I.R.#2-The Woman Warrior: Prose Analysis #1 of 2

A passage from pg.35; Lines 3-20


          My mother caught the blood and wiped the cuts with a cold towel soaked in wine. It hurt terribly- the cuts sharp; the air burning; the alcohol cold, then hot- pain so various. I gripped my knees. I released them. Neither tension nor relaxation helped. I wanted to cry. If not for the fifteen years of training, I would have writhed on the floor; I would have had to be held down. The list of grievances went on and on. If an enemy should flay me, the light would shine through my skin like lace.
          At the end of the last word, I fell forward. Together my parents sang what they had written, then let me rest. My mother fanned my back. "We'll have you with us until your back heals," she said.
          When I could sit up again, my mother brought two mirrors, and I saw my back covered entirely with words in red and black files, like an army, like my army. My parents nursed me just as if I had fallen in battle after many victories. Soon I was strong again. 


Analysis:


          The tone and diction in this section of text really depicts the scene. This descriptive writing, in combination with words of action really grips a reader in feeling what's going on. This is one type of aspect in books that readers like to engage in, and I enjoy this about the book because it makes the moments exciting, urging the readers to cover more ground in the text.
        
          The overall syntax is also put together very well. The flow of what goes on in this segment is one that can be read well, and also completes the idea of what's happening and what the characters are feeling or experiencing. As the elements of tone, diction, and syntax come together, the text provides a deep meaning or time in the story. This is another advantage to the reader because a text, as so, enhances the experience of imagining the story's scenes.
        
          What goes on in this scene very much symbolizes the nature of Chinese tradition. In many Asian countries, sacrifice and honor is a high portion of value. It is what sets society for the most part. For a parent to even carve on their child's back is really something that portrays strong moral values. This act is a good example of the expectations that the narrator is being held to.