Personal Narrative Analysis by Christopher Zhuang

The Tone Throughout the Story

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-09 13:36:13 UTC

The tone is isolated and melancholy throughout the story. Marguerite was isolated her whole life never speaking a word other than her brother. This distanced her from everybody and she was confined with sadness and lost her confidence/voice. This relates to the role of Mrs. Flowers, to regain her confidence and voice. The text states that Maya Angelou "spoke to no one" after she was "abused by a family friend" (Childhood Trauma). The text also says, "The teachers report that they have trouble getting you to talk in class" (Angelou 243). This shows how she was affected by her childhood trauma and how she chose to speak to no one.

Characters and Most Significant Character Analysis

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-09 13:38:42 UTC

Characters:

Mrs. Flowers

Momma/Grandmother

Marguerite

Bailey

Most Significant Character:

The most significant character is Mrs. Flowers who helps develop the main character's confidence through discovering her self-identity and allowing her to express herself through her newfound voice. We see that Mrs. Flowers influenced Margeurite by helping her discover a new type of literacy and a love for reading and speaking. After Mrs. Flowers gives her poetry to practice speaking, Marguerite practices regularly; and when she accomplishes speaking clearly, "tears of love filled [her] eyes" (Angelou 189). This displays her newfangled voice and love for poetry, and how she became her new self at the end of the story.

How Does the Setting Help with Plot

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-09 13:39:07 UTC

The setting takes place between the 1930s and 1940s in a small, racially segregated town, Stamps, Arkansas. This is where young Marguerite and her family lived. They experienced the challenges of segregation growing up in this town pronounced with segregation. With segregation at its pinnacle, Mrs. Flowers was able to receive the noblewoman status. The text describes Mrs. Flowers as an aristocrat, in the text, it says, "Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps. She had the grace of control to appear warm in the coldest weather, and on the Arkansas summer days, it seemed she had a private breeze that swirled around, cooling her. She was thin without the taut look of wiry people, and her printed voile dresses and flowered hats were as right for her as denim overalls for a farmer. She was our side’s answer to the richest white woman in town" (Angelou 238). All these problems that Marguerite received at a young age came with the environment she lived in. With such a fine, well-mannered mentor. Marguerite was able to change through the mentorship of Mrs. Flowers and find her voice.

Significance of a Noteworthly Feature in the Text

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-09 13:39:44 UTC

A note-worthy feature would be imagery: It was significantly used in the text to help us image and picture what was happening in our heads. Through the descriptive writing, and characterizing Mrs. Flowers, we were able to picture and see what she was like. "Her skin was a rich black and would have peeled like a plum if snagged" (McDougal 237). "She had the grace to appear warm in the coldest weather" (McDougal 237). These statements convey that we get fine detail into how we perceive Mrs. Flowers and how she looks.

Narrators Reflection

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 00:07:29 UTC

Marguerite has learned many lessons throughout the story. "She began the first of what we later called 'my lessons in living.' She said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance but an understanding of illiteracy" (Angelou 244). This is one of the main lessons that she learned during the visit with Mrs. Flowers. Meaning that some people without proper education can still be smarter than those who have all the education in the world.

Main Message

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:00:27 UTC

The main message in this story is with your confidence, resilience, and self-identity, nothing can limit you. All of these are shown through the visit with Mrs. Flowers. With Mrs. Flowers as a great mentor, she helps Marguerite find herself, and confidence through her voice. In the text, the mentorship is displayed as "Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That’s good, but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning” (Angelou 243). This is Mrs. Flowers's way of helping Marguerite conquer her past trauma.

Main Message

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:10:57 UTC

The main message in this story is that forgiving others comes with the highest satisfaction; forgiving others that fall short of perfection. Barbara in the story repeatedly makes mistakes and does not feel that she deserves forgiveness but then her friend teaches her that the culture is to forgive, and forgiving comes with great satisfaction. Her friend tells Barbara Kingsolver, "To forgive, for us, is the highest satisfaction. To forgive a foreigner, ah! Even better” (Kingsolver 779). She later realizes that her friend was right when she "thoroughly forgives" (Kingsolver 779) a flight attendant when her plane was postponed.

The Tone Throughout the Story

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:11:06 UTC

The tone throughout the story is self-insulting or mocking one's self. Barbara Kingsolver tries to blend in and not attract attention throughout the story but then fails to do so. She finds herself constantly apologizing and carrying lots of guilt. For this reason, she tries to go to her friend for advice and repeatedly insults herself for being so disrespectful. In the text, it says, "I visited a Japanese friend, and in her small, perfect house I spewed out my misery. 'Everything I do is wrong!' I wailed like a child. 'I’m a blight on your country' (Kingsolver 779). This shows how she thinks she's a blight in the country of Japan and how she is always thinking that she does everything wrong.

