A Thousand Years of Good Prayers Literary Devices

Explanation and Analysis:

The short story “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers” can be classified as literary fiction. This short story shares the same title as the collection of short stories that it is included in. The collection, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, is author Yiyun Li's first published fiction volume. A Thousand Years of Good Prayers contains many short stories that highlight both Chinese and American culture.

This story, "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers," is set in the United States, and the story closely follows Mr. Shi, who comes from China and still retains many traditional Chinese beliefs. During his visit to the United States, Mr. Shi encounters cultural differences between himself and his daughter, and these differences lead him to reflect on his past—especially his responsibility for the emotional distance between himself and both his wife and his daughter. With its sensitive exploration of the challenges of cultural and language differences between Chinese and American characters, the story fits squarely within the genre of Asian American fiction.

In an interview, Li states that, similar to Mr. Shi's daughter, language makes her a new person. Li's stories reflect some of her own ideas about being able to freely express oneself while living under hostile political and cultural pressure.

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Genre 1 key example