Friday, March 11, 2011

Twenty-Six Malignant Gates Post

There are a lot of similarities between the “Tiger Mom” article, and the chapter/section “The Twenty Six Malignant Gates”. For example, in the tiger mom article, the mother talks about how she made her daughter do everything until they got it right, and she would spend hours upon hours forcing their children to practice and practice until they did what they were doing correctly.

“I rolled up my sleeves and went back to Lulu. I used every weapon and tactic I could think of. We worked right through dinner into the night, and I wouldn't let Lulu get up, not for water, not even to go to the bathroom. The house became a war zone, and I lost my voice yelling, but still there seemed to be only negative progress, and even I began to have doubts.”  

It is similar to what happens in the Joy Luck club. For example, in the story, “Two Kinds” Jing-Mei is forced by her mother to go and practice the piano over and over to become successful at it, and her mother brags about it.

“Our problem is much worser than yours. If we ask Jing-Mei was dish, she hear noting but music. It’s like you can’t stop this natural talent.” (Pg. 138)

The two stories are very similar because in both of them, the mother tires to get their daughter to play the piano, and does it until the daughter knows how to play the piano well.

“My mother slapped me. “who ask you be genius?” She shouted. “Only ask for you be your best. For you sake. You think I want you to be genius? Hnnh! What for! Who ask you!” (Pg. 136)

This is where the mother in Joy Luck club hits her daughter and forces her to practice even though the daughter does not want to, and has no motivation to go and practice the piano at all. This is also true in the Tiger Mom article, when the mother hits her daughter and forces her to work and work at the piano until she gets the song right and plays it perfectly. She does not let her daughter go or have a break until she does what the mother asks her to do perfectly.

“Back at the piano, Lulu made me pay. She punched, thrashed and kicked. She grabbed the music score and tore it to shreds. I taped the score back together and encased it in a plastic shield so that it could never be destroyed again. Then I hauled Lulu's dollhouse to the car and told her I'd donate it to the Salvation Army piece by piece if she didn't have "The Little White Donkey" perfect by the next day. When Lulu said, "I thought you were going to the Salvation Army, why are you still here?" I threatened her with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years. When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn't do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.”

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