A Study Guide for Marilyn Chin's "How I Got That Name"

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide for Marilyn Chin's "How I Got That Name," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Poetry for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Poetry for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Sep 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781535825047

Book preview

08

How I Got That Name

Marilyn Chin

1994

Introduction

Published in 1994 in The Phoenix Gone, The Terrace Empty, Marilyn Chin's poem How I Got That Name is a self-described consideration of the issue of assimilation. Much of Chin's poetry explores this theme, and her personal struggle between two cultures is apparent. Not wanting to let go of her heritage, she honors it while taking aim at Chinese stereotypes that serve only to minimize the humanity of individual Chinese Americans. The poem explains how she got the name Marilyn, but in the process, she covers themes of family, Americanization, and prevailing social attitudes. This poem appears in Chin's second volume of poetry, and it reflects the poet's comfort with her own voice. The book does not have a dedication, although Chin includes a brief prelude to her mother at the beginning of the book. Her mother is mentioned with honor in How I Got That Name, and her disinterest in blind patriarchal honor for its own sake is abundantly clear.

How I Got That Name is a long, four-stanza poem in free verse. Its complexity is subtle, as the poem flows in a natural, conversational way. Yet, Chin changes tone and thematic focus with each stanza, all the while incorporating literary devices such as irony, alliteration, and assonance with a natural flow. This makes the poem very accessible to a wide range of readers, and this explains its continued popularity.

Author Biography

Award-winning poet Marilyn (Mei Ling) Chin was born on January 14, 1955, in Hong Kong. Her father, Gwock Gon, was a restaurant owner, and her mother's name was Yuet Kuen. As an infant, Chin was exposed to music, both informally and formally. In 1962, Chin and the women in her family joined the men