EMOTIONS I FELT WHEN READING "CHINESE CINDERELLA"

Chinese Cinderella is an amazing Autobiography on the childhood of Adeline Yen Mah. During the time I read Chinese Cinderella I felt many different emotions. Firstly I felt Horror, I next felt hatred, and I also felt Happiness. In this essay I will explain why I felt this way.

Many times throughout Chinese Cinderella I felt Absolute horror.
For example when Adeline was being taken by her Father and Stepmother to a Boarding School in Tianjin, Adeline’s father had to fill out a form about Adeline. I felt horror when he turned to Adeline and said to her, “I’m afraid I’ve forgotten your Chinese name, is it
Jun-qing?” Adeline then expresses in her Autobiography ‘a pang went through. I meant so little to him; I was such a nobody that he didn’t even remember my name!’ “No father. That’s little sister’s name. Mine is Jun-ling.”
He then goes on to ask, her date of birth, but she does not know this because he has never allowed her to celebrate her birthday. This makes me so angry to know that a father could know so little about his own child. How could he make his child feel meaningless and like a nobody?

While reading Chinese Cinderella I felt hatred for many of the characters.
An example of this was when Adeline’s class mates had followed her home from school. They wanted to celebrate the victory of her becoming class president. When Adeline’s stepmother heard them she called her into he room, Niang then started screaming at her. Though Adeline explained to Niang that she didn’t invite, Niang continues slapping and accusing her of being a liar and a show off. Niang then sends her down to her friends to tell them they must go home. When Adeline approaches her class mates she realizes that she has blood dripping from her nose and that they had heard every harsh word and every slap Niang had inflicted on her.
This makes me feel hatred for Niang because she went to ever extent possible to make Adeline feel unwanted and alone. She didn’t want anyone to know that she has stepchildren. She wanted to look like a perfect Wife with two children. Not two children and five stepchildren.

I did not only feel miserable emotions through out reading Chinese Cinderella. I also felt happiness. I felt this way, when Adeline finally got what she had wanted her entire life. After winning a international playing writing competition her father was finally proud to have her as a daughter. He then allowed her to attend University in England. This made me feel Happy because throughout the novel I felt the pain and misery she expressed. But now that she was truly happy for the first time in her life. It made me feel happy that she received the happiness and love that she had deserved her whole life.

In conclusion I felt different strong emotions while reading different events that occurred in Chinese Cinderella. I felt Anger, Hatred, and Happiness. From reading Adeline’s feelings and emotions I felt he pain and her happiness.