Maxine Hong Kingston: No Name Woman Due December 19

[Alison Mandaville]

Dear Students,
Please read ALL of "No Name Woman" which I gave you this week. This
week's question is in two parts:

1) Why does the mother tell the narrator (her daughter) the story of
the aunt if it is supposed to be a secret?

2) What are the purposes of such family stories? How do they serve the
family? How do they serve society? What are possible problems with
family "stories?"

Please also remember to bring 4 copies of your TWO peer reviews
(typed, see instructions given in class). Bring their original essays
as well. If you got your peer essays from email, you need to print
them out.

I'm very pleased that most of you turned in a first draft!!!

Ms. Alison

[FreeSlaveMan]

It's a secret but the secret of family, or the village who witnessed
the incident. And the narrator's mother, Brave Orchid wants to teach
her a lesson when she begins to menstruate. She doesn't desire her
daughter, Kingston to encounter the same fate as her sister-in-law
did. (Kingston's aunt had given a birth to an illegitimate baby when
her husband was abroad. This threatened the social order of the
village in China, thus the villages assaulted her, and as a result,
she jumped into well with her baby). This action is not acceptable for
the tradition and customs of China. However, America doesn't give a
heed for such obligations. You are free in your choice.
Though her mother wants her to keep this secret, Kingston writes down
it after a long year pass, by rebelling Chinese tradition and custom
and as if supporting her aunt's action. Since such "circles" don't
even believe her existence, by clearing her name due to her disgusting
and humiliating action. The author's purpose is to compare the
different culture (clash of civilization) and show the pros and cons
of those conventions. Her unnamed aunt as if has never born and thus
nobody wants to reveal this family secret which is ignominy and
disgrace for the family in China. Such family stories in fact inform
us the customs and tradition of different societies. We can easily
learn about their culture and civilization not to be shocked when
coming across, thus we can take measure beforehand and should respect
those private concepts. It doesn't mean of course we have to obey the
traditions around us, yet we can't even go outside them wholly. The
Eastern tradition really differs from the Western one. Family-rooted
society in China is then valid for Azerbaijan as well. The same action
is carried out in our country as well, and who take such illegal
relations try to keep it as a secret or have an abortion. No one
attempts to write it down, but the secret generally reveals years
later when there occurs a serious quarreling in family. Methinks, we
should not reveal others guilty by addressing directly, but such talk-
tales should be didactic as the "No Name Woman."
Thanks

[eldart...@yahoo.com]

The secret that mother is telling to her daughter is about her aunt
who is not accepted by her father and uncles. Keeping the pregnancy of
her aunt by not normal way in secret is because mother wants to tell
her that it is wrong and never go on this way. Mother just talking
about the story of her family makes us; think about the cultural
differences, Chinese and American. In this chapter Kingston tries to
learn her own identity. Her aunt's pregnancy couldn't accept by
Chinese, however in America it wouldn't be regarded like it was in
China. Her aunt was not feeling so good after this; society's and as
well as family's attack made her to kill herself.
Also another claim for keeping this secret might be the family cleared
her aunt, as if this kind of woman wasn't in life. In story we can see
that they say "father has all brothers..." her father and family doesn't
want her to know this because this kind of person wasn't in life for
them. As a close friend mother tells it to her daughter as a lesson
which proves that it is bad for you if you live in China.
If we discuss it in the context of family, we can see that this kind
of situations discredit the prestige of family in society. Every
family fears from these feelings and as a mother or parents they
should teach the background of their history. Kingston living in
America should learn about china and by this way she can compare and
contrast it.
But this kind of behavior is not for society, it is personal notion
and what women want and what kind of life she wants she can choose.
Neither society nor family can say anything to it. Morally if the
person thinks it is true, we can not judge it like in story.
maybe after this the daughter will think about it and she does it.
this kind of family stories makes the person learn about the history
and personal identity. or soceity it can be as an example of events
like this mother gives secret that even today we have such thinks in
villages an rural areas. it is just good example for society, as well
as this kind o stories makes reders learn more about society and
history.

[hopement...@hotmail.com]

The secret which mother told to her daughter is about Kingston's
aunt who has a baby in unacce[pted way according to Chinese tradition.
That is supposed to be a secret in family but mother worried about her
sister and told her for not to follow her aunt's way and not to do the
same fault.
Because of Kingston is in menstruate period that mother worried
about her,for do nonsense that share the same final with her aunt.
One reason is told this story to Kingston that they did not live in
a small village of China, they live in America, country of liberties
that people can do everything, so mother told the story or secret and
destiny of her aunt to Kingston. We can see Culture in Contrast.
First of all, human is valuable as long as protect herself value and
it is one of the value measure by society. There is not a rule that "
When in Rome do as the Rome\ans do". In this story, mother try to
instill Kingston that, America, the Libery is not allowed to influence
her.
It is my view that the aunt in this story is a fantastic character.
Being a traditional chinese woman can consider her final after this
event. She could be abort or took birth control pills before the
sexual relation, not bear a baby. As for me the purpose of being
exaggerted that mother wanted to show the worst result.
There are many purposes of these kind of story; firstly, parents
want to show the best way to their children in life, and also they
hint to them and most of times they stresses about the bad final and
be externalize by people and society.
This kind of behaviour is closer to Eastern tradition. If that kind
of event occured, members of the family would join and think about how
to solve this problem in silently. Then this secret is not told until
forever and everyone try to forget it.
But this behaviour is not important for society i think, it is
individual and it bears on person who wrongdoer and her family.
Society is need not serve this kind of secret but this family or
person is condemn by society and society does not forget it.
Person begins to doubt from her family and worry about doing the
same fault and has the same destiny and final with a sinner( one of
the member of family) after telling this kind of family stories and
secrets. Because both of them move the same blood.

