Week 7, Weekly Analysis, Closed End,

In the Land of the Free, by Edith Maud Eaton, takes place in San Francisco. A Chinese couple were living in the San Francisco, the wife, Lae Choo, returned to China to give birth to their child, The Little One. Her husband, Hom Hing stayed in San Francisco and continued to work as a merchant, he owned a store and they lived above it. Lae Choo and her son had stayed in China longer than they expected because Hom Hing’s parents were ill and she needed to take care of them. Hom Hing had never met his son, who was 20 months old. Lae Choo and The Little One arrived under the Golden Gate bridge aboard, Easter Queen. Hom Hing met his son and as they were leaving the ship the family was stopped by two men with the intials U.S.C. on their caps. The Little One did not have any papers and none of the papers about Lae Choo had mentioned anything about a child, because he was not born when the papers were filed. Against the parents will they had to hand their son over to the men, until they could get approval from the government to let the child in to the US.

The next day Hom Hing when to get his son, when he returned home, he did not have his child. Lae Choo was devastated.

One literary device used was suspense, Easton had me wanting to read faster to see how and when was Lae Choo, going to get her son back. This is shown in the story with the following quote. “Her food she takes only when I bed her and her tears fall continually. She finds no pleasure in dress or flowers and cares not to see her friends. He eyes stare all night. I think before another moon she will pass into the land of spirits.” pg 326. As a mother I cannot even imagaine having my baby taken from me for so long, from what started as a day turned into 5 months and then 10 months.

The second literary device used was tragedy, this is shown when after 10 long months Lae Choo was able to get her son from the missionary where he was taken care of. She was so happy to see him but he did not know who she was when he saw her. “But the Little One shrunk from her and tried to hide himself in the folds of the white woman’s skirt. “Go ‘way, go ‘way!” he bade his mother.”pg 329 As I was read this last quote and then end of the story in our book, I felt so heartbroken for Lae Choo. After all of those months, tears, sleepless nights, Lae Choo just wanting to hold her son again and when the moment comes he rejects her. This is a true tragedy for this mother. 

Reading Notes B, Week 7, Baum

In the story From Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, by L. Frank Baum, imaginary is used as the literary device.
Characters:
Dorothy: main character, young girl, arrived on a train from San Francisco to Hugson's Siding, it was several hours late due to the earthquakes. She was there to meet back up with her uncle Henry, so they could return home to Kansas. Uncle Henry was visiting with his brother in law Bill Hugson.
Zebedia (Zeb) was Bill Hugson's nephew and a second cousin to Dorothy. Zeb and his horse, Jim, had been waiting for Dorothy to arrive at the train station.
As the Dorothy, Zeb, and Jim were returning to the Hugson Ranch, earthquakes started again and the ground was splitting apart, the earth opened right in front of them but they did not fall in. However the second time the earth split right under the horse and buggy. "Suddenly there was a rending, tearing sound, and the earth split into another great crack just beneath the spot where the horse was standing....the animal body fell into the pit, drawing the buggy.."pg 350 As I was reading this I was imagining the scene in my mind, as the author was describing the fall I could see it in my mind. "...Jim's big ears turn to violet and the other to rose...she looked at Zeb, whose face was blue and whose hair was pink.." pg 352 Dorothy realized they were not in danger but she was going on another great adventure, as she had before. The three of them landed safely on a roof, in the middle of a large city.
I was not a huge fan of The Wizard of OZ and not even sure I watched the whole movie, but after reading this short section of this sequel, I want to watch the whole movie and read this book. Baum really has me as the reader wanting more because he uses imaginary very well in his story.

Reading Notes A, Week 7, Eaton

In the Land of the Free, by Edith Maud Eaton, takes place in San Francisco. A Chinese couple were living in the San Francisco, the wife, Lae Choo, returned to China to give birth to their child, The Little One. Her husband, Hom Hing stayed in San Francisco and continued to work as a merchant, he owned a store and they lived above it. Lae Choo and her son had stayed in China longer than they expected because Hom Hing’s parents were ill and she needed to take care of them. Hom Hing had never met his son, who was 20 months old. Lae Choo and The Little One arrived under the Golden Gate bridge aboard, Easter Queen. Hom Hing met his son and as they were leaving the ship the family was stopped by two men with the intials U.S.C. on their caps. The Little One did not have any papers and none of the papers about Lae Choo had mentioned anything about a child, because he was not born when the papers were filed. Against the parents will they had to hand their son over to the men, until they could get approval from the government to let the child in to the US.

The next day Hom Hing when to get his son, when he returned home, he did not have his child. Lae Choo was devastated.

After 5 long months, Lae Choo was withdrawn from everyone, and Hom Hing felt his wife would die if she did not get her son back. “Her food she takes only when I bed her and her tears fall continually. She finds no pleasure in dress or flowers and cares not to see her friends. He eyes stare all night. I think before another moon she will pass into the land of spirits.” Pg 326 A young man, who was a lawyer, brought a letter from the government but it said the same as before. The young man said he would go to Washington to get the needed papers for Hom Hing to bring his son home, but it would cost him $500, he would not take anything less and the couple had no money. Lae Choo gave him all of her jewelry in exchange for her son.

After 10 long months Lae Choo was able to get her son from the missionary where he was taken care of. She was so happy to see him but he did not know who she was when he saw her. “But the Little One shrunk from her and tried to hide himself in the folds of the white woman’s skirt. “Go ‘way, go ‘way!” he bade his mother.”pg 329