“Lost Sister” Cathy Song
Thesis Statement
Contact zone is defined in studies on cultures as the phenomenon of convergence and conflict of cultures with uneven power relations. These spaces, which can be either real or mental, affect a person’s sense of self, sometimes to the point where the person who is caught between the cultures feels a psychological and emotional loss of self. A Chinese mother and a Korean father gave birth to Cathy Song in the United States. The psychological regions of the contact zone, as examined in Cathy’s poem “Lost Sister,” which explores her predicament of being lost in two different cultures, will be critically evaluated in this essay.
There are two portions to Cathy Song’s poem “Lost Sister.” The persona depicts the first daughters’ historic circumstances in their Chinese rural home in the first section. She makes jade the first daughters’ analogy. This comparison’s significance can only be understood in light of how vital Chinese culture is to that country, where the stone is regarded as a representation of excellence, nobility, immortality, and constancy.
The lyrics of the song are divided into two parts that isolate a story into a “all over.” She describes a Chinese lady and her sister in the main stanza, which can be seen as a prologue to that story. The presentation includes an emotional depiction of her ancestors’ way of life. a manner of life where young Chinese girl children might easily be sold into servitude or recognized as a courtesan. Cathy attempts to write a song about people and their personalities, but she starts her first line with, “In China, even the workers named their first little girls Jade.”The lyrics of the song are divided into two parts that isolate a story into a “all over.” She describes a Chinese lady and her sister in the main stanza, which can be seen as a prologue to that story. The presentation includes an emotional depiction of her ancestors’ way of life. a manner of life where young Chinese girl children might easily be sold into servitude or recognized as a courtesan. Cathy attempts to write a song about people and their personalities, but she starts her first line with, “In China, even the workers named their first little girls Jade.”
“Lost Sister” Cathy Song
When I unexpectedly read the sonnet, I immediately began to use setting indicators and realized that the “idea” of Jade represents good fortune and wealth. If all of these young Chinese women were named after the same stone, it would be impossible for them to be distinguished from one another.
These families believed that by naming their daughters Jade and adhering to tradition, they would bring good fortune and wellbeing. They failed to recognize the severe harm they caused to their young daughters while trying to close these open doors.
In her opening lyric, Melody also makes the implication that these women lacked personality and voice: “To move freely was a luxury robbed from them during childbirth.” They were confined to obstructions and confinements in their country of residence, with no open doors for any imaginable futures. Chinese women were forced to confine themselves to their homes during this time because women had to maintain foot restraints. Foot shackling involved wrapping their feet so tightly that they were unable to walk or move around independently without the assistance of a crane or another person. The Ancient Chinese believed that “ladies are to be at home and dealing with the kids,” which was reinforced by this idea.
Song says, “but they got far in surviving, figuring out how to stretch the family rice, to pacify the evil spirits,” as she finishes the first line. This phrase leaves the reader with the possibility that these women tried nothing to alter their predetermination or felt it was worthless to consider the idea of implementing a change.
This prompted me to compare that revelation with the woman’s involvement in China right away. In America, women had a variety of opportunities and were perceived as having equal rights. The environment Song is describing right now is the exact opposite of what her “sister” needs to survive.
As Song suggested, “However in another wild, the probable results, the despair, can strangulate like wilderness vines,” this stanza appears to have another move. With that said, it is clear how dramatically a Chinese woman’s life can alter should she decide to leave her country. I understand the potential that these women don’t feel prepared for this style of life and must also adapt to it. These migrants felt alone, lost, and disappointed even though they battled and outperformed obstacles to achieve the “American Dream” because they were female workers. Despite the fact that she used the word “wild,” which confused my thoughts, her sentiments rang true.
“Lost Sister” Cathy Song
Work Cited
Cathy’s song “Lost Sister” Reading fiction, poetry, and drama constitutes literature (1994).
Poems in Motion® Poetry Society of America, “Lost Sister (Excerpt),” at http://poetrysociety.org/psa/poetry/poetry in motion/atlas/portland/los sis exc/.
“Analysis of the Poem ‘Lost Sister’.” English Portfolio, lost-sister-poem-analysis.html at michelleenglishportfolio.weebly.com.
Splendid Slippers, Ray Kolbe, www.splendidslippers.com/main.html
Sister,” “Lost Sister,” and “Lost.” Students’ Poetry https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/lost-sister (accessed 2018).
