Family History Project Connection - The American Dream

A pattern that can be observed from many of these stories are immigration and westernization. I found in various of these stories the tale of a family living in a foreign country, often very or mildly poor, moving to the United States. In three stories specifically, three families were all trying to manage and get by with what little they had, including mine. They then figured on trying the American dream and venturing out to the States. Those families had a child or more and so that child then became the first generation American in their family. This leads to various instances both good and bad.
        In all three stories, the family of the student has to go through some experience or various experiences that lead them to go to the US. In John Hamilton's family story, he didn't necessarily move to the states from a foreign country but rather from Texas to California. But the principle is still the same. His family was living in a difficult environment and as a result moved to California to seek out better opportunities.
       In Andy Lau's family story, he talks about how his mother lived in China  and had to endure many grueling experiences which lead her to move to the states to raise her child; Andy.

"My mom described how their family had to go to the local public shower rooms that were created for people who did not have showers or toilets in their houses. She described these as dirty and filthy places that she hated going to."

 we can see hear from one of the experiences his mother had to go through. That it not only gave her character but influenced her to come to America in hope of seeking the "American Dream". Another similar story, Jackson's, tells the story of his grandfather who came back to America from war to protest. He knew that across the Atlantic ocean the US would not do much so he instead came back to the States and became a protester and "hippie".

"After leaving, he, along with many of his friends, etc. began to protest the war. I guess you could say at one point he became the classic image of a “hippie."

In all these stories it's important to notice how most if not all of them tell the story of coming to the states to seek out something better. It shows what promises and ideas that were thought while creating America. That many if not almost everyone comes to America for work, safety, etc.
       In these three stories and other ones I have read, the story of how their parents came to America for saftey or better opportunities intrigues me and how they are now the first generation of their family. These patterns are not coincidence, but Westernization in a way. The goal of America was to make this land for the free where anythings are possible as long as you can dream it. That is why there are these emerging patterns.

Amy Tan and Amy Chua

In the current day and age, different styles of traditional parenting can be seen very typically by ethnicity. The “Chinese” method, dubbed by Amy Chua as “Tiger Mom” parenting, revolves around the usage of strict, rule-based tactics to instill a constant obedience in the child. Another writer, Amy Tan, shows agreement in her book, The Joy Luck Club.

In “Two Kinds”, a chapter in the book, the character Jing-Mei describes her childhood, in which her mother stressed very strongly about her desire for Jing-Mei to become a piano prodigy. She kept complaining that the song played by a young girl on the television did not sound good, but could not state a reason. When Jing-Mei defends the girl by saying she’s trying her best, the mother changes her focus and starts comparing her to the girl on TV.

    Similarly, Amy Chua would not give her daughters positive feedback. In fact she was totally against it. In her article, “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”, she states,

“What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children...never want to work, which is why it is crucial...This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist...which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle.”(para. 5)

    As one can see here, Chua believes that if a child is praised, they will become spoiled. This agrees with the actions of Jing-Mei’s mother as she immediately bad-mouthed her when she spoke against her mother’s opinion. Furthermore, Amy Chua not only states that not providing positive feedback to a child will make them more obedient, but that doing so will create a resistant and lazy one.
    In Tan’s, “Without Wood”, another character, Rose Hsu, is having marital issues and chose to see a psychiatrist. Her mother, An-mei, is confused and slightly hurt by her daughter, who chose to see a complete stranger rather than her own mother. The book states,

“A mother knows what is inside you,’ she said. . . . ‘A [psychiatrist] will only make you [confused], make you see [a dark fog].’ Back home, I thought about what she said. . . . [These] were words I had never thought about in English terms. Maybe they can’t be easily translated because they refer to a sensation that only Chinese people have.”

    Here, not only has Rose chosen to talk to someone else about her issues rather than her mother, but she also has shown difficulty translating her mothers word, showing that she is more Americanized than the other daughters who range from attending Joy Luck with their parents to actually participating in the games they play. This may seem irrelevant at first. However, if one takes into consideration that An Mei, the mother, raised her daughter more loosely to the Chinese traditions, we can see an obvious connection between what Rose is experiencing and what Amy Chua believes.
    In summarization, the philosophy of Amy Chua and those mentioned in The Joy Luck Club reflect a similar ideology. Both state that children will abuse a loose parenting method, while holding a strict standard to them will instill obedience.

