Introduction: In this blog post, I am interpreting a podcast by Lulu Wang, called "What you don't know". I'll also provide the transcript here. I will be answering questions about the piece, and then relating the story to my everyday life.
Did I agree with the family's choice to deceive Wang's grandmother (NaiNai)? At first I didn't believe that this was the best choice. It was seen to be deceitful and wrong, especially since this was her health. In America, culturally, the right thing to do would be to tell that person. Yet, the culture in China is very different. In China, the results are immediately given to a relative of the patient. After realizing the two different cultures, I found it to be more acceptable that they didn't tell her. The resulting factor of NaiNai living for another couple of years, made me agree with their decisions. I then respected their thought process, and I felt a warmth towards their family for knowing what was best for her in this situation. They all seemed to value happiness the most, and they wanted to see her that way. A wedding was staged in order to say goodbye, but when looking back on it, it was just a way of getting together. They all learned a little more about the value of happiness in that sense, since they were forced to be happy around NaiNai, even if they weren't. It showed the strength within the family for being able to do so. When have I made an important choice to tell someone a difficult truth or made an important choice to tell a lie that had a major impact on me and/or someone else? The first difficult truth I could conjure up, is a personal truth. One that has impacted my family and I for the rest of our lives. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make as a child, and as a person. I was only 14 or 15 when I had told my mom about what my father had done to me as a child. My mom and dad were divorced at the time, and they were both remarried. I was filling out some paper work and a certain question made me cry, and my mom noticed. I could've said it was nothing and held it in longer, but I decided to tell her. My father had physically, and sexually abused me for a period of time. My whole life changed after that moment. It was something that my family and I had to overcome and work on. As a 14 or 15 year old, I didn't want to be worrying about that, nor did I want other people to as well. I had to work with detectives and the court to try to prove that I wasn't lying. It isn't the easiest thing, and it made my life a living hell, to be honest. I no longer see my father or anyone on his side of the family, since it was my fault they were upset. It was something that broke us up more than we already were, but everyone on my moms side were supportive, and I am closer to all of them as a result. I couldn't be happier than where I am in life right now, which is a big change from where I came from as a person.
1 Comment
Sabatino
9/21/2017 06:21:39 am
I'm sure I do not have the right words to comment here...so I just want to say I appreciate you sharing such a personal story, and I am glad you are in our class. I look forward to reading more of your work.
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Nicole
On this blog, I will be writing weekly about multiple different themes for my English course. Archives
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