Maxine hong kingston the woman warrior maxine hong kingston is senior lecturer for creative writing at the university of california, berkeley. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts, which describes her experiences and struggles while growing up as a chineseamerican girl in california. At various times it has been described as a memoir, an autobiography, a novel, a. The struggle of kingstons aunta woman who gives into a dangerous sexual passion and then is cast out by her villageis likened to the struggle of kingston herself, who is attempting. The woman warrior by maxine hong kingston goodreads. A motherdaughter relationship in the woman warrior 123 help me.
Maxine hong kingstons woman warrior no name woman essay. Kingston says she grew up in a girlhood among ghosts, the chinese being ghosts for not fitting in with the society. Jul 08, 2010 the woman warrior by maxine hong kingston the best book of nonfiction published in 1976. The story no name woman in the opening of the woman warrior is anthologized and mythologized in many textbooks. Maxine hong kingston subject the focal point of the writing was to find herself through the talkstory of her aunt.
Kingstons noname aunt is the first person we hear a story about in the woman warrior. No name woman what other stories does kingston create to fill in the gaps of no name womans story she was raped, she was a wild. The woman warrior won the national book critics circle award and was named one of time magazines top nonfiction books of the. Maxine hong kingstons woman warrior no name woman 123. In the first part of this chapter, the narrator is recounting how her mother once told her the story of the no name woman. A seminovel of patchwork mixing reality with fake yet genuinelyassembled legends is strange enough to catch the eyes of those favoring t. About woman warrior no name woman the opening to woman warrior. The national book critics circle read by kimchai lam i just did a reading of pages 17, and ill be. The woman warrior questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on the woman warrior. Throughout the woman warrior, kingston will refer to her mothers historical tales as talkstories, culturally based, primarily oral stories whose general purpose is didactic. A clever blend of fantasy, childhood memories, folklore, and family history, kingstons work is revolutionary precisely because it transcends genres. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts is a book written by chinese american author maxine hong kingston and published by alfred a.
The woman warrior by maxine hong kingston the best book of nonfiction published in 1976. However, teaching kingstons no name woman may cause significant problems for instructors. A motherdaughter relationship in the woman warrior 123. No name woman buy study guide the book is a collection of maxine hong kingstons memoirs, so it is technically a work of nonfiction. The woman warrior npr coverage of the woman warrior. The woman warrior summary and analysis of chapter 1. The woman warrior no name woman summary course hero. A classic, for a reason celeste ng via twitter in her awardwinning book the woman warrior, maxine hong kingston created an entirely new forman exhilarating blend of autobiography and mythology, of world and self, of hot rage and cool analysis.
Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. In the following excerpt, shu discusses kingstons construction of the woman warrior as antithesis to no name woman by failing to relate to modern chinese history and western imperialism. No name woman the book is a collection of maxine hong kingstons memoirs, so it is technically a work of nonfiction. Wasted and no name woman hidden within no name woman are many underlying symbols and motifs, or reoccurring patterns, that work to shape the story into what it is and to help craft not only the characters personalities but also the overarching plot of the story. No name woman by maxine hong kingston hcc learning web. The woman warrior is a memoir by maxine hong kingston that was first published in 1976. For example, here in no name woman, kingston says of her mother, who, we later learn, is named brave orchid, whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told. What the noname woman became why is this cautionary story important. In no name woman, you can see that kingston fears that if she stays silent and doesnt find her own voice, she would show more content for example, in the chapter white tigers, the legend of the chinese woman warrior fa mu lan is a constant reminder to kingston that women can exceed socially enforced limitations. Picador classic kindle edition by kingston, maxine hong, guo, xiaolu. Maxine hong kingston is just the type that im puzzled about. This is a comingofage story and a memoir of girlhood. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.
May 07, 20 the woman warrior audio readings emily lee. The story of noname woman serves as a backdrop for kingstons own experience growing up as a chineseamerican, torn between the world of chinese customs and traditions that surround her like ghosts and her new, permissive american environment. The woman warrior begins with the story of the narrators aunt, no name woman, who is shunned and attacked by her village after becoming pregnant while her husband is away. The villagers had been counting the months from the time no name womans husband left until she got pregnant. Jan 04, 2012 the aunt is a no name woman, because the family is ashamed of what she did. In addition, the woman warrior was one of the first literary works to address the unique struggle for autonomy and identity that is faced by women of color in america, especially those who, as children of immigrants, traverse. No name woman ends up drowning herself in the well. Pdf maxine hong kingston the woman warrior eduardo. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Underlying symbols and motifs in the woman warrior. A motherdaughter relationship in the woman warrior whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like this one, a story to grow up on. For her memoirs and ction, the fifth book of peace, the woman warrior, china men, tripmaster monkey. She tells the story of the no name woman, her husbands deceased sister. The woman warrior audiobook by maxine hong kingston.
