JOY LUCK CLUB

By: Robin, Jordan, and Chelsea

Chinese VS. American

Literary Techniques

Christian/Pagan References- “My mother and father were trying to part the waves with their own hands” (126)

“My mother had a superstition, in fact, that children were predisposed to certain dangers on certain days, depending on Chinese birthdate” (124)

Simile- “My breathe came out like angry smoke” (100)

Quotes

1st “Strongest wind cannot be seen” (100)

Meaning that her mother has more power that Waverly thinks. She was first annoyed by her mother’s words, but now misses them.

7 Word Summaries

Connections

Last chapter

AnecdoteTheme or moralJing-Mei ...Two KindsJing-Mei's mother is determined to make her in to a child Prodigy, like Waverly. Jing-Mei shows her disgust in her mother; when her mother reveals the piano. Jing-Mei starts taking lessons with her neighbor, a retired piano teacher who is deaf, and she doesn't practice. She continues to play even though she makes mistakes, because Mr. Chong doesn't notice. When her mother enters her into a talent show she continues to not practice. when she plays the night of the show; her secret is revealed. She stops playing piano all together.On Jing-Mei's thirteenth birthday her mother offers her the piano,saying that if Jing-Mei just tried she could of been good.

Moral: Practice makes perfectIt is clear that if Jing-Mei practiced before her show that she could of learned her piece, and if she didn't skip over her mess ups she wouldof been able to correct them.Theme: Living Vicariously through childrenthroughout the novel the mothers want the best for their chldren, and more of the time they want their children to have what they didn't have. They push their children to the limits their goal being the perfect American Chinese child....which is impossible