Double Face

My daughter wanted to go to China for her second honeymoon, but now she is afraid.

"What if I blend in so well they think I'm one of them? " Waverly asked me. "What if they don't let me come back to the United States? "

"When you go to China, " I told her, "you don't even need to open your mouth. They already know you are an outsider. "

"What are you talking about? " she asked. My daughter likes to speak back. She likes to question what I say.

"Aii-ya, " I said. "Even if you put on their clothes, even if you take off your makeup and hide your fancy jewelry, they know. They know just watching the way you walk, the way you carry your face. They know you do not belong. "

My daughter did not look pleased when I told her this, that she didn't look Chinese. She had a sour American look on her face. Oh, maybe ten years ago, she would have clapped her hands-hurray! -as if this were good news. But now she wants to be Chinese, it is so fashionable. And I know it is too late. All those years I tried to teach her! She followed my Chinese ways only until she learned how to walk out the door by herself and go to school. So now the only Chinese words she can say are sh-sh, houche, chr fan, and gwan deng shweijyau. How can she talk to people in China with these words? Pee-pee, choo-choo train, eat, close light sleep. How can she think she can blend in? Only her skin and her hair are Chinese. Inside-she is all American-made.

It's my fault she is this way. I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these two things do not mix?

I taught her how American circumstances work. If you are born poor here, it's no lasting shame. You are first in line for a scholarship. If the roof crashes on your head, no need to cry over this bad luck. You can sue anybody, make the landlord fix it. You do not have to sit like a Buddha under a tree letting pigeons drop their dirty business on your head. You can buy an umbrella. Or go inside a Catholic church. In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you.

She learned these things, but I couldn't teach her about Chinese character. How to obey parents and listen to your mother's mind. How not to show your own thoughts, to put your feelings behind your face so you can take advantage of hidden opportunities. Why easy things are not worth pursuing. How to know your own worth and polish it, never flashing it around like a cheap ring. Why Chinese thinking is best.

No, this kind of thinking didn't stick to her. She was too busy chewing gum, blowing bubbles bigger than her cheeks. Only that kind of thinking stuck.

"Finish your coffee, " I told her yesterday. "Don't throw your blessings away. "

"Don't be so old-fashioned, Ma, " she told me, finishing her coffee down the sink. "I'm my own person. "

And I think, How can she be her own person? When did I give her up?

Source: Tan, Amy (1991): The Joy Luck Club. New York, Vintage Books, pp.253-254. 

Taken from URL: http://englischlehrer.de/texts/joy_luck.php

Annotations: to blend in - to fit in perfectly to speak back - to contradict, to protest to pursue - to go after, to aim for to flash around - to show off blessings - advantages, gifts Answer the questions:

1. To what extent do you think Waverly has an identity crisis? What does her mother feel about it? 

2. Outline what the mother means by "American circumstances and Chinese character". 

3. Explain the concept of the Melting Pot in the light of the text and its title. 

4. Examine how the daughter is characterized.

On the basis of the text do the following quiz:

1. Lindo thinks her daughter will not be mistaken for a native-born Chinese mainly because of the way she___________________

a. moves

b. looks

c. dresses

d. speaks

2. Lindo’s daughter now__________

a. has forgotten all the Chinese she ever knew

b. wishes she had learned to speak Chinese

c. became less Chinese as she grew older

d. never behaved like a Chinese person

3. What Lindo most likes about the American way of life is that_______________

a. education is free for everybody

b. you don’t have to accept your fate

c. other people always help you

d. you can choose your religion

4. Which of these is not an aspect of Chinese character, according to Lindo?

Выберите один ответ:

a. doing what your parents tell you to do

b. hiding your real feelings

c. being aware of your strengths

d. showing off

5. Lindo gives the example of the chewing gum to show that______________

a. American habits were very easily acquired by her daughter

b. her daughter was stupid as a child

c. the American way of life is inferior to the Chinese   d. young people don’t pay attention to adults

6. Whose problems do you identify with most, the mother’s or the daughter’s? Why?

Speaking

This activity will prepare you to read the case study by presenting you with the basic issues that the case study will address. Read the following statements. Then respond to each one by writing yes or no in the blanks to express your agreement or disagreement. Although your first response to some statements may be "I don't know," try to make a decision about as many statements as possible. After completing the activity, discuss your answers with the members of the class.

