Chapter+23

Madeline Tank CHAPTER 23

The main focus in this chapter is Da and Jin studying for the college exams and their relationship. Whenever one of them doubts them selves or doesn’t think that they’ll make it to college, the other one will motivate and encourage them. Page 269 “Jin would nod with amusement at his younger brother, and offer candid advice, never a word of discouragement.” Towards the end of the chapter summer arrives which means that the exams are coming up soon. This is when Da and Jin stop talking about there dreams and start studying every waking minute. During this chapter the relationship between Da and Jin strong and they really get to know each other well. Page 274 “I cheered for him and he cheered for me. He said I could make it to the top, the very top.” A major theme in this chapter is the relationship between Da and Jin and how good it gets. They become //best friends// and they are spending all of there time with one another. Another theme would be how hard Da and Jin are studying for these exams. This is also the major issue in the chapter. Another sort of theme is how much Da’s family is willing to give up in order for Da and Jin to study this much. They spend a lot of money so that they can have meat for dinner and Da’s sisters have to work really hard in the field to fill in for Jin. Page 267 “For ten years, since the age thirteen, Jin had been a full-fledged farmer.” The style that Da writes with in this chapter is sort of a combination of child and adult perspectives. He is writing from the view of him as a child, however, he is not using slang and profanity like he usually does. The tone that Da portrays with this style of writing is very intense because this is a very important moment in Da’s life. However, he also uses some humor for comic relief.

Cameron Talty CHAPTER 23

Chapter 23 is mostly about Da and his older brother, Jin, preparing for the huge college exam. Many themes that occured in the chaper involved emotions. Sometimes Da and Jin thought that their mind's would go blank as soon as they opened the test booklets. This usually got them even more motavated to study and to not let that happen. The issues that came to the surface in the chaper had to do with health. Da and Jin almost never got enough sleep to keep them in a state of function. They also lost weight because of their lack of physical activity and consumption of food. This did not bother the two brothers, but became a concern for their parents. The three quotes that I thought were important in chapter 23 include:

"Every morning I rose with the sun. Then I shuffled to my brother's room and woke him up. I would see a few books lying beside him. He had fallen asleep again, worrying about the exam. Each morning, he jumped out of bed, rubbed his red eyes, and stared at me as if I were crazy. I was." Pg.266 This quote explained how Da and Jin started out days in which they studies for the test.

"One night, Jin accidentally knocked his teapot over. He came upstairs with his head hanging and told me that it was a bad omen, and that he probably wouldn't make it to college this time. I told him it was silly to think that, and that my many kowtows for him should cover this insignificant mishap. We laughed; it make us feel better." This particular quote showed the reader how the two brothers are still in touch with the real world, meaning that they are not completely overcome by the test.

"We plowed on, whipping each other with words of encouragement and sometimes letting ourselves think of the sweetness of having a dream come true. It was about the family." Finally, this quote shows the reader that they are not doing the studying and the hard work just to get out of there, but for their family and for their family name.

During this chapter, Da uses many metaphors to convey in a clearer way to the reader how hard it is to study for these tests. One of them related studing for the test like,"...plowing on like the buffao of Yellow Stone..." Another way Da explained his circumstances in this chapter is through his tone of his writing. Throughout the chapter, there was not much action at all but there was anticipation. This chapter was sort of a build up to what was coming up in the later chapters. The narrator's point of view was also essential in explaining how Da was feeling and what he was thinking about. This added to the essence of antisipation and anxiety for the test. A symbol or an image that may apply to this chapter is: