I.R.#2-The Woman Warrior:Reader Response #4 of 4

         This last section of my reading is primarily focused on the final chapter, titled, "A Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe." The whole story has come together in determining the truths of Chinese emigrants to America. In the place of a girl-throughout the expanse of the story- a lot of the passages define shame; how you are admitted into a shameful bubble and how you are treated because of it.
         A term repeated in the story is "American-feminine." Kingston, being a Chinese girl born in America, always felt the need to fit into the picture in American life. In my previous post, I mentioned recently reading of how the Asian-American emigrants are the fastest growing discriminated-against ethnic group. To collect information from the passages in the story, Chinese girls were under pressure just for being girls. Girls, in China, were considered the least favored sex, who would either become wives or slaves. I've come to realize that Kingston's fantasies of being a warrior were a sign of hope and dignity. I sense that it signified strength. Kingston did not want to be put down. If anything she may have wanted recognition and honor, because it is what she deserved, same for other Chinese girls. Chinese girls were constantly put straight to shame because they were girls. Boys were given the ultimate pride: the toys, the outings with uncle, the training, etc. Girls were the servants getting ready to be married to men with money who would go out to work and send the women money while she  cared for her family. I cannot agree with this. However, all this "women-being-lower" talk has been a part of cultures worldwide. Men were always the dominant sex.
          On account of raising a Chinese daughter, Brave Orchid (Kingston's mother) had cut her daughter's tongue so that she would not get tongue-twisted as she was raised. This did not work in Kingston's favor, for she was tongue-twisted anyway. But, I just can't understand why a mother would do such a thing as drastic as that. Why couldn't the mother have the hope to be content, no matter how her daughter had turned out? I'd really like to do more research and find out how morals differed between the Chinese and Americans. There was also a moment in the book where Kingston confesses to her mother that she had taken the life of a spider. This immediately offset her mother and she spoke no more of it. How strict, really, is it in a Chinese household? I do remember having a classmate in elementary school. Her name was Hannah L. Because my mother is a teacher at my elementary school, she had a conference with this girl's mother at the time. The mother tells my mom that her daughters do not watch television. They listen to music and play instruments and no matter how rocket-high their grades were already, they received tutoring on the side for advancement. This amazed me. I continue to wonder about their state of mind, expectations , racial thoughts as they get competitive, etc.
           All-in-all, I observed that Maxing Hong Kingston had come a long way in a hard life of being a Chinese emigrant to the United States of America. There was enough evidence to show that discretion was tight in the Chinese revealing themselves to the Americans. The Chinese children were asked not to disclose certain information to Americans. Evidently, growing up was already challenging because of that. What about making friends? Or sharing?  This has been another interesting read and an addition to my position on feminism, and I have to say that I can definitely compare privileged girls in high society, to those in foreign countries who are trying to get past in America; changing, reinventing, and converting themselves. I pray that females never shy away from their dreams and goals in life. Females are not servants, or slaves, or strictly wives. Females are their own warriors who fight every day just for the simplest things. Through this we can become the true heroes because firstly analyze what's within.