Ideas for Writing - Turtle Soup by Marilyn Chin

1. "Sometimes you're the life, sometimes the sacrifice." Write about this quote within the context of an immigrant family. What might a family gain or lose by moving to a new land?

The quote “Sometimes you’re the life, sometimes the sacrifice” conveys a couple of messages and meanings. Referring to the text, within the context of an immigrant family, the quote explains that sometimes you get what you want but some other time you might lose something. By moving to a new land an immigrant family might have to lose their culture. As referred to the text, the persona immigrated to America which is he brings his Chinese culture along with him but he is somehow to say, has to adapt with the Western culture though. Meaning, a fully practice of Chinese culture in America is most probably not applicable. This is where the quote obviously works. Living up in America offers the persona to get used to the Western culture where he believes that the ancient tradition, culture, and believes of the Chinese in China of Turtle Soup is irrelevant to extend of the modern era. This is because the Western is not familiar with exotic food. For them, medical sciences are more relevant nowadays. However, the mother who growing up in the Chinese culture yet still has faith in believing what the ancient did. The mother boiled Turtle Soup for twelve hours and never doubted the power of how much goodness and healthiness she can get from the Turtle Soup.

However, in relation of what an immigrant family might gain by moving to a new land could be explained in the sense of knowledge and experience. To immigrate means to experience a new things, new places, and new knowledge. The persona is living in America but that doesn’t mean it is a bad thing if he didn’t fully practice Chinese culture. Somehow he is adapting the new culture which is the Western culture where he gains new knowledge and experience of new places and new peoples which he wouldn’t get in China. This is why to get something you might have to lose something in return. This is also where the pros and cons depicts when you moving to a new land. Therefore, the way of how the persona expresses himself in the text could be claimed wise and logic. No matter how rich ones culture is, but by the moment you immigrate, changes does takes place.