Asian-American Literature

Paper Summary:

The paper explains that despite differences in national origin and individual detail, both Theresa Cha's "Dictee" and Maxine Hong Kingston's "The Woman Warrior" illustrate similar experiences common to Asian-Americans. The paper describes how both authors depict similar experiences of Asian-Americans as they adapt to their minority status in the United States. The paper shows how both authors portray the hardships of Asian-born Americans and their children as they grapple with what it means to be American.

From the Paper:

"Both The Woman Warrior and Dictee show the authors' attempts at relating search for identity and heritage with connecting to the past. This is clear from beginning to end in The Woman Warrior. The novel begins with the young main character remembering the story of her unknown aunt who committed suicide in China. Searching for connection between herself and her long-dead aunt, the young girl says, "Unless I see her life branching into mine, she give me no ancestral help" (Kingston 8). This reaching out occurs because the young narrator is trying to find out how her family, including her parents, became who they were. To do this, she must look into where they come from and how things were for them in China."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cha, Theresa Hak Kyung. Dictee. New York: Tannam P, 1982.
• Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. New York: Vintage International, 1975.

More papers on Asian-American Literature:

• Essay # 57751 : "Asian-American Literature"
• Analytical Essay # 96619 : "Asian-American Literature"
• Comparison Essay # 91855 : "Gender in Asian-American Literature"
• Comparison Essay # 129556 : "Similarities in Asian-American Literature"

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