Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts 1976 and its companion volume, china men 1980. Background of study adultery defined as a sex relationship between a married woman and a man other than her spouse or a sex relationship that usually happened also between unmarried couples in their relationship. Her american name, maxine, was after a blonde who was always lucky in gambling. She was born as maxine ting ting hong to a laundry house owner in stockton, california. Maxine hong kingston begins her search for a personal identity with th. The woman warrior by maxine hong kingston may 01, 1989. The sin was viewed as even more egregious since it had resulted in a pregnancy. In the woman warrior, maxine hong kingston explores the relation between a mythic, three dimensional reality represented by china of the mind, and a flat literal reality equated with. It was outlawed by the emperor, but kingston says, if i lived in china, i would have been an outlaw knot maker 190. What feminist issues does maxine hong kingston raise in no. My usage of the term translation underscores the importance of. Pdf ghosts language and the recreation of identity in toni. However, without faulting either kingston or the interviewers, this collection has more than a few flaws.
A short literary analysis of maxine kingstons classic no name woman as part of the first generation of chineseamericans, maxine hong kingston writes about her struggle to distinguish her cultural identity through an impartial analysis of her aunts denied existence. Maxine hong kingston embarks on new life chapter sfgate. In the essay no name woman maxine hong kingston tells a story from her chinese culture, of a forgotten aunt whose husband went to america. Maxine hong kingston critical analysis no name woman, although a heart wrenching tale, also comes out as an intriguing story to the readers. Maxine hong kingston biography award, university, hawaii. Also by maxine hong kingston china men tripmaster monkey hawaii one.
That is, the theme of the gap between the children of the immigrants and the culture that they came from. Maxine hong kingston recounts learning about life through the stories of her mother and grandmother. Brave orchid put on her dressup clothes, which she wore only a few times during the year. Maxine hong kingston is a chinese american author and professor emerita at the university of california, berkeley, where she graduated with a ba in english in 1962. Maxine hong kingston no name woman the artice by maxine hong kingston had a depressing tone, beside the circumstances of the story, the description of what happen to kingstons aunt was cruel not only on the part of the villagers but the rejection from her family as well. Empowerment through mythological imaginings in woman warrior sue ann johnston in the following essay, johnston explores kingstons use of myth in the woman warrior.
Kingstons decision to call her first draft by this name was linked to her desire to tell her male and female ancestors stories separately, because the woman warriorseemed to break itself away naturally from the rest of the chapters probably because of its strong feminist. A longtime member of the berkeley faculty, she is currently senior lecturer for creative writing. Myth, legend, history, and biography are so seamlessly blended in maxine hong kingstons books that it is often difficult to know how to categorize them. Maxine hong kingstons no name woman essay examples bartleby. In her piece no name woman, kingston explores this struggle by sharing the tragic story of her aunts pregnancy. No name woman originally appeared as a chapter of the woman warrior in.
In the book woman warrior by maxine hong kingston, kingston s mother brave orchid tells many stories about her past that she believes have lessons behind them, lessons that kingston should learn from and can help shape her. Singing along with whitman susanna rustin the woman warriors author talks about changing times in china, turning to poetry to hasten the pace of creation and getting. Her works are usually an admixture of fiction and fact, memory and imagination and their. Catapult what i learned from maxine hong kingston alexis. Maxine hong kingston speaks about her awardwinning book, the woman warrior. Maxine hong kingstons woman warrior no name woman essay 739 words 3 pages. Maxine kingston biography list of works, study guides. Maxine hong kingston is the best recognized asianamerican writer today and her work attracts attention from many circleschineseamericans, feminist scholars and literary critics. For me, everything has layers, says kingston, her long silvery hair shining in the. With your download, get the 21 best papers relevant to this one, including 20 top related papers.
Jun 12, 2015 no name woman by maxine hong kingston starring maria romero, maria villegas, evelyn ruiz, estella melgar, tiara love, irvin lorenzo, and andrea gomez music by ed sheeran credit to any picture. A persons identity cannot be given to her, instead a person must achieve a sense of her character through personal experience and selfreflection. Officially, they are cataloged as such, but in the deepest sense of readers experience they seem. The reason perhaps, could be the way kingston with an amazing flow jumps back and forth from what limited information she was told to her own imaginations, regarding how and why her anonymous aunt would have.
