Cultural Differences and Reconciliation of China and America in The Joy Luck Club开题报告

1. 研究目的与意义

Ethnic Chinese, as a special kind of community, are cultural messengers between the East and the West. On one hand, they are Chinese in the eyes of the foreigners and they inherit the traditional Chinese culture; on the other hand, they are deeply influenced by the foreign culture in the mind of the conventional Chinese. As a result, the community has to face the cultural conflict and reconciliation in the communication between the East and the West. Amy Tan was born and lived in the America, she is still a Chinese indeed, and she is familiar with the traditional Chinese culture, which helps her see the cultural differences in a special view. Her novel The Joy Luck Club tells the relationship of four pairs of Chinese mothers and their daughters who were born in America. The mothers and the daughters all experience the conflict at first and they all understand each other at last. I want to analyze the cultural differences and reconciliation of the two countries through the research of the characteristics#8217; interpersonal relations and their different views towards the love, marriage, education, family, etc. From my point of view, we can stand higher to compare the two kind of different cultures and find the truth of the culture with open attitude.

2. 研究内容和预期目标

The relationship between the mothers and the daughters is the most important line in the novel, and from which we can find the cultural differences and the conflicts, as well as the cultural reconciliation. In the first half of the novel, the writer features the conflict chiefly; and in the second half, the understanding and cultural reconciliation is well described. The two parts are both important for us to feel the cultural differences and the reconciliation. After researching the relationships between the mothers and the daughters, we can see the cultural differences between China and America, and at last, the cultural reconciliation can also appear. I also want to show how to avoid the misunderstanding during the intercultural communication and how to keep the different cultures in harmony.

3. 国内外研究现状

In China, a lot of essays are related to the novel. The scholars all have their personal attitudes towards the novel. The relationship between the mothers and the daughters are mostly discussed and the conflicts and the reconciliation between the different the cultures are also the key point. I just want to study the cultural differences and the reconciliation of the two countries from the aspect of the relationships of the mothers and the daughters and their different senses towards the love, family, education, etc. In the foreign countries, the novel is much more famous. More foreign scholars pay attention to the cultural differences and the reconciliation reflected in the novel. What#8217;s more, the novel is also adapted into the movie and the movie is quite wonderful that gains a lot of worldwide praise.

4. 计划与进度安排

I. Introduction 1.1 A Brief Introduction of Amy Tan 1.2 A Brief Introduction of The Joy Luck Club II. The Cultural Differences Between China and America in The Joy Luck Club 2.1 Different Views of Love and Marriage Values 2.1.1 Different Views of Love 2.1.2 Different Views of Marriage Values 2.1.2.1 The Attitudes Toward Marriage 2.1.2.2 The Attitudes Toward Divorce 2.1.2.3 The Attitudes on Money in Marriage 2.2 Different Family Values 2.2.1 Traditional Chinese Family Values: Filial Piety 2.2.2 American Family Values: Individualism and Equality 2.3 Differences Between Education Values 2.3.1 Different Objects 2.3.2 Different Styles 2.3.3 Different Contents 2.3.4 Different Results III. The Causes of the Cultural Differences Between China and America 3.1 Historical and Religious Reasons 3.2 Different Living Environment and Residences IV. Methods of the Harmonious Coexistence of Different Cultures in The Joy Luck Club 4.1 To Show Understanding of and Respect for Foreign Cultures 4.2 To Seek Common Points while Reserving Differences V. Conclusion References

5. 参考文献

[1] Amy Tan. The Joy Luck Club [M]. New York：Lvy Books, 1990. [2] John Henry Hewman. The Idea of a University [J]. Dublin：Ashfield, 2010. [3] Lewis, M. The state of ELT and the way for ward [M]. London: Language Teaching Publications, 1993. [4] Shear, Walter. The Joy Luck Club-Generation [M]. Dichotomy of Culture, 1993. [5] Stephen Souris. Only Two kinds of Daughters: Inter-Monologue Dialogicity in The Joy Luck Club [M]. Philadelphia：Chelsea House Publishers, 2000. [6] Wang Jin. Cultural Conflicts and Compatibility Between the East and the West in The Joy Luck Club [J]. Wuhan: The Science Education Article Collects, 2007. [7] 李雪峰.中西方文化的冲突-解读《喜福会》中的母女关系[J]. 平原大学学报，2007. [8] 梁素琴. 寻梦人的心理世界-谭恩美小说《喜福会》中的文化冲突探析[J]. 《北京科 大学报》，2006. [9] 谭恩美. 《喜福会：哈佛蓝星双语名著导读》[M]. 天津：天津科技翻译出版公司，2003. [10] 张从益. 《中西文化比较研究》[M]. 长沙：湖南人民出版社，2004.