[mehdiye...@box.az]

As we see years later, as a grown woman, Kingston is afraid to tell
secrets, Kingston uses the story of her aunt, to show us the
cumbersome weight of the family secrets. Kingston's mother tells her
daughter this story to warn the girl of the results of sexual
promiscuity and of bringing shame upon the family. Lessons taught by
our parents, the people who brought us into this world, help guide us
into the people we become as adults. Hopefully, the guidance is
positive. Her mother frequently tries to compliment her children yet
all that they do is run away, leave to go to another room. It is as
if they can not be bothered by their own mother's words, the pride
that she has for them. Instead of reveling in her words and love,
they want to hide, to protect themselves from her words, from having
to deal with her.

[m_im...@yahoo.com]

Hi people!

The narrator in the story is a young girl who entered a new period of
her life, a period that causes many changes in one's life in all
meanings of it. Yes, the story of the aunt was their family secret but
the daughter was grow enough to be let know all the family secrets,
besides she is also a member of the family. But, of course, that was
not the reason of why her mother revealed the years ago secret of the
family. The reason was to teach her a lesson, a life lesson. The
underlying meaning of telling the story was to worn her daughter of
threats of life. It was also a kind of protection. Her aunt's life is
a real example for her daughter. Certainly the culture that they are
living in made her aunt's life even worse. She was denied by her
family. And since they continue living in the same culture the risk of
her daughter going to the bad is very high. By telling the story it
was as if mother was saying: always think of your aunt's situation
when you step. People usually keep secrets for years because they are
afraid of others, even family members to accuse them. But sometimes
revealing secret might give more use. So, I think it was good that
mother told the family secret to her daughter.
Certainly there are some families having their own stories alike in
the described one. These are the black pages of their lives that they
do not want to open, that they try to escape. But I do not think it is
possible. Since secret's possibility to stay as secret is the only a
matter of time. It is the case of "sooner or later". There is an
interesting phrase which says: "secret might be secret among three
people if two of them are dead." The core of my word is that it is
better to let the secret out in time to prevent later and more
insolvable problems. (easy to say) but I think the greatest use of
telling such stories is that each can take his/ her lesson from them.
But revealing such stories has possible problems as well. In the sense
that there might be a person who by hearing such stories can have
mixed ideas in mind and can think of the things s/he did not realized.
But sure it depends on a person. One should have been clever enough to
be able to take a lesson from the happenings.

secrets - contraversial topic to comment on.
Thank U

[amir...@yahoo.com]

Mother Brave Orchid teaches her daughter, the narrator Kingston a
lesson in order to prevent her fate from being as of her sister-in-
law. Since her daughter experiences menstruation period, it is the
exact time--as her mother thinks--to reveal this secret. Though they are
now in America, Chinese tradition, which sees American "version" as a
ghost, still keep its dominancy on Chinese family or "roundness in
America." The liaison of her aunt is considered a free will of woman
in her behavior according to American traditions though, it is not
acceptable in Chinese customs and traditions and considered as the
loss of virtue, pride and social status of the very family,
threatening the social order as well. Although Kingston doesn't know
the reason of her aunt's sexual affairs, she imagines different
scenarios, interestingly not knowing her own purpose in creating such
probable scenes. She may support her aunt's behavior or may pave the
way for her prospective well.
Methinks, such stories lead a reader to compare and criticize the
situation, putting themselves in such condition. Such intercourse in
Islamic perspective is not acceptable, too and must be punished,
regarding her will to be judged in that world not letting it
hereafter. In the period of prophet Muhammad this punishment was to be
killed by throwing stones toward the sinner by people around her. But
today such "sin" is finalized within family.
The other point I want to criticize is her husband's leaving her at
least for a year and half. It is not acceptable in Islam as well.
Husband must have visited her wife within four months to fulfill her
desire, when he is abroad or in military service. Her aunt however has
been left by her husband even without baby for too long. No name woman
doesn't certainly deserve this.
Such family stories, I think, keep the social stability especially in
Eastern countries, not letting them encounter such action resulted in
suicide. But it's problem for a secret Chinese tradition which is
disclosed and became widespread as a result of Kingston's writings.
KR
Vusale

[taleh_...@yahoo.com]

The author's mother warns her daughter Kingston for the new female
generation against violating the laws of the fathers. The narrative
itself is an embodiment of transgression, although her mother advises
Kingston who is emerging woman since she started to menstruate,
against transgression of any kind, particularly sexual. Her aunt's
action is prohibited in Chinese tradition and her existence had been
denied by the family, her story had been left out of the public family
history, and her name had been erased from the familial memory. Both
mother and daughter, however break this "silence" act, revealing a
secret and writing down it respectively.
This story actually based on the conflict between cultures and
generations, foregrounding the dynamic process of interaction between
opposing cultures and succeeding generations. While the mother seems
to uphold patriarchal values, her narratives contain contradictory
messages and can be interpreted subversively. This is what her
daughter does in her mother's educational tale. Crossing the borders
between the Chinese home and the American world outside and between
the Chinese past and American future, Kingston negotiates cultural
identity.
Revealing Chinese male chauvinism at home and American racism outside,
she challenges both unacceptable traditions. While they let readers
learn about the customs and traditions of the countries, they creates
negative impression on readers against such nonsense concepts.

