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Summary Of Chang-Rae Lee's Coming Home Again

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Various works of literatures hold common universal themes which, without the authors intention, connect theses works to each other. Being able to connect two passages, may help the reader to understand the writing on a deeper level, then if the reader had just read one of the pieces on its own. This theory can be held true to Chang-Rae Lee’s, “Coming Home Again,” and Jane Kenyon’s, “What Came to Me,” as both compositions hold a metaphorical connection between food/cooking to a parent who has passed, which also signifies the everlasting memory of each parent. “Coming Home Again” can be taken as a tribute to Lee’s mother, who unfortunately lost her battle to cancer after Lee had returned home from school. Throughout Lee’s passage, the image of his mother is almost always painted in the kitchen as she cooks. He stated, “When I was six or seven years old, I used to watch my mother as she prepared our favorite meals. It was one of my daily pleasures” (303), going further and painting a detailed picture of how his mother would move as she cooked. Focusing so closely on the details just like she would focus on each ingredient to each meal. The connection between his mother and food was further strengthen as she was diagnosed with stomach cancer, which eventually lead to her inability to eat. This connection is supported with the authors statement, “Whenever I cook, I find myself working just as she would...” (304). “What Came to Me,” is a poem which depicts the moment Kenyon had
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