The Joy Luck Club The Red Candle The Moon Lady
“I once sacrificed my life to keep my parents’ promise. This means nothing to you, Waverly, because to you promises mean nothing. A daughter can promise to come to dinner, but if she has a headache, if she is in a traffic jam, if she wants to watch a favorite movie on TV, she no longer has a promise.” p 19 The Red Candle
Symbol = sign Hidden (secret) message Uses a thing or an action to show a deeper meaning Symbol
1. Can you find the symbol? “To Chinese people, fourteen carats isn’t real gold. Feel my bracelets. They must be twenty-four carats, pure inside and out.” p. 19(3) 2. What is the symbol compared to? Symbol
1. Can you find the symbol? “The only nice room was a sitting room on the first floor, which was used for receiving guests. It contained many precious things that gave the impression of wealth and ancient tradition. The rest of the house was plain and uncomfortable and noisy with the complaints of twenty or more relations.” p 21 (1) 2. What is the symbol compared to? Symbol
matchmaker – a person who brings two people together to get married amah – housemaid servant – housemaid matchmaker / amah / servant
Look down = to show/give NO respect “I realized they had a much better position than my family, which is why they looked down on us.” p 20 (5) Lose face = lose respect “But I was also determined to respect my parents’ words, so that Huang Taitai could never accuse my mother of losing face.” p 21 (2) Look down / Lose face
to give up something sacrifice
a unit of measurement for gold karat
to speak with great honor/pride boast
use words or actions so a person believes your idea persuade
a person who doesn’t share selfish
anger, bother, upset annoy
a person who helps somebody servant
to say someone is in error or wrong blame
follow the rules obey
admit to tell something you were trying to hide confession
want, wish, need desire
not clean, clean (un) tidy
smart clever (ness)
misery, sadness, no hope despair
pure, good innocence
wonder curious