Blind Mountain Isolation

The piece describes what she envisioned her time in China would be like; visions of small talk and drinking tea danced in her head (Schmitt 125). This is a bit admirable to a more reserved person because it shows how outgoing she is when diving into a new culture. However, the reality of a language barrier and day to day behavior settled in. A series of uncomfortable exchanges illustrate the challenge of being accepted into a new culture. Described in the essay are people standing around in bath robes and under garments and popping in and out of rooms like some sort of clown

“In the darkness the fields / defend themselves with fences / in vain: / everything / is getting in” (Atwood, 28-33). The man in Margaret Atwood’s poem “Progressive Insanities of a Pioneer” is in a situation similar to the stranger in Douglas LePan’s poem “A Country Without a Mythology.” The man in Atwood’s poem as well as the stranger in LePan’s poem are both unsure of where they are. In “Progressive Insanities of a Pioneer” the man tries to separate himself from his environment; however, in “A Country Without a Mythology” the stranger tries to adapt himself to his environment. By analyzing the content, structure, and meaning of “A Country Without a Mythology” the reader will understand that if the stranger openly accepts his surroundings

In the 1999 novel “Chinese Cinderella”, author Adeline Yen Mah explores the theme of acceptance and belonging throughout the novel, as a result of her tragic childhood. The autobiography reveals the experiences of a young Chinese girl called Adeline, and her sense of isolation. The young girl is neglected by her family because she is being held liable for the death of her mother, who died during childbirth and leaving the family in poverty. As a result of this his heart-wrenching story, the author challenges the idea of belonging in an unkind family, to ultimately depict a sense of loneliness

The author shows a great example of the power these men had against these women in the village. In the time period this story took place, it was amazing to the author to witness that gender inequality was still a very big issue in some places. The author described how shocked she was when she found out that these women were not allowed to

China is and always will be a land seen as mysterious to those with roots in Western culture. And in its own way, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie is what can happen when Western and Far Eastern culture interact. Outside of the cultural revolution, headed by Mao Zedong, which makes the whole novel possible, and was a push back against Western involvement in China, the novel includes many other ideas of cultural interaction. However, it also prominently provides complex emotions and changes within the characters who are followed throughout the novel. In fact, one passage in particular reveals much character change and development in the narrator of the story (who will simply be known as narrator for the entirety of this essay), and it occurs on the pages of 166 to 169. The passage is a daydream of the narrator’s after having taken a beating by a band of hooligans and potential suitors of the Little Seamstress. In it, readers can see the narrator develop to the same sort of manhood as Luo: the satisfaction of changing something and reaching independence. However, after reaching this stage, he also realizes the drawbacks to having done so, causing him to feel remorse for his actions. This is achieved by the narrator’s expression of hidden desires he developed over time and what lustful feelings and desperation accompany them.

The story is set in Panem. It consists of 13 districts. It is run totalitarian dictatorship.There are strict norms practiced in this locality. Norms are the accepted standards of behavior for any given group. The basic norms of this society include obedience and sacrifice. This society can also be called a total institution. A total institution is a place of residence where similarly situated people, cut off from the wider community lead an enclosed, formally administered life together. In the movie, it is shown that the people of panem are not allowed to migrate out of the districts, and thus are cut off from the larger society. People do not oppose this system as they are taught to live in this way. In this society uprisings are prevented through primary and secondary socialization. Primary socialization is when a child learns appropriate values and actions. Children are taught to live and think a certain way. They are introduced to the basic norms and values since a young age. Other form of

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.--With the West Virginia University fall camp underway, one of the things the Mountaineers are continuing to work on is the passing game.

