The Joy Luck ClubThe Red Candle The Moon Lady

“I once sacrificed my life to keep my parents’ promise. This means nothing to you, Waverly, because to you promises mean nothing. A daughter can promise to come to dinner, but if she has a headache, if she is in a traffic jam, if she wants to watch a favorite movie on TV, she no longer has a promise.” p 19

The Red Candle

Symbol = sign

Hidden (secret) message

Uses a thing or an action to show a deeper meaning

Symbol

1. Can you find the symbol?

“To Chinese people, fourteen carats isn’t real gold. Feel my bracelets. They must be twenty-four carats, pure inside and out.”p. 19(3)

2. What is the symbol compared to?

Symbol

1. Can you find the symbol?

“The only nice room was a sitting room on the first floor, which was used for receiving guests. It contained many precious things that gave the impression of wealth and ancient tradition. The rest of the house was plain and uncomfortable and noisy with the complaints of twenty or more relations.”p 21 (1)

2. What is the symbol compared to?

Symbol

matchmaker – a person who brings two people together to get married

amah – housemaid

servant – housemaid

matchmaker / amah / servant

Look down = to show/give NO respect “I realized they had a much better position than my family, which is why they looked down on us.” p 20 (5)

Lose face = lose respect “But I was also determined to respect my parents’ words, so that Huang Taitai could never accuse my mother of losing face.”p 21 (2)

Look down / Lose face

to give up something

sacrifice

a unit of measurement for gold

karat

to speak with great honor/pride

boast

use words or actions so a person believes your idea

persuade

a person who doesn’t share

selfish

anger, bother, upset

annoy

a person who helps somebody

servant

to say someone is in error or wrong

blame

follow the rules

obey

admit to tell something you were trying to hide

confession

want, wish, need

desire

not clean, clean

(un) tidy

smart

clever (ness)

misery, sadness, no hope

despair

pure, good

innocence

wonder

curious