But the author is careful never to mention her name in the narrative. In her awardwinning book the woman warrior, maxine hong kingston created an entirely new forman exhilarating blend of autobiography and mythology, of world and self, of hot rage and cool analysis. Essay the woman warrior silence theme 803 words cram. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts by maxine hong kingston, is one of the groundbreaking works of asian american literature. The woman warrior opens with the dramatic story of the noname woman, kingstons deceased aunt who was shamed, and ultimately lost her life, for having a child with a man who wasnt her. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts is an autobiographical novel of maxine hong kingstons life, illuminated by references to the women whose histories influenced her. The woman warrior by maxine hong kingston, no name. In 1975, maxine hong kingston published her critically acclaimed autobiography, the woman warrior.
In the woman warrior, what does the ghost of the no name woman symbolize for maxine hong kingston the ghost of the no name woman symbolizes the shame maxine hong kingston has felt as a girl and as a woman in a culture that devalues girls and limits female roles. The woman warrior opens with the dramatic story of the noname woman, kingstons deceased aunt who was shamed, and ultimately lost her life, for having a child with a man who wasn. Discussion questions for no name woman eeadamsdotme. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Aug 02, 2019 the woman warrior opens with the dramatic story of the noname woman, kingstons deceased aunt who was shamed, and ultimately lost her life, for having a child with a man who wasn. The woman warrior, a work that defies easy classification, is neither wholly a work of fiction nor, strictly speaking, an autobiography. The chapter essentially opens as a vignette told from the mothers point of view. Purpose speaker the purpose of this writing was to find herself in the midst of the chinese viewpoints and her understanding. They raided the familys home on the night the baby was to be born. First published in 1976, it has become a classic in its innovative portrayal of multiple and intersecting identitiesimmigrant, female, chinese. A vocabulary list featuring the woman warrior by maxine hong kingston, no name woman. Noname woman is one of the more frequently anthologized sections of the woman warrior because it encapsulates so many of the rest of the texts themes. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts by maxine hong kingston. Kingstons no name aunt is the first person we hear a story about in the woman warrior.
Discussion questions for the woman warrior pbs newshour. Mar 27, 2007 yet the most remarkable, and often overlooked, quality of the woman warrior is that it is a book without a genre. The woman warrior questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on. In the following excerpt, shu discusses kingstons construction of the woman warrior as antithesis to noname woman by failing to relate to modern chinese history and western imperialism. No name woman in maxine hong kingstons the woman warrior. With your download, get the 21 best papers relevant to this one, including 20 top related papers. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the woman warrior. But one human being flaring up into violence could open up a black hole, a maelstrom that pulled in the sky.
Through this story, kingston immediately lays out the influence of her mother as a storyteller, as well as the themes that this memoir will continue to dance around women, family, and the power of storytelling. Aug 12, 1976 the woman warrior is maxine hong kingstons own story of growing up chineseamerican, an irreconcilable position for her as the two cultures would seemingly clash, unable to provide her with a stable sense of identity. No name woman quotes in the village structure, spirits shimmered among the live creatures, balanced and held in equilibrium by time and land. Maxine hong kingston woman warrior no name woman genius. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts is an autobiographical novel of maxine hong kingstons life, illuminated by references to the.
The aunt is a no name woman, because the family is ashamed of what she did. Get 50% off quizlet plus through monday learn more. Yet the most remarkable, and often overlooked, quality of the woman warrior is that it is a book without a genre. No name woman represents those desperate, rebellious aspects of kingstons personality as she fights back against the oppressive chinese culture. Maxine hong kingstons woman warrior no name woman the excerpt, no name woman, from maxine hong kingstons book, woman warrior, gives insight into her life as a chinese girl raised in america through a tragic story of her aunts life, a young woman raised in a village in china in the early 1900s. No name woman is portrayed as a timid woman who is cast out of her village, just as kingston is a quiet girl who does not belong to either culture. The book begins with kingstons mother telling her a cautionary story about her aunt who killed herself. The woman warrior silence theme 9 september 2016 silence finding ones own personal voice kingston gives a voice to many of the voiceless women in the book, resulting in them discovering their identities as individuals. For example, here in no name woman, kingston says of her mother, who, we later learn, is named brave orchid, whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like this one about no name woman, a story to grow up on. The woman warrior is maxine hong kingstons own story of growing up chineseamerican, an irreconcilable position for her as the two cultures would seemingly clash, unable to provide her with a stable sense of identity. The book blends autobiography with old chinese folktales. No name woman, which is the name that kingston grants her shamed aunt, had the baby in the early summer, according to brave orchid. Kingston integrates mythology into this memoir about growing up as a chinese immigrant in california. Acclaimed author maxine hong kingstons the woman warrior broke new ground when it was first published 35 years ago, weaving autobiography, history, folklore, and fantasy in to a candid and revelatory story about the daughter of chinese immigrants in mid20th century california.
The woman warrior enjoys widespread popularity in the undergraduate humanities curriculum in the united states. No name woman, white tigers, shaman, at the western palace, a song for a barbarian reed pipe. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the woman warrior and what it means. In this study guide, the four longer chapters, white tigers through a song for a barbarian reed pipe, are further broken into sections by topics for analysis. The fact that she committed adultery made her a nobody to her family, as they wish to forget her. The woman warrior opens with the story of maxine hong kingstons forgotten aunt, the no name woman. In the book the woman warrior, maxine kingston is most interested in. First published in 1976, it has become a classic in its innovative portrayal of multiple and intersecting. The aunt got pregnant from a man who was not her husband.