Analysis of maxine hong kingston no name woman essay. No name woman by maxine hong kingston with no music starring maria romero, maria villegas, evelyn ruiz, estella melgar, tiara love, irvin lorenzo. Also by maxine hong kingston china men tripmaster monkey hawaii one summer the fifth book of peace to mother and father contents no name. In another sense, she is too powerful to be named or remembered. In one sense the aunt is a powerless character, so powerless that she is given no name and no right to have existed. Margery wolfs thrice told tale cross cultural boundaries, whereas. The promise and the perils of translation in maxine hong kingstons. In the opening lines of no name woman, the first essay1 in maxine hong. She is a sister her father does not acknowledge as ever having been born because of the humiliation she brought to the family. Kingstons mother tells kingston this story as she is reaching sexual maturity, and wants her to know the consequences that can come of her actions if she is irresponsible. Kingston, a first generation chineseamerican woman, shares the saddening story no name woman of her aunt to explore the communitygender roles, as well as the cultural morals and motifs of her ancestors. Ironically, the first thing we read is kingstons mothers warning kingston, you must not tell anyone. The woman warrior by maxine hong kingston the best book of nonfiction published in 1976. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 204 pages and is available in paperback format.
Interpreting silence and voice in maxine hong kingstons the. The national book critics circle read by kimchai lam i. The woman warrior no name woman summary course hero. Forming an identity through silence written in 1975, maxine hong kingston s autobiography, the woman warrior.
In the woman warrior, what does the ghost of the no name woman symbolize for maxine hong kingston the ghost of the no name woman symbolizes the shame maxine hong kingston has felt as a girl and as a woman in a culture that devalues girls and limits female roles. Chineseamerican, maxine hong kingston is familiar with this dilemma. 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. Pdf maxine hong kingston the woman warrior eduardo. No name woman had been married to a husband who was gone for years, then became pregnant out of wedlock and gave birth to a daughter.
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. 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. 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. Maxine hong kingstons no name women introduces students to the power of words. In one such scenario, her aunt is a timid woman ordered into submission by a rapist. Kingston, a firstgeneration chineseamerican, was born in stockton, california, in 1940. In fact she often points out things she has no answers for like why her noname aunt lived with her family instead of her husbands. The book uses recurring consideration of voices, stories, and ghosts to develop its various themes, including the transmission of culture across generations and the importance. It is seen as a huge disgrace to the family in their culture to commit adultery. Analysis of maxine hong kingston no name woman essay 1677. Brave orchid tells kingston about her aunt but warns her that she must not tell anyone. The no name woman you must not tell anyone what i am about to tell you what influenced the book. Maxine hong kingston, the woman warrior, ethnic literature, chinese.
No name womanfirst person we hear a story about in the woman warrior. Acclaimed author maxine hong kingstons the woman warrior broke new ground when it was first published 35 years ago, weaving autobiography, history, folklore, and fantasy in to a candid and revelatory story about the daughter of chinese immigrants in mid20th century california. 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. In no name womans case, her illegitimate child violates the immense value placed on a traditional family and is, for the family, another mouth to feed. In china your father had a sister who killed herself. No name woman character analysis in the woman warrior litcharts. Also by maxine hong kingston china men tripmaster monkey hawai i one summer the fifth book of peace to mother and father contents no name woman white tigers shaman at the western palace a song for a barbarian reed pipe no name woman you must not tell anyone, my mother said. The woman warrior opens with the story of maxine hong kingston s forgotten aunt, the no name woman. First published in 1976, it has become a classic in its innovative portrayal of multiple and intersecting identitiesimmigrant, female, chinese. Dec 22, 2019 no name woman is a short story written by maxine hong kingston and was included in her book the woman warrior,with the first publication date in 1975. The main characters of this autobiography, memoir story are. 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. 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. 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 mother tells her the story of her no name aunt as a means of warning her away from premarital sex. No name woman in the opening lines of no name woman, the first essay 1 in maxine hong kingstons memoir the woman warrior, the narrators mother issues a stern directive to her chineseamerican daughter. The villagers had been counting the months from the time no name woman s husband left until she got pregnant. Ironically, the aunts and her childs fates are almost whimsically determined by the time in which this story takes place. In the final chapter, young maxine tortures a silent chinese girl whom she sees as a partial image of herself. Maxine hong kingston, an eminent memoirist and a celebrated chineseamerican autobiographer, is best known for the woman warrior. In telling their stories, she is telling her own stories because kingston herself is a compilation of all the. No name woman as a means of exploring her identity. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts 1976 and its companion volume, china men 1980. Although kingston honors her aunt by retelling no name womans story in the woman warrior, she blames herself for having kept silent about this woman for more than twenty years. The woman warrior won the national book critics circle award in 1976 for nonfiction, and china men was awarded the 1980 american book award. Kingstons memoir the woman warrior, the narrators mother issues a stern directive. Narrator maxine hong kingston in the woman warrior shmoop. We understand that kingston takes us under her wing in her exploration of identity in hopes that we might learn something.