Wayson Choy’s novel All That Matters contains many memorable characters, however one of the most important characters in the novel is not a person at all, but rather paper. Choy’s book highlights papers ubiquitous influence in the lives of the Chen family and in a broader sense the entire Chinese Canadian diaspora. In a critique of Choy’s All That Matters it is stated that paper “constitutes false identities, mediates movement across borders and enables alternative though complex, spaces for diasporic mobility” (Chercover 2) . Alena Chercover emphasizes, “the autonomy of paper and things, which attain a mobility that flesh, often cannot”(15). However in her critic of Choy’s work, she provides specific evidence that although paper has the

“It was not easy to live in Shanghai” (Anyi 137). This line, echoed throughout Wang Anyi 's short piece “The Destination” is the glowing heartbeat of the story. A refrain filled with both longing and sadness, it hints at the many struggles faced by thousands upon thousands trying to get by in the city of Shanghai. One of these lost souls, the protagonist, Chen Xin, was one of the many youths taken from his family and sent to live the in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. Ten years after the fact, Chen Xin views the repercussions of the Cultural Revolution internally and externally as he processes the changes that both he, and his hometown have over-gone in the past ten years. Devastatingly, he comes to the conclusion that there is no going back to the time of his childhood, and his fond memories of Shanghai exist solely in memory. This is in large part is due to the changes brought on by the Cultural Revolution. These effects of the Cultural Revolution are a central theme to the story; with repercussions seen on a cultural level, as well as a personal one.

Charlie’s constant concern over his reputation and public image further enforces his self-centered behaviour. Finally, Charlie’s narrow-mindedness regarding Christie’s Indigenous culture is one of the main causes of their tragic dispute. Although Charlie claims to have extensive knowledge of Christie’s Indigenous roots by “[consummating] his predilections for Indianology by loving, winning, and marrying the quiet little daughter of the English trader, who […] had married a native woman” (1), he fails to recognize that her ancestral traditions are just as valid as his own. This close-minded perspective is shown when Charlie fails to defend his wife when she was explaining her parents’ Indian marriage rites to Charlie’s Christian colleagues. Furthermore, Charlie criticizes her father’s decision to not re-marry in the Christian church, arguing that Christie’s father “‘was a fool not to insist upon the law’”

Ha Jin’s “The Woman from New York”, showcases the grand impacts of adjusting to cultural differences. This story encompasses both the emotional feat and the physical feat in distance that many go through in their lives. It specifically reveals the challenges that arise in adapting to new life back at home when in the past, a person lived elsewhere and much differently. In following the life of Chen Jenli in this story, readers can explore her societal and cultural struggles or they can place themselves in her shoes. In using Chen Jenli as a vessel, “The Woman from New York” addresses various and most certainly relatable difficulties that people like immigrants or expatriates face. However, these individuals can rely on the psychological process of mindfulness to help in adjustment and difficulties.

Described as utopian in nature, the Chinese culture is often in pursuit for the perfect individual, a harmonious and structured society where the citizens as a whole create the ideal culture. In a collection of short stories entitled The Bridegroom, author Ha Jin documents this aspect of reality in homeland China. Primarily for the purposes of instruction and satirical verse, Ha Jin, shows how people are trying to find themselves in a society that focuses on the ‘whole’ of the country rather than the individual. He is able to interconnect this theme of individualism through four major stories in the book while presenting ‘Chineseness’ or satire of fictional verse as a way to focus on the changes throughout China

The film Matewan, written and directed by John Sayles, depicts the small rural townof 1920's Mingo County, West Virginia as a society undergoing complete social unrest, a result of clashing ideals and economic systems. The film is an illustration of how different social systems come to be so intertwined that they cannot be defined independently of one another. Unfortunately for the people of Matewan, the feudalistic economic system imposed on them by the Stone Mountain Coal Company has come to dominate every facet of their existence, including their political system, their cultural identities, and even the environment in which they live. In order to try and take back control of their lives, the

In the short story, “A Rose For Emily” written by William Faulkner, there is a myriad of examples in which the theme of isolation and exclusion is implemented. Emily Grierson, the main character, is known to the town as old and alone. Emily inhabits the past and is not introduced to the town’s social norms. As the town began to industrialize, Emily’s residency has not evolved into the modern day world. The community continues to grow, whereas Emily begins to grow old in her forgotten home among the town, thus leading her into isolation and exclusion.

Secondly, in Wang Anyi’s short story, “The Destination,” Chen Xin experiences the changes in his home city, Shanghai, following a ten-year period of life in rural China. In returning home, Chen Xin embarks on a never-ending journey to find true happiness. As a young man, he volunteers himself to move to the countryside in order to avoid the repercussions of the Communist government. The Cultural Revolution,