One part I found interesting in this article is when Johnston explains how Kingston's "experiences in both Chinese and American societies have fired her with anger." Since Kingston can not do as the swordswoman does she gets her anger out through writing. I like how Johnston says "she turns her oppression inside out."
One part that I wasn't too sure what Johnston meant was when she said "Kingston shares with the reader the gift of seeing mythically rather than logically, a gift that is implicitly Chinese." This is something I would like to know further about.
Hey Caroline,
ReplyDeleteI believe Kingston uses the myth as a way of propelling herself forward in life. I think that is why she became a respected author. I would also like to know a little bit more about the "implicitly Chinese" gift.
Hey Caroline,
ReplyDeleteI like how pick up on how Johnston says that Kingston uses her writing as an outlet for her anger against the societies she was exposed to. I also find Johnston's analysis of Kingston's writing to be interesting.
Hi Caroline,
ReplyDeleteIt seems that, for Kingston, the gift of seeing mythically in an American society has enabled her to succeed in it. The point Johnston is trying to make is that Chinese people grow up on myth (as opposed to the majority of Americans, who grow up on science). Therefore, their way of viewing the world is fundamentally different; they see the world in relation to the tales they were told, and rely on those for social interaction. Americans tend to view everything as scientific, and it comes out in our interactions. Understanding the world in terms of "definitive" scientific rules can be different than understanding it in terms of myth (however, I do believe science itself is a human construct, and indeed, another culture).