Essay on Family and Jing mei Identity

Submitted By Grace9440
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Salu Subba
Eng. 102-5604
Prof. A, Maharaj
03/27/2015
Self-Discovery
As a child, it is very difficult to understand our culture, family values and traditions. We really don’t know where and how we come from and how the way we become. The story entitled “A Pairs of Tickets,” by Amy Tan, is a about a girl named Jing Meh at her late 30 who rediscovered her ethnic and culture roots in the way to China.

Jing Mei was a Chinese born in San Francisco, California. She grew up in the Western background cultures whereas her parents were grew up in China and immigrated to America. She had never felt herself as Chinese. She never showed up any interest to know about her family’s roots, when her mother used to tell her about her family’s background. She didn’t want to be Chinese because she thought that Chinese people do same things like her mother like haggling with storeowners, pecking her mouth with a toothpick in public and talking loud in their native language among themselves. She thought that Chinese people do embarrassed things in public. So she didn’t want to be like those Chinese people and be neglected from her friends. After her mother died, she and her father travelled China to fulfill her mother’s wish. She started to feel different as soon as she reached China. When she saw her father’s tears of happiness in his eyes while meeting his aunt, it touched her emotionally. She felt so bad for her twin sister because her sister couldn’t see her mother for many years.
She started to understand her mother feelings towards children. She was afraid that her twin sister might not have talked with her because she didn’t speak fluent Chinese. She started thinking about all those past years when she was denying about being Chinese, and she finally accepted that she could be Chinese too. Her father told her the meaning of her name “Jing like excellent Jing. Not just good, it’s something pure, essential, the best quality. And “Mei,” as younger sister” (Tan, p.153). She solved the problems that had been lingering from a long time of not wanting to be Chinese. After she visited China, she realized that she could be both Chinese and American.

This story didn’t only help discover of Jing Mei identity but also rediscovered her father’s Chinese childhood when he met his aunt after years. They were emotionally attached, had a full of happy tears in their eyes. Jing Mei noticed that her father looked like a young boy, so innocent and happy (Tan, p.145). He felt those things because he had no one elder than him while he was away from his motherland and he couldn’t let
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