Double Face & A Pair of Tickets: Lindo Jong & Jing-Mei Woo

"And although we don't speak, I know that we all see it: Together we look like our mother. Her same eyes, her same mouth, open in surprise to see, at last, her long-cherished wish"(288, Jing-Mei Woo).

Danielle comes into her own and lives happily ever after

This quote shows that Jing-Mei Woo is a round character, because she changes her image of herself and her mother. In these last two chapters, the narrators see how they are connected to their heritage. Lindo fears that she has made Waverly unlike any Chinese, but sees that shes wrong. When Jing-Mei goes to China to meet her sisters she isn't sure how Chinese and like her mother she really is.  I can compare this to the movie Ever After. In the movie, the main character Danielle disguises herself as a high ranking woman. She meets and falls in love with the prince, who after finding out that she was simply a peasant, wants nothing to do with her. Even though it hurts, Danielle realizes that she is who she is and that she is proud of herself regardless. The Prince soon realizes that he loves her no matter what her social standing. The moral of the story, and of The Joy Luck Club, is to be who you are no matter what, and never be ashamed of what or where you come from. 

Magpies & Waiting Between the Trees: An-Mei Hsu & Ying-ying St.Clair

" What my uncle has said was true. After I saw my brother this way, I could not keep my head lifted"(219, An-Mei Hsu).

skip to 4:20 

This quote shows a new mood for the mothers in the book. The reader really starts to see the guilt behind the mothers. An-Mei talks about feeling guilty for leaving her little brother behind in the quote. Ying-ying shows her guilt by acknowledging that she has set a bad example for her daughter, and that is the reason that Lena is the way she is. They realize that they should have taught their daughters to be stronger and to be more assertive. I can relate this to the  movie and book Ella Enchanted. In the story, Ella is given the "gift" of obedience from her fairy godmother. The so called gift becomes a curse when she is told to murder the man she loves. Ella finally breaks her own curse by taking control of her life and being assertive. Like Ella, the daughters are becoming stronger, but the mothers feel like they have "cursed" their daughter by not setting a good example.

Without Wood & Best Quality: Rose Hsu Jordan & Jing-Mei Woo

"Why you want to follow behind her, chasing her words?"(208, Suyuan Woo).

This quote kind of triggers Jing-Mei's epiphany, and helps describe Rose's as well. In these chapters these two women finally realize that they have to stand up for themselves. Rose stands up for herself against Ted, and Jing-Mei realizes her self-worth. They both start to understand that their mothers wanted them to be strong and really love them exactly how they are. I can relate this to the song "Lovely" by: Sara Haze. In the song she says," I know you want the best/ Yeah only good things for me/ But you have to realize/ I can be all these things you project on me/ Cause I'm beautiful to me/ Doesn't that mean a thing?/ 'Cause I feel lovely/ Just the way that I am." Just like the women in the book, the writer is saying that she can act like whatever someone wants her to be, but deep inside she will always be herself. This song shows that she is a strong and confident person, just like Rose and Jing-Mei are becoming. The love of their mothers gave them this newly found self-respect and confidence.  

Four Directions: Waverly Jong

"I was ten years old"(170,Waverly Jong).

This quote is an example of a simple sentence, because it has a very basic and simple sentence structure that conveys a complete thought. In this chapter, Waverly is afraid to tell her mother that she is going to marry a white man. She tells the reader about how she tried to pick chess back up, but without the love a support of her mother she is unable to excel. I can relate this to many actors. Actors can be good, but with out the love of their craft, they will always be mediocre. The audience will never believe that what is happening on stage is real unless they can see true human emotion. Some say that acting is just a hobby and that they are just "faking it", but in reality, the actor have to use their emotions to motivate them to put on a truly great performance. Just like actors, Waverly found that when the love and support is gone, the talent goes right out the window.

Its all about the love and emotion.

Rice Husband: Lena St. Clair

"And then wouldn't I feel worse, less than equal?"(164, Lena St.Clair) .