[pear...@yahoo.com]

Hii my friends!!!!!!!!!!!

I think the most interesting part of this story which cause
the reader to think is that woman tells the story to her
daughter which is not very young. It is called a secret in the
inside of a family but it is not forbidden to tell the story to the
family members. But it is not true to tell this story to the
strangers. Mother does the true. Because in their life style it is
very important to have a good name and to be an honest man. The
mistake which her aunt did without thinking or thinking about
real love destroyed her family's, her new borned child and her
own life. Always I answer to your question with the accident
that I have heard or observed. This time I remembered another
thing. It has happened 18 years ago in one of the villages, I
can't remember the name of the region. 20 years old girl is
raped by her cousin, but she can't tell it to anyone. Also the
people around her don't feel that she is pregnant. After nine
months she gave a birth to a child- a girl. A man is forced to
marry with this girl by her brothers. They married, but that man
does not like the woman so he began to insult her everyday.
After 3-4 months this girl could not bear to this situation and
divorced. They gave the child to children's home. Because the
father refused the child. But the most terrible thing is that
woman's relatives can not marry because of the gossips about her.
Old women and men say that you can not marry with this woman because
her aunt is very ribald woman . Everybody thinks that it is only
woman's fault, but nobody blames the man. Of course it depends on
the country, on the people and their education level. Because
educated man and woman would not gossips.
In my opinion the main purpose of these stories are to make the
girls to look to the life with open eyes.. Stories help them for not
to meet with such accidents, not to live in such unhappy families.
Because family is the mirror of society. If they do the same mistake,
it will cause a new unhappy family. It is impossible to close the
people's mouth for not to gossip, so we must try to protect ourselves











On 14 дек, 22:21, Alison Mandaville <alisonmandavi...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[nesib...@yahoo.com]

hello everyone.
1. I think that as a carefull mother who must worry about the of her
doughter she is supposed to tell this secret to her doughter. this is
a warning . we get this idea from the time when the mother tells this
secret. of course she is a member of that famoily and there is nothing
wrong in telling her . but her mother could wait and tell it when she
becomes older rather than telling it when she is just a teenager. her
purpose is to protect her doughter from making such a mistake which
could be possible for she is yet somehow ignorant of thing in the
world. she is just a child and lives in another country another
culture. and she needs to be aware this kind of actions cannot be
tolerated in her culture, so she can not have sexual relationship with
a boy unless she gets married to. so she must be aware of the fatal
end of doing what her aunt did.
2. as in this story this kind of stories serve to prevent family
members from making the same mistakes.they have to keep it as a secret
in order to protect their reputation among the society. this kind of
societies would keep the society from growing immoral as it does to an
individual. if people do not care their past and do whatevew they
desire it would lead to immorality.

On Dec 14, 10:21 am, Alison Mandaville <alisonmandavi...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[asif_m...@hotmail.com]

Hi to everyone


As we see in the beginning of the story mother says yo her
daughter"You must not tell anyone," my mother said," what am about
to tell you.It means they make a new secret frm a secret.But this
secret has a positive side of what mother wants her daughter to know.
Of course this is a family secret and have not to be spread
outside.But the main thing here is this of what mother warns her
daughter of net letting her father to know about this secret. This
secret becomes a temporary secret between mother and her daughter.
Perhaps in future that daughter will tell that secret to her own
children.

But I consider it an advice rather than a secret.It comes to me
mother wants to teach the mores to her daughter which they consider
normal in their daily life.Because of this mother tells her the story
of her aunt"s. Because of her aunt"s own free choice (married a
person who her famile did not want, a person out of family,relatives).
Why I say a person out of family because according to Chinese society
at those times in this story siblings marriage could happen or they
marry someone from relatives.

Mother tells her daughter of what she first saw her aunt was
pregnant. She also uses the word " to menstruate" and tells her
daughter tat she will also menstruate. As I said above this seems an
"advice " rather than a secret ( sorry for repetition) .

Of course such family stories serve how to save traditions,
customs ,mores both in family and society.The girl"s aunt made a big
mistake of not following her family"s mores. The girl"s mother does
not want her daughter to do such kind of big mistajkes later on

[kama_h...@yahoo.com]

Happy Holidays, both Kurban and New Year. I am so sorry
that I'm a little bit late. Now I am going to give answers to
questions.