Characters and Most Significant Character Analysis

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:11:11 UTC

Characters:

Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara's Friend

The most significant character is Barbara. Her goal is to visit Japan's memorial and visit her friends. While doing so, she wanted to blend in with society and not attract any attention. When she first stepped into Japan, she felt that she was severely unprepared. Throughout the story, she constantly keeps on making mistakes such as her "setting off screeching alarms" and having a police car "scoot up the lawn’s discreet gravel path" (Kingsolver 778). The story also states that she "couldn’t get the hang of showering with a hand-held nozzle while sitting fourteen inches from a stranger. I sprayed my elderly neighbor with cold water. In the face" (Kingsolver 779). These are instances when she made a mistake that she deeply regrets. She then goes to her friend for advice where she learns about forgiveness. In the very end, she was able to apply this forgiveness learning that forgiveness is a satisfying emotion.

How Does the Setting Help with Plot

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:11:17 UTC

The setting is in Japan, hence the name of this story: "Going to Japan." This setting greatly influence the plot, as it is the cultural differences of Japan that drive the story. The plot of the story begins when the narrator (Barbara) goes to Japan to see a friend. While there, she constantly messes up and profusely apologizes. When she meets her friend, Barbara exclaims "I'm a blight on your country"(Kingsolver 779). Her friend goes on to tell her that in Japan, forgiving people gives people a great satisfaction, and that she probably made many people happy. This cultural shock made Barbara happy to forgive people and towards the end of the story, she generously forgives a flight attendant because her flight got cancelled. The cultural differences of Japan drive the beggining of the story and when she learns more abot Japanese culture, it drives the end of story. This is how the cultural differences of the setting drive the plot.

Narrators Reflection

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:11:23 UTC

The lesson that Barbara Kingsolver learned was that everybody is different and making mistakes is all right. There is always forgiveness for those mistakes and when you forgive, great satisfaction and happiness come along. She learned this lesson from her Japanese friend, when she, "remembered my Japanese friend’s insistence on forgiveness as the highest satisfaction, and [she] understood it really for the first time: What a rich wisdom it would be, and how much more bountiful a harvest, to gain pleasure not from achieving personal perfection but from understanding the inevitability of imperfection and pardoning those who also fall short of it" (Kingsolver 779). She then receives the experience of great satisfaction when she thoroughly forgives a flight attendant (Kingsolver 779). This shows that she learned this lesson and was able to apply it in her life.

Significance of a Noteworthly Feature in the Text

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:11:32 UTC

A significant noteworthy feature in the text would be character development, how Barbara Kingsolver goes to Japan creating problems and thinking that she cannot receive forgiveness. While her friend teaches her the lesson of forgiveness, that everybody forgives because that is what brings great satisfaction. Throughout the story, she slowly understands what her friend means and is able to experience forgiveness and the act of forgiving. It was a miraculous moment for her. The text states, "What a rich wisdom it would be, and how much more bountiful a harvest, to gain a pleasure not of imperfection and pardoning those who also fall short of it" (Kingsolver 779). Barbara Kingsolver has developed over time from an insecure person who believes that being different is bad to know understanding that everybody is different and it is okay to mess up at times.

Main Message

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:11:56 UTC

The main message in this story is that beauty can be a bad thing and a good thing. In this story, both the narrator's mother and grandmother had immense beauty and this had negative and positive effects on their lives. According to her mother "Everyone spoils [her], the servants, [her] grandmother, [her] aunts, because [she] was pretty beyond belief”(Tan para. 4). Even though this is good, the negative effects can be seen in her grandmother's story. When her grandmother was forced to bear the child of a man because he found her beautiful she "killed herself by swallowing raw opium"(Tan para. 7). This exemplifies that beauty can come with its ups and downs.

The Tone Throughout the Story

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:12:02 UTC

The tone in this story is nostalgic and bittersweet. There are moments of pain and happiness within this story, and since it is set in the past, a sense of nostalgia is observed throughout the story. She reminisces about how she could "always make [her mother] giggle by telling her how pretty she was, how I wished I had been born with her good looks."(Tan para. 9) Since this story is set in the past, the story is filled with a sense of nostalgia. Also, the story is bittersweet because although she learns beauty is bad luck, she still longs for it. She ponders "Why do I wish for reasons to be vain? Why do I long to look like my mother?"(Tan para. 11)

Characters and Most Significant Character Analysis

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:12:07 UTC

Characters:

Amy

Amy's Mother

Amy's Grandmother

Amy's Mother is the most significant character who influenced Amy. She helped develop Amy's longing for beauty and fear of it. Amy recalls that her mother would tell her about her beauty. Amy recalls that even in her old age her mother would say '"Feel. Still smooth and soft"'(Tan para. 5). This constant reminder of how beautiful her mother was developed Amy's lust for beauty. Her mother's backstory also developed Amy's belief that beauty is bad luck and her mother constantly reminded her of this. Her mother says "Pretty can be bad luck, not just good"(Tan para. 4). This paired with the experience of her mother and grandmother develops a fear of beauty in Amy's mind.

How Does the Setting Help with Plot

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:12:11 UTC

This story is set in Oakland, California during the 60's. Since her parents were from China, and she was born in California, there were many cultural boundaries and differences. The plot follows Amy's journey to find out whether she is beautiful or not. Due to her mother being Chinese and Amy being American, when Amy asks if she is beautiful according to Chinese standards, her mother says "To a Chinese person, you not beautiful. You plain"(Tan para. 2). This cultural difference made Amy believe she wasn't beautiful and this what the story is about.

