Assignment
In the first unit we studied five works. They are Two Kinds, Little
Women, King Lear, Reunion and Mending Walls. The purpose of this
article, however, is to examine only three of them: Two Kinds, King Lear
and Reunion.
1 Synopsis
Two Kinds, a story created by a Chinese-American writer named
Amy Tan, depicts the collision between a traditional Chinese mother and
her Chinese-American daughter, who has a more modern approach to life
that differs greatly from her mother’s conservative ways of thinking.
King Lear, which is widely known as one of Shakespeare’s Four
Tragedies, presents a historic story about the violent conflicts between
King Lear and his daughters, who stand to inherit his power and property.
Reunion is a story told from the perspective of a little boy, who has
not met his father for three years. Hence, his father seems to be both
familiar and a stranger to him, and the relationship between the two is
unusual and subtle.
2 An Integrative Comparison Between the Works
There is no denying the fact that conflict, epically family conflict, is
the main theme of all these three stories. All the conflicts in these stories
can be found in family crises. The deteriorating relationship between
parents and children is considered to be the principal reason for this
phenomenon.
On the other hand, there are differences between these three stories
and they are:
-Genre
Two Kinds and Reunion are works of prose fiction while King Lear
is a typical Shakespearean drama. This generic difference leads to two
kinds of writing styles: one is simply to tell a story from the perspective
of a certain character (Two Kinds and Reunion) while the other depends
on extensive use of dialogue and monologue to complete the story (King
Lear). In addition, King Lear has more than one plot: one is concentrated
on the old Lear, the dying king, who does not know which of his three
daughters to trust, and the other is centered on the Earl of Gloucester
whose two sons are fighting to inherit his power.
-Background
Compared to King Lear, the background of which is set in 8th
century B.C in a royal family, Two Kinds and Reunion are both set in
contemporary times and involve modern families.
-Language
As King Lear is believed to have been written between 1603 and
1606, the language can be difficult to understand because it employs an
old-fashioned style of English. Moreover, its genre is drama, and it
therefore requires a high standard of rhetorical skill. Hence, it is evident
that the language in King Lear is much more splendid and complex than
it is in the other two. On the other hand, however, the use of language in
Two Kinds and Reunion is more inclined to be simple but at the same time,
graceful, and readers can sense a kind of beauty in the words. For
example, in the language of the following quotation: “The lid to the piano
was closed, shutting out the dust, my misery, and her dreams” (Two
Kinds, Amy Tan). Simple but effective words convey, through the
powerful metaphor of the closing piano lid, a function of the narrative but
also a significant moment in the life of the mother in the story.
3 Plot Analysis
-Conflicts
Conflict is the chief factor of all three works and can be discovered
nearly everywhere in the stories. Although none of the conflicts is beyond
the familial, they still differ from each other in some ways. All the
conflicts focus on parent-children relationships, but the cause and effect
varies from one to another. In the story Two Kinds, the root of conflict
might be attributed to Chinese-Western cultural shock, because the
daughter’s mother is a conservative, old-fashioned Chinese woman, while
the daughter is born and raised in America, and consequently has western
values firmly rooted in her mind. She often fights against her mother’s
will because of her upbringing.
The conflict in King Lear is the greedy desire. His two daughters,
Goneril and Regan, and the eldest son of Earl of Gloucester, are fully
devoured by their desire to inherit the power and property of their parents.
Driven by such desire, these children even persecute their parents
ruthlessly.
Finally, the collision in Reunion largely results from the distant and
strange father-son relationship. The little boy’s father is a busy business
man, and is almost always engaged with his job so that they hardly meet
each other, even over a period of years. Consequently, the isolation
between them becomes increasingly intense as the narrative unfolds.
-Family Disharmony
I think that throughout all three stories, family disharmony is the
common problem that they share. Family disharmony is actually a serious
question not only within these stories but also within any society. There
are many reasons that may give rise to such a problem. For example, lack
of communication and understanding between each member of the family
can be a fundamental factor. Generational conflict and misunderstanding
will therefore increase, as a result, and finally end in tragic family
collisions. Although family collisions are to some degree inevitable, it is
necessary to take actions to overcome them. If we were to suppose that
the parents and children in these three works held a more positive attitude
towards the family relationship, and had the inclination to have a sincere
talk with each other frequently, we might assume that there would be no
more serious conflicts between them and much less complaint made
against each other.
4 Conclusions
In general, the fundamental core of the three stories is familial
conflict, and the detrimental effect it can have on a once happy family
unit. All three writers use the medium in which they write to point this
fact out. As a matter of fact, it is to some extent a reflection of the society:
numerous parents and children lack of understanding with each other so
that an increasing number of familial problems arouse. To get rid of it,
people should learn to communicate with their family member with
sincerity, which is the key to solve the problem of familial conflicts.
Group Members
Score
Score:95
林培剑、王丽娟、刘恬恬
98
Your article is very comprehensive ,which include synopsis, genre,
background, and the plot analysis,etc. As a whole , the construction is
clear enough with fluent language. The comparison between the
works is also very detailed .But some opinions seem not appropiate,such
as the sentence drawed with the red colour. I think the part about plot
analysis can be more attractive if you make depth analysis.
周力