Turtle Soup

Exploration on Turtle Soup by Marilyn Chin

On the reference to Turtle Soup by Marilyn Chin

Question 1

The speaker used "cauldron" instead of pot because the speaker's mother has a very strong relation keeping the tradition rather than to change it.Caudron imaged that the mother never leave the tradition and still obey what culture taught.This line reinforces the differences between mother and daughter, 

Chinese and American. The mother has been hard at work cooking soup all day, but the 

daughter thinks of it as a witch’s brew cooked in a cauldron.

Question 2

The speaker refers all those rivers in China because turtle is very close China community.It symbolised long life happiness and as a symbol of strongness.The reason why it does mentioned in the poem about all things related to China because this poem in a way talks about tradition and long life. It also talks about the circle of life.

Question 3

I believe that the tone is little of sarcastic in the second stanza, she relays the conversation: “Ma, you’ve poached the symbol of long life.” The tone here is ironic as she both acknowledges the tradition her mother engages in by referring to the turtle as “the symbol of long life” and mocks it by chiding “Ma” for having poached it. In lines 6-9 when the speaker informs her mother of how long the turtle has lived and where along various Chinese rivers it has swum,noticing her mother that she is beig sarcastis about her mother style.

Ideas for writing

In life,there are some unfortunated people that still raising the hands and begging for help.Indeed,not much of us that have our own self awareness to help those unfortunate.So,that is all up for them to start and create their own dimention of survival.One of their way out is migration.They nned to move on to seek for new future and better life.Thy have to confront and encounter all the fears and also all the obstacles only to be able seat in comfort pot.

 Once,I have read about one article talking on this matter.Immigration is bad – that is what the propagandists of populist politics are blazoning, in unison with their primitive media set on singing the same tune. The social and economic problems of our economic system are projected onto immigrants, and those still unaware “aliens” cannot easily defend themselves against what is happening.That is one of the problem that those immigrants should face off.If you are in their shoes,could you bare to hold on something when actually there is nothing there to hold.Please,do give them with space so that thet can able to live like we do.

 In this poem- Turtle Soup by Marilyn Chin,there is some strong connection of culture that still mother hold on to.Which  most to brought mean that culture is a part of lifestyle.No matter where you go ,you still bring  your colour of your  life.Mother represents older generation while that daughter represents the new generations.She eats turtle soup (a Chinese food), she thinks about turtles as symbols of ancient wisdom (as the Chinese do), she even discusses Chinese history (the High Tang) with her mother. The Americans have almost no history. But at the same time, she knows that she is not Chinese. She lives in Pasadena, and the turtle shell itself has a Made In Hong Kong stamp on its underside. Marilyn Chin feels Chinese, but she knows she is not. Like most Americans, she doesn't really have an identity. She just likes to pretend. Here we see how much migration have effect the culture and it seems that new generation have lost their concernity and enjoyment of practising their origin culture.That is most common thing that happened and what we have lose by moving to new land.