Joy Luck Club Essay: Due September 25th

Joy Luck Club Final Essay  

Directions: I’m looking to see if you can synthesize (or build links) between all the experiences we’ve read about, to explain the relationship between one of the mothers and her corresponding daughter. 

Your essay should address why the mother and daughter have the misunderstandings that they do. In order to do this, you will have to explain the following: 

1. How does the daughter view things? And why does she view things this way? 
2. How does the mother view things? And why does she view things this way? 
3. Why do these two views conflict? Why are they misunderstanding one another? 
4. How do they come to resolve their misunderstandings? 

The author is trying to show us that there are always two sides to a story. And in order to understand the people in our lives, we have to take the time to understand their experiences so that we can better understand why they are the way they are.

We know that the following are not true BECAUSE we know their experiences: 

• Ying Ying is not naturally solemn and invisible.
• Lindo is not naturally a bossy stuck up person.
• Suyuan is not naturally a person who expects the best of the best.
• An Mei is not naturally a person who doesn’t stand up for herself.

• Lena is not naturally a person who lets people walk all over her.
• Waverly is not naturally mean-spirited.
• Jing Mei is not naturally an under-achiever.
• Rose is not naturally an indecisive person.

The following is a SUGGESTED outline for your essay. If you want to vary it a bit, you may, BUT make sure that in your essay you are addressing all the questions I’ve asked above. 

Outline for Essay: 

I.              Introduction

a.     Mother-Daughter relationships

b.     OR Why there are miscommunications between people

c.     OR How different experiences result in different values and beliefs

II.            Thesis – What does the author accomplish by showing us this mother-daughter relationship in Joy Luck Club? What is Amy Tan trying to prove? How does she do this through the relationship? 

III.          Introduce the conflict – what does the mother want to get across to her daughter? What is misinterpreted by the daughter and how? 

IV.         Explain the two views – why do they see what they see? Explain the daughter’s experiences and how they have shaped her. Be detailed and specific. Use EXAMPLES. (In other words, it is not okay to simply say “she was treated like she was invisible” as the “experience”. You must explain what actually happened briefly.) 

V.           Explain the mother’s experiences and how they have shaped her. Be detailed and specific. Use EXAMPLES. 

VI.         What happens for them to come to understand one another? You must show analysis here, do not simply reiterate the event. 

VII.       Conclusion – Summarize your ENTIRE essay in a couple of lines. Through this essay, what have you shown?

THEN, talk about the main idea/universal message that Amy Tan is trying to show us. What have you just proven in your essay about mother and daughter relationships? Or about communication? Or about experiences and how they shape us? (You are elaborating on what you’ve introduced at the beginning of the essay.)