienced biases from both races. Sui Sin far heart felt stories is express during a time Asian American was not fully understood "Having a chinese mother and an English father gave Sui Sin Far insights into both side of the struggle" (p2) . Recieving imformation from both parents has mould her understanding of her history and allow her to express it to others that did not understand the Chinese experiese.

Trinh T. Minh-ha " Insider- Outsider"

In the article we were asigned " Not You/Like You" the author makes a clear connection with the concept we discussed in class of insider- outsider. She says that " The moment the insider steps out from the inside she's no longer a mere insider. She necesarily looks in from the outside while also looking in from the inside". This one quote seems to sum up all of our readings on the topic into one sole concept, especially Pans story. In class we went on back and forth about what a secret was and who was in insider and who was an outsider. With this distinction made in the article, once Pan began the friendship with Carson, was she still an insider?

To me she was not, because she stepped out of the Chinese culture. She didnt essentially set aside her culture but loved out side of the culture she was taught. Pan indeed looked in from the outside, sharing all of China Towns secrets with the outsider. She looked in from inside becuase she knew all of her cultures stories even though she was Chinese American.

Not Like you/Like You

The writer is clearing speaking out about racism and discrimination which does not only against the chinese but against other national. In this article the writer is clearing disgust with the way Blacks, Indians and Asian are discriminated against. In her arguement she clearly speaks about the need for identity and how much many struggle with find an identity, because of a dominant culture or sex.

not/You/ Like You

Trinh T Minh-ha artical talks about inside/outside and point out that to be inside that you are 100% from your country. To be outside you are American and part your culture. his point of view seem to be a matter of acceptance and assimilation into another society specially westernization. Thinh T Minh- ha raises the question of identity and losing it. You my be from your country born there then you enter the west you run the risk of losing your identity by assimilation. The Core of you is and will all way be there. eg. If you from china you are Chinese and learnt the ways of the china, but if you adopt the Western way you lose some of your identity. The core of one self is who you are. Sui Sin Far is a reliable source because she experience both the Chinese ans Western side and has been expose to bias from both side. As she write to china American, that my experienced what she had went though in China commutictating about this issue is not open but in the West you can talk about in more. Sui Sin far she not bitter or anger but like other to know about the struggle within.

Reliable authority

What is the difference between Mark writing an article about China town, and what Sui Sin Far is doing (IGNORE the seduction of Pan)? Does the mere fact Sui Sin Far is half Chinese allow her to be a reliable authority, while Mark's whiteness makes him a thief of culture and tradition?


For Mark, wring an aticle about China town was not as personal as it was for Pan. He was looking for a story, an article that was needed for his career. To him, the article was part of his job. In Pan's view, it was personal. She showed him what had made her into the person she was now. The way Pan showed him China town was through very innocent eyes. Sui Sin Far portrayed Pan through innocence. Sui Sin Far made it seem that the Chinese were innocent and that the Americans were always the perpetrators. I do not think that because Sui Sin Far is half Chinese that she is a reliable source. She cannot speak for what every person has went through. Mark's whiteness does not make him a thief of culture and tradition. It seems as if he were very curious, and had no intentions of harming Pan.

Identity and Difference

I agree that identity requires elimination of otherness from ourselves. A person's identity is known when they accept themselves for everything they know, attain, and accomplish but, also accepts their shortcomings, mistakes, and personal life choices/issues. It's a point when other people's opinions are heard, but they're "taken with a grain of salt." Taking a person of out their normal element can strengthen or weaken their core depending on how they adapt.

I also agree that identity can never be fixed because people never stop attaining knowledge or making mistakes, so identity matures as people mature.

Question for the weekend...

and I meant to ask this in class.

It seemed we agree that Sui Sin Far is a reliable author to give us insight into the lives and traditions of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans. She is both an INSIDER and an OUTSIDER in that she is both white and Chinese, and can PASS between the barriers of race and class when she writes.

However, in, "Its Wavering Image", the class seemed to be upset with the character, Mark Carson, who "used" Pan to get his story about lives in China town.

