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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that examines Thousand Pieces of Gold, Ruthanne Lum McCunn's biographical account of a nineteenth century immigrant Chinese woman who survives extraordinary trials. The writer looks at why Lalu Nathoy initially refuses Charlie Bemis' offer of marriage. In a life where there has been little opportunity to experience anything but hardship, marriage holds the promise of stability and dignity. The writer argues that to understand why Lalu was reluctant to marry Bemis requires that the reader to look at the overall circumstances of this woman's life, as well as the cultural parameters of nineteenth century marriage. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khmccunn.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Charlie Bemis offer of marriage. In a life where there has been little opportunity to experience anything but hardship, marriage holds the promise of stability and dignity. To understand why
Lalu was reluctant to marry Bemis requires that the reader to look at the overall circumstances of this womans life, as well as the cultural parameters of nineteenth century marriage.
Lalu was born in China in 1865. Her father was forced by poverty to sell her into slavery at the age of thirteen. She was then sold to a
Shanghai brothel, and subsequently to an American. Despite the fact that she was, first of all, born into a very patriarchal society that taught that women should be submissive to
men and then exposed to the degrading experience of slavery, Lalu continued to aspire toward the goals of independence and freedom. Eventually, Lalu became the property of a saloon
owner in Warrens, Idaho where he used her to attract clientele. Throughout her trials as a slave, Lalu continued to yearn for freedom and dignity. It was the saloon
owner, Hong King, who gave Lalu the name "Polly" because a "slave does not choose her own name" (McCunn 117). At the saloon, Lalu learned that she was the "only
Chinese woman (in the area)," and therefore, she was also "an attraction that (would) bring men, Chinese and white, from miles around" (McCunn 107). As this indicates, Lalu was
treated, not as a person, but as a commodity. While her father and family loved her, even they sold her as property. She was renamed by her "owner," much as
one might rename a pet. (Since Lalu had no choice in accepting the name "Polly," this writer prefer to refer to her by her Chinese name. The student researching this
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