Cathy Song's Poem "Lost Sister"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Cathy Song understands the predicaments Asian immigrants must encounter in American society because she grew up as an American of Chinese and Korean descent, which she expressed in "Picture Bride", a poem collection about Asian immigrants' concerns with their decisions to migrate to the United States The author points out that, in the poem "Lost Sister", Song compares the contradictions in Chinese and American cultures faced by a Chinese immigrant woman because American laws allows freedom for everyone; whereas, the ancient Chinese tradition oppresses women's rights. The paper relates that Song depicts, in this poem, the immigrant woman choosing to adhere to American traditions, leaving her original cultures in order to express herself in spite of her Chinese identity. Many quotations.

From the Paper:

"Ending her poem, Song highlights the immigrant woman's choice to follow the American traditions while disobeying her own culture. Song begins the last stanza with "you find you need China/ your one fragile identification" (lines 53-54) to restate the woman's original identity as a Chinese person. The word "fragile", however, emphasizes the intensity of her connection to her Chinese identification. By saying "fragile," the woman admits that although she cannot deny her ethnicity that runs in her blood, she does not practice her Chinese identity further."

More papers on Cathy Song's Poem "Lost Sister":

• Poem Review # 75397 : "Lost Sister"
• Poem Review # 146695 : "Stamp Collecting" by Cathy Song"
• Comparison Essay # 116764 : "Two Patriotic Song-Poems"

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