Essay Questions

Show how racial discrimination is presented in Chuo-liu Wu’s Orphan of Asia.

In this work, the aspect of racial discrimination and rift that affects the Japanese and the Taiwanese is brought out in the work. For instance, in the institution which Taiming joins as a worker, this racial rift is brought out through the principal who is presented as favouring the Japanese staff over the Taiwanese staff. In fact, he denounces them as being inferior in terms of their language capabilities. Also, racial rifts affect Taiming on a more personal level when he falls for a Japanese, Hisako. Even though this happens, he knows how impossible this attraction is: “For the more, she aroused him, the more depressed he felt and the deeper he slid down into the unbridgeable abyss that separated them, he Taiwanese and she Japanese.” The racial rift in existence becomes clearly brought out in this work.

Show how science is emphasized in Chuo-liu Wu’s Orphan of Asia.

In this work, the importance accorded to science is well brought out. For instance, Taiming makes a choice to study physical science as a result of his feeling that the Taiwanese needed to have success in this field. Taiming notes that they have very little to bring to the table in the globalized world. Additionally, he notes that even though the Taiwanese have avoided the physical sciences its what they’ll need to bring to the table.

Taiming says: “[…] It’s especially the physical sciences, which we Taiwanese have avoided, that we urgently need to master. In the future, men will probably carry out their struggles under the banner of science.” Additionally, there is a substantial decrease in the number of people practicing traditional Chinese medicine and, in this way, the importance accorded to science is well brought out in the work.

Show how the conflict between tradition and modernism is bought out in Orphan of Asia.

Even though in some circumstances, Taiming believes in the traditional way of things and values, these values are often contradicted or an in conflict with the modern values that he becomes accustomed to. For instance, Taiming says that not following the traditions would be the same as degenerating “into mere form” and would be “a worse offense to their illustrious ancestors.” On the other hand, however, when Aunt Xin undergoes childbirth associated complications and the people resort to traditions as opposed to modern medicines, Taiming dismisses this as ‘stupid.’ He says: “ “These stupid customs had taken the lives of countless mothers and babies […]” In this way, the conflict between the traditional and modern way of life is presented.