Recommended: An essay on character development
While Mariam wasn’t comfortable with Rasheed, he was still her husband. In her eyes, Laila was a new, younger, and prettier girl, which added to Mariam’s insecurities. Mariam wasn’t able to resist Rasheed’s abuse or his news of a second wife. Her bottled up emotions made her a resentful and bitter
Early the next morning, the Nell and Emma sailed to Harker’s Island to deliver engine parts for the hardware store. Since the recent spring rains made the roads impassable, they used the spritsail to get to the island that was located fifteen miles east of Beaufort by land. On the return trip, Nell dodged the sailboats and engine-powered watercraft that filled the Back Sound. Over the long winter months, Nell looked toward shore for warmth when she oystered in the bitter north wind with her daddy. But earlier that week, the wind has shifted to the south and now she inhaled the delicate balminess that traveled from the Caribbean.
Laila states, "I wanted to escape, to leave behind the only world I had ever known". Mariam goes further by killing Rasheed, her oppressive husband, as she states "I did it for myself. And for you, too", The technique of irony is used here, as the reader knows that Mariam is not only referring to her own death but also to the death of her abusive husband, Rasheed. This creates a sense of tension and anticipation in the reader as they wait to see how Mariam will carry out her plan and how the other characters will react. Furthermore, the impact of this quote on the reader is significant as it represents a pivotal moment in the story.
By this time, Rasheed was done with Laila, he had already been on the edge after Mariam and Laila had tried to escape their living situation and felt she would never learn to obey him. To prove his power in general, he felt that the most effective way of teaching them a lesson was through cruel behavior. Mariam has seen a lot with Rasheed, but this quote specifically exhibits how she saw the look in his eyes and knew that he was going to kill Laila. This is only one example of Rasheeds acts toward the girls, these beatings created fear and are the ultimate reason why they stayed in the situation they were in for so long, there was no escape for them. If Mariam hadn’t feared losing Laila to Rasheed, she would have never killed him and he would’ve been still alive; changing the story completely because Mariam would also be alive and we would never know if Tariq and Laila would get their happy ever after.
When Mariam unexpectedly killed Rasheed, Laila was terrified by what had happened and Mariam “had Laila lie down, and, as she
When Laila’s parents were killed and she was injured, Mariam took her in and sacrificed her time and space in order to take care of Laila (199). Mariam didn’t have kids of her own, yet took care of Laila as if she were her own daughter. She cared enough for the young girl’s well being to take her in and show her kindness. When Rasheed is about to kill Laila, Mariam hits Rasheed with a shovel so hard that it kills him (349). She viewed Laila as her own daughter, and she wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her daughter.
Life comes with many obstacles in our way when trying to be successful. Using our attributes and qualities, we can find ways to overcome hurdles and ultimately, succeed. “Chinese Cinderella” by Adeline Yen Mah is a memoir based on the life of Adeline/Jun-ling. This memoir is based on the time of Jun-ling’s life with her parents. This book goes into depth about what Jun-ling thought and did to try to be loved by her family.
“The family is one of nature's masterpieces.” This quote is by George Santayana. In the book Chinese Cinderella Adeline was never loved by her family. Everyone felt like she wasn't their. Adeline always tried to be nice to her family, but they never really noticed she was trying to do that.
Who’s the Boss? In Zhu Wen’s 2008 I Love Dollars And Other Stories Of China, Ah, Xiao Xie, the story depicts lives and thoughts of young workers in a money hungry power plant that produces no power. Because so, the young, overqualified, employees of the power plant dream of leaving the company while they are young and equipped with the skills they gained at a four year institution. The transition from China’s post-Maoist economy era into the modernization of a new money driven China finds the youngsters at a standstill with no signs of change any time soon. As country leaders urge the Chinese to embrace foreign influences; such as a freer enterprise, to see financial growth and success, the workers now seek fair treatment as well as to improve their lifestyle to one much more worthy.
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah is a compelling and beautiful novel about an unwanted daughter. She grows up in China and is bound to be 'Bad luck'. But Adeline overcomes her difficulties in her life through working hard at school and feeding of the love of her family members. But at the end of the road is still trapped in her families negativity.
Laila on the other hand was raised by both parents except her mother did not focus much on her. She therefore had a strong bond with her father than her mother. The two grew up with the knowledge they were brought up with. My essay will focus on the comparison between Mariam’s relationship with her mother and Laila’s relationship with her mother and how these relationships prepare them for adulthood.
Women & Power in Imperial China Women rulers during Imperial China were extremely rare. The major belief and assumption of women and power was that women and political power were not a very good mix. If and when women did rule, it was a sign of male weakness, and considered to be political ploy in politics.
Her husband happens to become Rasheed. He finds Laila unconscious after a bomb went off, dissipating her entire family. Rasheed then takes her in and nurses her back to health. He feels that because he saved her, he should be rewarded, “The way I see it I deserve a medal”. Rasheed later practically forces her to have sex with him.
“I admit to what I did, brother,” Mariam said, “But, if I hadn’t, he would have killed her. He was strangling her” (P365). This shows that Mariam is willing to take responsibility for her action she knew that there would be conscious, but she also knew that what she did was to save Laila and her children. Mariam’s actions would lead to this moment, “Kneel here, hamshira. And look down.”
Child abuse was, unfortunately, very common in China during the mid-1900s. Adeline, a young Chinese girl whom this book is about, was often abused during her childhood. Chinese Cinderella, a novel by Adeline Yen Mah, is about young Adeline’s life, which seems to be extremely depressing. Throughout the story, Adeline is constantly abused, ignored, and treated cruelly. Throughout Chinese Cinderella, Adeline is abused by her parents and siblings.
