ipl-logo

Walking The Wok Summary

971 Words4 Pages

In Walking the Wok, Chan chooses to wash the wok instead of walking the wok, and this makes other students question his national identity. Chan rejects the culinary stereotype by breaking the commandments of the wok, but the disapproval of outside environment enhances his self-recognition to follow his own cooking philosophy. He washes the wok not because he gives up his Chinese identity, but he relates this act to his survival instinct. The survival course in school cultivates his creative instinct which melts into his part of identity, and this instinct is empowered by his previous experience in China. Used to be the victim of history, his lack of national pride is the residue of his childhood trauma, so survival spirit is what rooted in Chan’s culinary blueprint, not social acceptance. Chan’s survival spirit influences his methods of cooking and contributes to his advanced comprehension towards various spices. In the involuntary survival course, Chan masters the skill of “eat well and efficiently no matter the circumstances,” (132) and this principle becomes his compass for cooking, helps him win the challenge from local residents and earns …show more content…

He still maintains his Chinese “gang loyalty” (134) even though he is excluded by students from the same ethnic group. In another word, he does not reject his Chinese identity, but he chooses to approach it in a different way. The author points out that Chan attaches great importance to his survival spirit when it comes to cooking, and he “would never give this up for Jennifer,” (141) it becomes obvious to readers that Chan is not unaware of the conflicts happened to him, on the other hand, he knows how to solve the problem and is conscious about the social aspiration all the way, but he just chooses not to obey the mainstream norms. When his survival instinct collides with the social acceptance, he goes with his own way to

Show More
Related
1617 Words | 7 Pages

Faced with stereotypes in America, Lee is also tormented in China for his American nationality and lack of modern cultural awareness. Both communities view Lee and Chinese-Americans as “others”, refusing to fully accept them culturally or socially. Lee is foreign everywhere, since he is not a white American or a Chinese citizen. Only able to find solidarity in the community of “othered” Chinese-Americans, Lee feels more accepted in America than in China. However, those that only see Lee for his ethnicity and not for his inner person are racist against him because he does not fit the mold of what a “perfect” American is supposed to look and sound like.

Read More
442 Words | 2 Pages

He is Chinese, and didn’t have a lot of friends. and quiet. In the novels Almost American Girl and American Born Chinese, by Robin Ha, and Gene Luen-Yang, the authors use loss-up and visualization to develop a theme of self acceptance. You have to learn to not listen to the bad comments that they make of you because it doesn't help listening to the bad comments. For example,in page 33 it shows that three boys were making fun of Jin because they think that because Jin is Chinese he ate dogs.

Read More
817 Words | 4 Pages

After some time, he meets Wong Lai-Tsao, a person who makes him realize that being a monkey is something not to be ashamed of, and he leaves his shoes. This is a symbol of how he started to accept his identity. For people to learn to accept themselves, they need someone to make them feel normal instead of an outcast. Jin Wang is an American-born Chinese who moves into a new town where he experiences a lot of stereotypes from both teachers and classmates. At first, he is shown as an innocent character experiencing the hate of the

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

Would you change everything about yourself to fit in or gain respect? American Born Chinese is a graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang that grapples with themes of identity and self acceptance. The three stories of the monkey king, Jin Wang, and Danny is how the author portrays these themes. By looking at how The Monkey King, Jin Wang, and Danny overcome obstacles, we understand the book's message about self-acceptance and personal growth. Danny has trouble with his image due to the insecurities surrounding his cousin.

Read More
1097 Words | 5 Pages

Henry intervenes, “putting his ‘I am Chinese’ button on the counter next to Keiko’s two dollars” and saying that he will buy it instead (Ford 114). This act of standing up for Keiko is a significant moment because Henry actively makes his Chinese identity known, using it to his advantage for the first time. His decision to display his button is more than an act of defiance, but an acknowledgment of his cultural identity. Despite facing open discrimination, he steps up and takes a stand against the prejudice directed toward them. As the tension between the United States and Japan continues to grow, Henry’s identity as a Chinese-American becomes increasingly important.