What is the difference between Mark writing an article about China town, and what Sui Sin Far is doing (IGNORE the seduction of Pan)? Does the mere fact Sui Sin Far is half Chinese allow her to be a reliable authority, while Mark's whiteness makes him a thief of culture and tradition?

Half-Chinese Children

I think that Sui Sin Far is writing this to a mainly white American audience. The things she says are so stereotypical that I did not think it was a real article. Being Asian-Canadian I would not think she would say these things about her own people. For instance, on page 188 she writes "They are by nature proud and reserved (some say sullen and hardened). They are quick to understand and appreciate book-lore and the little girls are particularly clever with their needles and can be easily taught the most difficult patterns in embroidery". This statement is equivalent to saying all Asian children are straight A students and are good in math. It's not true and why would she generalize about her own culture. I can kind of understand her generalizing about other cultures because she is not aware of who they might be individually, like the way some people only now Americans by what they see on TV. After I heard the discussions in class about different topics, maybe she wrote this to provoke thought on how Asian-Americans are being viewed by the public, the same way a satire is funny about serious situations. What do you think, did she mean the things she said to be true or was she trying to make a statement?

CHEAP copies of "Bone" by Fae Ng

The books have begun arriving at the book store! However, they are not coming in all at one time.

Here is a link for really cheap copies of "Bone":

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/006097592X/ref=dp_olp_2

See you tonight.

Sui Sin Far/Edith Eaton as Insider and Outsider

Is Sui Sin Far a reliable source for insight into Asian-American culture in her stories and articles? What challenges does she face when she writes about Chinese, Chinese-American and American relationships?

Not You/ Like you

In this article it talks about knowing one identity and where you came from, which is a very important issue if you coming from another country. the issue of assimilation and acceptance. one must look at the reason why people abandon their culture to be accepted by others. Some do it for protection and some do it to get ahead. However to run the risk of forgetting who you really are is very dangerous for one and Their children and family. If you have a mental illness male or female. Yes you must look into you inner sole and accept who you are to deny yourself of that is to lie to one self. Some situation you must if it life threatening for you, but do not deny you inner self.

In tie co she fall in love with fabian in her own way and it was nit money she had that but it was more what Fabian repersented one that knew what he had whated

Pau Tsu

Pau Tsu came over from China, where she lived the life of a porcelain doll. She sipped tea and conversed lightly with female companions. For liesure, she played the lute and wherever she went about there was nothing that was unpleasant. After coming to America, Lin Fo shattered her glass world. I believe it was to the point where after what had happened with the doctor, she would never be the same sweet girl again. I think Pau Tsu had a personality change when she told Lin Fo to come in with out Adah. She gave Lin Fo a command and seemed like she wanted to take the relationship into her own hands. When I read this story, I thought of how women were raised in China. Foot binding was a common practice beginning in the Shang Dynasty. Foot binding was for beauty but also it limited the way women participated in society. Since women were physically unable to move around much they could not influence or socialize. They were confined to the house and were merely looked upon as objects. I found Pau Tsu's character to come from this custom, where she is used to living a very life that is not so serious but revolving more around beauty.

Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese

In today’s class, a quote from page 81 was mentioned. “But in spite of all I could do or say, it was there between us: that strong, invisible what? Was it the barrier of race that consciousness?” I think that this shows how even though she was happy with Liu and he treated her very well, a part of her must have been always thinking about how both of them are different and are separated by their different cultures and races. This must have been a major conflict especially back in those times. Marriages between two different cultures weren’t common so I think that it can be seen as an internal conflict that she dealt with throughout the story. It can also be seen in the first part of the story on pg. 77 when she looks at her son and wonders if she had done the right thing.