1. I experienced culture shock and feelings of alienation after I arrived in the United States.

2. Life in the United States is not that much different from life in my country.

3. North Americans are much more liberal in their attitudes toward moral issues than I

am.

4. The food in the United States is not very appealing to me.

5. I have had trouble getting used to the climate here.

6. It is hard to make friends with North American students in the United States.

7. Almost all of my close friends here are from my native country.

8. Although most North American students are friendly, their friendliness seems superficial

and insincere.

9. I feel worried about whether I will be able to master the English language.

10. I have not had many problems coping with life in the United States.

11. I accept and respect most North American customs and traditions.

12. Universities and colleges should provide their international students with support in

order to help them adjust socially and academically.

Culture shock and cultural adaptation: Vocabulary

Study the following words and their definitions:

adapting adjust alienation appealing assimilated barriers bland bold climate coping counselor culture	modifying oneself according to changing circumstances to adapt or conform to new conditions; to become familiar with a new culture, its language and behaviors isolation and withdrawal from the values of the society attractive, interesting absorbed into a culture or society obstacles that prevent progress or achievement without spice or strong taste assured, confident, daring prevailing weather conditions (temperature, wind velocity, precipitation) dealing with and attempting to overcome difficulties person who gives advice or counseling ideas, customs, skills, arts of a given people in a given period; customary beliefs, social forms, material traits, and behaviors of a racial, religious, or social group
culture shock customs depression empathize insincere liberal	state of emotional and physical distress resulting from living in a culture that is different from your own; sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture without adequate preparation social conventions carried on by tradition and enforced by social disapproval of any violation state of severe sadness and lack of energy to understand, be aware of, be sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another person not honest or genuine; hypocritical broad-minded; not strict in observance of traditional forms
master moral optimistic preconceived self-reliant stereotype superficial thrilled traditions values	to become skilled or proficient in the use of relating to principles of right or wrong in behavior anticipating the best outcome formed prior to actual knowledge or experience believing in one's ability to handle problems and make decisions standardized, oversimplified mental picture of a person or group lacking in depth; presenting only an appearance extremely excited and happy long-established customs or practices that have the effect of unwritten laws ideas, beliefs, practices that are important to an individual or a group; principles of ethical behavior

This problem-solving activity offers the opportunity for group work in analyzing a case study and writing a case study report. Each case presents a dilemma that may be resolved in a number of ways; no one solution is correct. The cases are built around realistic situations that raise a number of complex questions.

After you read the case study, discuss the major problem the case presents and answer the discussion questions with the members of the class.

Case Study: Coming to North America

Anandita Rantung (called Dita for short) was in the middle of her first semester as a college student. Because of Dita's superior academic achievement in her secondary school in Indonesia, she had been awarded a full scholarship by the Indonesian government to attend college in the United States. When Dita arrived from Jakarta just two months ago to study at a small liberal arts college in the Boston area, she couldn't have been happier.

She was excited finally to be in the land of her dreams, the country where she was planning to accomplish her goal of getting a B.A. degree in communications.

Dita knew that it would not be easy to attend college in the United States; her English was still not perfect, and she would have to take several semesters of English courses to prepare her for her academic program. Also, she had lived in Jakarta all her life and had never been away from her family before, and she had many close friends that she would miss very much. Nevertheless, she was thrilled that she had been given this opportunity and was certain that she could overcome any barriers she might face. Dita was an optimistic and enthusiastic person with a strong sense of moral values. She welcomed challenges and maintained her sense of humor, no matter what happened.

