The Chuang Tzu reading had some interesting messages embedded within its stories. Passage A talks about the “Perfect Man,” who does not know anything, essentially. Chuang Tzu further explains this by saying that all things, such as good and evil, are intertwined and cannot be defined as one or the other. Therefore, the Perfect Man does not know the distinction between these things. Passage C emphasizes the importance of staying in the middle. This not only means to stay out of evil, but it also means to not exploit your goodness. Chuang Tzu urges the reader to stand their ground and not get drawn into being too good or too evil. Passage G also resonates with me because it describes the act of not doing anything/ not understanding. To me, this passage urges the reader to forget all inherited biases and judgments and instead do nothing and act with non-action in order to actually “understand” the world. It’s a tricky concept to grasp and even though I don’t fully understand it, it makes sense to me that it’s important to let go of past prejudices and have an open mind.
The second reading, Ha Jin’s “Flame,” carries the theme of losing love because of parental pressure as well as societal influences. The main character, Nimei, is only ashamed of her body and husband when her past lover, Hsu Peng, writes to her that he will come to see her after not speaking to her for 17 years. Although Nimei is married and has children with her arranged-marriage partner Jiang Bing, it is evident that she still has feelings for Hsu Peng and exercises in order to bring back her young figure. She also works to get a job promotion for Jiang Bing so that Hsu Peng won’t think less of her and her family. However, the end of the story reveals that Hsu Peng could not attend her house and instead buys her food as a friendly offering. This upsets Nimei because she worked so hard to look good to her past lover, which illustrates the theme of losing love by placing one’s societal status above true love.