The Americanizing of Pau Tsu

Through the discussions we had in class, i would like to expand on one such question that i raised. Does Pau honestly love Wan Lin Fo? And truely does she want to change? I would say that I do not think Pau loves Wan Lin Fo as a true wife. The only relationship that they have is husband and wife title. If Pau truely cared about Lin, she would change herself, even if she did not like it. She took that oath to support her husband, but when Lin asks her for one thing (Americanize yourself) she slacks off and never accomplishes it for him. There is no acuse that she has, her husband gave her all the help and support, she should be abligated to americanize herself in the least amount of time (no matter how much it hurts). Marriage is a bigger step than asking someone to change their ways. She should have known that coming to America was not going to be the same as living in China. Pau needs to get this Chinese mentality out of her head, this is America- women are expected to be social, wear nice things, see doctors who are men, and speak English. Throughout the short story, we see that she tries to change, but truely all I see a lack of effort. She never believed in the saying, "Do as the Romans do." For example, she tells Lin whats the use in learning english, when she is going to stay at home anyways. Her husband is putting in so much effort, and they only thing that she ever gives back to him for all his support and hardwork is a beautiful divorce letter which she does not even deliver herself. Why is it when she could not handle the stress of becoming an American anymore, she can finally start acting American and asks for an American divorce? Thats weird she would not put on the nice dress without an arguement, but somehow divorce is moral on her list. Did she have it in her to change, or was she just lazy? We all look at Lin and say you were being to harsh on your wife, but honestly what did he do wrong, all he wanted was for her to have both of best worlds, it was his wife that wanted to stay a chinese women forever.

The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese

I loved this story. It was like a little TNT drama and Lifetime mixed. It had its happy moments, its sad moments, and its intense drama when she was about to commit suicide (I think??). But the thing that really pissed me off was that her first husband James was two faced. First he is a believer of women's rights but he mistreats his wife by not appreciating anything she does for him and then tries to hit on his association co-worker. What's up with that???  I think James in the end deserved being alone for mistreating his wife. You go girl, you can do better than James. Which I think she did, when she married Liu Kanghi. Liu was the perfect man for her- he supported her and made her feel like a women.

"The country that heaven loves"

Throughout "The Chinese Lily" the phrase "the country that heaven loves" is used quite often. Immediately the topic of death came to mind upon seeing this phrase in the story. At the beginning Lin John and Mermei loose their parents and uncle. Also Sin Far is killed at the end when Lin John is unable to rescue her from the fire. One way the topic of death can be interpreted in the story is that it can bring loved ones closer together. Obviously after the death of their parents and uncle Lin John and Mermei were left to fend for themselves. Mermei being a cripple is so attached to her brother than when he doesn't visit her one night she begins to cry.

Also when Sin Far dies in the fire Lin John says to Mermei " Sin Far is happy. And I - I did my duty with her approval, aye, at her bidding. How then, little sister, can I be sad?" This statement along with him describing heaven as "the land of happy spirits" seems to imply that the author is taking a positive view on death.

In the Land of the Free

In " In the Land of the Free," Hom Hing is an established merchant in America. He was not present when his son was born. " I am a Chinese merchant and have been in business in San Francisco for many years. When my wife told me to one morning that she dreamed of a green tree with spreading branches and one beautiful red flower grwing thereon, I answered her tha tI wished my son to be born in our country, and for her to prepare to go to China." The amount of time Hom Hing was not with his wife and son would have meant that he did not have a relationship with the child just yet. And also his parents fell sick which meant that the amount of time lengthened. By the time the child arrived in America, a significant amount of time had passed. Lae Choo, the mother, had been always with the child since the day he was born. She bore the child and would naturally have a stronger bond with the child. Hom Hing would not.

Tie Co, Land of Free, Sin Far

Using evidence from the text, defend or deny the idea that Tie Co was in love with Fabian.In, "In the Land of Free", why are Hom Hing and Lae Choo's reactions to the taking and eventual "ransoming" of their son different?Why does Lin John mean when he tells his sister, Mermei, that Sin Far is "happy" on page 104?You may address one of these ideas we touched on in class, or choose to write about a different or new idea.Hope everyone is on board.

In my interpretation of " The Smuggling of Tie Co," I believe that the author wanted the reader to realize that Tie Co was in love with Fabian. The author uses words to describe Tie Co such as delicate and nice-looking. "Well, Fabian was sitting in the laundry of Chen Tin Lung & Co., telling a nice-looking young Chinaman that he was so broke that he'd be willing to take over even one man at a time." He left the laundry, nodding goodbye to Tie Co as he passed outside the window, and the Chinaman nodded back, a faint smile on his small, delicate face lingering until Fabian's receding form was lost to view." Words such as delicate are rarely used to describe men in literature. The smile was also lingering on Tie Co's face following Fabian until he was out of sight.

