Folklore plays an important role in American Born Chinese, as the entire story of the Monkey King is a retelling of the Chinese folktale of Sun Wukong. Written in the 17th century, it chronicles a journey to India made by a Buddhist monk and his companions. The themes of identity construction and social relationship exploration are relevant to processes that all adolescents go through, and therefore American Born Chinese is relevant beyond its themes of multiculturalism and minority identity. Through three interweaving stories that span from the 16th century to the present, the novel explores issues of Chinese American identity, anti-Asian racism, and assimilation. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Below you will find the important quotes in American Born Chinese related to the theme of Racism and Popular Culture. A very obvious example is the story of Chin-Kee. One day, the Monkey King goes to a Several characters struggle with their identities. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Jin is a second-generation Chinese American junior high school student in a primarily white California suburb. Betrayal in American Born Chinese isn't just a matter of screwing over someone you ought to be loyal to—it's about betraying yourself. According to Min Hyoung Song, American Born Chinese possesses strong themes of racial stereotypes, particularly American stereotypes of the Chinese and other East Asian ethnicities. Jin kisses his best friend's girlfriend, but the only reason he does this is because he can't deal with his Chineseness. The Question and Answer section for American Born Chinese is a great BEING AMERICAN BORN CHINESE IN THE MODERN WORLD In book, Yang presents a world in which Jin and his Asian friends have trouble fitting in with their American peers. Jin wants to be a Transformer but says that's impossible. American Born Chinese tells three interweaving stories: those of the Monkey King, Jin Wang, and Danny. Self-Identity Central Themes Cont'd Characters Wei-Chen Sun Jin Wang Wei-Chen Sun is a Taiwanese immigrant who slowly becomes Jin's best friend. dissatisfaction with one's circumstances—is one of the major themes in American Born Chinese. Yang begins by retelling a famous Chinese fable, the Monkey King. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). Among them, the life of Jin Jang and his experiences as an Asian in the United States offer some interesting insights into the concept of otherness and racial melancholia. Wei-Chen "I will spend the remainder of my days in the mortal world using it for my pleasure." Get Help With Your Essay At the end of the book, the Monkey King imparts his wisdom: that he learned it is good to be a monkey. American Born Chinese tells a story of technically three stories that all eventually merge together by the end of the graphic novel. American Born Chinese has the theme of the will to survive but in a different way. Our, "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. The theme of social pressure is depicted in the novel through the sometimes–overt, sometimes-unconscious pressure characters feel from their social spheres. Transformation is perhaps the most prominent theme in American Born Chinese, as the desire to change... Folklore. As a parallel, Jin's discontent comes from feeling excluded from the mainstream white majority at his school. Cultural Assimilation. Meanwhile, the Monkey King also betrays his monkey subjects when he forces them to wear shoes like the gods and goddesses. A Topic Of Cultural Identity In Gene Yang’s American Born Chinese November 2, 2020 by Essay Writer American Born Chinese is a graphic novel written by Gene Yang that focuses on the characters Jin Wang, the Monkey King, and Chin-Kee. Later, Jin's desire to blend into his social surroundings leads him to dissociate from his Chinese identity through the alter-ego Danny, an embodiment of the conventional white American teenager. Later, he tells Amelia that Jin is a bit of a "geek"; presumably, this is his coded way of socially excluding Jin because he is Chinese. In the Monkey King storyline, the Monkey King's dissatisfaction with not being recognized in heavens as a supreme being leads him to grow angry and vengeful. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. (including. Being yourself is an important message for readers … The Monkey King Jin Wang is a Chinese American boy the shape-shifting toy he likes to play with—if he sacrifices his soul. "But my first day in school here I meet Jin. Be proud of your heritage and stop trying to deny it. American Born Chinese contains three apparently separate storylines that eventually intersect. American Born Chinese Gene Luen Yang Chelsi Amos Hali Chung Jen Cwik Jamie Black Summary Passage “You know, Jin, I would have saved myself from five hundred years imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I only realized how good it is to be a monkey.” -pg. Betrayal; Friendship; Lies and Deceit; Violence; Appearances; Humility; Coming of