Reading Journal | "The Chinatown Idea" Eric Liu

1. The most successful strategy of Liu's narration is when he uses strong sensory details. As the writer writes about New York's Chinatown, his visits to see his mother, and her experience coming to America, he describes those details of the many scenes he experiences in great depth. By writing about a scene's impact on all five senses and using countless of specific visuals, Liu is able to paint a picture of a scene so distinctly that the reader feel that he or she is actually there. The most important vivid description in the piece was his depiction of Chinatown. "Red-and-gold lanterns, swinging, wild neon lettering. Gangsters in black sedans. Roast birds hanging by their necks behind grimy windows. The waft of vented grease and burnt incense and garbage." Liu's description is not only effective, it is also important to the piece as a whole, as it gives the reader perspective of what Po-Po experienced when she first came New York.

2. Liu uses intense sensory details because he wants to allow the readers to personally experience whatever he is trying to describe, reminding them of his own experiences. These vivid, sensory details is more likely to engage and affect the reader's. Liu is very descriptive while setting the scene for the different memories he takes us through. “Chinatown is presumed authentic: the food, the people, the way of life. This what real Chinese-ness is supposed to be.” Throughout the rest of the story he backs this statement with personal individuals stories. He describes what exactly happened, how he felt, and how others reacted. By doing so, this technique gives the reader a vivid setting, basically taking the readers to the actual scene and making the reader feel connected to the writer. Overall, Liu uses thick description very effectively in his "The Chinatown Idea" as it makes the work feel more personal and real.

3. The word he uses like “incongruous”, “emporium”, and “fortified” are all examples of formal words. I think Liu uses formal dictions to create and convey a typical mood and atmosphere to the readers. A writer’s choice of words and Liu’s selection of graphic words not only affects the reader’s attitude but also conveys the writer’s feelings toward the literary work.