Tie Co's Feelings Toward Fabian.

Upon finishing this story it was clear to me that Tie Co was IN LOVE with Fabian, not just someone wanting to help a friend. Others felt that she was traveling to New York because of the self-sacrificing quality embedded in the Asian culture, that she was giving up her comfortable life in Canada so that Fabian could make money... but I can't bring myself to believe that this was her COMPLETE reason for doing this. This story is set in a time when North America was receiving many Asian immigrants who, once settled, lived extremely humbled lives. They worked for very low wages, so Tie Co being the owner of a laundromat was rare and quite a big deal. I can't fathom Tie Co giving up her stability and planning to start over fresh in New York for someone she just considered a friend. Furthermore, she bluntly tells Fabian that her reason for her trip is because she loves him and wants to help him. While I'm not exactly sure how much $50 was worth during these times, something tells me it wasn't the equivalent of what Tie Co was giving up.

If Fabian was just a friend to Tie Co, she would've found a way to GIVE the money to him instead of risking both their lives. A part of me also feels that Tie Co might have been hoping Fabian would want to be with her after finding out she was a woman and giving up so much for him. Moreover, she killed herself to lessen Fabian's chances of going to jail again! She could've just parted ways with him instead of jumping off the bridge. Love makes people go to great lengths and do the strangest things sometimes, and I feel that Tie Co's plan to help Fabian is a perfect example.

From numlock377...

In a trouble land of the free

I like to first express the struggle of the Asian people as it come to light my Sui Sin Far.

Sui-Sin Far a Chinese student who had graduated from Yale in 1887. Sui-Sin Far was born in Marcclesfied England a silk center in 1865.After a series of far china force to open it doors to merchant and missionaries from the West, furthering European and North American to colonize China recourses, including its people. This gave Sui Sin Far to see both side of the struggle having a Chinese mother and an English father. (p.3). The injustice on both side the silent and sometime open prejudice of one culture compel Sui Sin Far to write short stories and inform others of this plight torn in between to culture and country. One of her stories "In a trouble land of the free" she explains of a Marry couple traveling from one land to a free land, almost giving up hope to gain custody of their child. They had paper for themselves but decided to t travel to China to have a child born there little did known to them the grief they had cause them self. Now they did not have paper for the child when the return to the free land and had to get a lawyer, which no money was available between them and having to give up their personal jewelry for payment.

The story show how going from one county to another with their child, however they had to own to the part they play in it knowing the child needed paper and freedom is not free in any land.

The Chinese Lily

In this short story was filled with caring, love for other. Sin far who name meant pure love or Chinese lily and how her name fitted her. Being in a strange land with both parents and uncle had pass away Sin far found the time to me concern about other in this case her cripple neighbor.(" what beneficicent sprit move to my door"p103 Sin far had wanted to visit and be friend with her neighbor but was waiting for the right moment. That moment was when her neighbor brother was not home. The love for other was even deeper when Mermei believed that her bother did not care about here because of her condition. When the bother paid little attention to here, but Sin far was lonely also when throw she could walk and had a beautiful sprit she had another loneliness being in a strange county, it is safe to say that loneness lies within one self and a condition of the heart. This stories defect two lonely people one with a phicical handicap and the other with an absent of her country, which she miss so much. In the twist of the story the brother evaluate his true love for his sister by saving her from the fire, also Sin un selfishness dies so the handicap friend and the brother wound be more closer to each others. The separation of one from country or self can be equal to each other.

Take a person out of their country and isolate them, treat them less then is a violation of someone that what to be free. Isolate someone from others is a violation of someone that also what to be free from loneness. Surely, taking someone from their country or going to a country for a new life, hope and freedom do no come without a price. Some question must be ask and considered, Will I be accepted by other? Will I adjust to the new environment? What are the law and View to my culture? On February 9, 1942 In an atmosphere of World War II Hysteria, President Roosevelt, encouraged by official at all level of the federal government, authorized the interment of ten of thousands of American citizen of Japanese ancestry and resident of aliens from Japan. Ban any citizen Fifty –to sixty –mile coastal area stretching from Washington state to California and extending inland into southern Arizona. (Executive Order 9066). So the bias was real then and is real now.

