In this unit, we did a thorough study and investigation of the well-known Taiwanese novel “The Taste of Apples” written by Huang Chun-Ming. The different sources of tension present in the book took us into different perspectives of the characters in the story, letting us become more caring and communicative individuals. As a part of the summative of this unit, we were required to capture a kind of tension existing in our society and write a TIEA about it.
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Image TIEA
Huang Chun-Ming and the creator of the image both uses sensitive affairs for a specific group of people to convey the tension between modern and traditional. In “The Drowning of an Old Cat”, being the eldest and most respected out of the village, Uncle Ah-Sheng strongly stands against the government’s proposal of the construction of the swimming pool to modernize Clear Spring Village, as he believes it is a destruction of their spiritual land. Despite his strong disapproval, the swimming pool is ultimately built and other villagers gradually withdrew their support to his cause. Unexpectedly, Uncle Ah-Sheng committed suicide to express his disappointment and helplessness. It did not stop the children from seeking entertainment from this novel installation. “But even before the coffin had passed by, many of the children of Clear Spring, not to be denied, had sneaked into the pool area, and the peals of laughter that accompanied their frolicking in the water washed over the walls like waves” (31). In the image, a woman intends to hide a book by shoving it under a pile of books because it is a publication about LGBTQ affairs. The cover of the book portrays two women sitting by the table enjoying their meal, and the title “The Diary of a Wife” (人妻日記) suggests the author’s first-person experience with being a wife in a homosexual relationship. In fact, this is a famous book published by a Taiwanese homosexual writer, Xue Chen, that takes us into the daily life between her and her partner, conveying the readers of how love is not bounded by gender, and the courage we all need to take against struggles towards finding a true love. Roughly a year ago, the issue and legalization of LGBTQ affairs have risen onto the stage as the Taiwan Constitutional Court announced that same-sex marriage is going to be legalized in the next two years. However, the idea of a homosexual relationship is against the religious idea of several religious groups. LGBT supporters, therefore, gathered up and marched through Taiwan’s capital to protest for LGBT rights. Both Huang and the creator uses sensitive affairs for a specific group of people to convey the tension between modern and traditional. In the context of the story “The Drowning of an Old Cat”, the sensitive affair lies in the construction of a swimming pool, as elders believe it to be a destruction of the environment while the youngsters view it as a cool and novel facility. The tension between modern and traditional thus rises as the children sneaked into the swimming pool while Ah-sheng’s coffin passed by, showing not only disrespect but also their lack of understanding to the most respected elder in the village and the beliefs they hold. This lack of understanding between the younger and older generation indicates the lack of communication between modern views and traditional beliefs. The simile used in the evidence that compares the motion of the water to waves suggests the water’s intensity that resulted from the happiness of the children, again depicting tension that exists between the modern and traditional view of the swimming pool in the setting of the story. In the image, the woman’s act of shoving an LGBTQ book back into the shelves suggest her opposition against LGBTQ. This sensitive affair in nowadays society signifies the tension between modern and traditional views towards homosexual relationship and marriage. Modern people tend to be more open-minded towards homosexuality while traditional people, influenced by their former understanding and beliefs, tend to be more stubborn towards a heterosexual marriage.
Citation
- News, Taiwan. “2018 Taiwan LGBT Pride: A Photo Story.” Taiwan News, https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3562150. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.
- Huang Chun-Ming. The Taste of Apples. Howard Goldblatt. Columbia University Press, 2001. Accessed 13 Nov.2018.
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