Adopted Chinese Americans Characters Hello, I'm @sunlake. My mother is first generation Chinese and my dad is second generation Irish. I was adopted from China at fourteen months old and brought to the United States. I have friends who are also adopted from China who have similar experiences as me. The #1 thing I hate is when people say to me, “So your mom isn't really your mom?” or “how much did you cost?” after admitting I'm adopted. It costs to have children no matter how you have them. When writing about someone adopted from China, please remember we weren't bought, we were adopted. We also often don't know who are our birth parents. A lot people, Chinese and non-Chinese, assume I can speak mandarin, cantonese, some other Chinese language, or another Asian language. Once, my friend’s mom started talking to me in toisanese at a soccer game. I was so nervous about offending her and saying I don't speak her language, that I let her go on rambling. I felt terribly afterwards and since then I've stopped people when they talk to me in a Chinese language. When you write, try making your adopted Chinese person not speak Mandarin. It can create a good conflict in the story, but also insure people know not all Chinese people speak a Chinese language. Now for those common stereotypes. I am those Chinese girl stereotypes. I'm academically excellent and I'm an introvert. When walking to school one day, my friend commented on playing a soccer game against a team of mostly Asians. Her team won and she says it's because the mostly Asian wouldn't talk to each other. That's fine if they weren't talking to each other, but it's not because of their race. I played soccer and would scream my teammates name across the field. There are so many different reasons why people don't want to talk to each other. Race isn't one of the big ones. When writing your Chinese adopted child, try to break those stereotypes or have a mix of fitting them and not. This will create a unique character who isn't what you think. Finally, what we think of our origins. It can be confusing when people are asking you what race you are in life. I'm technically Chinese and Irish American. My parents consider me to be, but I consider myself just to be Chinese American. I was born in China from two Chinese people. I probably don't have much Irish in me, so doesn't that make me Chinese American? My adopted-from-China friends with both European American parents wonder the same things. Are we Chinese American or our parents’ race? To be honest, I don't know. Let your character choose what direction they want to go. You can create a good internal conflict with this or not use it at all. Just remember, we get confused by who we are. I'm @sunlake, an American girl from China. People adopted from Chinese are not bought, may not know a Chinese language, don’t always fit the Chinese-people stereotype, and aren't always sure of their origins. Thank you for reading these tips and I hope I helped you improve.
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The Miracle Worker was an interesting book. I can't say I loved it, but I didn't hate it either. The characters, being based after real people, were interesting and full of personality. Just from reading the dialougue and stage directions, you could get a good glimpse into their life. I felt Annie was portrayed well and was consistant throughout the story. The plot moved along nicely and I liked how Annie didn't manage to succeed the first time around. I did feel the times with Helen at the dinner table were slow and not at all exciting as the words made it seem. If I wasn't reading the book outloud, I don't think I would've been able to finish it. The imagery was nice, but not at all exciting. This is a play, afterall, so I wasn't expecting fancy descriptions that pull readers in, but I felt it could be slightly more interesting with its word choice. The imagery did help me in understanding what was happening. The dialougue was the star of the show. I could understand which character was speaking just by looking at the words being said. There were times I couldn't tell if James was speaking or Mr. Keller, but overall, I understood. The character interacton was good. As annoying as it was, it was realistic for Mrs. Keller to be overly protective of Helen. I liked how Annie stood up to Helen and saw her as an equal, not someone who should be exempt from simple manners. The storyline, although slow, finished well and I was pleased with the ending. I haven't read many books in the style it was written, so I was pleased by the end. The setting was fairly easy to tell. They were in a country area in a big house. The mood was light with a hint of dark. Overall, The Miracle Worker was a good book. It wasn't one I would read again, but I reccomend it to those in need of inpsiration. "The Young Elites" was a new taste. Adelina is a strong, female character, but at the same time with all the doubts and worries we all face. I loved how though the story included romance, the main love was between two sisters. I have a sister and I consider her one of my best friends. It's great seeing that relationship in a story.
The plot went along at just the right pace and I found myself excited to go to school to read. Very rarely am I excited. There were plot twists and information that flew by, making the story more exciting. The part Adelina was being tested by the stones felt long. Some of the feelings swirling inside of her were emphasized too frequently. The imagery was just the right amount. Of course there were times I found the imagery dull, but that's normal in a book. For the most part, the imagery was entertaining and kept me reading. The dialougue brought out the characters feelings. It was realistic and formatted nicely. You could tell who was speaking just by reading. The character interaction was interesting and unique. I liked how same-sex relationships were accepted in the Kennetran world without even being made a big deal out of. The romance between the characters felt real and the sister relationship shone extraordinarily well. The storyline was interesting and new. I haven't read too many books from an antagonist's point of view and Marie Lu made me love her. I found myself wanting more. The setting was easy to tell thanks to all the imagery. At first, I thought this was Earth in the future, but I don't think it is. The mood was dark with hints of light. Overall, the book was a good read and if there was less imagery and repetition, I would rate it five stars. For now, four stars will do and I may read the next book. |
AuthorI'm Darcy Ridge, creating stories that all revolve around family and identity in a myriad of ways. In the past, I have shared multiple stories and published a novella online. You can find me on Wattpad and many other social media websites. They/them [Image Description: black background with the words "Social Justice and Mental Health Resources" in white in the center /end ID]
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