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Symbols In American Born Chinese By Gene Luen Yang

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What character trait or theme is reinforced by symbols in this book?

Imagine that all your insecurities are represented by a shoe. A character's mark is conveyed through a representation of an idea, object, or relationship, which is formally known as a symbol. The significance of symbolism is greatly emphasised in the "novel" American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Where the author uses symbolism to explore themes associated with the book. The symbols in this book emphasise the themes of self-discovery and personal growth, which are related to the characters' need to belong. Throughout American Born Chinese, symbols of accessories to appearance communicate a great aspect of each character’s identity. Three powerful symbols in the book that …show more content…

Jin’s new "hairstyle" makes him seem more white than Chinese; therefore, from his perspective, it makes him seem more "interesting" to others in the school. This is proven by the description: *Once Jin gains a crush on a white girl (Ameilia), which influences him to get permed hair like other white boys in his class (Greg)," (Yang, 97). This symbolises his internal struggle with self-acceptance. He particularly looks towards Greg for fashion ideas because Greg is part of an accepted group that Amelia is part of, which reflects Jin’s need to belong. Furthermore, it can be argued that Jin's personal growth is portrayed by his hair transforming back to before the perm at the end of the book. When the Monkey King says, “Now that I’ve realized my true form; perhaps it is time to reveal yours…Jin Wang” (Yang 213-214), Jin transforms back into his regular form, without permed hair. Which symbolizes a final step in self discovery. Since Jin’s hair truly symbolizes a desire to belong, it must be removed for him to unlock his true potential of finding oneself. Proved when after, he tried to make things right to the characters he has done wrong. In conclusion, Jin’s new hair influenced her desire to be more white, reflecting themes of self-discovery and personal

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1. Conk is straight hair, which came from a commercial hair straightener. Malcolm thought that conking his hair was a step into sophistication. He thought the conk was for the upper class black people and if he got it, he would be accepted into society. Malcolm describes a conk as an emblem of

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On page 97, Jin got a perm. He saw Danny interacting with Amelia and thought she was into Danny. So Jin takes it to himself and perms his hair to look like Danny’s. In addition to getting a perm, Jin changes what he eats. Jin was eating dumplings for lunch and got bullied by Timmy and his friends.

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Someone once said, “You’re always one decision away from a totally different life.” American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang follows three different characters as they experience hate and growth. Firstly, the Monkey King, a monkey who tries to be more than a monkey; Jin, a boy who tries to be more American; and lastly, Danny, an American boy who tries to forget his culture. In this book, readers see how all these stories connect and the growth each character goes through. After both Jin and the Monkey King meet someone like them or understand them, they realize their wrongdoings and start changing.

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She had no desire to hide herself, but did for the hope of a happy marriage. It wasn’t until after Jody’s death that Janie let out her hair which Jody commander her to do. Janie’s hair was an important symbol of her true, individual self. The act of letting her hair down shows how Janie managed to break free from the bands of conformity and stand, on her own, as her true

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Jin Wang is a new student at a new school, during recess or lunch, he has a small interaction with a group of students that stereotype and discriminate for who he is. He is a boy eating his dumplings, but these students don't see it like that. These small remarks would change him to eat a more cultural american food, a sandwich (Yang 33-33). This small interaction between the group of students would then set off a chain of events because every small change Jin Wang does he is pinching in his way to become more american. On pages 97-98 Jin Wang sees that Angila, his crush, is attracted to Greg because of his hair.

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These two scenes show the results of African Americans having hatred for their natural appearance. Malcolm X used the painful lye cocktail to straighten his hair to resemble people of Caucasian descent. Some people believe the scenes are mainly played for laughs, while in his autobiography hair straightening shampoos symbolize self-hatred and wanting to be white. Viewing

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In addition, Janie’s hair is a symbol of her beauty and overall identity, but Joe forces her to tie it up in a rag because he is afraid that other men will be attracted to her beauty. This further oppresses Janie as it conceals the way Janie expresses her identity

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Symbolism: What types of symbolism do you find in this novel? What do these objects really represent? How do characters react to and with these symbolic objects? Why are these objects significant, or why are their representations significant? (5)

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Wei Chen begins to remind Jin Woo that being Asian isn't a bad thing and it should be embraced despite this jin woo is entranced by amelia, one of his classmates, in order to woo her he believes he needs to be the least Asian he can be. he gets his wish and becomes Danny, Danny's story is a little bit different, as he is white and definitely American jin woo can do whatever he wants except now he is weighed down by his cousin Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is smarter, funnier, and more enthusiastic than Danny but is also extremely stereotypically Asian to remind him that he cannot be Danny and must return to being jin woo “en esta historia el Perro de Jose es- - Branco y muy glande” p.113. Further in his story, Danny is interested in another one of his classmates and gets into an argument about how he is not like chin kee obviously avoiding being like him in any way “I don't even know how Jre related!”

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However, Kuhn wrote about how the hair also had meaning beyond just cultural identity it also held “the political meaning of hair: the queue, worn behind a shaved forehead, was the headdress of China's Manchu rulers…”(12). I think that Kuhn did a really good job of getting all the information on the rulers with how the hair was for the

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Hair was a big part of Manchu culture and strict edicts were enforced to quickly assimilate the Chinese and was used as a sign of loyalty. Anyone who was not abiding by this new rule was punished (The Search for Modern China pg.37). People who showed loyalty to the Manchus were given higher positions in various ministries and power was even given based on how quickly the Chinese person surrendered to the Manchus (The Search for Modern China pg.41). And later on in Emperor Kangxi’s reign, his main goal was to “preserve a Manchu way of life” which was essential to “maintaining Manchu supremacy.” Because of this idea, all Manchuria to Chinese immigration was closed (A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations).

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He did not want the other men to see it; he considered it to be for his enjoyment only. By forcing Janie to wear hair rags, Joe tried taking her power and freedom away. Even the men wondered why she wore her wear tied up, “Whut make her keep her head tied up lak some ole ’oman round de store?” “Nobody couldn’t git me tuh tie no rag on mah head if Ah had hair lak dat” (Hurston

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In American Born Chinese, there are many plot elements used to make readers feel multiple things. Three elements I will be talking about in this essay are parallel plots, foreshadowing, and conflict. I will give some examples from the story that show how the author used the three plot elements. I will also explain whether or not I think these plot elements were successfully used.

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Hairdressing is an integral part of our lives because everyone likes getting their hair done because they want to look and feel good about themselves. Ask yourself this – Do you check for split ends? Do you secretly wish you were a blonde, Do you love getting new styles and colour? I’m guessing you’ve answered YES to all these questions! The truth of the matter is we are generation of self-obsessed narcissists.

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Hair coloring is the practice of changing of hair color. People color hair for cosmetic reasons to cover up gray or white hair, to change their appearance, to be more fashionable, or to restore the hair to its original natural color after it has been bleached by the sun or previous coloring. There are many different types of hair color. Semi permanent, Demi permanent, and Temporary. You can buy chalk that will color your hair, some even be done professional or at home.

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