Age; Transformation; Foreigness and "The Other" Versions of Reality; Characters; Analysis; Quotes; … American Born Chinese is a graphic novel published in 2006 by the American author and illustrator Gene Luen Yang. The theme of racial discrimination surfaces consistently throughout the novel. As immigrants, he has to face a lot of problems in American society, which inspires Yang to describe all three main characters from different stories to bring out the themes. The book begins with the story of the Monkey King ("Sun Wukong" in Chinese), who is one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. What are the psychological transformations the monkey king experiences in the first chapter of the novel? Similarly, Jin struggles with identity as an ethnically Chinese American; he wishes to escape this identity by refusing his Chinese heritage and trying to act like a mainstream white American—a struggle that is metaphorically represented in his alter-ego Danny. The In American Born Chinese, two themes dominate: "be yourself" and "appearances can be deceiving." It includes three different storylines. American Born Chinese Themes Transformation. American Born Chinese study guide contains a biography of Gene Luen Yang, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Cultural assimilation occurs when new members of a group become indistinguishable from other... Racism and Stereotyping. American Born Chinese: Book Summary, Analysis & Themes The Monkey King. American Born Chinese tells three interweaving stories: those of the Monkey King, Jin Wang, and Danny. This novel may be viewed as mature in artistic design and extremely visually engaging, yet it has a narrative depth that makes it appealing to both young and mature readers. As the reader looks at him, especially outside of context, the reader can see and analyze the different ways he is stereotyped. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. "American Born Chinese" -Gene Luen Yang The Monkey King The Monkey King, or Sūn Wùkōng, is a character in an extremely important Chinese novel, The Journey to the West. American Born Chinese | Themes Identity and Acceptance. Discontent that arises from being frustrated with one's circumstances is another of the novel's major themes. GradeSaver "American Born Chinese Themes". Themes. Jin later wields social pressure against Wei-Chen: in reaction to the way bullies make Jin feel like an outsider whose culture isn't acceptable, Jin tells Wei-Chen to act less like he is "fresh off the boat.". Chapter 1 Quotes When he entered his royal chamber, the thick smell of monkey fur greeted him. from then I know everything's okay." With in the graphic novel, Yang tells the stories of the Monkey King, Jin Wang, and Chin-Kee. Discontent—i.e. The struggle to find—and accept—one's personal identity is at the core of American Born Chinese. In the first section, the humiliation the Monkey King experiences causes him to become self-conscious, self-loathing, and discontent. Transformation is perhaps the most prominent theme in American Born Chinese, as the desire to change form and therefore identity is the trait that unites the Monkey King and Jin and shows how their stories work as parallels. In American Born Chinese, a graphic novel written by an Asian American immigrant Gene Luen Yang, the author successfully communicates to the audience of unjustified stereotypes faced by Asian American youth that equally share his cultural background at schools (American). Chin-Kee, for instance, embodies every anti-Chinese caricature America has conjured since the late 1800s, and therefore encapsulates discrimination in an absurd package. Struggling with distance learning? Gene Luen Yang. Identity and Prejudice American Born Chinese tells three interweaving stories: those of the Monkey King, Jin Wang, and Danny. Discrimination is usually practiced in the form of casually racist comments directed toward Jin, Wei-Chen, or Suzy, though discrimination is sometimes handled in more overtly. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. 4 pages at 400 words per page) View a FREE sample. American Born Chinese is a necessity in the classroom in not only the fact that it covers a great span of young adult ideas, themes, and issues, but in that the reader is presented with characters who drastically want to change their situation but can only do so through abandoning a part of their selves. American Born Chinese study guide contains a biography of Gene Luen Yang, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. His dissatisfaction with his identity is captured in the way he notices the scent of his own fur for the first... What role did the Herbalist’s wife play in this story? Prejudice. The Monkey King did not like being discriminated for being a monkey so he kept trying to be a human which he didn't need to do. Discrimination also functions in the novel in more nuanced ways: using euphemistic and indirect language, Greg intervenes to keep Jin from dating Amelia, as Greg believes they aren't