MagpiesNarrator: An-Mei

Hsu

Siir Tecirlioglu 11A

• An-Meicomplaining that her daughter is doing nothing to stop her marriage from ending

• An-meiraised the chinese way. Wanted to raise Rose like that too but failed.

• An-mei believes that daughters always follow their mothers.• An-mei tells her story (flashback)• An-mei’s disgraced mother returns home from Tienstin. That

night her mother tells an-mei a story about a turtle• Turtle eats her tears and tells that he knows her sorrows.

Magpies come out of his mouth which represent the ppl who feed on others’ sorrows to be happy and laugh.

• An-mei chooses to leave with her mother. When she and her mother get close to Tienstin, both wear fancy foreign clothes

• 2 weeks—they are happy. Then all the other concubnies and Wu Tsing arrive

• An-mei finds out that her mother has the worst position in this family. She got raped—a plan of Wu Tsing and the 2nd wife

• 2nd wife • 2nd wife had given an-mei a necklace. But after her mother

commits suicide, an-mei stands up against the 2nd wife (1st one to do this) and crushes the pearl in front of her.

• An-mei concludes by coming back to her present problem—her dauther’s marriage. And complains about a psychriatrist’s job.

MAGPIES IN CHINA

• When they sing, it meansluck and happiness• Chinese people call it, “happy magpie”• Its history goes back to Manchu• Mnachu people considered magpies as a symbol of

luck and happiness from generation to generation• A manchu became the leader of the Qing dynasty

in mid 1600s.• Since then, this belief is shared amongst many

chinese.

Conflicts In the Chapter

–Man vs. man—an-mei’s mother vs. 2nd wife–Man vs. society—an-mei’s mother vs. the

household in tienstine.–Man vs. society—an-mei’s mother vs. her real

family– Internal—an-mei’s mother. An-mei

SUMMARY

• AN-MEI’S MOTHER HAS RETURNED TO AN-MEI TO TAKE HER TO TIENSTIN

• NIGHT• THEY TALKAN-MEI’S MOTHER TELLS HER

ABOUT THE TURTLE STORY• THERE IS AN IMPORTANT LIFE LESSON THAT

SHE TEACHES AN-MEI

THE EXTRACT TAKEN FROM THE CHAPTER CALLED, MAGPIES, IN AMY TAN’S THE JOY

LUCK CLUB, SHOWS THE THESIS OF THE CHAPTER, SYMBOLISM, AND

FORESHADOWING.

3 Major Themes

• Daughters follow their mothers. No matter what, they end up being the same. Connection between them.

• Listening to the elders• !!!!People feed on other people’s sadness to

be happy!!!!

“An-mei,” she whispered, “have you seen the little turtle that lives in the pond?” I nodded. This was a pond in our courtyard and I often poked a stick in the still water to make the turtle swim out from underneath the rocks.•She needs to whisper to talk to her daughter •Little turtleSYMBOL. Imagery.–Connection between the mother and the daughter. (one of the

themes)–Wisdomlike an elder. Therefore, this gives us a hint that the

mother does listen to her elders! ONE OF THE THEMES•They both know about the pond and the turtle. Again a

connection. (one of the themes)•This will connect to the mother’s storythey both played with

the turtle. (one of the themes) foreshadowing.

“I also knew that turtle when I was a small child’” said my mother. “I used to sit by the pond and watch him swimming to the surface, biting the air with his little beak. He is a very old turtle.

•To make sure they are talking about the same turtle, both of them say, “that turtle”again a connection and proof of it

–An adjective to describe the turtle–It is the same turtle! So interesting.

•Proof of the connection between the mother and the daughter with the use of turtle.

–Their childhood was the same! (one of the themes)–FORESHADOWINGmother and daughter will end up the sameashamed.

•“biting the air”HOW??•“little”used in the description of the turtle very often (like in the previous

paragraph)•Old and little? Paradox? Turtles are usually REALLY huge.•How are magpies and turtles related?

I could see that turtle in my mind and I knew my mother was seeing the same one.

•Again, “that turtle”adjective.•THEMEconnection•Imagerywhat her mother told An-mei

has created an image in An-mei’s mind.

“This turtle feeds on our thoughts,” said my mother. “I learned this one day, when I was your age, and Popo said I could no longer be a child. She said I could not shout, or run, or sit on the ground to catch crickets. I could not cry if I was disappointed. I had to be silent and listen to my elders. And if I did not do this, Popo said she would cut off my hair and send me to a place where Buddhist nuns lived.

