The Jade Peony Essays

It is a custom in the Chinese culture for some families to hang a wind chime in honor of their loved ones on the day that they pass. This is what the fictional character, Sek-Lung’s, father did in the short story, “The Jade Peony” written by Wayson Choy. Choy, being born a Canadian of Chinese descent, highlighted the struggle of living in between two drastically different, and distinguished cultures through Sek-Lung. The seven year old boy narrates his everyday adventures with his Grandmama. She

Taking place in Vancouver, Canada, as a Chinese immigrant, Grandmama, is determined to stay true to herself and her beliefs in order to decide her own fate, despite what others think. The short story, The Jade Peony, written by Wayson Choy, demonstrates how one's dedication to their culture, love for family and the preservation of memories can allow one to feel intact, regardless of other people's opinion and resulting in one's capability/ability to determine one's own fate. As Grandmama prepares

Clara Jacobs Block C Being a country known for its diverse population, Canada strives to be a welcoming place of refuge for those of any ethnicity. However, Canada has not always been accepting of diverse peoples. “The Jade Peony” by Wayson Choy is a short story which depicts the life of a Chinese family living in Vancouver. Although from another country, the grandmother of the family is able to stay deeply connected to her home country by creating art with her grandson. A story which also points

“At home, after Sunday School, Kiam always demanded to know: ‘How can anyone walk on water? How can so few baskets of bread and fish feed hundreds?’ And Santa Claus never once visited our house” (Choy 23). Everyone is familiar with myths and legends. They are read to children by teachers. The stories of battles, immortal beings, ghouls and monsters that are out there to catch people and the ever-successful hero that always saves the day. These stories have been around for many centuries, told even

The experiences of Asian immigrants living in Canada are unique and individual. Wayson Choi’s The Jade Peony and CBC’s Kim’s Convenience are both stories of Asian immigrant families and their dynamics and experiences. Like the Jade Peony, the story of Kim’s convenience is told from the perspectives of the children of the Kim family. A significant theme of both stories is Tradition vs. Modernity. This can be seen with Poh Poh and Appa and Umma’s relationship with tradition, and their different interactions

with his family, it was his grandmother. As he recalls the event, the audience receives insight into how each human perceives death differently, and the ways in which they live according to this. The nature of life and death is observed in “The Jade Peony” by Wayson Choy, using eloquent expressions of the way in which one can come to understand death, the acceptance of it, and the meaning that can be held once someone has passed away. As a young child, Sek-Lung has difficulty understanding his

At first, Poh-Poh was the closest family member for Sekky, who really loved him and cared about him but her death pushed Sekky into a shadow. On this occasion, “Chinatown people turned away, muttering behind my back. Poor Sek-Lung... spent all his seven years with Poh-Poh... he can’t get over it” (Choy 172). According to the others’ words, Sekky was too close with Poh-Poh that he could not fit into the life without her. However, it was also a chance for Sekky to learn about the inescapability of

between my fingers, was the small, round firmness of the jade peony. In my mind's eye, I saw Grandmama smile and heard, softly the pink center beat like a beautiful cramped heart.” (p.209) This quote from The Jade Peony relates to the theme of love and death. Sek-Lung is feeling sad about the death of the person whom he felt the closest to. He begins to cry and reaches into his pocket for a handkerchief, but instead he finds Grandmama’s jade peony. He suddenly feels a sense of joy in his heart and remembers

The story "The Jade Peony" centers around the relationship between Sek-Lung and Grandmama. Because Grandmama is very ill and will die soon, the story is written on what happens not long before her death. The plot of a story is very important for understanding the rest of the story. The start of the story talks about Sek-Lung's grandmother, Grandmama, dying at 83. She often embarrassed all her grandchildren, except Sek-Lung, by her actions. The story then described Sek-Lung's relationship with Grandmama

people in the society are not familiar with the importance of your traditions and culture. Therefore, would you be able to persist on those traditions and stay true to your culture while living in a modernized country? In Wayson Choy’s novel The Jade Peony, Poh-Poh, the grandmother of the family and someone who is very cultured, wants to influence her family so they remember to keep their culture alive. Moving to a Canada from traditional China in the 1930’s where the culture and people are different