1. The story which is told in "No Name Woman" by mother to her
daughter (narrator) Kingston is secret of Chinese family. But why does
the mother tells her daughter the story of the aunt if it is supposed
to be a secret?
The reasons for that may:
1) Chinese-American immigrant mother wants to serve the
traditions of Chinese family. In spite of Kingston living in America
with liberal, she is Chinese descent and has to act as a girl of
Chinese culture. Generally Chinese culture is Eastern culture. And
Kingston's aunt act as being pregnant from other man rather than her
husband is not acceptable for all Eastern cultures. And that's why the
story about Kingston's aunt and with death both of mother and baby
after woman's giving birth lonely in the pigsty. Having listening
mother's talking about such kind of story in the period of teenage of
narrator, will of course influence her soul and change her thoughts in
deep to Chinese traditions and culture. In spite of Kingston living in
Chinese tradition, she frequently asks herself about Chinese tradition
and she try to understand it.
"Chinese-Americans, when you try to understand what
things in you are Chinese, how do you separate what is peculiar to
childhood, to poverty, insanities, one family, your mother who marked
your growing with stories, from what is Chinese? What is the tradition
and what is the movies"
You see, the narrator wants to realize the tradition of
Chinese. And in some point Kingston doesn't like the tradition. For
example, she thinks that if burned child be survived if the child
would be boy. May be the child was girl and that's why she also become
victim of her mother.
"Mothers who love their children take them along. It was
probably a girl; there is some hope of forgiveness for boys"
From this point of view, we could see Chinese refer boys
more than girls. As you in this essay "No Name Woman" has tradition
and gender Problems and they encounter.
2) The second reason of the secret story to be told is
mother wants to teach life lesson to her daughter. As an example, she
talks about miserable woman Kingston's aunt. She didn't talk others
the secret. But she talks family secret inside the family. Kingston
has rights know about her aunt. Aunt is not foreign but her own aunt.
Family's forgetting her aunt, her name and her baby is injustice of
mankind. And narrator revolts against it and against Chinese tradition
in her "The woman Warrior". As we know, her aunt drowned herself and
her baby in the drinking water-well .Question can arise in this point.
Why did she drown her baby with herself? I can answer it in this way.
Because, people will always blame her baby because of her. If child is
girl, the other reason is; Mother afraid of her (child's) adult age.
Kingston's aunt may think that her baby may repeat her guilt and for
protecting child, the only way is death with her. And as Kingston's
mother aunt fear, Kingston's mother also afraid of it. And her mother
think that instead of keeping secret, the best way is letting Kingston
into a secret . And I think her mother do her best way to protect her
and teach her life lesson. With this way, mother let her think about
life with open eyes and act with mind , not feelings as her aunt do .
You know, clever man learn true way with their own wrongs but
wise with others. And I think Kingston is wise enough that she takes
lessons from such family story which her mother talks. Generally, the
purpose of such family stories is call for girls and women to be
realistic and be vigilant, watchful and open-eyed and to protect
themselves from evil. Possible problem with family stories is
revealing out family secret stories by others. Because, I think family
secret should be only inside of family. Don't forget, family is a
small state.
thanks for your attention

[afe...@box.az]

Why does the mother tell the narrator (her daughter) the story of
the aunt if it is supposed to be a secret?

Kingston tells her own life story by telling the stories of other
women whose lives have impacted hers. As we know, this work of
nonfiction is made up of memories, fantasies, and speculations about
these women. In telling the stories of her mother, her aunts, I would
say Kingston is seeking to find "ancestral help" which will allow her
to understand her own life. If she can see their lives "branching
into" her own, then she can better understand her own place in the
world. In telling these stories she is also struggling to reconcile
her identity as a member of two cultures, Chinese and American, who
does not feel entirely at home in either culture. Kingston, in
thinking about this story, says, "I have thought that sex was
unspeakable and words so strong and fathers so frail that 'aunt' would
do my father mysterious harm." For me, the mother telling her daughter
this story strives to say that the silence is not only a way of
protecting her father and the family from shame, but also a way of
punishing her aunt. Her mother has told her this "story to grow up on"
as a warning that if she is rebellious like her aunt, she could also
be denied a story that ties her to her family and her culture. The
story of her aunt highlights the dangers of speaking out even as it
emphasizes the power of language. Kingston realizes that when she is
listening to her mother tell stories she is "in the presence of great
power
What are the purposes of such family stories? What are the purposes of
such family stories?
I would say that, such family stories send a message as to how many
families communicate the meaning of life. Through this story you will
see how much we truly learn from our parents, some of it good and some
of it bad. The story of Kingston's aunt, as told by her mother,
started out by her mother saying. You must not tell anyone," my mother
said, "what I am about to tell you. In China your father had a sister
who killed herself. She jumped into the family well. We say that your
father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born."

[g.cab...@yahoo.com]

HI guys! Happy new year !
The character of the mother in this story is a woman who worries about
the future of her daughter.She wants to protect her against the
possible dangers in her teen age years.The mother has to tell her
daughter that family secret, beacause she doesn't want her daughter do
the wrongs done by girl's aunt.She doesn't copletely blames her aunt
for what she did. She just shows her actions and their consequences.I
liked her way of treating her daughter.She doesnt tell her weather her
aunt did well or worse, or "do not do this or that', she just shows
its reults.As the girl has just stepped to puberty, and as she can
already be considered a young girl it is certain that she will begin
to question many things in life.Her mother also realizes that living
in between two different cultures and being a teen ager whose ideas
have not settled down yet, her daughter needs good advices by her
parents.The mother thinks that she must do her duty as a parent.By
telling telling this secret to her daughter it doesnt mean that she is
disobeying her traditions, speaks the unspeakable."Don't let your
father know that 1 told you''says she. She wants it remain as a
secret, that she told her daughter.Thus it remains as a secret TALK
between them.One can easily find fault with this Chinise
tradition.They try not ot mention the past as wee see in these
statements from the story " The Chinese 1 know hide their names;
sojourners take new names when their lives change and guard their real
names with silence."It isn't the best way to run from the past.Past
always will follow us wherever we go.
This kind of family stories serves to remind the men the particular
things done by their elders and good or worse consequences of
these.These stories are meant to teach them.Note that I also
said"Good".By this I also mean that these stories besids serving as a
warning , is also a mean to pass a culture from generation to
generation.
Guys, please comment on my writing and thanks for your
patience.