•Again, “this turtle”adjective.•HOW?! Personification. Surprise. Confusion. Foreshadowing the rest of this story (not the

chapter)•Flashback to her childhood. And again, this connects themexperienced the similar events. But

mother’s is not just playing with the turtle; she actually learnt something from it.– Situational irony? She says, “when I was your age…no longer be a child”. But before this excerpt, An-

mei says that she cannot comment on anything because she is a child. So, why didn’t An-Mei stop being a child?–Why cant she be a child anymore? Is this a Chinese thing (at that age, they need to start acting more

mature?)•Popodoes anyone remember who she was?

–A different mother-daughter relationship than with An-Mei.

•All of her childhood is being taken away. WHAT IS THE POINT? What does she have to do now?•How is it possible that a person is not allowed to cry? FORESHADOWING

to the rest of the story. •There was a connection between her mother and her and the turtle

also. We will see that later when she ends up telling the entire story.•Teaching how to be strong. Popo cares about her daughter’s

strength

•Chinese cultureLISTEN TO ELDERS. One of the themes.•Foreshadowing•What about the turtle? It will tell the same lesson as

the mother. Foreshadowing.•Chinese culture? Mother threatening the daughter.

THREATS!!! Buddhism?

“That night, after Popo told me this, I sat by the pond, looking into the water. And because I was weak, I began to cry. Then I saw this turtle swimming to the top and his beak was eating my tears as soon as they touched the water. He ate them quickly, five, six, seven tears, and climbed out of the pond, crawled onto a smooth rock and began to speak.

•An-Mei’s mother learnt a lesson at night just like An-Mei. (connection between them)•ForeshadowingMOTHER IS WEAK!!! Is this a connection between them—is an-mei

weak as well?–She cried. Went against her elders.

•When the tears touch the water, the water is not still anymore. This is sort of what An-Mei tried to do as well but with a stickpoking the still water.•Tearssymbolpeople’s thoughts (remember the previous paragraph?)•5,6,7repetition of these numbers later. Why?•Personificationhow can a turtle talk? Maybe a sign of elders? Turtle is so old that

it learned how to talk—toooo many experiences.

“The turtle said, ‘I have eaten your tears, and this is why I know your misery. But I must warn you. If you cry, your life will always be sad.’

•TEARSsymbolMISERY. •Proof of turtle being elderly.•Foreshadowingshe should not cry. She goes against

the turtle (elder) and cries. Her life is a misery–Foreshadows both going against elders and her life (misery)–Also one of the themes os foreshadowed (ppl feed on your

misery to be happy.)

“Then the turtle opened his beak and out poured five, six, seven pearly eggs. The eggs broke open and from them emerged seven birds, who immediately began to chatter and sing. I knew from their snow-white bellies and pretty voices that they were magpies, birds of joy. These birds bent their beaks to the pond to capture one, they all rose up, beat their black wings in my face, and flew up into the air, laughing.•5,6,7repetition. Why are these important?•Pearlforeshadowing. 2nd wife gives An-Mei a fake pearl necklace. And

her mother crushed it. Here, these break open easily. NO VALUE•7 birds. Why 7? Chinese culture?•Signs of joy.•Magpiesbirds of joy. SYMBOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!•Foreshadowing to the major theme. They hurt her but they are happy.

“ ‘Now you see,’ said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, “why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your sorrows. They feed someone else’s joy. And that is why you must learn to swallow your own tears.’”•THEMEMagpiessymbolpeople who laugh at others who have

sorrow and pain. –Foreshadowing to the events that will happen. This will help us decide

who is in sorrow and who is laughing.–Mother will die, because she has so many tears.

•THEMEThis is why Popo told her to STOP crying. She did not want her to be humiliated.

–Foreshadowing. Will she do it? She will keep remembering this lesson.–A chinese lesson?–Swallowing your tearssymbol of strength.

But after my mother finished her story, I looked at her and saw she was crying. And I also began to cry again, that this was our fate, to live like two turtles seeing the watery world together from the bottom of the little pond.•THEMEconnection between them. Both are weak. Foreshadowing

their futureboth will be crying and upset. Others will feed on their sorrows. •“fate”key wordproves the foreshadowing.•An-mei and her mothersymbolturtles.–Maybe they know so many thingsthey will be the elders in the future?–Watery worldlike the turtle, they will be the ones who know lessons and

try to teach others. An-mei and her daughter (trying to teach or something!)•Littlerelated to the turtle again.

7 WORDS

Word DefinitionRickshaw

Peddlers

Piteously

Impertinent

Quince

Tiers

aisle

THNXX!

ANY

QUESTIONS

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