Will Shakespeare from Shakespeare in Love

This quote is an example of a hypothetical question because it asks a question that raises a conjecture. In this chapter, the audience sees Lena in a different light. She has a complex relationship with her husband that shows that their marriage is more of independence than co-dependence. She tells a story about how she felt so much guilt for wishing someone dead, and then the person actually died. I can relate this to the movie Shakespeare in Love. In the movie, Will Shakespeare says that he is Kit Marlow to avoid a fight with the villain. Later in the movie Kit Marlow dies, and Will believes that the villain killed Kit and he is filled with guilt. Even after it is proven that Kit died in a bar fight, William still feels the guilt. Like Lena, he had no part in the death of someone, but they still feel some responsibility for the tragedy. 

Two Kinds: Jing-Mei Woo

" 'Then I wish I'd never been born!' I shouted. 'I wish I were dead! Like them.' "(142, Jing-Mei Woo).

George Bailey returns home after his new revelation.

This quote is an example of an exclamatory sentence, because it get the strong feelings and emotions of the character across to the reader accurately. In this chapter Jing-Mei's mother forces her to take piano lessons, even though she has no desire to. After Jing-Mei plays terribly at a recital, her mother continues to force her to play. Then, Jing-Mei says the above quote. I can relate this to the movie It's a Wonderful Life. After some hard times, the main character, George Baily, wishes that he was never born. Soon after he is visited by an angel that is assigned to show him how life and his loved ones would be if he was never born. When he realizes his actual self-worth, he regrets having thought himself so trivial. I think that if she had the same opportunity, Jing-Mei would not have underestimated the love her mother has for her or her worth. 

Half and Half: Rose Hsu Jordan

"After you pick yourself up, you realize you can't trust anybody to save you-not your husband, not your mother, not God. So what can you do to stop yourself from tilting and falling all over again?"(121, Rose Hsu Jordan).

Peter started to sink when he questioned his faith.

This quote displays a rhetorical question because the question is used to provoke thought, not to be answered. In this chapter Rose tells the reader that she is getting a divorce from her husband. She relates to the audience how their relation worked and failed, and how her mother told her to have faith. She then tells about how her mother lost her faith after her youngest son, Bing, drown at the beach. I can relate it to real life instances today. many people lose their faith in God and in themselves after the death of a loved one. We blame ourselves or God, and constantly ask "why". I myself, along with many other teens, lose my faith and regain it regularly. It is always a very confusing rollercoaster of emotions, and Rose's mother went through the same thing with her. Just like Peter did in the Bible, they start to sink because of their loss of faith.

The Voice from the Wall: Lena St. Clair

"I could not tell my father what she had said. He was so sad already with this empty crib in his mind. How could I tell him she was crazy?"(112, Lena St. Clair).

This is an example of a dilemma. After a miscarriage and communication failure, Lena wonders how she can tell her father something that will give him hope and still convey the pain of her mother. Lena's mother soon falls into a depression and she wonders what she can do. She clings to the thought that her neighbor has it worse than she until she finds out that she doesn't. I can relate this to real life and a lot of people's own experiences. I have found in my own life that the old saying "misery wants company" is completely true. I've found that some people are so negative that they try to bring others down with them, and that it makes them feel better if everyone else is suffering. Lena feels this way until she finds out that she is is alone in her misery.

Rules of the Game: Waverly Jong

"I was six when my mother taught me the art of invisible strength. It was a strategy for winning arguments, respect from others, and eventually, though neither of us knew it at the time, chess games"(89, Waverly Jong).

From the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer: Josh playing in the park with his 1st mentor.