Mar 27, 2007 kingstons method of merging real experience and fiction is deceptively simple, so much so that the reader hardly notices it as it happens. If she and her aunt have similar notions about desire, then maybe kingston can understand her aunt, despite their differences in time and place. The woman warrior opens with the story of maxine hong kingstons forgotten aunt, the no name woman. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the woman warrior and what it means. The first edition of the novel was published in 1975, and was written by maxine hong kingston. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts, invites readers into the life of one asian american writer. Who am i examining maxine hong kingstons racial identity as. 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 the woman warrior won the national book critics circle. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Acclaimed author maxine hong kingstons the woman warrior broke new ground when it was first published 35 years ago, weaving autobiography, history, folklore, and fantasy in to a candid and revelatory story about the daughter of chinese immigrants.
Kingston commences the novel by arguing that all myths and tales are contingent on specific cultural necessities. Forming and identity through silence senior paper presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a degree bachelor of arts with a major in literature at the university of north carolina at asheville spring 2006 by david cheuk. 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. In it, she tells the stories of several other women to reveal the struggles and issues that have affected her own life. No name woman by maxine hong kingston free essay sample duration. No name woman in maxine hong kingstons the woman warrior. Kingston considers no name woman within the context of 1970s sexual liberation, whose notions of sexual freedom do not fit kingston any more than they would have fit her aunt. No name woman by maxine hong kingston to print or download this file, click the link below. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In her awardwinning book the woman warrior, maxine hong kingston created an entirely new forman exhilarating blend of autobiography and mythology, of world and self, of hot rage and cool analysis.
Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts is a book written by chinese american author maxine hong kingston and published by alfred a. Pdf the woman warrior book by maxine hong kingston free. No name woman essay explores feminism aspects in the story by maxine hong kingston. Maxine hong kingston begins her search for a personal identity with the story of an aunt, to whom this first chapters title refers. We say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born. No name woman by maxine hong kingston 878 words bartleby.
You must not tell anyone, my mother said, what i am about to tell you. Maxine hong kingstons 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. Maxine hong kingston, american writer, much of whose work is rooted in her experiences as a firstgeneration chinese american. Free download or read online the woman warrior pdf epub book. Carefully read your groups assigned question, take 5 minutes to discuss the response among your groups. 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. Kingston learned from her mother about a forgotten aunt of hers. If i had lived in china, kingston speculates, i would have been an outlaw knotmaker, which is an indirect reference to no name woman. One woman swung a chicken, whose throat she had slit, splattering blood in red arcs about her.
Jul 08, 2010 the woman warrior by maxine hong kingston the best book of nonfiction published in 1976. No name woman by maxine hong kingston freebooksummary. Kingston is the author of the booklength poem i love a broad margin to my life 2011. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of. Her notable books included the memoirs the woman warrior, china men, and i love a broad margin to my life. 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. Kingston in the woman warrior is largely figuring out what it means for her to be a chinese american women by way of considering the lives of great chinese women before her.
Kingstons noname aunt is the first person we hear a story about in the woman warrior. No name woman is a short story written by maxine hong kingston and was included in her book the woman warrior,with the first publication date in 1975. The woman is called a noname woman as the family has disowned her. In her piece no name woman, kingston explores this struggle by sharing the tragic story of her aunts pregnancy. The woman warrior opens with the narrator maxines retelling of her mothers cautionary story about her noname aunt. The first is the story of no name woman, as maxine calls the aunt whose name she does not even know. No name woman, which is the name that kingston grants her shamed aunt, had the baby in the early summer, according to brave orchid. Memoirs of a girlhood among the ghosts 1976 weaves together elements from traditional chinese folktales and incidents from the authors experiences or family stories in five interconnected chapters. Walt whitman influenced her, and the poetic lines in the book shift between real and imagined time, tracing the writers. We stood together in the middle of our house, in the family hall with the pictures and tables of the ancestors around us, and looked straight ahead. The woman warrior audiobook by maxine hong kingston. The the woman warrior quotes below are all either spoken by no name woman or refer to no name woman. In no name woman, maxine hong kingston recalls the events of her aunts life in the vague world of her chinese.
Kingston has written three novels and several works of nonfiction about the experiences of chinese americans. 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. Maxine hong kingstons no name woman essay examples. Narrator maxine hong kingston in the woman warrior. No name woman by maxine hong kingston 1046 words 5 pages. In this autobiographical work, kingston uses the stories of five unique. Be sure to jot down ideas to share with the class later. Get the entire the woman warrior litchart as a printable pdf. No name woman by maxine hong kingston you must not tell anyone, my mother said, what i am about to tell you.
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. Maxine hong kingston begins her search for a personal identity with th. Maxine hong kingston begins her search for a personal identity with the story of an aunt, to whom this first chapters. The narrator is a girl who has just reached puberty. Because kingston cannot ask about her unnamed auntwho is referred to only as noname woman she invents her own fantasies about why her aunt gave in to her forbidden passions. No name woman character analysis in the woman warrior. No name woman by maxine hong kingston hcc learning web. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. In this passage from no name woman, maxine hong kingston imagines what old world china was like, and paints a picture of a repressive, strictly ordered society in which people were essentially unable to have private lives.
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