Maxine hong kingston walks through the garden of her oakland hills home and pauses at the pomegranate tree. Kingston has written three novels and several works of nonfiction about the experiences of chinese immigrants living in the united states. Kingston ceases the familyimposed silence that surrounds the secret of an aunt, whom she names no name woman. If the authors i worshipped before kingston had offered me escape, they also ingrained the belief that only certain types of storiesnamely wartorn, debaucherous, angloeuropeanwere worth telling. In an event that should have been a joyous occassion, there was. The original title of maxine hong kingstons second book was not china men but gold mountain heroes. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. No one in her village questioned her on how the child was miraculously conceived.
The narrator says, occasionally, however, the rustle of a skirt hushes. Biography continued 2 maxine hong kingston was born on october 27, 1940 in stockton, california. Toni morrisons beloved, maxine hong kingstons the woman warrior and joy. No name woman by maxine hong kingston hcc learning web. In the woman warrior, maxine hong kingston tells us that long ago in china there was a knot so complicated that it blinded the knotmaker. Her chinese name, ting ting comes from a chinese poem about self reliance. Maxine hong kingston a girl without fate term paper. Maxine hong kingston s no name woman a persons identity cannot be given to her, instead a person must achieve a sense of her character through personal experience and selfreflection. Analysis of maxine hong kingston no name woman essay 1677.
Being born a writer, i had to tell, i had to blab these stories out. Maxine hong kingston writework essays and papers for. Many people found the reading a bit complex to grab, like why was the aunt is the no name woman. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Maxine hong kingston showed me my own life was worthy of examination, even exaltation, as it existed. Her parents were chinese immigrants who came to the united states fifteen years apart, just as hong kingston recounts in the woman warrior. Maxine hong kingston no name woman there is a theme here which we have come across before. The author imagines that this already married no name woman was pressured into having sex with an anonymous villager who promptly led a village attack against her when he found out she got pregnant. No name woman in maxine hong kingstons writing the aunt with no name in maxine hong kingstons writing titled no name woman, had committed the unspeakable sin of adultery.
Shes about to tell the nowmenstruating adolescent maxine a cautionary tale, one that is intensely private, intended only for maxine. Maxine hong kingston was born maxine hong in 1940 in stockton, california. Maxine hong kingston born 1940 is one of the first asian american writers in the united states to achieve great acclaim for both her nonfiction and fiction. In no name woman, maxine hong kingston recalls the events of her aunts life in the vague world of her chinese. For her memoirs and fiction, the fifth book of peace, the woman. Kingston tells the secret story her mom told her about a forgotten aunt, the sister of kingston s dad in china.
Maxine hong kingston distills the dire lessons of her mothers mesmerizing talkstory tales of a china where girls are worthless, tradition is exalted and only a strong, wily woman can scratch her way upward. The woman warrior is a pungent, bitter, but beautifully written memoir of growing up chinese american in stockton, california. Maxine hong kingstons first two books defied conventional categorization. The admonition fiercely whispered comes from kingstons mother. If i had lived in china, kingston speculates, i would have been an outlaw knotmaker, which is an indirect reference to no name woman. Imposed silences in the color purple and the woman warrior. Her first book, the woman warrior, blended fiction, memoir and myth in innovative ways. Kingstons noname aunt is the first person we hear a story about in the woman warrior. No name woman, by maxine hong kingston, is a story of maxine s family who are chineseamericans. A short excerpt from the 1990 kqed documentary profile of maxine hong kingstons life growing up in stockton, ca. Walt whitman influenced her, and the poetic lines in the book shift between real and imagined time, tracing. The woman warrior by maxine hong kingston, kingston s mother brave orchid. Chineseamerican, maxine hong kingston is familiar with this dilemma. An expanded version of this essay was published in american studies in scandinavia 272, 103125.
Maxine hong kingston embarks on new life chapter by julian guthrie, january 23, 2011. The book blends autobiography with what kingston purports to be old chinese folktales, although several scholars have questioned the accuracy and authenticity of these folktales. Her father, tom hong, arrived in new york city in 1924. Maxines passion for writing and storytelling the stories her mom told her growing about the difficulties their family went through in 1924 china her struggles growing within two. No name woman in maxine hong kingstons writing essay. While the grantors of several critical awards labeled them nonfiction, their format is that of traditional short. October 27, 1940 is a chinese american author and professor emerita at the university of california, berkeley, where she graduated with a ba in english in 1962.