The Smuggling of Tie Co

This story discusses a cleaver gentlemen that made are living by smuggling people out of china. In is in my option that Tie Co is a female that developed a great deal of feeling for Jack Fabian the smuggler.

Fabian's Character

An obvious merchant, who thinks of himself first before considering anything or anyone else does show some sense of moral in this story. When found out Tie Co came with him for his sake, he feels responsible and liable for Tie Co. I wonder if Fabian had no principle how would he have acted when found out Tie Co's agenda. At the end of the story, Fabian wonders why one would sacrifice one's life for someone close to a stranger. For someone who is an individualist himself doesn't grasp the thought behind it. Would he ever understand it?

The Smuggling of Tie Co

I think that Tie Co believes she is in love with Fabian. But from the outside looking in as an audience, I think she is in love with the idea of him. The fact that she gives up everything for him is evidence enough that she had some feelings for him other than that of friendship, which was brought up in class. If it were just friendship she could have just given him 50 dollars. Tie Co goes through pretty drastic measures for Fabian, I do not think that this could be put on any type collectivist mentality or sacrificing oneself for a friend. I do think that it was self sacrifice for love. More evidence that Tie Co was in love with him is the fact that she tells him that she likes him on page 107. In the story the language that the author uses is all positive (i.e. strong, well built, fine features). Fabian seems like a hero to the Chinese community in Canada from the way the narrator tells the story. One might consider that the person telling the story is Tie Co because of how admiring the narrator is of him.

The Chinese Lily

Why does Lin John mean when he tells his sister, Mermei, that Sin Far is "happy" on page 104?

I think Lin John, is referring to the fact that Sin Far in heaven, which is a happy place, where you go when you died. Because Sin Far gave her life to save Mermei, she was rewarded with going to heaven. This is what I think Lin John meant when he said that Sin Far is happy.

In, "In the Land of Free", why are Hom Hing and Lae Choo's reactions to the taking and eventual "ransoming" of their son different?

Hom Hing and Lae Choo's reaction to the taking and eventual ransoming of their son was different, because Hom had already had some experience and knowledge of America and the legal system. But his wife knew nothing about how the legal system worked. I also think that Lae reaction different because the emotional attachment between a mother and her child is stronger then that of a father and son. I also believe that a woman and a man handle stress and emotions quiet differently. The father obviously was away from his wife and child for some time and was just about to get the opportunity to get closer to them. So I think that he had experience being away from them, which helped him to cope with the situation different, unlike his wife, who had never been separated from her son for any time, since his birth. So she had a strong bond with her son, which made it more difficult for her to now be separated from her son.

In the Land of the Free

This story shows just how much immigrants go through, to gave resident in the United States. It that the hardship that people go through when they don't have money to pay their way through the legal system. It also teaches us the sad true of what happen when a child is separated from their real parents for a long time. The child in this story went through an emotional trauma, during the time he was taken away from his parent. His mother also went through an emotional trauma. The story tells alot about the relatioship of a mother and her child, as oppose to a father son relationship. Immigrants, I am sure go through similar ordeal, when they are not legal in this country. Families are separated from each other, and sometimes for long period of time, trying to comply with the legal system. Money obviously plays a vital part in how long the process takes for an immigrant to get his or her and their families their permanent resident in the United States.

Its Wavering Image

The story Its Weaving Image, uncovers the reality of racism and identity issues. It also shows the emotional and mental struggles that a person born with mixed race go through in trying to gain an identity. The story sends the message that you have to be careful who you get emotionally attach to, because there are deceivers every where.
I also learned from this story that someone can look fine on the outside but be carrying around emotionally issues, as in the case of Pan.

Questions raised in class...

Using evidence from the text, defend or deny the idea that Tie Co was in love with Fabian.

In, "In the Land of Free", why are Hom Hing and Lae Choo's reactions to the taking and eventual "ransoming" of their son different?

Why does Lin John mean when he tells his sister, Mermei, that Sin Far is "happy" on page 104?

You may address one of these ideas we touched on in class, or choose to write about a different or new idea.

Hope everyone is on board.

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