This quote is an example of aphorism because it revels a truth about life. In this chapter Waverly tells the reader about how she became a chess prodigy at a young age. Her mother was so proud of her and pressured her to work harder and to succeed. Waverly gets in an argument with her mother because she can not take all the pressure she puts on her and hates how her mother brags about her all the time. I can relate this to the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. In the movie, the main character, a little boy who starts playing chess just like Waverly did; he starts playing men in the park, and is taught by one of the patrons. Josh's father sees his talent and potential, and begins to pressure him into working harder and winning more. Josh begins to fear losing, and thinks if he loses the game, he loses his father's love. Like Josh, Waverly thinks her mother wants this future for her for the wrong reasons and eventually buckles under the pressure.

The Moon Lady: Ying-ying St. Clair

(about who the Moon Lady is)"She lives on the moon and today is the only day you can see her and have a secret wish fulfilled"(70, Amah).

This quote displays a legend by explaining the tradition of the Moon Lady. In this chapter Ying-ying tells the reader about an experience when she gets lost. She falls off the back of a boat during a family outing on a holiday, and wishes to the Moon Lady. She only remembers the wish years later. She had wished to be found. I can relate to this in one of my own past experiences. When I was 6 I got lost at Holiday World while my family was there on vacation. I remember that everything looks so much more scary and big when you have no clue where you are. Like Ying-ying, I was also got help from a nice group people, and eventually found my family again. I can remember thinking and praying that I would do anything to be found.

I feel this poor little boy's pain. It's one of the scariest moments when you are completely lost.

The Red Candle: Lindo Jong

"I watched this same movie when you did not come. The American soldier promises to come back and marry the girl"(49, Lindo Jong).

This quote is part of an anecdote that shows her feelings on how people should get engaged to be married. In this chapter Lindo Jong tells the reader about when she was in an arranged marriage and how she got out of it. She obeyed her mothers wishes and married her snooty cousin and lived with the family for years. Because she was unhappy, Lindo fakes a nightmare in which she tells her mother-in-law that if she did not leave the family and get a divorce, their ancient ancestors would start the "cycle of destruction". Out of their deep reverence and fear of their ancestors, Lindo's will was done. I can relate this to the ancestors in the movie Mulan. In the movie, the family shows great respect for the ancestors and to their memory. Mulan goes on her adventure to honor her family and ancestors, much like Lindo respected her mother's wishes for her.

Mulan's ancestors

Scar: An-Mei Hsu

"She looked strange, too, like the missionary ladies at our school who were insolent and bossy  in their too-tall shoes, foreign clothes, and short hair"(45, An-Mei Hsu).

By the way that is not me and my mom!

This quote displays a simile by using "like" to compare two things. This chapter is about An-Mei and her relationship with her mother. She thought that her mother had left her, but in reality she was forced to leave her. When her mother comes back and shows a great love and respect for her own mother, An-Mei's grandmother, she realizes that she loves her mother and she always will. I can relate this to my own life and to a lot of other peoples. Everyone fights with their mothers and gets angry with them. Sometimes we convince ourselves that the things they do aren't out of love, but they are just trying to make our lives miserable. But I know for certain in my own life, after we stop fighting, I always know that I love my mom and that she does everything out of love for me.

The Joy Luck Club: Jing-Mei Woo

 "And that's why you can understand why a mother like this can never forget her other daughters. She knew they were alive, and before she died she wanted to find her daughters in China"(39, Ying-ying St.Clair).

Harry and Dumbledore.

This quote displays foreshadowing, because after Jing-Mei finds this out her life is altered forever, and the reader will most likely see this happen in the book. After her mother dies, Jing-Mei is asked to fill her spot at The Joy Luck Club. While she is there she remembers her mother, her childhood, and the things about her culture that she has forgot. She realizes that she doesn't know her mother as well as she thought she did. I can relate this to Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows when Harry himself wonders how much he didn't know about Dumbledore. He feels that he could have been mislead about him for their whole relationship, and is greatly disillusioned. Harry is experiencing a flood of emotions while he decides if he was being lied to or protected. In the same way, Jing-Mei starts to see different aspects of her mother and wonders how she could have misjudged her in such huge way.