Read More
939 Words | 4 Pages

Jin Wang thinks these changes are good but it only affects him and his peers around him. Because of the interaction with the American culture Jin Wang Struggles with his identity and in doing this he sacrifices his friendship for near attention. The whole story is based on a young Chinese

Read More
1081 Words | 5 Pages

“Her actions remind me that, even under unbearable circumstances, one can still believe in justice,” in David Henry Hwang’s foreword, in Ji-Li Jiang’s memoir Red Scarf Girl, commemorated even during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution anyone can overcome adversity (9). Ji-Li Jiang was a young teenager at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, and living through a very political time in China’s history made Ji-Li into the person she is today. Ji-Li’s intelligence, her choices, and family devotion made her into the headstrong and successful person she is today. Even when Ji-li thought she was unintelligent, others saw she was wise. There were many moments when Ji-Li was reminded she was very smart.

Read More
1040 Words | 5 Pages

She starts her article with personal anecdotes, describing some cultures and real life stories that the food is the only great thing we have that make us closer to different country. Choi was successfully in showing how food can be educational about other cultures by providing stories from other countries including personal facts that serve as evidence in support of her claims. For centuries, food has been considered

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang (2006), it talks about three different people’s stories. The author starts off with telling a story about a monkey called the Monkey King, who lives in the jungle, seeking for higher power to become considered a god in the book. The author also tells a story about an American born Chinese boy named Jin Wang, who moves from San Francisco and struggles with fitting in at a new school. The last story the author tells is about a boy named Danny who has his cousin Chin-Kee from China visit every year. Danny ends up struggling to keep his reputation in adequate shape at school after his cousin visits causing him to switch schools often.

Read More
827 Words | 4 Pages

Jin is faced with being one of the very few Asians at his Junior High School, while everyone else is American. Of course Jin is going to feel out of sorts, especially when his teacher introduces him to the class as “Jin Jang”, and saying “He and his family moved to our neighborhood all the way from China”, when Jin’s real name is Jin Wang and his family moved from San Francisco (30). Gene Luen Yang uses this humility to display that it takes a considerable amount of open

Read More
457 Words | 2 Pages

In the graphic novel, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang describes the life of an Asian American and how the petty stereotypes affect them. The main character’s cousin, Chin-kee, is supposed to show the readers what Asian stereotypes are and how people present it to others. In the graphic novel, Chin-kee always said stuff that was offensive to other Asians or Asian Americans, like “cat and noodle soup”. Chin-kee symbolizes Asian stereotypes in America. After the story of the Monkey God, Chin-kee was introduced as the Stereotypical Chinese man in America.

Read More
1686 Words | 7 Pages

Similarly, David Hwang’s 10-minute play “Trying to Find Chinatown” centers on an encounter between Ronnie, a Chinese-American street musician, and Benjamin, a Caucasian tourist from Wisconsin who identifies himself as Asian-American, in the busy street of New York. In the play, “each character defines who he believes he is: Benjamin is convinced he is a Chinese American, and Ronnie sees

Read More
338 Words | 2 Pages

Amy Tan elaborates her feelings and struggles she faces being chinese in her short story, “Fish Cheeks”. In Tan’s story her family makes her feel trapped in the Chinese culture when they invite the ministers family over for Christmas Eve dinner. Tan has an epiphany at the end of the story when her mother embodies, “Your only shame is to have shame”. Throughout the story, Tan can be described as shameful.

Read More
1025 Words | 5 Pages

The Power of Identity Despite varying circumstances, both visually and contextually, the theme portraying that extreme measures are often taken when others are not accepting of an identity is developed by actions in American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. In the beginning of the book, The Monkey King is more or less serene and collected. At first the book shows some scenes on pages 10 and 11, where he is training peaceful, simple disciplines, and as stated on page 10, “The monkey king ruled with a firm but gentle hand.”

Read More
1225 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the entire novel, the mothers and daughters face inner struggles, family conflict, and societal collision. The divergence of cultures produces tension and miscommunication, which effectively causes the collision of American morals, beliefs, and priorities with Chinese culture which

Read More

More about Walking The Wok Summary

Related Topics

Open Document