Dumpling

Alright, so for Wednesday's class we were supposed to read a story called "Dumpling." I read it, of course, and I actually enjoyed it. The first reason why I like it? Well, it was short. Second, it was understandable, and third, it was actually quite good. It was cute, and it had a purpose. It was basically about a little Filipino girl who helps her mother cook, and is quite proud of this cooking, until she gets made fun of by kids in her class. Then, she doesn't want to help (or eat) the traditional Filipino foods of her culture anymore. At the end of the story, I felt sorry for her mom. She seems sad, she doesn't even acknowledge her daughter when she comes in to eat dinner. It would be nice if the ending wasn't such as cliffhanger so that we knew what happenned between mother and daughet. Maybe they should write a "Dumpling 2!" haha. It might actually be good though. I finished writing my paper, and I did it early, so I got it done. Here it is. How does it compare to your opinion of Dumpling? Also, I want to know if I did a good job of discussing scene, summary, and reflection in my piece. thanks!!



Dumpling-Analyzed
While paging through a story, there are elements we fail to notice at first glance. However, the second time around, there are key elements we never saw beforehand that seem to pop out like crazy, now that the piece has been analyzed.
In "Dumpling," a short story by Angela M. Balcita, there are a variety of elements the reader fails to realize. That is, of course, until he goes back.
The situation in "Dumpling" is of a young Filipino girl who's mother wants her to learn the art of cooking in order to avoid getting tan in the summer. The story however, is something different. Many Filipino girls learn to cook, however in this piece, what happens (the story) is the following:
the girl (who is referred to as "anak") lives in a primarily white community, and although she is proud of what's accomplished during her mother's cooking lessons, she ends up being disapointed dealing with the racism her classmates dish out. At the beginning of the story, she is interested in learning new things, and in helping her mother cook the native foods of the homeland. However, once challenges are faced (aka other students pick on her for the dumpling she was so proud of making,) she is no longer interested in helping her mother make the traditional "chink" food that is picked on by her classmates. She doesn't want to eat this any more, and her mother is hurt, telling Anak she can eat elsewhere if she is not interested in these pleasures of home. The story ends at what seems like a cliffhanger. She goes outside, and there it stops. The reader is not sure what happens between Anak and her mother. Do they make up? Does Anak continue to make traditional Filipino meals, or does she give in to the teasing of her classmates and let go of the culture that holds her family together? Unfortunately, no one knows for sure, and this is the one thing that I disliked about this story. I enjoyed it through and through, but with a cliffhanger ending, it either needs a second chapter to finish it off-or an actual ending. I am sure many other readers would agree.
Besides just the story itself, there are other aspects that add quite a bit to "Dumpling." The first, and foremost, I believe, aspect that adds to this piece would have to be scene. There are a variety of scenes throughout the piece, all of which involve the narrorator, Anak, and her mother. The beginning is a perfect example. The reader can visualize a small, plump filipino woman when the mother character says, "Oh you know, like twenty minute. 'Til is puffy and sticky." What I particularily enjoyed about all of the scenes in the piece was the chance to get to know the characters better, particular the mother, who I ended up feeling bad for at the end of the story, when her daughter would no longer help her with her favorite hobby, traditional Filipino cooking. I really did feel sad. It reminded me of times I have abandoned my parents, and what I felt like afterward-never anything good. The scenes in this piece bring those feelings to life.
While I don't particularily find summary as effective as scene, it can be quite detailing. At the beginning as well, there is a great example of summary when the narrorator describes what summerhood in the neighborhood was like. This helps the reader create a visual picture of what it was like to live and play and small-town America, especially being a Filipino in small-town America. It adds detail to the story, much like scene does, however it does not allow one to get to know the characters the same way scene does. Scene helps you see into their minds, helps you envision them as real people because you are hearing them talking. Summary just describes them and their lifestyle, and that can help too-to me however, it's just not the same. That's what I liked about this piece-it had the perfect mix of scene and summary, so it wasn't just one or the other. It gave the piece variation, spread it out, and overall, made it much more interesting for the reader.
Where there is scene and summary, there is also reflection. This is an asset that is harder to find, and is the one most likely missed the first time going through a piece. There are so many pieces of reflection sprinkled throughout, as a matter of fact, that it's hard to find them now! One example would be where the narrorator said her mother squinted with intensity. That's something she remembers, something that evokes emotion, that's reflection.
Together, all of these emphasize the author's point. They all emerge to tell one story, and it's an important one. What I got out of it, at least now that I am older and understand that others' opinions don't matter as much, is that family is more important than anything else. You should embrace your culture and your family, because they will always be there. Those kids in class? They'll disappear faster than snow melting when the sun comes out. Overall, I'll have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the piece. I am not quite sure that this was the point, however for what I got out of it, it was an enjoyable piece that made me remember the imortance of where I come from-and that this is something that should never be forgotten, no matter what the other kids say.