JLC Blog Post 4

In Amy Tan’s “The Joy Luck Club”, many cyclical elements can be seen within the chapters. For example, in the beginning of the book, Jing-Mei Woo, an Americanized Chinese daughter whose mother is a Chinese immigrant, is resistant to the Chinese influence in her life. She disliked attending Joy Luck Club, a regular gathering of Chinese families established by her mother, and hated playing as the forth corner of the Mah Jong table after her mother pases away. However, as the book progresses, she discovers more about her deceased mother’s past. As a child, Jing-Mei was always told a story about her mother’s history in China, especially about the “Kweilin Story”. In it, she talks about her joyous life in the city of Kweilin and the Joy Luck Club there. But as the years went on, the story became darker. The Japanese invaded. She had to leave Kweilin with everything she had in a barrel. And then, she mentioned two baby daughters, both of which she had to abandon when she lost all her strength. Jing-Mei discovers that the two daughters are still alive, and she sets out to find them. During her journey, she discovers more about what it means to actually be Chinese. And by the end, after meeting her two sisters, Jing-Mei knows what it truly means to be Chinese. By the end of the book, she realizes what it is that makes her Chinese. It is not the color of her skin, not the way she talks. It is her family. Her family makes her Chinese.    

Family History Project

Even though no one was there, I watched my step as I crept into his office. He had been my mentor, my friend. If he found out what I was doing, years of friendship would have been sacrificed. But I didn’t care. There was always something he never taught me - something I needed to know. And I was going to find out.

I’d wanted to be a doctor ever since I was just a child. There I sat - at his office holding the book open with one hand and copying it down with the other. It was already long past midnight, so I quickly jotted down the characters and diagrams. After I finished, I sat back, relaxed my shoulders, and skimmed through my copy to make sure everything was perfect. Then I took out two more small notepads I brought with me and made another pair of copies, with my two brothers in mind...

In my village, the doctors were scarce, but the sick were many. When I was growing up, there were at least eight of us - eight that I can remember that is. But most of my siblings didn’t survive. Being the second oldest, I always felt it was my duty to take care of my younger brothers, and when my older brother died, I knew I couldn’t fail with the other two remaining. That’s why I strove to cure my village. That’s why I became a doctor.

But in that day and age, it was difficult to become one. There were no colleges and no hospitals. If someone wanted to be a doctor, they would have to find someone to teach them. Luckily, someone found him for me.

My father was good friends with a renowned doctor in the village. When I became a teenager, he taught me almost everything he knew about curing people for years to come; from basic medicine to secret soup recipes. But when I became of age, I discovered that he hidden some information from me, for it was a secret only passed down within the doctor’s family.

Most others would simply ignore that missing information and feel blessed for what they had already been taught. But for me, I had strove far too long to be a doctor to not learn everything I needed to. So one night, I hatched a plan: I would sneak into his office, find his secret, and copy it down into three books; one for me and a copy for each of my brothers...

As I finished the final copy, I put the original book back in its place, making sure I put it precisely the way I found it. After which I swiftly snatched the three copies and made my way out of the building.

---

When I first heard this story, some five years prior to writing this, I had begged my father to tell me a story of family history. I had heard myths about my ancestors all my life. But I wanted something solid. This story was his response. Fast forward a couple of years: I asked him again for the sake of the this piece.

I tried to keep the main character as true to the original as possible, so he lacks much description. The three books mentioned in the story were distributed between the main character and his brothers, the youngest of which was my great grandfather. Over the generations, his copy was passed down to my grandfather and from him to my father. My grandfather was raised illiterate because of the actions in World War 2. As a result, information about the story has been forgotten over the years, making elaboration of it impossible.

However, despite my grandfather’s illiteracy, the book was used by his literate colleagues to cure the village, which he was now the chief of, fulfilling my great great uncles dream.

Although my father possesses the book, it is viewed by my family more as a sacred treasure of our ancestor than a medical journal. The characters use a form of Cantonese similar to comparing Old English to its modern day counterpart. In addition, it references to many medical terms he does not recognize.

To me, the book, being generations beyond its origin, is a reminder of the struggles my ancestors endured to create the family I have today. I eagerly await the day that the book can be passed down to me, too. It is more than just a family heirloom. It is a family treasure.