From Chinese Cinderella Flashcards
Notes on the title
Cinderella has connotations of the fairytale. Traditional ‘western’ fairytale contrasted with eastern location
Author sees parallels between herself and Cinderella and chooses this title to encourage the reader to pick up on this
‘In my case perhaps the end of school forever’
Doesnt want to finish school, different to what you might expect
Notes on context/introduction
Sent to a boarding school near her house, implies punishment
‘Possible typhoon the next day’
Pathetic fallacy to build tension, uncertain future
‘The though of leaving school throbbed at the back of my mind like a persistent toothache’
Negative simile, emphasises dislike of school as the worry is always there
‘We all stood up and greeted her’
Formal school, gives and idea of the setting
‘Chauffeur’
Shows wealth of her family
‘Full of foreboding’
Alliteration
‘As a nightmare’
Negative simile to emphasise her feelings
‘Wondering who had died’
Highlights how little she goes home as it has to be very negative to be allowed to leave
‘They give the orders and I carry them out’
Chauffeur is treated poorly as he is of a lower status than the rest of her family - Adeline is the same position in the family hierarchy as the staff despite being their daughter
‘Wondered what I had done wrong’
Blames herself and assumes the worst, implying that this is often the case
Notes on the location of her house
‘Between the peak and the harbour’ shows they live in a very nice area because they are wealthy
’ ‘Where are we?’ I asked foolishly’
Shows how little she is allowed to leave as she is extremely unfamiliar with her own home
‘The chauffeur replied rudely’
Treats Adeline the same way her parents do.
’ ‘I had forgotten,’ I said as I got out’
Lying to save face, doesn’t want to admit her family moved without telling her
‘Your two brothers and Little Sister’
They have a better situation than Adeline and are treated much better than her
Also a very formal and impersonal way of referring to family
‘Holy of Holies’
Idiom, used to emphasise rarity and exclusivity
‘I had never been invited’
Unusual to not have been somewhere in her home
‘I saw he was in a happy mood’
Unusual; she chooses to comment on it
‘Is this a giant ruse on his part to trick me? Dare I let my guard down?’
Direct thoughts questions used to engage reader
’ ‘Sit down! Sit down!’ ‘
Repetition
‘Sit down’, ‘Don’t look’,
Talks with lots of imperatives
‘It was announced today that 14-year-old Hong Kong school girl….’ paragraph notes
She knows nothing about this until her father tells her, shows how unexpected it is
‘Is it possible? Am I dreaming? Me, the winner?’
More direct thought to emphasise her disbelief. Also an example of tripling
’ “Is the winner Adeline Jun-Ling related to you?” ‘
The fact that he had to ask shows that Adeline’s father never talks about her
‘So far none of them has won an international literary prize…’
Happy with the fact that his daughter has ‘beaten’ his colleague’s children, he is proud of her because it has made him look good. This further shows their bad realtionship
‘So I was quite pleased’
Isn’t good enough for him, doesn’t rate literature highly
‘He looked radiant. For once, …’
Metaphor, shows how unusual it is for him to be proud of her
‘How come /you/ won?’
Italicised to emphasise his disbelief, no faith in her abilities.
‘May I go to university in England too, just like my brothers?’
Shows how she is treated differently to them
‘How marvellous… Going to England is like entering heaven’
Simile used to emphasise her joy. She can be very far from home and her family.
’ ‘Writer?’ He scoffed. ‘You are going to starve…’
Sees no value or opportunity in this career.
‘I waited in silence. I did not wish to contradict him’
Afraid to talk to him and maybe even afriad of him
‘You will’ x4
Repetition of definite future ‘will’, imperatives. She cannot contradict this
‘How did that line go in Wordsworth’s poem? /Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive/’
Quote from poem shows good knowledge of literature
‘Relentlessly’
Negative adverb to show how much she doesn’t want to go home from school
‘In my case perhaps the end of school forever’
Shows how education will continue for others
‘Four of us were playing Monopoly. My heart was not in it and I was losing steadily’
A symbol which parallels with how she is ‘losing at life’.
‘I threw the dice’
Symbol of chance
‘Ma-mien Valentino was calling’
Past continuous aspect to show that she is ignoring it; she doesn’t want to hear it
‘Full of foreboding’
Adverbial clause
‘Father’s chauffeur assured me everyone was healthy’
Indirect speech
‘How should /I/ know?’
Italicised to suggest a rude/brusque tone
‘Your guess is as good as mine’
Idiom used rudely in the context
‘They give the orders and I carry them out’
‘They’ is an unprecursed pronoun which doesn’t include Adeline
‘Dread’
Abstract noun
‘You mother is out playing bridge’
Bridge is a symbol of high-society life
‘Your father is in his room’
Place that only he goes
‘Summoned’
Shows difference in relationship; only used in unequal relationships
‘A place to which I had never been invited’
Formal syntax, hyper correct
‘Why?’
Direct thought
‘Looking relaxed in his slippers and bathrobe’
Adeline’s return hasn’t interrupted his daily routine
‘Is this a giant ruse on his part to trick me?’
Poignant; relationship is even worse than we realised
‘Don’t look so scared’
Still imperative - even though it seems as though it should be nice it is still a command
‘He looked radiant’
Her reaction is not mentioned
‘In front of his revered colleague’
Revered has connotations of worship; worships his colleague but not his daughter
‘My whole being vibrated with all the joy in the world’
Hyperbole, she feels like this because she knows she can ask about education
‘Perhaps I was the only one determined enough to enter and there were no other competitors’
Shows her modesty, but she could also be manipulating him slightly
‘Going to England is like entering heaven’
Simile and hyperbole
‘I plan to study literature. I’ll be a writer’
Definite future tense to show her confident expression
‘With Third Brother’
Impersonal way of address
‘That’s a foolproof profession for you. Don’t you agree?’
Insulting; low opinion of capability. Also ironic because she has no choice
‘Father, I shall go to medical school in England and become a doctor. Thank you very, very much.’
Implies that she just wants to get away from her family
