I believe there's a purpose or motive behind every story that was written by every author. An insight or message is to be shed on the reader. From reading Sky Lee's "Broken Teeth" I noticed the role of women stood out throughout the majority of the story. Through Lee's story of the mother's childhood, I was able to grasp some insight on how Chinese women in particular were treated in the past.
I've actually did some research on the status of women in the Chinese history. Confucius, a famous and respected philosopher in ancient China, revealed that women were grouped as slaves and inferior to men. There's a saying from the past that still exists today which listed the criteria that must be met inorder to be a good woman to her husband. If translated it's called " The Three Obediences and the Four Virtues". It basically highlighted that women should "obey" their husbands like how slaves obey their masters. This quote also highlighted a "daughter's duty to her father" (146).
Although we're living in the 21st century, it's safe to say that there are still some families out there that value males more than females just because men are going to be the ones that'll be passing down the family's last name. The incident in the mother's story where she recieved a blow to her cheeks when angered her father because she accidentally knocked her little brother over greatly illustrated the value of males in families of ancient China.
After this story, I have much more respect for my parents than before because I realised how lucky I am because they love me and my siblings equally.
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3 comments:
Hey Brendah, your insights are interesting. Do you think that Sky Lee was interested in enlightening us on the position of women in ancient China, or she may also be reflecting on a little of her past life or a close family member?
I had another thought, the characters in the story seem to accept things as they are and even the mother asks her daughter not to forget to pay her respects.
Would you think this is because they have no other choice than to follow their culture, or maybe lack of knowledge on equality?
Because we the readers definitely feel there is some serious unfairness!
I agree wholeheartedly with your opinion on this short story. This is my second time reading it as it was used in my English 104 class, but it still had the same effect on my as it did the first time. This story really hits home for me and it makes me appreciate being born in Canada. It also gives me a whole new appreciation for my family and also for everything that they dealt with to get here. This story screamed pain, and I think that's ultimately what makes us all think so hard about it.
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