This means a lot to me because when I was young, my teacher did the same thing by telling a similar ghost story. Because of this story, I was afraid to go to the bathroom alone. I understand that this is a cultural thing. Asian counties share a similar urban legend because they have a similar experience.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Japanese Urban Legend
Hanako-san is a Japanese urban legend from the 1950s to nowadays. It is the most influential urban legends in Japan about a young lady Hannako-san who was killed in the bathroom. Her soul is still remaining and haunting in the bathroom. This is similar to Harry Potter's Moaning Myrtle. Till the 1980s, the story of Hanako-san was widely known. At the beginning of the 1990s, people started to make anime and movie about this urban legend Hanako-san. The reason why this became a Japanese urban legend is that people know this is nonexistent, and it is only a trick for adults to indoctrinate students or children. Hanako-san became so popular, significant, and relevant to modern society that people started to intimidate children by making an urban legend: after Hanako-san was killed in the bathroom by a villainous person, her soul haunted in school's bathroom; whenever students linger in the bathroom, she will kill the students by drowning them in the toilet. When a student didn't do their homework, teachers will intimidate the student with the urban legend.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
The Name Game
Ashoke- In Indian, it means strong, strange, wholesome, youthful, and classic. It categorizes as civil rights. Ashoke has a strong mind but sometimes strange because he holds the truth about his son's name, and he knows his son is too young for this. That's why he decides to tell his son later. "Ever since that day, the day he became a father, the memory of his accident has receded, diminishing over the years. Though he will never forget that night, it no longer lurks persistently in his mind, stalking him in the same way. It no longer looms over his life, darkening it without warning as it used to do" (78).
Ashima- in other forms: Ashiyma. It means boundless and limitless. It categorizes as freedom. Ashima is willing to support her family and provide food. She is more boundless and limitless (she feels the freedom) when cooking her own cultural food (Bengali food). "All this is less stressful to her than the task of feeding a handful of American children, half of whom always claim they are allergic to milk, all of whom refuse to eat the crusts of their bread" (72).
Nikhil- It means whole and entire in Sanskrit. People think this name is youthful, formal, upper-class, wholesome, strong, refined, and strange. Nikhil is very upset with his pet name "Gogol," and he thinks that Nikhil is his only name. This name is whole and entire to himself because he doesn't want to share the same name as Gogol. "'I'm Nikhil now,' Gogol says, suddenly depressed by how many more times he will have to say this, asking people to remember, reminding them to forget, feeling as if an errata slip were perpetually pinned to his chest"(119).
Sonali- in other forms: Sonal. It means formal, upper-class, refined, strange. It categorizes as colors, gold, metals, and yellow. There is not much description of Sonali, Gogol's sister. However, I think her parents named her Sonali because she is the gold to their family. The last child and cherished girl to the family. "For their daughter, good name and pet name are one and the same: Sonali, meaning 'she who is golden'"(62).
My name is Chinese is Zhu Xi (朱希), which directly translates as the "vermillion hope". I guess the reason why my parents named me this because they want me to be positive, and I am the hope for my family. That's why I have a (personality) positive attitude every day.
Ashima- in other forms: Ashiyma. It means boundless and limitless. It categorizes as freedom. Ashima is willing to support her family and provide food. She is more boundless and limitless (she feels the freedom) when cooking her own cultural food (Bengali food). "All this is less stressful to her than the task of feeding a handful of American children, half of whom always claim they are allergic to milk, all of whom refuse to eat the crusts of their bread" (72).
Nikhil- It means whole and entire in Sanskrit. People think this name is youthful, formal, upper-class, wholesome, strong, refined, and strange. Nikhil is very upset with his pet name "Gogol," and he thinks that Nikhil is his only name. This name is whole and entire to himself because he doesn't want to share the same name as Gogol. "'I'm Nikhil now,' Gogol says, suddenly depressed by how many more times he will have to say this, asking people to remember, reminding them to forget, feeling as if an errata slip were perpetually pinned to his chest"(119).
Sonali- in other forms: Sonal. It means formal, upper-class, refined, strange. It categorizes as colors, gold, metals, and yellow. There is not much description of Sonali, Gogol's sister. However, I think her parents named her Sonali because she is the gold to their family. The last child and cherished girl to the family. "For their daughter, good name and pet name are one and the same: Sonali, meaning 'she who is golden'"(62).
My name is Chinese is Zhu Xi (朱希), which directly translates as the "vermillion hope". I guess the reason why my parents named me this because they want me to be positive, and I am the hope for my family. That's why I have a (personality) positive attitude every day.
Monday, January 6, 2020
The Namesake -- INTRO
When, where, and why did your family (or you) come to the United States? What is some family lore that you know about this experience? Mention any connections, if any, to a country of origin and any traditions that your family has maintained across generations.
My family came to the United States because of my father and his brothers' business and their works. To my knowledge, it was the 1980s when my father and his brothers first came to the United States, and they are the first people who leave the land of China and come to a foreign country among the entire ancestry tree. Even though they received knowledge and learned English in the United States, the process of living in the United States was a daunting task. According to my father, when they first left China and took the plane, it took them 25 hours until arrived in the United States. Due to the snow and terrible weather, the plane could not fly; therefore, my father and his brothers slept in the airport for a night (because they didn't have enough money). On the next day, the boarding customer said that they didn't have enough seats for all of them. As a result, they took another longer flys from Hongkong China to Frankfurt Germany, and finally, reach America. Still, when they came to the United States, they did not forget any traditions and maintained across generations. Like there is a tradition that they did for me when I was 1 year old. This tradition is called “Zhuazhou 抓周" also known as "Pick Anniversary". This tradition is very similar to the First Rice Ceremony in India and Doljabi in Korea. It was on my first year anniversary when my father put several objects on the table around me and then let me choose what object I like which stands for the path/career/life that I will take. This is like a prediction for the future.
My family came to the United States because of my father and his brothers' business and their works. To my knowledge, it was the 1980s when my father and his brothers first came to the United States, and they are the first people who leave the land of China and come to a foreign country among the entire ancestry tree. Even though they received knowledge and learned English in the United States, the process of living in the United States was a daunting task. According to my father, when they first left China and took the plane, it took them 25 hours until arrived in the United States. Due to the snow and terrible weather, the plane could not fly; therefore, my father and his brothers slept in the airport for a night (because they didn't have enough money). On the next day, the boarding customer said that they didn't have enough seats for all of them. As a result, they took another longer flys from Hongkong China to Frankfurt Germany, and finally, reach America. Still, when they came to the United States, they did not forget any traditions and maintained across generations. Like there is a tradition that they did for me when I was 1 year old. This tradition is called “Zhuazhou 抓周" also known as "Pick Anniversary". This tradition is very similar to the First Rice Ceremony in India and Doljabi in Korea. It was on my first year anniversary when my father put several objects on the table around me and then let me choose what object I like which stands for the path/career/life that I will take. This is like a prediction for the future.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Metaphor in Briar Rose
Metaphor: Write a metaphor for one of the following themes and explain it. 150 words
Choices: love, hate, happiness, sadness, intelligence, stupidity, cleverness, foolishness, power, weakness, beauty, ugliness, jealousy, admiration, friendship
Love is a lie. When two people are in a love relationship, they always try to hide the truth because they want to make them seem perfect with no flaws. Love is a lie because watching a heart melting message from another when you think is only for you, but it is really for everyone. Love is a lie because the truth is always cruel and merciless. Love is a lie because no one knows the meaning of love. People tend to follow what most people do; they don't want to be incongruous; therefore, they are forcing them to love. Love is not simple; is like a puzzle, it has many different ways to go, but there is no real solution, and that’s why love is a lie. Love is hate, is happiness, is sadness, is power, is weakness, is ugliness, is jealousy, is beauty, is foolishness, is cleverness, is everything, but at the same time, it’s nothing. Love is a lie, that’s why no one loves you.
Choices: love, hate, happiness, sadness, intelligence, stupidity, cleverness, foolishness, power, weakness, beauty, ugliness, jealousy, admiration, friendship
Love is a lie. When two people are in a love relationship, they always try to hide the truth because they want to make them seem perfect with no flaws. Love is a lie because watching a heart melting message from another when you think is only for you, but it is really for everyone. Love is a lie because the truth is always cruel and merciless. Love is a lie because no one knows the meaning of love. People tend to follow what most people do; they don't want to be incongruous; therefore, they are forcing them to love. Love is not simple; is like a puzzle, it has many different ways to go, but there is no real solution, and that’s why love is a lie. Love is hate, is happiness, is sadness, is power, is weakness, is ugliness, is jealousy, is beauty, is foolishness, is cleverness, is everything, but at the same time, it’s nothing. Love is a lie, that’s why no one loves you.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Sleeping Beauty
The story of “Sleeping Beauty” is one of the most consistently captivating fairy tales. It tells of a cursed princess dreaming in a tower, waiting patiently for her prince to rescue her. Those who recreate the tale for contemporary audiences spin the story anew, reconstructing again and again what it means both to sleep and to awaken.How do the stories told about girls and women shape society's attitudes toward them? Consider the three versions of the tale that we read in class as you respond to this question. 250 words minimum.
