Example research essay topic: Second Husband Loved One - 1,351 words

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... u Ling forbids her. Ruths actions are illustrated by the passage: Ruth sat with the chopsticks for action. For a long time nothing happened. That was because she was nervous she was about to trick her mother into letting her see the Wizard of OZ. She steadied her hand and mind, conjuring the wisdom of Precious Auntie might impart like the wizard.

OZ she wrote. And so by luck all fell into place (Tan, 128). The quotation shows that Ruth manipulated her mother belief by pretending to speak with the dead through the sand tray. This shows that Lu Ling is being manipulated, which furthers her tragedy in life.

Comparatively, Kwan grew up having her sister take advantage of her based on her superstitions. An example is found in Olivia's desire to exploit Kwan's superstition to convince Simon to love her. This is shown in the quotation: I told her that one of Simons friends had died in an accident. I said that Simon was sad, that he couldnt let go of this friend who was dead. He was obsessed, it was unhealthy.

I said it might help if he heard from this friend as a yin person. Knowing how suggestible Kwan was, also how eager she was to help me in any way, I made the requirement as clear as possible (tan, 100). Here, Olivia exploits Kwan because Kwan believes she can see the dead, which is beneficial to Olivia since Simon is still mourning for his lost girlfriend. Even though Olivia's plan succeeds, as shown in these quotations, And then Kwan told Simon that he should grab me before it was too late, that I was his true love girl, and that hed be forever sorry if he missed this good chance of many lifetimes. She went on and on about how honest and sincere I was, how kind, how loyal, how smart (Tan, 106). And Simon was nodding, taking it all in (Tan, 106).

However, even though it was successful, she was not appreciative towards Kwan despite her efforts to help Olivia out more. This is shown in the quotation, What power! What relief! I was amazed how strong Simon made me feel. I could stand up to Kwan (Tan, 82). This shows that Olivia did not need Kwan's help as a sister, but that she was just exploiting her sisterly affections, which contributes to the tragedy which she lives.

Sadly, there were also other factors that contributed to both Lu Ling and Kwan's tragic life. Throughout their respective novels, they had lost people dear to them. This made their lives a tragedy because they were constantly plunged into sadness. For Lu Ling, the death of her mother, Precious Auntie, was a tragedy for her as they were once very close. This can be seen in the quotation, In this way, Precious Auntie taught me to be naughty, just like her. She taught me to be curious just like her.

And because I was all these things, she could not teach me to be a better daughter (Tan, 188). The quotation shows how close their relationship was, since she had such an influence on Lu Ling. The death of Precious Auntie creates a negative impact on Lu Ling who states In the next moment, I saw Precious Auntie, the top half of her face limestone white, her wild eyes staring at me (Tan, 242). The suicide of Precious Auntie was a tragedy that plunged Lu Ling into sadness. This is further emphasized by the quotation, For five days I could not move.

I could not eat. I could not cry (Tan, 24), which shows the degree of sadness that Lu Ling is in. Another example of death in her life was her first love and husband Kai Jing who was killed. This event is illustrated by the quotation On the third day, they lined them up, Kai Jing, Dong and thirty other villagers. The Japanese officers said he would ask them once again, one at a time. And one by one they fell (Tan, 303).

Kai Jing's Death made her life tragic because they both really loved each other. Their love is emphasized in the quotation, Recently, I have felt this beauty of effortlessness in all things, He said, How about you? Its the same for me. I said, and began to cry (Tan, 242). Another reason why his death made her life tragic was because it caused her to go into depression. This is evident in the quotation, Gao Ling had to force me to eat, and even then I could not taste anything (Tan, 301).

It shows how depressed Lu Ling became because she had lost her sense of taste, which further emphasizes the sadness of her life. Lastly the death of her second husband also forced her to remind herself that she could not escape from her tragic life. This is depicted by the statement I sailed for America, a land without curses or ghost (Tan, 338). Lu Ling sailed away from China to escape her sad memories, but she is reminded of the grief in losing a loved one when her second husband, Edwin, dies. His death is illustrated in the passage But then big brother Edwin was killed in a hit-and-run car accident while leaving UCSF library one night (Tan, 61). This represents another sad event in Lu Lings life because she lost another loved one even though she thought that her fate would change in America, thus adding more support to her life being tragic.

Much like Lu Ling, Kwan also lives through life losing many loved ones. Her first loss was her childhood friend Bun Cakes. The lost of Bun Cakes made her life tragic because they were close in every way. This is shown in the quotation, Thats how I remember Bun Cakes. She and I were good little friends. We lived in the same house.

We slept in the same bed. We were like sisters. Without talking we each knew what the other was feeling. At such we knew about the sadness of the world.

I lost my family. She lost hers (Tan, 251) When Bun Cake dies, she becomes sad because it was like losing apart of herself. This was evident at Bun Cakes funeral, where Kwan states at Bun Cakes funeral, I starred at my body in the coffin. I cried for my friend, I cried for myself (Tan, 256). The loss of Bun Cake made her life tragic because it forced her into depression, since she lost someone very close. Another person that died in Kwan's life was her aunt Big Ma.

The death of Big Ma was tragic because when she died, Kwan really regretted that she did not see her in time, which was evident in the quotation, But its not the same. We can no longer make new memories together. We cant change the past. Not until the next lifetime (Tan, 208). Without seeing Big Ma for one last time, Kwan's life became sad because she could not complete her goal of showing Big Ma what she has become.

This is shown in the quotation, Before I let for America, I raised three birds, not just one, so I could make three wishes My third wish: For Big Ma to see this and say she was sorry she sent me away (Tan, 195). Since Big Ma died, Kwan can no longer redeem herself by seeing Big Ma, thus furthering the tragedy of their lives. In conclusion, Lu Ling and Kwan both lived tragic lives as they were both neglected. This neglect is administered by their family, thus increasing the tragedy of their lives. In addition, they lived tragic lives as they were both exploited by others who manipulated their good intentions. Lastly, the loss of their loved ones further contributed to the tragedy of their lives as it catapulted them into depression.

Both Lu Ling and Kwan experience the tortures of and tribulations of life, with neither experiencing the relief of death. Thus both are destined to live their lives in tragedy.

Research essay sample on Second Husband Loved One