suited for each other. Wei-Chen also struggles with identity. Jin has to deal with the stereotypes, the names, and rude jokes that people call him and his friends because they are Asian. Yang blends this folklore source material with his semi-autobiographical depiction of Jin, using the Monkey King's desire for transformation and eventual self-acceptance as a parallel to Jin's journey through adolescent self-loathing toward a mature acceptance of his true identity. Though he is the Monkey King's son and has been tasked with the challenge of living a mortal life for forty years while avoiding human vice, Wei-Chen loses faith in humanity and devotes himself to a life of pleasure-seeking. There are many examples of the danger of stereotyping in American Born Chinese. Practically, this means that the Monkey King and Jin…, American Born Chinese’s unique format as a graphic novel that utilizes three unconventional narrative techniques—pairing visual illustrations with text, switching among three interconnected stories, and simulating the form of a sitcom TV show—shows that Gene Luen Yang is acutely aware of the importance of telling a variety of stories in a variety of ways. The herbalist's wife is an old woman who uses her abacus for doing calculations. In a symbolic effort, he curls his naturally straight hair to better resemble Greg. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Though the Sun Wukong character can be traced as far back as the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), Sun Wukong was prominently featured in the 16th-century Chinese epic novel Journey to the West. Through acceptance, Jin overcomes his discontent and meets with Wei-Chen as a symbolic means of reconnecting with Chinese culture and true friendship. The Monkey King isn't satisfied with his identity as a monkey, and so does everything he can to transform into a being who is bigger and stronger and more invulnerable to attack. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Each character has to change emotionally. GradeSaver, Read the Study Guide for American Born Chinese…, Gene Luen Yang and Toni Morrison, On the Triumvirate of Identity, Legends as Guides: Routes to Cultural Discovery in 'Ceremony' and 'American Born Chinese', Creating Between Cultural Dichotomies—Cai Guo Qiang, Interpreter of East-West Dialogues, View the lesson plan for American Born Chinese…, View Wikipedia Entries for American Born Chinese…. As a punishment and lesson for the vengeance he seeks, the creator of the universe traps the Monkey King under a pile of rubble for five hundred years. Through the story we see Jin, the main protagonist go through his school years while being a minority and trying to fit in. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Wei-Chen Wei-Chen "it's easy to become anything you wish, so long as you're willing to forfeit your Gene Luen Yang’s three storylines converge to deliver the message of be who you are. In the same year, it would be nominated in the National Book Awards under the category of the Young People’s Literature. Teachers and parents! The chapters telling Danny and Chin-Kee’s story are set up to read like a sitcom, Everyone Ruvs Chin-Kee with elements like a laugh track and organization that…, One important result of the transformations that Jin and the Monkey King undergo is that both of them, after becoming who they think they want to be (white in Jin’s case, and more human in the Monkey King’s case) is that both of them double down on the persona they create for themselves, even when they encounter a great deal of resistance to their new personas. American Born Chinese is a graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. In … 222 Three interwoven -Graham S. “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Ultimately, the moral of AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is not especially profound. Print Word PDF. American Born Chinese study guide contains a biography of Gene Luen Yang, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Feeling that he is an outsider, Jin wishes to be able to participate in the popular mainstream culture of his school. Adopting this idealized identity, Jin loses touch with his true identity. Just like the Monkey King, Jin overcomes discontent and finds peace through acceptance. Was it an important one? The primary example of these stereotypes is Chin-Kee, who is the embodiment of the term " coolie," a nineteenth-century racial slur for unskilled Chinese workers. American Born Chinese Themes & Motifs. The Monkey King feels a social pressure to wear shoes and not to be a monkey, while Jin feels the social pressure to conceal his Chinese cultural background while at school—unless he is comfortable being made an object of humiliation. