4/30/2019
Polyculturalism- Uncouples the notions of origins & authenticity from that of culture
Railroads – Transcontinental Railway, reinforcing stereotypes
The Joy Luck Club (Round 2)
Duck stretching neck to become swan
Immigrating to America
Sitting on the East at mahjong table, June replacing mother who started Joy Luck Club
Club connected by trauma and hopes for their children
Piano recital, moms comparing kids, missed notes on keys
Mom forcing June to play piano
Mom forced to leave behind babies
How can a daughter not know her own mother?
Finds out the babies are alive from Auntie Lindo
Aunt Lindo placed in arranged marriage at 4
Mother grooming Lindo for the arranged marriage, mother unable to birth a son
Act happy (keeping appearance)
Meeting husband for the first time. Is a young boy
Refuses sex with him, infuriates the matron, acting like ancestors are angry to remove self from marriage
Waverly (Lindo’s daughter) talking about the control exerted in life, chess, mother living vicariously through Waverly
Waverly’s faith in self shattered, starts failing chess
Waverly trying to get approval from mom
Rich commits faux pas at dinner
Lindo reveals how much she wanted to be like her mother
Waverly and Lindo make amends
Aunt Ying Ying’s story, at a dance with a young man
16 at the time, has sex, gets married, gives birth to son
Mistress appears, husband pays more attention to mistress than Ying Ying
Ying Ying becomes dedicated child raiser while husband fools around
Accidently drowns baby during bath
Haunted by guilt, can’t give attention to daughter (Lena)
Ying Ying is paranoid about the same thing happening to Lena
Lena and husband in an uneven “50-50” split of money
Ying Ying talks about bad luck
Tension rising in marriage
Ying Ying asks daughter to get respect & tenderness and to leave house until she gets them
Lena in a better relationship
An Mei’s story, no memory of mother (kicked out of house at four)
Family taught An Mei to hate mom, mother shows up when grandmother is on deathbed
Mother had ran to remarry another man who had a wife, two concubines, and children
Mother invokes old tradition, feer her mother blood as sacrifice to get better even when disowned
An Mei goes with her mother
Rose’s story (An Mei’s daughter), being out with rich white family
Ted’s (Rose’s boyfriend) mother being casually racist
Married to Ted, pressures kick in, trying to be the ideal wife, passion in relationship dying
Ted wants a spark, Rose becoming submissive, house might be sold
Back with An Mei, living with mother, mother’s husband and family, An Mei’s mother is lowest ranked wife
Second wife has a son, give her highest place in hierarchy
Conflict between listening to second wife and her own mother
Mother trying to get An Mei to see worth in self
Mother raped and left with nothing, son birthed and claimed by second wife
An Mei learns the truth of the marriage, Mother commits suicide, tries to get man to revere kids
An Mei encourages Rose
Ted and Rose talk, Rose wants Ted to leave, Rose wants the house and daughter
Rose channeling grandmother’s spirit, Rose and Ted remain together
June and her mother (perfectionist) high expectations, hoping for something but never expect
Mom understands June, see her as unique, born this way, best quality heart
Going to China to meet siblings (June)
Auntie Lindo tells truth, signed letter in Mother’s name, giving memories of mother while young
Mother’s last story, trying to flee a war-torn country with dysentery, almost died, wheeling two baby daughters
Cart breaks, has to carry babies, leaves things behind, leaves babies behind at tree, no one wants to take them, leaves all valuables with babies to help them be saved
Swan feather, in China, finds siblings, cathartic reunion
Joy Luck Club welcomes two new members
5/1/2019
Shaolin Ulysses
Shaolin – Little Forest
Kung Fu with law enforcement to increase personal safety
5/3/2019
Chinese America: Final thoughts
- Patriarchy in the Chinese family
- Presence of concubines and mistresses as an additional family power dynamic
- Violence in masculinity (Frank Chin and sexual violence)
- Shaolin Gong Fu was rooted in teachings of Bhuddabhadra (Indian monk)
- Lucy Liu getting her Walk of Fame star
- Crisis of identity in first/second generation immigrants
- Being conflated with the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War (War with Asia)
- Chinese focused on image
- Joy Luck Club is about generational traumas and being able to overcome them