Reading No. 8 Poems "Chinese Silence No. 22" and "Chinese Silence No. 30" by Timothy Yu

Timothy Yu

Title: Chinese Silence No. 22

Author: Timothy Yu 

Date: 2016

Setting (time and place):  There is not mention of a specific place, juts vague descriptions of China towns.

Event (conflict, important information, touching passage, question): The main conflict is the way in which Chinese culture co exists with other cultures in a foreign environment. Most of the time they have to remain silence trying to be unnoticed trying not to cause any disturb. 

Characters:

There is not a specific character, but there are descriptions of different cultures

The Italians: Making pasta.

The French: Making French things.

The Chinese: cultivating silence.

The Americans: in their sport utility vehicles.

The Canadian: behaving reasonably.

Memorable quote / favorite part: "Which silence it is hardly seems to matter / though many have a favorite / out of the 100 different kinds— / the Silence of the Well-Adjusted Minority, / the Girlish Silence of Reluctant Acquiescence, / the Silence that by No Means Should Be Mistaken for Bitterness."

How did it make me feel? / can I make any connection to my life?

This poem clearly reflects the point of view of the author about other cultures. most of them are perceived with stereotypes, as the one about the Italians making pasta. It is sad that the silence is a representation of being unable to stand by themselves and defend their believes. the poem makes one thing that the kind of silence they live is one in which they just accept the thing as they come because they don't have any other option.

Timothy Yu

Title: Chinese Silence No. 30

Author: Timothy Yu 

Date: 2016

Setting (time and place):  China towns in America.

Event (conflict, important information, touching passage, question): The main matter in this poem is the way in which the chinese culture has to adapt to the American Culture in order to achieve a good interaction among themselves.

Characters:

The only character is the narrator of the poem who is decribing Chinese culture among and how the American Culture is percieved.

Memorable quote / favorite part: "Nobody really lives here. / As someone involved in translation / I’ve eaten hundreds of meals here. / Nobody speaks Chinese."

How did it make me feel? / can I make any connection to my life?

The poem shows how it feels to live surrounded by a foreign culture. The feeling of not belonging to the place is present. personally, I have never traveled to a different country, so I can't imagine myself feeling this kind of lost since everything that surround me could be taken as different or strange. Though there are people who live like that for long periods of time just trying to adapt to the environment.