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Early in the book, the Monkey King trains himself in Kung-Fu and Taoist disciplines in order to transcend his lowly status as a monkey and become a supreme being whose power rivals the creator of the universe. Chapter 2 Quotes “Class, I’d like us all to give a warm Mayflower welcome to your new friend and classmate Jing Jang!” The Monkey king is a Chinese deity who, after being denied entrance to a party in Heaven for not wearing shoes, goes to great lengths to make himself more human. What makes this such an enjoyable and effective story is the way he tells it. He is actually the Monkey King's son in disguise. This Study Guide consists of approximately 27 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of American Born Chinese. His girlfriend is Suzy Nakamura. Resist the urge to assimilate. With this lesson, Jin accepts his own true form. Throughout the story, the … The two storylines collide when Chin-Kee reveals his true form as the Monkey King and teaches Jin that he could have saved himself five hundred years under a pile of rocks if only he accepted that it is good to live as a monkey. Later, he makes good on this advice when he escapes his shameful identity as an American-born Chinese boy and adopts the Danny alter-ego. Even more insidious than the casual racism Jin experiences is the incidental pressure to integrate into and absorb mainstream American culture. American Born Chinese: The Monkey King Based on a Chinese folktale, the Monkey King tells a story of a monkey, who was born from a rock, that saves the other monkeys from a tiger-spirit who haunted the Flower-Fruit Mountain for many centuries. Danny was trying to change Chin-Kee and the Monkey King and Jin Wang kept trying to change who they were. For the Monkey King, dissatisfaction festers when he isn't recognized by the heavens as a supreme being. Identity—particularly the desire to escape one's identity—is another of the novel's major themes. American Born Chinese is a graphic novel authored by Gene Luen Yang in 2006. The graphic novel, American Born Chinese, is an award as combination of all three protagonists dealing with same conflicts. By using such a wide range of communication tools and modes, American Born Chinese suggests that one of the best…, Instant downloads of all 1427 LitChart PDFs This leads Jin to fantasize about transforming into Danny, a popular white boy. The American Born Chinese quotes below all refer to the symbol of Transformers. This section contains 1,494 words (approx. Danny is a white high school student whose life is…, Racism and the idea of the foreign “other” are woven in throughout the book in a variety of ways, one of the most significant of which is the way that the book handles the intersection between racism and popular culture, specifically when it comes to television media. American Born Chinese essays are academic essays for citation. In Jin's storyline, Jin learns as a child that he can grow up to be a transformer—i.e. He and his family have just moved to a … The Monkey king is a Chinese deity who, after being denied entrance to a party in Heaven for not wearing shoes, goes to great lengths to make himself more human. Chin-Kee’s name, itself, denotes a derogatory term. Fables, found in cultures across the... Jin Wang. He’d never noticed it before. The Monkey king is a Chinese deity who, after being denied entrance to a party in Heaven for not wearing shoes, goes to great lengths to make himself more human. Folklore plays an important role in American Born Chinese, as the entire story of the Monkey King is … Also, his two large teeth and closed eyes, yellow skin, and long braid are just the physical elements. Below you will find the important quotes in American Born Chinese related to the theme of Pride, Stubbornness, and Humility. To teach him a lesson, Tze-Yo-Tzuh traps him under a pile of rubble for five hundred years. The Herbalist's wife teaches Jin that he... What are the psychological transformation the Monkey King experiences in the first chapter? In fact, Jin resents being Chinese because of this and wants to embrace the parts of himself that he Eventually, by releasing his discontent and accepting himself, the Monkey King frees himself from the rocks. One day she sees Jin and asks what he wants to be when he is older. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Jin Wang is the titular Chinese-American boy. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, read analysis of Racism and Popular Culture, read analysis of Pride, Stubbornness, and Humility, read analysis of Storytelling and Universality. Throughout the novel 's major themes adopts the Danny alter-ego themes identity and Prejudice American Born essays... Shoes like the gods and goddesses his naturally straight hair to better resemble Greg Stubbornness, long! His companions feel from their social spheres AP Literature without the printable PDFs in here... Adopts the Danny alter-ego uses her abacus for doing calculations integrate into and absorb American. Stop trying to deny it enough of your heritage and stop trying fit! Illustrator Gene Luen Yang in 2006 majority at his school years while being a minority and trying fit. 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