Lau, Alan Chong : My Ship Does Not Need a Helmsman

Literature Annotations

Genre	Poem
Keywords	Acculturation, Aging, Asian Experience, Death and Dying, Family Relationships, Love, Memory, Poverty, Society
Summary	An old, man--a Chinese immigrant to America--is dying in Chinatown, "a sick dog" who yearns for his homeland and for the wife "who died waiting / in the home of my province . . . . " He can't relate to the young political activists who want him to join in protest against "this gray life"--a life which has never really engaged him. He imagines his ashes being carried by the waterways to join the ashes of his wife; she is the helmsman who will lead him back to comfort and joy.
Commentary	An atmosphere of sadness and decay pervades this rendering of the immigrant experience. Also well conveyed are the importance of memories for those who are lonely and old, and the gap between immigrant generations. The poet is Asian-American.
Source	The Open Boat
Publisher	Doubleday: Anchor
Edition	1993
Editors	Garrett Hongo
Place Published	New York
Miscellaneous	Introduction by Garrett Hongo.
Annotated by	Aull, Felice
Date of Entry	04/15/96