I heard the story of "Sleeping Beauty" when I came to the United States with my mom and my sister 6 years ago. During that time, my sister loved to watch the fairy tale movies and all those princesses; the Sleeping Beauty is one of them. My sister sometimes told me about those stories, and it was that time I learned the story of "Sleeping Beauty." However, I did not know there are so many different versions for "Sleep Beauty" until I took the class Introduction to Folklore. Each version has different story plots, but they all have the same conclusion—the prince and sleeping beauty live long together and happily until they die. The versions like "Sun, Moon, and Talia" by Giambattista Basile and "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood" by Charles Perrault are more adulterate than the original version. Those authors recreate the tale revealing the society's attitudes toward the girls and women that they shape the way people [mostly the men] view them. The women and girls in the three versions of the tale play an important role in the kingdom. Moreover, they all have the power; for example, the fairies, the wicked queen [ogre], and even the sleeping beauty. They have the unrestricted life, not a household maid but instead live with luxuries. Stories tell about girls and women have to be pretty and cherubic in order to have a decent life. If girls or women are beautiful like the sleeping beauty, even in their sleep, they can find good luck.
I heard the story of "Sleeping Beauty" when I came to the United States with my mom and my sister 6 years ago. During that time, my sister loved to watch the fairy tale movies and all those princesses; the Sleeping Beauty is one of them. My sister sometimes told me about those stories, and it was that time I learned the story of "Sleeping Beauty." However, I did not know there are so many different versions for "Sleep Beauty" until I took the class Introduction to Folklore. Each version has different story plots, but they all have the same conclusion—the prince and sleeping beauty live long together and happily until they die. The versions like "Sun, Moon, and Talia" by Giambattista Basile and "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood" by Charles Perrault are more adulterate than the original version. Those authors recreate the tale revealing the society's attitudes toward the girls and women that they shape the way people [mostly the men] view them. The women and girls in the three versions of the tale play an important role in the kingdom. Moreover, they all have the power; for example, the fairies, the wicked queen [ogre], and even the sleeping beauty. They have the unrestricted life, not a household maid but instead live with luxuries. Stories tell about girls and women have to be pretty and cherubic in order to have a decent life. If girls or women are beautiful like the sleeping beauty, even in their sleep, they can find good luck.
Monday, September 30, 2019
Fairy Tales
What is a fairy tale? If you could be a part of any fairy tale, which would you choose? Who would you be? Why?
A fairy tale is a supernatural story. All the fairy tales have the simple wording choice because those stories are primary for children. However, that does not mean people besides children can not read those stories, fairy tales are significant for all people because the tales reveal not only diverse culture, but they also teach some meaningful lesson about the world and society. For example the Little Red Riding Hood, a story that relate to a girl who wears a red hood and wants to visit her grandma, but there is an evil and malicious wolf who desires to eat the girl and the grandma. The morals of this tale are that don't ever listen to any strangers, do not be another little red riding hood, and do not tell any malevolent lie to other people. Every fairy tales have their own happy ending no matter what, but they are also some depraved version of fairy tales with same stories but different ending which usually are tragic. If I could be a part of any fairy tale, I would choose the Three Little Pigs. This story is actually a fable but it's similar to the fairy tales. I chose this because when I was young, I did not read that many fairy tales like other children usually do. However, in China, we have many fables and the Three Little pigs is the most prominent one. I would like to be the youngest pig among those three because he is the only one who is not indolent and welling to help his brothers. The moral of this story is no pain no gain. If you work harder, in someday the rewards will come to you.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
The Origin of Ants
What is your interpretation of the Chinese folktale, "The Origin of Ants?" What do you think the moral of this story is? Do you like it? Why or why not?
The Origin of Ants is a Chinese folktale, which the whole story has nothing to do with the ants except in the end of the story. I interpret this Chinese folktale as a story of lying, gaining with no pain, and fearing of telling the truth. The man in the story is a coward; he does not work hard to support his family. He also lies to the emperor, empress, his neighbors, and even his wife. I think the moral of this story is one lie leads to another (lie) and after you lie, the punishment is indeed waiting for you. There is a famous saying that related to this story: a lie lives on more lies. Because he makes up his superpower by lying, he continues to lie until he faces the consequences of his mistakes. In the end, the chickens have come home to roost. Even though the story has some moral for folk, people in general, I do not get why the title is called The Origin of Ants instead of A Lie Lives on More Lies. All in all, this is an ample folktale.
The Origin of Ants is a Chinese folktale, which the whole story has nothing to do with the ants except in the end of the story. I interpret this Chinese folktale as a story of lying, gaining with no pain, and fearing of telling the truth. The man in the story is a coward; he does not work hard to support his family. He also lies to the emperor, empress, his neighbors, and even his wife. I think the moral of this story is one lie leads to another (lie) and after you lie, the punishment is indeed waiting for you. There is a famous saying that related to this story: a lie lives on more lies. Because he makes up his superpower by lying, he continues to lie until he faces the consequences of his mistakes. In the end, the chickens have come home to roost. Even though the story has some moral for folk, people in general, I do not get why the title is called The Origin of Ants instead of A Lie Lives on More Lies. All in all, this is an ample folktale.
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