On Dec 14, 10:21 am, Alison Mandaville <alisonmandavi...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[kama_h...@yahoo.com]

I am sorry .But, I want to note that , I made a few mistakes in my
last mail .the mistakes were on the letters which change the meaning
of word and also there were 1-2 words which was missed. Corrected
words are marked out with Caps Locks letters.

The story which is told in "No Name Woman" by mother to her
daughter (narrator) Kingston is secret of Chinese family. But why
does

the mother tells her daughter the story of the aunt if it is supposed
to be a secret?

The reasons for that may:
1) Chinese-American immigrant mother wants to serve
the
traditions of Chinese family. In spite of Kingston living in America
with liberal, she is Chinese descent and has to act as a girl of

Chinese culture. Generally, Chinese culture is Eastern culture. And

Kingston's aunt act as being pregnant from other man rather than her
husband is not acceptable for all Eastern cultures. And that's why
the

story about Kingston's aunt ENDS with death both of mother and baby

after woman's giving birth lonely in the pigsty. Having listening
mother's talking about such kind of story in the period of teenage of
narrator, will of course influence her soul and change her thoughts
in
deep to Chinese traditions and culture. In spite of Kingston living
in
Chinese tradition, she frequently asks herself about Chinese
tradition
and she try to understand it.
"Chinese-Americans, when you try to understand what
things in you are Chinese, how do you separate what is peculiar to
childhood, to poverty, insanities, one family, your mother who marked
your growing with stories, from what is Chinese? What is the
tradition
and what is the movies"
You see, the narrator wants to realize the tradition
of
Chinese. And in some point Kingston doesn't like the tradition. For

example, she thinks that BORN child COULD BE survived if the child

would be boy. May be the child was girl and that's why she also
become
victim of her mother.
"Mothers who love their children take them along. It was
probably a girl; there is some hope of forgiveness for boys"
From this point of view, we could see Chinese refer
boys

more than girls. As you SEE in this essay "No Name Woman" has

tradition
and gender Problems and they encounter.
2) The second reason of the secret story to be told is
mother wants to teach life lesson to her daughter. As an example, she
talks about miserable woman Kingston's aunt. She didn't talk others
the secret. But she talks family secret inside the family. Kingston

has rights know about her aunt. Aunt is not foreign, but her own

aunt.
Family's forgetting her aunt, her name and her baby is injustice of
mankind. And narrator revolts against it and against Chinese
tradition
in her "The woman Warrior". As we know, her aunt drowned herself and
her baby in the drinking water-well .Question can arise in this
point.
Why did she drown her baby with herself? I can answer it in this way.
Because, people will always blame her baby because of her. If child
is
girl, the other reason is; Mother afraid of her (child's) adult age.
Kingston's aunt may think that her baby may repeat her guilt and for
protecting child, the only way is death with her. And as Kingston's

AUNT fear, Kingston's mother also afraid of it. And her mother

think that instead of keeping secret, the best way is letting
Kingston
into a secret . And I think her mother do her best way to protect her
and teach her life lesson. With this way, mother let her think about

life with open eyes and act with mind ,but not feelings as her aunt

[xeze...@yahoo.com]

HELLO EVERYONE
I think, the mother tells the story to her daughter in order to warn
her of such dangers as in the stoty.By revealing the story the mother
tries to be persuasive.For,imposing a rule or making people follow
instructions or tradition
does not work out unless they are not informed about the pros and cons
of the rules etc.
in the story the mother implies a rule of their Chinese society and
the benefit or desired consequence of obeying
the rule.That is,knowing that she needs sexual pleasure ,she warns
that satisfying this need illegally according to the society they live
in is a humilitating action.She says''Now that you have started to
mensturate what
happened to her could happen to you.Don't humilitate us''.
The

[xeze...@yahoo.com]

> The purpose of such stories is to teach traditon

[Gunay_...@mail.ru]

Hi, my friends!!!

In this story, Kingston describes the difficulties of the Chinese-
American's life. Here China is shown as a world of strict rules. Here
is important needs of society, village. Her aunt killed herself and
her baby by jumping into the family well. Because this society doesn't
accept her. This story reveals the cultural conflicts. The things
which are accepted as ordinary in America, don't accepted as the same
in China. And Kingston tries to find her place in these cultures.
Her mother tells her this story as a warning. She wants to show her
daughter the dangers of old customs and traditions. Brave Orchid warns
her not to behave as the same way: "Now that you have started to
menstruate, what happened to her could happen to you. Don't humiliate
us. You wouldn't like to be forgotten as if you had never been born.
The villagers are watchful".
These stories show to us the sides of different cultures and
traditions, and serves as warnings.