Everything had started off well for Dita. She liked Sandra, her roommate from Chicago, and her academic counselor helped her to choose one academic course (Studio Art) that she could take along with her three English courses. She did have a bit of trouble with the food in the college cafeteria. It never tasted right to her. The food was too bland, and it was greasy compared to what she had eaten in Indonesia. No matter what she tried, none of it was delicious. She considered eating at the fast food restaurants in town, but Dita couldn't stand the hamburgers or chicken sandwiches either. Several weeks went by before Dita noticed that her clothes seemed loose, and she realized that she must have lost weight. But she wasn't really concerned. After all, being thin was what many young women wanted.

ln terms of her academic work, Dita was not certain how she was doing. Her English classes were small, and the teachers were kind and patient. Yet Dita kept getting low grades on her quizzes, tests, and essays.The studio art class was also causing her trouble.

Dita had always enjoyed drawing, so naturally she was pleased that she was taking the art course. Her only problem, though, was that the professor spoke so quickly that Dita could rarely understand what he was telling her. Dita hoped that her work was satisfactory, and she tried to listen carefully to the professor. Still, it was quite upsetting to her when during class in the third week of the semester, the professor told Dita that there had been a misunderstanding and her drawing was not what the professor had assigned.

In the fourth week of her semester, Dita began feeling extremely tired. She could hardly stay awake past ten o'clock at night, and in the morning, if she didn't hear her alarm, she would sleep until eleven or twelve. Since all her classes were in the afternoon, it didn't matter that much. Once her roommate asked her why she was sleepy all the time, but Dita said that it probably was because she had to study so hard."My English classes take a lot of work, and maybe that's why I'm tired," she told Sandra.

Actually, Dita would have enjoyed going out more often and not just studying all the time, but nobody asked her to go places or do things. And she hadn't met any other Indonesian students yet. As for getting to know some American students, it wasn't that easy. One night when Sandra and two of her friends were talking in the room, Dita came over to listen and try to take part in the conversation. But when they began describing their sexual activities with their boyfriends, Dita got embarrassed and left the room. She just wasn't used to such frank talk about sex. Her friends had not talked like that in her country, and she didn't feel comfortable listening. Besides, she wasn't all that interested in discussing sexual relationships, especially since she hadn't had any.

Although her roommate continued to act quite friendly to Dita, after that, she rarely invited Dita to join her group of friends. Once in awhile Dita thought about asking Sandra if she could come along when they all went out to clubs or parties on the weekends, but she hesitated to be so bold.

"Maybe she'll realize that I am alone tonight and will say something," Dita frequently thought.

But Sandra was caught up in her own world, and she didn't pay much attention to her, except for one time when she invited Dita to dinner. During that dinner, Dita had tried to explain how lonely she was, but Sandra seemed unsympathetic.

"There are plenty of activities you could become involved in or clubs to join. And you just need to become more self-reliant," Sandra told Dita.

Dita smiled shyly. "I guess I still miss my friends and family," she confessed.

"Don't worry. You'll feel better soon," was Sandra's casual comment.

That evening was the last time Dita and Sandra went out together. In fact, Dita rarely left her room unless she had a class. She mostly lay on her bed writing letters to her friends at home. One day two weeks later, after Dita had spent the morning in a state of deep depression and loneliness, she decided that she would go to the advising center and get some suggestions about how to adjust better to her new life. However, when she called to make an appointment with the foreign student adviser, she was told to call back the next week because the adviser was on vacation and no one else could see her.

At that point, Dita began to cry. It occurred to her that maybe it wouldn't be all that bad for her to withdraw from school and return to Indonesia even though it would mean losing her scholarship. Her family and friends might consider her a failure for giving up the chance to get a degree from a college in the United States, but Dita didn't really care what other people would say. They weren't the ones who had to live all alone in a foreign country. She knew she had tried her best, and she was ready to call it quits. Her English wasn't improving anyway, she hated the food, and the weather was getting colder every day. Worst of all, she had no close friends, Indonesian or American, nor any other sources of support, so what was the use of trying to live in the States? It seemed to Dita that coming to North America had been a really bad decision.