Analysis of maxine hong kingston no name woman 1670 words 7 pages. Maxine hong kingston takes pride in mixed heritage awardwinning author maxine hong kingston is the daughter of two illegal immigrants from china. Literary analysis of no name woman 6151 words 25 pages a short literary analysis of maxine kingstons classic no name woman as part of the first generation of chineseamericans, maxine hong kingston writes about her struggle to distinguish her cultural identity through an impartial analysis of her aunts denied existence. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts and china men works of nonfiction. Maxine hong kingston the woman warrior maxine hong kingston is senior lecturer for creative writing at the university of california, berkeley. Notes on the woman warrior may 1, 2010 by iripopescu the first section of the novel, no name woman, deals with the creation of a ghost by a family who has decided to abandon their daughtersister for the shame she brought upon the family. Essay on maxine hong kingstons no name woman and how she utilizes this story to help her integrate her two cultural identities into her own. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts is a book written by chinese american author maxine hong kingston and published by alfred a. What feminist issues does maxine hong kingston raise in no name woman.
Kingston has written three novels and several works of nonfiction about the experiences of chinese americans. Occasionally, however, the rustle of a skirt hushes when. Kingstons struggle to find her own voice that she tentatively combines the two cultures and reconciles herself with her mother. The the woman warrior quotes below are all either spoken by maxine hong kingston or refer to maxine hong kingston. Maxine hong kingston has 14 books on goodreads with 118976 ratings. Essay describes how maxine hong kingston utilizes the story of her aunt to help herself find out her own identity in her novel no name woman. Dec, 2003 the daughter of chinese immigrants, maxine hong kingston grew up in california. For her memoirs and ction, the fifth book of peace, the woman warrior, china men, tripmaster monkey. We say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born. Some years ago, i returned to asia for the first time in my adult life to present a paper on narratives of returna newly minted category i soon learned was deceptively simpleat a conference in taipei. Maxine hong kingston takes pride in mixed heritage.
Had the transgression not been so obvious, it may have merely resulted in silence. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Pdf maxine hong kingston the woman warrior eduardo. Essays and criticism on maxine hong kingston critical essays. Literary analysis of no name woman 6151 words bartleby. The woman warrior won the national book critics circle award in 1976 for nonfiction, and china men was awarded the 1980 american book award. The reason perhaps, could be the way kingston with an amazing flow jumps back and forth from what limited information she was told to her own imaginations, regarding how and why her anonymous aunt would have dealt with the atrocities that. No name woman by maxine hong kingston you must not tell anyone, my mother said, what i am about to tell you. Pdf downloads of all 1289 litcharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish.
Maxine s mother told her a story from her chinese culture that stood out from the rest of the stories she told. Referring to examples throughout the syllabus, but especially maxine hong kingstons woman warrior, hungerford describes the overriding tendency of american novels written after 1945 to explore. Maxine hong kingston is senior lecturer for creative writing at the university of california, berkeley. Maxine hong kingston is an internationallyrecognized contemporary chineseamerican writer, academic and activist whose writing has received critical acclaim for its original style of fusing fiction with nonfiction, and truth with imagination. The first is the story of no name woman, as maxine calls the aunt whose name she does not even know. With her vivid portrayals of the magic of her chinese ancestry and the struggle of chinese immigrants to the united states, she makes the asian american experience come alive for her readers. Up until the tim that her mother informed her, she had no idea that she had even had an aunt. The no name woman you must not tell anyone what i am about to tell you what influenced the book. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the woman warrior and what it means. Three womens texts and the healing power of the other woman. The woman warrior by maxine hong kingston may 01, 1989 on. Pale buckskin moccasins reached the edge of her skirt.
Introduction the woman warrior by maxine hong kingston is about the construction of chineseamerican identity as a process of translation. The narrative begins with kingstons mothers brief caveat concerning no name woman, young maxines paternal aunt, whose disrepute has rendered her unmentionable. Start studying no name woman by maxine hong kingston. Through this story, kingston immediately lays out the influence of her mother as a storyteller, as well as the themes that this memoir will continue to dance around women, family, and the power of storytelling. Maxine hong kingstons most popular book is the woman warrior. Morrisons beloved, maxine hong kingstons the woman. Now i have to admit the literature was a bit miscellaneous but i understood. No name woman by maxine hong kingston setting structure jumps from stockton, california where she lives to her parents home village in china represents how the narrator feels maxine hong kingston whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like. Jun, 2015 no name woman by maxine hong kingston with no music starring maria romero, maria villegas, evelyn ruiz, estella melgar, tiara love, irvin lorenzo, and andrea gomez credit to any picture owner. Maxine hong kingston no name woman this article discusses a girl whose mother tells her a terrible story about her aunt. Her mother tells her how her aunt had gotten pregnant, and was tortured by the village because of it. She has contributed to the feminist movement with such works as her memoir. Maxine hong kingston the woman warrior how she used talk.