The Only Girl in the Family “Useless Girl” Tough love may be tough to give, but it is a necessity of life and an assurance of positive growth. In the book The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy, Liang, the only daughter receives more tough love than any other member of the family. Liang struggles with her gender and status in the family, and we see her develop her identity throughout part one of the book by many other factors as well. Poh-Poh and Wong Suk have two completely different tactics to help Liang

Culture differences, the differences of culture that has been created due to immigration, can create many tensions between generations in a household. The short story “The Jade Peony” manifests culture shock through two incidents. The first incident is depicted when Jung, Kiam, Liang were talking to their dad and telling him how grandma’s unacceptable disgusting behavior was causing them to get insulted by their friends. “The problem for the rest of the family was in the fact that Grandma looked

story, as it urges the reader to analyse the motives or the emotions that character may convey, therefore making the story immensely impactful. Wayson Choy effortlessly and deftly develops the character of Sek-Lung in his renowned short story, “The Jade Peony.” Sek-Lung, who is also the narrator in this story, is six years old and he’s struggling dreadfully to cope with his grandma’s upcoming death. The protagonist’s affectionate yet sorrowful feelings during this emotional crisis are clearly delivered

In the short story “The Jade Peony” by Wayson Choy, he uses three literary techniques throughout his writing piece. The three Choy chose are fictive present, active present and indirect characterization. FIctive present in this case is Sek-Lung at a later time is telling the story to someone else as an adult about his Grandmama when he was a young boy. Choy presents this by Sek-Lung's language, as a six-year-old boy in the story there are some more complexed words that many children wouldn't understand

poet starts the first stanza of the second part of the poem by saying that “There is a sister across the ocean” which tells us that the second sister wanted to be free. She then continues to say that the second sister “relinquished her name, diluting jade green with the blue of the Pacific” which shows that the second sister rebelliously rejected her culture and migrated to America. The entire stanza is very figurative and uses metaphoric words. All in all, the poet presents the life experience of the

The Symbolism of the Chinese Dragon in Ancient and Modern Popular Chinese Culture Chinese Dragons have been symbolic of power and strength all throughout history and continues into present-day. The Chinese Dragon plays a major role in current popular culture and media exploration. Not only can you find them in films such as Disney’s Mulan, but also in artwork, modern and traditional dances, and writings. Chinese Dragons are essential to the culture of modern, traditional, and ancient Chinese

race owns a tamed animal, such as a dog or cat, for companionship. However, Jade DeLuna has jumped to the other side of the tracks and taken in the companionship of elephants. Throughout the book, “The Nature of Jade,” Deb Caletti uses the idea of elephants to treat a young adult of her anxiety and panic disorder. The author constantly mentions a reoccurring theme of elephants throughout the book as well. Explicitly, Jade is a young, overachieving senior who sees her family and friends begin to gradually

Eighteen “Castaways” step out onto a deserted beach, the only sign marking it as their home for the next month is a banner standing before them, a banner which also tells them their tribe name. These contestants come from all different walks of life and most have no idea how to survive in the wild. The only thing connecting them is their willingness to compete for a million dollars.They are on "Survivor", a reality show which pits contestants not only against each other, but against the elements

In her dream, she is unconfined by any social limitations. Not only is she able to interact with a man, Liu Mengmei, they ultimately consummate their love in the Peony Pavilion. The fact that Bridal Du is able to even imagine having sexual relations with a man outside of marriage demonstrates the amount of freedom she feels in her dream. When she awakens, however, she realizes that what she experienced in her dream is not something she can find in reality because her life is still strictly controlled

Tan’s narrative style involves giving the symbols and allusions in all her novels. She emphasizes the symbols such as food, dreams, orchids, silence, ink, fate and paintings to carry the weightage of the themes in all her novels. In case of The Joy Luck Club, the symbols and allusions are interwoven with food, dreams and Chinese language. Through these devices, Tan explores the layers of palimpsest that is her text, her narrative of the immigrant experience in America, her exploration of the bond