“‘For the woman is yin,’ she cried sadly, ‘the darkness within, where untempered passions lie. And man is yang, bright truth lighting our minds.’” This is a declarative sentence. It states the Chinese views on man and woman. In Chinese society women were seen as evil and men good.
“My mother smiled and walked over to me. She smoothed some of my wayward hairs back in place and tucked them into my coiled braid. ‘A boy can run and chase dragonflies, because that is his nature,’ she said. ‘But a girl should stand still. If you are still for a very long time, a dragonfly will no longer see you. Then it will come to you and hide in the comfort of your shadow.’” Here Ying-ying’s mother is telling her why she should not chase dragonflies. She is saying that girls should be quiet and polite.
This was a common view of the time but today it would seem odd. It no longer applies to society like it did during the time Ying-ying’s mother said it. Many women would probably take offense if this was said in their presence.
No comments:
Post a Comment