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Over the past few decades, Taiwanese women have been constantly bound by the traditional idea, "Men are breadwinners, and women are housekeepers". Because of the gender roles, most Taiwanese women devote themselves fully to their family as a good wife and mother for life. Marriage has long been recognized as a relationship of "cooperation", "coordination" and "obedience", which every woman is considered to follow. Under such circumstance, the early Taiwanese women cultivated traditional spirits of sacrifice and tenacity. With the change of time nowadays, the cultural exchange and equality between men and women make women independent from men in the workplace and economy. Home is no longer the only place for women. However, Taiwanese women still have the spirits of dedication and tenacity for their own family. This study is based on the love story across two generations to elaborate the roles and meanings of "Ke-au". It's a touching story set in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation. The story concerns Taiwanese soldiers' death in other countries, wives' fear, fates, and sadness for husbands' death in prison because of reaction against the Japanese. Over eighty years, two lovers seems to know each other in the past life. After many years, the words a husband wrote in prison for his wife were used by chance to compose the song "Ke-au" by a young male lead singer of a band. Then, the male lead singer sang this song in a singing competition for his wife in hospital, who was seriously injured and in a coma because of cover for her husband.
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