Narrators Reflection

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:12:25 UTC

"If beauty is bad luck, why do I still want it? Why do I wish for reasons to be vain? Why do I long to look like my mother?"(Tan para. 11). This quote exemplifies how she believes that beauty is bad luck, but can also be a good thing. This is the main message of the story and this quote shows how even though she thinks beauty is bad, she still longs for it.

“Pretty can be bad luck, not just good”(Tan para. 4).

This quote also exemplifies how she believes that beauty is bad luck, but can also be a good thing. The main message of the story is that beauty can be a bittersweet thing. This quote is the definition of bittersweet and states that beauty can be good and bad.

Significance of a Noteworthly Feature in the Text

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-13 02:12:30 UTC

The dialogue in this story is extremely significant. The dialogue is all about Amy's mother, and when she talks, she uses incorrect grammar due to being an immigrant. This highlights the cultural difference between Amy and her mother which is a driving factor in the plot of the story. Her poor grammar is exemplified when she says "Why you want to be beautiful"(Tan para. 4). This is why the dialogue is so important in this story.

Main Message

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-14 00:48:16 UTC

The main message in this story is being proud of the resilience and exploration in discovering one's self-identity and establishing one's true self in society. The text says, "I love you, Saeed," she said. "And honestly, you sound happy. If you're happy, I'm happy" (Jones 97). This was the conversation that Saeed had with his mother and we see that it ended well. How coming out as his true identity benefitted him indicated through his journey of struggles and resilience.

The Tone Throughout the Story

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-14 18:42:01 UTC

The tone of the story is anxious and poignant. Saeed Jones would always get nervous whenever he called his mother and whenever the topic was always on dating. He had to "Navigate leading questions about [his] dating life" and whenever the topic did occur, he would "quickly shout-stuttered, 'Well, it was good to hear your voice'" (Jones 95). Near the end of the story, he starts to become sad and full of regret even after he tells his mother the truth that he is gay. He "Realized [he] had not come out to her as [himself" (Jones 98).

Character and Most Significal Character Analysis

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-14 18:53:11 UTC

Characters:

Saeed Jones

Mother/Saeed Jones' Mother

Speech Friends

Most significant character:

The most significant character in the story is Saeed Jones, which revolves around his life, problems, and self-identity. He helps develop the characteristics of self-confidence and resilience. Saeed was able to boldly admit his homosexuality to his mother, taking all the weight off his shoulders temporarily. We know that admitting his sexuality was a great obstacle and overcoming it was what helped him develop himself. In the text, it says, "I talked myself in circles trying to find the perfect phrasing, before I realized there was no way around" (Jones 96). After releasing his burden, he comes to another problem he didn't fully express himself as a person instead only the idea that he was gay. He says that he had "come out to [his] mother as a gay man," but "realized [he] had not come out to her as [himself]" (Jones 98)

How Does the Setting help Develop the Plot

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-15 01:45:39 UTC

The temporal setting of the story takes place near the end of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st. The physical setting is in a college. With the knowledge of society slowly changing and acknowledging the change of what is accepted in society. A young boy in the 20th century with all the exposure in college can help develop the thought of acceptance and self-identity. The text states that the more father Saeed went "into his studies, the more sensitive [he] became to surpassing the extent of [his] mother's own college experience" (Jones 95). This proves that he's in college. The text also states, "'Have you had an experience...?' 'Are you talking about sex...?' 'Yes! Yes. I've had- I've had experiences" (Jones 96), and it also says, "I was at Rob's house with other speech kids, trying to get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible on cheap sangria" (Jones 97). This shows his behavior as an influenced young man without much outlook from his mother. In an environment like this, it links with our present-day behavior and touches on how we can interpret how he feels and what it would be like in a situation like that. It'll build on his sense of acceptance and self-identity driving the plot forward.

Narrator's Reflection

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-15 15:09:14 UTC

Saeed Jones learned that revealing himself to his mother with his homosexuality wasn't the problem, instead, it would be him not coming out to her as himself. In the passage, it says, "In retrospect, I think I didn't feel as a burden had been lifted because me being gay was never actually the burden... I had come out to my mother as a gay man, but within minutes, I realized I had not come out to her as myself" (Jones 97-98).

Significant Noteworthey Feature

zhuangchristopher — 2023-11-15 15:10:03 UTC

A significant noteworthy feature would be character development. This story emphasizes Saeed's change throughout the story through dialogue and his feelings. He can develop and build his confidence to tell his mother about his struggles. He was no longer an anxious boy scared to tell his mother that he was gay but now proud of his self-identity knowing that his mother loves him. All this is expressed through his dialogue, which is also another noteworthy feature. The text uses his stuttered lines him explain that he's attracted to the same gender. The text says, "More silence. 'You know, because my closet is really messy?' Silence. 'I'm gay'" (Jones 96). These lines show the awkward and nervousness between him and his mother but we later see that her mother "Loves Saeed," and that if "[Saeed] is happy, [she's] happy" (Jones 97).