No name woman by maxine hong kingston 1046 words 5 pages. The daughter of chinese immigrants, poet, memoirist, and fiction writer maxine hong kingston was born in stockton, california, and educated at the university of californiaberkeley. Maxine s passion for writing and storytelling the stories her mom told her growing about the difficulties their family went through in 1924 china her struggles growing within two. Empowerment through mythological imaginings in woman. During his absence the aunt mysteriously became with child. Her nonfiction books include the woman warrior, which won the national book critics circle award for nonfiction, china men.
Essays and criticism on maxine hong kingston kingston, maxine hong feminism in literature. When maxine s mother warned her about life, she told stories that tested her strength to establish realities. Maxine hong kingston kingston, maxine hong feminism in. In china your father had a sister who killed herself. No name woman by maxine hong kingston to print or download this file, click the link below.
Books by maxine hong kingston author of the woman warrior. Top 25 quotes by maxine hong kingston of 58 az quotes. Maxine hong kingston was born to chinese immigrant parents, tom hong and chew ying lan, in stockton, california, on 27 october 1940. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts, knopf, 1976 and the power of imagination with jeffrey brown and celeste ng, who chose the book for pbs newshours now read this book club. Maxine hong kingston character analysis in the woman warrior. Maxine hong kingston published a masterpiece of literature in 1976, the woman warrior. Maxine hong kingstonwife, aspiring writer, and mother of a threeyearold. So begins maxine hong kingstons genrebending, groundshattering 1976 book, the woman warrior.
Maxine hong kingston s the woman warrior 737 words cram. Woman warrior begins with the story of the no name womanthe narrators. The reason perhaps, could be the way kingston with an amazing flow jumps back and forth from what limited information she was told to her own imaginations, regarding how and why her anonymous aunt would have dealt with the atrocities. Maxine hong kingston no contexto literario sinoamericano. Maxine hong kingstons woman warrior no name woman the excerpt, no name woman, from maxine hong kingstons book, woman warrior, gives insight into her life as a chinese girl raised in america through a tragic story of her aunts life, a young woman raised in. Maxine hong kingston s the woman warrior 1574 words cram.
Compiling these 16 interviews with kingston, dating from 1977 to 1996 and dealing with the woman warrior lj 91576, china men lj 61580, and tripmaster monkey lj 4189, seems like a great idea. Although kingston honors her aunt by retelling no name woman s story in the woman warrior, she blames herself for having kept silent about this woman for more than twenty years. In no name woman, maxine hong kingston recalls the events of her aunts life in the elusive world of her chinese roots. Apr 02, 2014 no name woman, by maxine hong kingston is the first chapter from kingstons collection of memoirs in the woman warrior. Maxine hong kingston was born to chinese immigrant parents in stockton, california in 1940 and graduated from the university of california, berkeley. Maxine hong kingston, an eminent memoirist and a celebrated chineseamerican autobiographer, is best known for the woman warrior. Perhaps he worked an adjoining eld, or he sold her the cloth for the dress she. The fact that this aunt ever existed, that in china, kingstons father had a sister, is a big secret, because no name woman has brought disgrace upon the family. The daughter of chinese immigrants, maxine hong kingston grew up in california.
A chinese american woman tells of the chinese myths, family stories, and events of her california childhood that have shaped her identity no name woman white tigers shaman at the western palace song for a barbarian reed pipe. Those of us in the first american generations have had to figure out how the invisible world the emigrants built around our childhoods fits in solid america. No name woman in maxine hong kingston s the woman warrior. No name woman by maxine hong kingston 878 words bartleby. The woman warrior discusses footbinding, sexual slavery, and infanticide of baby girls, but it also tells of a woman who brandishes a sword to save her people. Acclaimed author of several books, maxine hong kingston began writing at the age of nine i was in the fourth grade and all of a sudden this poem started coming out of me, and won her first. Kingston is the author of the booklength poem i love a broad margin to my life 2011. A bridging of autobiography and fiction deborah homsher reading the woman warrior, one gets an immediate impression that its writer has worked hard to form the book.