The Woman Warrior

Mountains

Conquering problems

Circles

- Chinese family is life a _________ : the younger ones look after the older generation and the dead watch over the living - Chinese culture is very closed off and only apart of a close circle of people

Warriors

- Fa Mu Lan, Brave Orchid, and herself - Brave Orchid is referred to as a ______________ when she defeats the "sittting ghost", threatens Moon Orchid's husband, returns with a medicine degree, etc.. - Maxine realizes she can be this through her writing and words

Ghosts

- Refer to Americans, Chinese, humans, and animals - To Maxine, they symbolize confusion and insecurity - To Brave Orchid they symbolize the American life style, and her past

Bound Feet

- Symbolizes a strong bondage to Chinese Culture - Symbolizes how women are held down

Talk Story

- Told by Brave Orchid to teach her family important lessons or Chinese traditions - Source of fear and inspiration to Maxine - way to connect Chinese and American culture

What is the sitting ghost?

- depression, anxiety, grief, - pain of losing her own children

Birds

- symbolism freedom, hope, new beginnings, new life - Example: In White Tigers, a bird guides Milan up the mountain

Maxine's voice is compared to a what? (A Song of the Barbarian Reed Pipe)

A duck is

What wold Maxine see when she looked into the water gourd? (White Tiger)

Her brother and her father being drafted into the army

Growing up Chinese American

Maxine connects to the Chinese identity of Fiction instead of truth (Talk stories), Public instead of private (Chinese do not hide their private lives), and Necessity instead of Excess. The American identity connect t truth, privacy, and excess.

Identity/ Search for Self

Maxine wants security & balance with her Chinese Identity while at the same time trying to conform to the American Identity.

What did Maxine do to the Chinese girl at her school?

Pressured her to talk, pinched her cheeks, pulls her hair, and yells at her to talk

How did Brave Orchid get rid of the Sitting Ghost?

She lets go of her past

What kind of list did Maxine make?

She made a list of 200 things to tell her mother that she had bottled up. These were things she wanted her mom to know about herself on her own terms

Why did Maxine bully the Chinese girl at her school?

She noticed the similarity between herself and the girl. They were both always silent, they walked similarly, and played baseball similarly .

Why does Maxine tell the story of Fa Mu Lan in 1st person? What does this point-of-view suggest?

She relates to Milan and her warrior journey

Describe how Maxine's mothe acquired the slave girl

She went to the market and wanted a quiet slave. She examined many girl's teeth and blood pressures and asked them a series of questions. When she picked one out she decided she wold train her as a nurse

What impact does Moon Orchid have on Brave Orchid's children?

They see her as a mentor. As someone not to be like

Why did Maxine's "mother" cut words into her back?

They symbolize the grievances she has. It includes names, oaths, and addresses to remind people who she is and the sacrifices she has made

Why did the villagers stone the crazy lady? What did they think she had been doing?

They thought she was a communist spy and was sending secret messages

Why does Moon Orchid share the story of the "No-Name Woman" to her daughter?

To warn her so she doesn't end up the same way