Asian Pacific Lit A SUITCASE OF SEAWEED By: Janet Wong

Bibliography: Wong, Janet. 1996. A SUITCASE OF SEAWEED. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689807880

Summary

This is a collection of thirty-six poems by noted author Janet Wong. The poems are broken down into three categories of twelve poems each. The first set of twelve poems is related to the author’s cultural and ethnical background of Korea. This is her Mother’s heritage. The second set of poems is from her Father’s heritage as a descendent of Chinese heritage. Finally, the third set blends both cultures together as Ms. Wong’s American heritage. These poems are memories of stories told, memories of family and friends, and nostalgic fragrances from the past.

Critical Analysis

This collection of thirty-six poems envelops the heritage of Ms. Wong from Korea to China to America. She begins each of the three sections with a brief history of the various cultures which are her heritage. The first twelve poems are from her Korean heritage. She tells of how her Mother and Father met and found love. She finds it curious how they could fall in love, not understanding each other’s language. She knew little of her Korean culture, having not been around any family for any length of time. As an adult she became more curious about her heritage. She uses some of the Korean language in the interlingual format with words such as Korean beef bone soup, kimchi. In the poem JOYCE’S BEAUTY SALON “They call my mother the perm lady, “PumAjima.” This poem also brings in the cultural marker of the straight, heavy hair of the Korean people, and like so many of any culture, they are unhappy with the way their hair looks. They leave the salon with lighter hair and carefree curls. Another poem in this section HOSPITALITY reminds the reader of the Korean culture of removing the shoes before entering the house. Ms.Wong’s visitor seems not to notice all the shoes lined up by the door and the displeasure of her Mother is shown when she doesn’t offer the visitor anything to eat. CAMPFIRE is reminiscent of the way Mother could build a fire with just rocks as a child in her homeland of Korea. Mother would enjoy the roasting of grasshoppers as a snack and when Janet comes along Mother enjoys making the campfire in the same old way, but with a more delectable snack of marshmallows. Many of her poems are comparing the old ways to the new ways. The second set of selections is taken from the Chinese side of the family which was her fathers. In the introductory selection she again uses a cultural word GongGong and explains that this is a Chinese word for Grandfather. Wong tells of her upbringing in the 1950’s Los Angeles where her Grandfather owned a restaurant called Wong’s Café. She would work an hour or two there cleaning tables or sweeping at her mother’s beauty shop a few stores down. One poem in this section titled ALBERT J. BELL tells of a favorite customer that she knew as Uncle Al. Although there was a forty year friendship between her Grandfather and Uncle Al, he never learned to use chopsticks, and Grandfather always failed to give him a fork. This is a cultural marker in the tradition of how the Chinese people eat their food. Another poem in this group titled WHEN I GROW UP shows the artistic side of Wong as she dreams of being a writer, artist, dancer or singer. Her Grandpa wants her to become a professional so she can make a good living and won’t be poor like the people in China who “eat one chicken, work all year.” Wong explains to her Grandpa that “things are different here.” A comparison of the life in China where at the time of Grandpa’s youth there was little chance of advancement to all the opportunities available in America. MONEY ORDER reminds the reader of the close ties within the Chinese community where those in America send money back to relatives in the homeland so they can have some of their desires. However, Wong questions that they used the money to buy a color TV instead of using the money for essentials. GRANDMOTHER’S ALMOND COOKIES is a favorite of mine as it brings back the way my Mother and Grandmother cooked. Ask for a recipe and what do you get? A little of this, a handful of that, a little wetter, no recipe! The final selections surround the fact that although her heritage is Korean/Chinese, she is indeed an American. She is often asked “Where are you from” and in this section she tries to answer that question. In MANNERS she compares the heritages, Chinese eat in porcelain bowls, pick up the bowl and push the rice into the mouth with chopsticks. The Koreans leave the stainless steel bowl on the table, even when the food has gone cold. When you are born in LA half and half, you use a fork and knife. IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD takes her back to the past to the house she lived in as a child. She remembers how wonderful it was when she was a child and now it is just like all the rest. The last poem in her book sums up the heritage of all Americans:

QUILT

Our family
is a quilt

of odd remnants
patched together

in a strange pattern,

threads fraying,
fabric wearing thin –

but made to keep
its warmth

even in bitter
cold.

Ms. Wong’s poetry separates and brings the three cultures together to make her who she is. They define the differences in each culture. It is interestingly noted that the few illustrations within the book are called “ decorations by the author.” The “decoration” on the first part is of one of her now favorite Korean dishes – Korean beef bone soup (kimchi) with lots of garlic. She has titled this decoration “Garlic Boat. The second section of Chinese poems illustrates the Gold Mountain Tea, a favorite of her Grandfather’s cooked in the old family teapot.

Reviews

School Library Journal: Wong was born in America of Chinese and Korean heritage, but the basic subjects she addresses in neat stanzas of free verse aim at the heart of any family, any race. The quiet, touching poems are divided into three sections, each honoring another part of her ethnicity. The Korean section deals with such diverse topics as hospitality, acupuncture, or the spicy kimchi that was a frequent dinner food. The author learned about Chinese culture from her father's parents, whose presence plays a large role in these poems of family. As an American, Wong writes poems of realization and identity. Whether the words are about customs or careers, they provide a sense of who the author has become because of her pride in her blood-lines. People may ask Asian-Americans "Where are you from?" This collection, appropriate for YAs of any culture, may make this question less relevant and important as they realize the commonalties among cultures.

Booklist: As she did in Good Luck Gold (1994), Wong writes in simple, casual free verse about herself. This time she has divided the small collection into three parts: Korean, Chinese, and American poems. At the start of each section is a page of autobiography as interesting as the poems. Her Korean mother met and married Wong's father when he was in Korea with the U.S. Army. He is Chinese but came to this country when he was 12. Wong was born here. Some of the poems are flat, but the best of them show a mix of feelings. Koreatown is growing, spreading--and "splitting." Korean women, furious with their families, come to the beauty salon to change their "stubborn, straight, heavy hair" and get themselves a perm. The poems overlap their ethnicity and subject, of course, and young people will recognize many of the situations, whether Wong is imagining her parents' "Love at First Sight" or chafing at their high expectations and their disappointment.

Connections

Students look through previously selected books of poetry to find a poem relating to their culture and heritage

Write a poem about culture/heritage

Other poetry books by this author:

GOOD LUCK GOLD AND OTHER POEMS

NIGHT GARDEN: POEMS FROM THE WORLD OF DREAMS

TWIST: YOGA POEMS

KNOCK ON WOOD: POEMS ABOUT SUPERSTITIONS

THE RAINBOW HAND: POEMS ABOUT MOTHERS AND CHILDREN

BEHIND THE WHEEL: DRIVING POEMS

Teacher Materials by Janet Wong

POETRY WORKSHOP: THE POETRY SUITCASE

YOU HAVE TO WRITE WITH JANET WONG