Sebastian Velez-Bolivar
Ms. McLeod
ENG4U1-02
19 November 2015
The Price of Hanging On
“Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.”― (Theodore Roosevelt).
Immigrants—many of us are them, many of us may know them, even some of us may be against them, but one thing is for sure: they are all around us. Immigrants must come to terms with a number of issues when they arrive in a new country, such as losing culture while adapting to a new environment and realizing that they may have to let go of the past to move forward. The quote stated above, although said by former U.S …show more content…
To further illustrate this idea, The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy explores the difference in the views, values and beliefs of the older and younger generation by comparing and contrasting the new mindset shared by the young people against the traditional views of the aging population. The heavy influence of the Chinese culture has a negative impact on the children's identity, resulting in consequences such as rebellious acts and low self-esteem and a disadvantaged future.
The role of the elders, specifically Poh- Poh(Grandmother), is a pivotal part of each character's identity as they are the ones that reinforce the concept of “Old China” to the family constantly. In part one of the story, Jook Liang is a young girl living with her family in the 1930s in a section of Vancouver's “Chinatown,” and although she lives in Canada, Jook Liang and the other characters are stuck in the past of Old China. “There’s no war in Canada; this is Canada,” Jook Liang tells Poh-Poh, reinforcing how she wants to start living in the present, in Canada, rather than in the past, in …show more content…
Refusing to demonstrate one's ethnic loyalty is considered as highly rebellious and must be fixed using verbal insults and the removal of privileges. Part 3 of the book is told through the eyes of Sek-lung who is the youngest and seen as harmless and somewhat dumb due to his lack of understanding of Chinese culture: “When I was six years old, the whole family—my two brothers and my sister, and all our relatives—considered me brainless" (129). The quote shows how some of his family’s view him as weak because he can't identify as Chinese; in addition Sekky’s self-esteem is also challenged as he says "I sometimes wish my skin would turn white, my hair go brown, my eyes widen and turn blue ... and I would be Jack O'Connor's little brother" (134). Sekky is so discouraged about himself because wants to be someone else in order to escape the judgments and comments from others, and Sekky does not understand it is okay to be yourself and that he is loved by others and in the end that is all that matters. He desires to change his identity due to the fact “White” is considered an act rebellion in the Chinese community. Chinese families typically wish to keep Chinese standards and that is just the way it has to be—no questions asked. Other examples of rebellion in the novel would include when Jook Liang
Ms. McLeod
ENG4U1-02
19 November 2015
The Price of Hanging On
“Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.”― (Theodore Roosevelt).
Immigrants—many of us are them, many of us may know them, even some of us may be against them, but one thing is for sure: they are all around us. Immigrants must come to terms with a number of issues when they arrive in a new country, such as losing culture while adapting to a new environment and realizing that they may have to let go of the past to move forward. The quote stated above, although said by former U.S …show more content…
To further illustrate this idea, The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy explores the difference in the views, values and beliefs of the older and younger generation by comparing and contrasting the new mindset shared by the young people against the traditional views of the aging population. The heavy influence of the Chinese culture has a negative impact on the children's identity, resulting in consequences such as rebellious acts and low self-esteem and a disadvantaged future.
The role of the elders, specifically Poh- Poh(Grandmother), is a pivotal part of each character's identity as they are the ones that reinforce the concept of “Old China” to the family constantly. In part one of the story, Jook Liang is a young girl living with her family in the 1930s in a section of Vancouver's “Chinatown,” and although she lives in Canada, Jook Liang and the other characters are stuck in the past of Old China. “There’s no war in Canada; this is Canada,” Jook Liang tells Poh-Poh, reinforcing how she wants to start living in the present, in Canada, rather than in the past, in …show more content…
Refusing to demonstrate one's ethnic loyalty is considered as highly rebellious and must be fixed using verbal insults and the removal of privileges. Part 3 of the book is told through the eyes of Sek-lung who is the youngest and seen as harmless and somewhat dumb due to his lack of understanding of Chinese culture: “When I was six years old, the whole family—my two brothers and my sister, and all our relatives—considered me brainless" (129). The quote shows how some of his family’s view him as weak because he can't identify as Chinese; in addition Sekky’s self-esteem is also challenged as he says "I sometimes wish my skin would turn white, my hair go brown, my eyes widen and turn blue ... and I would be Jack O'Connor's little brother" (134). Sekky is so discouraged about himself because wants to be someone else in order to escape the judgments and comments from others, and Sekky does not understand it is okay to be yourself and that he is loved by others and in the end that is all that matters. He desires to change his identity due to the fact “White” is considered an act rebellion in the Chinese community. Chinese families typically wish to keep Chinese standards and that is just the way it has to be—no questions asked. Other examples of rebellion in the novel would include when Jook Liang