[n2...@yahoo.com]

hi people happy holidays to all of u....
as i was absent for couple of questions let's begin to reply them one
by one.
Firstly, I liked Kinstom's novl, although i haven't read all the
novel, but the style of the novel, and its topic from the first page
attracted me.
as to question, WHY the mother tells her doughter the family secret?-
becouse with saying the secret she digs into her brain not to do the
same or similar thinks like the aunt did before.the mother shows her
the results of behaving like her aunt.it means u'll be accepted and
treated in the similar way, not better.
so i think i gave the answer to the 2nd question already above; saying
such stories mothers keep their their children to be away from such
behavior and thinking even.
and with the example of the family the writer points to the society as
well.becouse we al know that family is a small society.and theres a
proverb like these, everythink begins from family.
if i'll keep someone in my family from bad doings, if u'll keep as
well someone, and if the others'll keep someone, then look how many
men we is going to be on right way.and their being in right way, leads
the society itself step on the right way.
that's all byee




On Dec 14, 9:21 pm, Alison Mandaville <alisonmandavi...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[h.mus...@yahoo.com]

hi teacher
In this short the author tells about her memories and also the
tradition of Chinese. Although it is a secret, mother wants to tell
her daughter not doing as her aunt did. Telling the secret protecting
her daughter from badness. Maybe the narrator in her inside suffer
from the event and that's why she asks to a story that will make her
relax. She does not pray her aunt's action maybe she wants to teach
the reader not doing anything that outside of society. Due to their
society and family they are right. In generally, Chinese people
approach like these cases-moralties, cultivate-seriously. The purpose
of such family stories is to direct children's attention to what is
right. The Chinese are pretender to their ancestor's tradition and
also they try to protect their exchequer.

[sevil_de...@yahoo.com]

Hello Dear Friends! Happy New Year!

When I read this story first time I imagine the woman who has a
fear loosing something own. And the mother's speech with her daughter
is not only the care about the child but care about the future of all
women because despite of she is a mother she also is a woman and has a
husband, when she gives the advice to her daughter she also as woman
want protect her family from other misfortune and they told this story
to this young girl because in the future she can be like her aunt and
other women can against to her daughter.
So for me there was two kind of reason that mother told story:
1)she care about her daughter
2)as female she wants prevent the repeating such story
If we look at first variant we can see that the mother care about
her daughter and that is normal, as every mother can do it for her
child. Then the family tries to keep that unmoral event secretly which
show the unity in the family and also their morality because they were
shamed of such kind of action. But I can not say that their ethic is
good as her grandfather's behaviour show us the abnormal elation
between the family members and for me we can not say that the family
conception in the story is same as in the East in our families our
parents, or grandparents never do such kind of immoral thinks because
our religion, culture, ethic, traditions do not teach us it and thank
for GOD for such kind of education!
Then there was male dominant society:
" mother who love their children take them along. It was probably a
girl; there is some hope of forgiveness or boys" (p. 15)
Why? I can explain like this: having a baby girl is more
responsible than having a boy, because parents afraid that their
daughter in the future can be a geisha or mistress of somebody even
her adopted brother's. that is true because daughter in the story told
that: "among the very poor and wealthy, brothers married their adopted
sisters, like doves."(p.12)
Second variant is the feminist thought about all that- I think
any women in the world will not want to share her husband with other
women and if we look at the period in the story we can see it was
inevitable so mother tells the secret of the family for saving of
other women's family.
Thanks
for your attention! :)

[baby_c...@mail.ru]

This is very interesting story.When I first read this story I firstly
think it is comparison between two cultures-American and Chinese.But
there is another theme.As we know the narrator is a young girl.Her
mother decided to tell the secret of family about her aunt.The
narrator was new period of her life.Thats why her mother decided to
say it now.By saying it she explain her daughter it must be lesson for
her.She musn't do such thing in her life.Also she explains differences
between two culture.
Such family stories purpose is that we musn't do such mistakes in our
life.Also it explains us how our family structure,our background,our
tradition.I think every person must be know her past.If you don't know
your past you couldn't know your future.
In a word this story also I think learn us how we must grow our
children.We must explain them everythink that they musn't do any
mistake in their life.

[grmi...@yahoo.com]

Hi my friends. Happy New Year!
I liked this remarkable work very much. I want to share my thoughts
with you. Firstly, mother tells the narrator the story of aunt if it
is supposed to be a secret because of she is mother and she considered
this as her mother duty. Her daughter is very young and this can be
happen with her too. She wants to awake her daughter and tells what
can be in life. Also her daughter is a family member and I think the
mother wants to share this secret with her. Another point is that
maybe the mother wants to show her daughter difference between
American and Chinese societies. ." China is "invisible", America is
"solid". Maybe this point makes her to tell her daughter reality.
In my opinion in every family have not exactly this kind of family
stories but maybe have very important stories that must be hold in
secret. For me these stories have no any purpose. Because after some
times this secret will be obvious to all. And I think it is not normal
to hide something from family members. It is good if family can share
their secret, their feelings with each other. Hiding something from
your dears can be hurt them.

[kamuflaj....@hotmail.com]

Hello everybody,
I read the story of Maxine Hong Kingston and I liked the story because
it shows the importance of traditions.Mother tells the narrator the
story of her aunt but it is shown as a secret.She tells the story
because she wants her sister not to share the same fate with her
aunt.Maybe the story of the aunt is just an utopia.Because she wants
to show her fate for restricting her daughter's life.I thought this
because that event is shown as the secret of the family.But certainly
it can be a real event.And she tells the important secret of their
family just because of showing how to behave to her daughter.In her
aunt's story she had a child who doesn't have a father.The baby's
father went away before the marriage and that events are not suitable
for Chenese traditions.The mother tells the event to her daughter
because they live in USA and she wants her daughter to defend the
traditions which they have in China.She wants her to live as a Chinese
girl.She shows that everybody can preserve their own traditions
wherever that live.
Family stories serves traditions very good but in my opinion they have
the same problem.They serve traditions of the character's own country
better than the other culture's traditions.All Countries have their
own traditions and one country's traditions can be unsuitable for the
other country's traditions and culture.But nobody has the right of
slender the other culture and other societies' traditions.In family
stories this is the main problem in my opinion.For example,in this
story we can infer the same meaning.American culture is shown worse
just because it is not suitable for Chinese traditions.And this is not
the right aspect.And these stories serves family life very good.A
reader can see the faults that the story tells and this makes him /
her not to do the same thing.Family is one of the most important
things in my opinion and these kinds of stories tell the importance of
family.From this view these kinds of stories are very important for
the family structure.And these stories serve society as an enemy.Why?
Pay attention that family structure goes of by the effect of society
in these kinds of stories.Society is shown as the enemy of the
family.But these kinds of stories have an important message
itself.Family is very important and all families can have problems and
secrets.

