Queen+Mother+of+the+Western+Skies

Group Notes

__Metaphors:__ "Mag-pies" After An-mei Hsu's mother committs suicide, An-mei is inspired by her mother's story and rebells against Second Wife's manipulation. Clearly, the loss of her mother and her mother's experiences were the reason she was able to confront Second Wife and 'learn to shout'. After An-mei Hsu's mother committs suicide, An-mei is able to confront Second Wife and escape Second Wife's manipulation, as well as become the honored child of Wu Tsing. She does not let others control her anymore.
 * Unfortunate events and dismal experiences are the inducers of courage and self-confidence.**
 * --OR--**
 * Unfortunate events and dismal experiences are the proud lions of the savanna.**

__Connection to mother's story__: Instead of mourning the loss of her mother, An-mei hides her sorrow and uses the situation to her advantage and to honor her mother instead of letting the family control her. She doesn't allow her tears to feed the joy of Second Wife.

"Waiting Between the Trees" Ying-ying decribes the cycles of her life as she experiences loss and rejection. With her first husband, she is a devoted and pleasing wife who works her hardest to make her husband happy. However, when he leaves her, her 'spirit' changes and she describes how she finally discovers how to use the black stripes of the tiger. When she marries her second husband, she finally lets go of her struggles and becomes 'a ghost of the tiger' she once was.
 * Life-changing decisions and personality influences are the dynamic spirit.**

"Double Face" This one is rather obvious. Lindo and Wavery both doubt the similarities they have to one another and their native culture. In this chapter they realize they look similar, such as in their noses. Although they are both of direct Chinese heritage, they both struggle with appearing Chinese and less like American. Waverly was BORN in America and Lindo, because she has lived there so long, cannot by recognized as Chinese any more. The Chinese face is quickly fading and becoming American, but they undoubtedly appreciate their heritage. They each want the best from American society but Lindo wants to keep her Chinese heritage while Waverly wants to move on and become her own person.
 * The doubt in family connections and the realization of inherited similarities are the two faces of an evolving human.**

In response to the last sentence: doesn't Waverly only want to be Chinese becaue it is "fashionable?" (pg 253)

For the seven word summary: A Chinese face in America isn't real. This means that, upon entering the american way of life, a Chinese person is forced to let go of their Chinese ideals. Lindo, in her first days in America quickly learns what it truely means to be a chinese immigrant in america. then, at the end, she realizes that she now has an American face (showing the "Americanized" version of Chinese life) and a Chinese face (her true, Chinese heritage that is now looked down upon by her daughter and other Americans).

"A Pair of Tickets" Although she doubts her knowledge, the true story of her mother's history allows her to 'visit the past' and connect with her half-sisters and other family for the first time. She can now appreciate her mother and her Chinese heritage, just like the Chinese mothers hoped for their own daughters. This also brings Suyuan back to life --> "together we look like our mother. Her same eyes, her same mouth, open in surpurise to see, at last, her long-cherished wish." (288)
 * The exploration and understanding of a Chinese family's history is the excavation of the past.**