Quickwrite: Family Honor

Although An-mei's grandma, Popo would agree that "Family and honor should take priority over the rights of the individual family member."  I think that An-mei and her mother would both somewhat agree.  It really depends on the situation, but they probably lean more toward the side that agrees with the statement.

An-mei grew up under the care of her Popo, and Popo's opinion of family and honor being priority greatly shaped the way she grew up.  She grew up learning to not talk about her mother, since it was forbidden.  An-mei's father passed away, and her mother became a widow, but she still chose to marry, and even so, she married a man with a wife, two concubines, and other children.  By speaking her mother's name, she would be shaming her family, and not preserve the honor they still have.  The "big painting [of her father] that hung in the main hall" always showed him as "a large, unsmiling man, unhappy to be so still on the wall" (p.43).  Popo raised An-mei, telling her that the painting of her father watched her for any signs of disrespect, making sure that she was respectful to her family, and upholding their honor.  Family and honor was always emphasized over an individual family member.  When she was young though, she wasn't as educated about her mother's poor choices in her relative's eyes, and chose to (try) to go to her mother, but the soup spilled onto her neck, stopping her.  An-mei understands that even though her mother did not make the best choices, she still held family traditions strong in her heart, and would probably only put her individual needs over her family and honor if it was necessary.

An-mei's mother was considered a traitor to her ancestors to An-mei's Auntie, because she chose to remarry.  Auntie says that An-mei's mother "'...is so beneath others that even the devil must look down to see her'" (p.44).  An-mei's mother broke family tradition, and shamed her family, dishonoring them, when she married the man with another wife, concubines, and other children.  She still upheld her family traditions at the end of the story though, when her mother was dying.  She willingly cut a piece of meat from her arm and put it into the soup.  An-mei's mother "cooked magic in the ancient tradition to try to cure her mother this one last time" (p.48).  She kept the ancient tradition, honoring her mother, and put her mother's needs above her own.