[fourth...@yahoo.com]

Hi dear teacher and dear friends. Good luck for everyone in exams. For
the story we learned something about Chinese culture, I think it is
interesting because I'm sure most of us don't have enough information
about this culture and their point of view to morality. And the answer:
1) Mother tells the secret story to her daughter, because this is the
secret for society, family, and tradition. But it must not be remained
secret for women, because that is their common women problem; the
daughter ought to be informed about troublesome destiny of her aunt.
As a woman Brave Orchid is worrying about her daughter's future. By
telling the secret, weak and shameful story of family she has a
reason. She is trying to do her best in saving her daughter (one woman
of the same society) from bad experiences. She thinks that the
unfortunate practice of aunt can teach her a lesson about strictness
of Chinese culture. The tradition seems to have strong bounds, because
mother speaks of that with great fear, not only remembers it as a
disgraceful event of their past, but sees it as being proceeded in her
time, and in the future; in the life of her daughter.
2) Traditions are what exit and survive by transforming them from
generation to generation. If there exists passiveness in transforming
them, their power and effect on people weakens. Brave Orchid tries to
save her daughter from disgraces, but unconsciously becomes the agent
in transforming the bad sides of tradition to the next generation.
Thus by means of Brave Orchid the next generation is informed about
the rules and restrictions of tradition ( of course the negative sides
of society) We can not claim that all the traditions are harmful for
next generation's happiness and rest. Because I think tradition plays
important role in preserving national values. But if is preserved in
its original version. Because traditions are designated once to be
helpful and useful for coming generation's lives. They must serve to
people and make them happy, but however sometimes we witness people's
unhappiness and pressure for traditional ways of life. The reason for
it for my understanding the distinct people's misuse of their
traditions. This is especially common for men as they misused and
misuse their traditions as using a chance to oppress their wives.
Under the name of "following the accepted rules" they imprison their
wives at home, punish, beat, humiliate inside the family but break the
rules by having extra wives, treating immorality in the outside. I
think the same situation is seen in this story, and demonstrating the
culture from bad point of view. Chinese culture also as I mentioned
before seems to have bad effects on women and having misused by men.
Because as we see, only women suffer for its restrictions. For common
crime (as tradition emphasizes) only woman(unnamed aunt) is punished
but man is left unpunished. Why? The reason lies in the fact that
Chinese tradition is also misused by men, and its restrictions exit
only for women. Seemingly it was brought to destroy family
relationships, between brother and sister, father and daughter etc...
THANK YOU!

[Alison Mandaville]

From Aynure Ali-zade

Good evening my dear friends and my lovely teacher. In my opinion may
be her mother wanted to protect her from the difficulties. For saying
this secret she wanted to warn her about the life's real face. She
wanted her daughter was a watchful girl, but not to be a naive like
her aunt, not to believe for every man's saying "I love you" and take
a lesson from her aunt's situation, finally to be a careful. May be
because of for protecting her daughter she told this keeping secret.
I think no. Because it must be spread among everyone, especially among
girls. From this woman's situation they can be dismiss a result and
withdraw such kind of problems.
In our brain family is a small society, and each part of family must
be share all of their happiness and difficulties. But in this story,
one mistake of woman, family rejects her. It is true. Her action was
wrong, because she had a husband. But let's look the situation from
that woman point of view. May be she did it for the result of violence
against her. Because she was threatened and blackmailed against that
man. But on account of her sister's mistake brothers reject their
sister and were the reason of her death. At the same time kept this
event in a secret.
We see how family's each parts are retire from one another. I can say
that this family is not properly.

[Alison Mandaville]

From Pervine:

