The Story In The Land of the Free - Assignment Example

In The Land of the Free In The Land of the Free Intro paragraph: Briefly summarize the plot, what happened and why The story begins with Lae Choo an obedient and dutiful wife Hing Hom discovers that she is pregnant. Lae Choo then concludes that she will return her native land of China from California so that her children will have the privilege of being born in their homeland. Unfortunately, the parents of Hong, Lae’s husband fall terribly sick forcing Lae to cut her journey short in order to care for the ailing parents. Consequently, Hangs parents succumb to sickness and, therefore, forcing Lae to return to San Francisco with her younger son (Far 1). However, Lae Choo and hom Hing encounter a problem at the immigration desk. The problem emanates from the fact the two filed their immigration papers prior to their son being born, therefore, their son lacks the proper documentation and certification. The first customs officer is adamant about not allowing the boy to go ashore, “There is nothing in the papers that you have shown us—your wife’s papers and your own—having any bearing on the child” (Far 2). The immigration officers take hold of the little boy and tell Lae and her husband to come the following day and know about the dispositions of the boy’s case. Five months down the line, the immigration department had not yet returned the little boy to the care of her parents. The boy was under the protective and watchful care of the missionaries that the officers had assigned to take care of the child (Far 1). Out of desperation and destitution, Hom hires a lawyer, James Clancey, to help them out in trying to get their son back. The lawyers attempt to petition the immigration prove futile, and he turn the Hom family for more money to go the capital and petition the government instead. Hom Hing lacks the finical capabilities, but Lae offers her jewelry to the lawyer. “See my jade earrings—my gold buttons—my hair pins—my comb of pearl and my rings—one, two, three, four, five rings; very good—all same much money.. .. You take and bring me paper for my Little One” (Far, 3). It is not after another five months have passed before Clancey succeeds. Overjoyed by the report, Lae goes to the mission home to pick her son who in turn prefers the whites and tells her mother, “Go ’way, go ’way!” 2. Analyze characters: This will take more than one paragraph. Answer, on a sheet of paper, all the questions first, and then try to place this info in organized paragraphs. Lae is the primary character of the short story, In the Land of the Free and; therefore, she is the protagonists. From the very few paragraphs, ones can already tell that Lae Choo is an obedient and dutiful wife to his husband Hom hing. Lae’s respectful and obedient nature is clearly by the fact that she canceled her trip to go back to China and opted to stay and take care of her Hom’s parents. Moreover, her staying behind to take care of Hom’s parents shows that she puts the interest of others before her interest. Subsequently, Lae Choo is a caring individual because her staying behind was to care for her ailing and aging parents-in-law (Far 2). One of the character traits of Lae Choo that stood out was her undying and never-ending determination. Lae Choo was more than willing than it took and gives just about anything to get her son back. Lae’s undying and unconditional love for her family is evident through her actions and her speech. Hom Hing, who is the husband of Lae Choo, is also another protagonist in the story In the Land of the Free. As a character in the short story, one can tell that Hom is very accommodative and resourceful person. Hom houses his wife and their unborn child together with his aging and ailing parents, which means that he has to work hard in a relatively new country to feed the family. Hom is also a carrying and loving husband as portrayed from he treated his wife with so much love and respect in equal measures. Moreover, the thoughtful nature of Hom is apparent through how willing he was to bring his son back home. James Clencey is also another character that comes out of being optimistic and ambitious in nature. One can also argue out that James Clencey was a cunning nature because of the demands he possesses to the Hong family with full knowledge of their financial status. The story also has other minor characters such as the people that worked at the immigration office who were unruly and intolerant in nature because of bureaucratic red tape. The little boy, the preferable reference that the author uses to refer to Choo’s son is also a minor character in the story despite the story revolving around him (Far 4). The people at the mission station where the boy took custody are also build-up characters of the story. The people are very carrying and loving in nature because of the reluctance of the boy to leave their care. 3. Where, when does the story take place? What are some of the manners, customs and rules in the setting The story is set up in the port city of San Francisco, a city whose waterfront had numerous ships and steamers while at the same time crafts both large and small imported and exported products from the Philippines. The author’s choice of words further explains that most of the people that lived in the setting town of the story from worked in the shipping factory. Consequently, the city was ever busy from immigrants coming into and getting out of the United States. The flocking in of immigrants into and out of the United States meant that the immigration department had a lot in their hands to deal with at all times. 4. Is the narrator a character in the movie? The narrator of the movie In the Land of the Free is not character in the film. The narrator helps the audience to understand the circumstances the Hing family underwent because of his vast understanding of the family. Moreover, the narrator because of his eloquence and exquisite choice of words in giving the narration aids the audience in creating a mental picture of what unfolded in the story. 5. What are the mental pictures created by the words? Does the image have a universal meaning? Does it symbolize something? The author of the story has impeccable choice of word that creates a distinct mental picture to the reader. For instance, at the beginning of the story Hom Hing tells his son, “See, little one-the hills in the morning sun…” The statement by Hom to his son creates a mental picture for the reader of where the family will live. The varieties of mental picture established in the mind vary from the authors’ choice of word. Choices of words in styles such as euphemism tend to form a more or less negative mental picture for the reader by the author in a less embarrassing manner. Dysphemism, on the other hand, creates a positive mental image to the mind of the reader. Imagery in literature does not have universal meaning because different people and culture have different similes depending on the customary, geographical and cultural set-up. Imagery most often than not comes from what people quickly experience and can relate to, a variable phenomenon the world over. Image symbolizes similitude between what the author is explaining and what the readers experience their environment. Works cited Far, S. Sui. In The Land of the Free. University of Illinois Press, 1909, print. Read More