This story is also about women and their sufferings. (I m going
crazy! In each of the stories we have read there is a woman and plus a
problem, like they are synonyms.)
This story particularly focuses on the place of women in Chinese
culture.The traditions we see in the story tell us about the
influence of Chinese culture and traditions on women.
The title of the story - "No name women"-refers to the narrator's
aunt. Her name was not mentioned in the story, but it is all about
her.
It is a narrative story where the mother tells her daughter (the
narrator) their family secret and the girl speaks about it to the
readers. The story of her aunt is supposed to be a secret. We see it
from the very first sentence of the story: "You must not tell anyone"
my mother said "what I am going to tell you." I think she tells her
daughter the story of her aunt to "warn" her daughter not to repeat
the same mistakes. Her mother was afraid that, now, when her daughter
grew up, she can make the same mistake that the family can erase her
name forever, as it was in her aunt's case. To protect her daughter
mother told her the secret of the family. And I think that if this
girl has a daughter in future she will tell her the "secret",too.
I want to write about the women's life in China based on this
story. As it is written "women in China didn't choose" .They are
afraid of men and obeyed their wills in everything: " she obeyed; she
always did as she was told".
We know that she made a mistake becoming pregnant from the man who
is not her husband. But she is not happy with it, too. For me most of
the guilt lays on the man's shoulders. There was such a huge male
dominance over women that women had no another choise, but to do what
they were ordered, even if the order is from the man who is not her
husband; " don't tell your family. I'll beat you. I'll kill you. Be
here again next week." -used to say the men.
There was a fear of being second wife inside all women in China..
It s a very unrespectful act towards women, no matter which culture
she belongs to.
A synonym for marriage in Chinese is "taking a daughter -in-law."
Her husband's parents could have sold her, mortgaged her, stoned her.
I think that nothing can cost a life of a person, no matter how
deep her/his mistake is. There is a will of God and everyone must obey
only to it. But in the story the people of the village and the family
of the aunt blamed and refused her so deeply that she decided to
suicide. The thing that hurts me is to see her giving birth to a
child in a "pigsty", alone, hopeless+for me being a mother is a holy
thing. And such an attitude towards the aunt in the story is too bad.
I am sure that women loved her baby -"her fingers, toes, nails
nose"-and wanted to keep it alive. Even if she took her baby to the
well with her, it doesn't mean that she didn't love her. She imagined
her future-how the people will point her out - and decided to take her
to the well with her. The society would never accept that child
because of mother .Even her own family blamed and refused her. Her
male relatives left the house not only because powerty, but also for
the "never said" reason. The suicide on its own expresses her love
towards her baby.
I think every family has its own secret. It's the society that
makes them "secret". On its own maybe they are all right. But people
are afraid that it may seem strange in the eyes of the other people,
so they keep their experiences in secret. And it grows to become a
family secret passing from generation to generation.

[faras...@yahoo.com]

The culture differences,i mean the differences between China and
America shows itself clearly in this story.The culture influences to
family very much, it does't matter where do you live. There are
strong rules in China in compare America.To sleep with man who is not
her husband and being pregnant and also to give birth to baby is met
badly. Here mother tells her daughter the story of the aunt becouse
she wants to aware her not to do as her aunt does and bring her well
up even if it is supposed to be secret.
I really take pity on this woman.Village people broke in front and
back doors,threw mud and rocks,killed animals,did all savageness
becouse of she had a baby who wasn't known father. Sometimes i can't
understand people. It is not their business to interest who has child
or her pregnanancy.Why do all people look this situation wildly? I
think this her life,so it is her problem to bring child up and it
musn't concern to anyone.
But her family, i mean her brothers had rights to treat her as she
wasn't their sister. becouse she brought dishonour to their name.Even
if she did it,they can accept her with her baby .What is a blame of
that baby.It is just a pure and sweet thing with little
nose,fingers....that born newly.Also she was their only sister and was
helpless.
Anyway,i want to tell a story about my family.My uncle hadn't got a
baby.After some years ,my uncle's wife deided to take a new-born girl
as a daughter from her sister.Only olders know about it. Well,she and
my uncle brought her up very well and never had their own childeren.
When she reached 20,my another cousin wanted to marry her,i want to
mentioned that she didn't know about this secret.She herself is a
docter and know that to marry a person who is a blood relative to her
is impossible.But then everything was told her that these were not her
real father and mother. At first she shoked but then she accepted them
as her real father and mother and married to married to my cousin. Now
they have very sweet baby.
So to tell family secrets are very important.If my uncle and his wife
didn't tell her all about it ,she would't marry him and wouldn't be
happy.These stories have great serves in development of society in the
right way.

[mehmeta...@yahoo.com]

For me Kingston uses the story of her aunt, No Name Woman, to show us
the cumbersome weight of the family secrets. No Name Woman gives
birth outside of wedlock and, wracked with shame, throws herself into
the family well. After reading an article on internet about her life I
witnessed that, Kingston's mother, also full of shame, commands her
daughter not to tell anyone the story of her aunt: we can see it in
her story. "Don't tell anyone you had an aunt. Your father does not
want to hear her name. She was never born.
No Name Woman tainted the family name, so her family punishes her by
erasing her from memory .Of course; Kingston's mother tells her

daughter this story to warn the girl of the results of sexual

promiscuity and of bringing shame upon the family. To Kingston,
however, the story is much more than a cautionary tale. I would say
that, it is one of the secrets she must carry as part of her, a reason
to live in silence. In short I would say that, we sometimes need to
hide ourselves or wish avoid people because we think that doing so we
can get ourselves out of the problems or troubles due to we need to
hide our real name when needed.

[mehmeta...@yahoo.com]

[lemanis...@hotmail.com]

hi,my dear teacher and dear friends.sorry for being so late, but the
marriage made me very passive, so that i can hardly read my lessons.
but i'll try to answer to the questions, at least.about the "no name
woman" i want to tell that as the narrator mentions,her mother as if
gives some kind of lesson that such difficulties could happen to
everyone.and as her daughter grown up,she must know the terrible side
of life-even if it's a secret.
second is, such situations make families to fall into low
position.this is very actual, especially in eastern countries- to look
at such families from the very top of the sky.everyone think of such
families as bad-mannered people who could teach nothing to their
children.that's all for tonight,thank you and good night.

On Dec 14 2007, 10:21 pm, Alison Mandaville