What is an American Part 2

An American can be many different things. When I think of an American, I think of someone born and raised in the United States. Someone that is patriotic. An American is a person that celebrated his/her freedom. They feel lucky for being an American. A person that loves the fourth of July. Someone that supports their state during an election. An American stands up for their rights. They make sure the United States remains a free country. Americans help others, and help other countries. They set up relief efforts when another country has been hit with bad weather. An American celebrates the fourth of July. They take pride in how they live. An American helps bail other countries and business out of debt. An American can live in any of the 50 states of the United States. They all work together to benefit America. An American is not someone that becomes a United States citizen. It is someone that is born in the United States. Someone that is passionate about the United States. An American comes in all shapes, sizes and colors. A true American votes and says how they feel. An American supports their country, even when they are in a recession. America does whatever it can to make sure everyone is being supported. They make sure they bring plenty of jobs to the United States for the Americans. A true American follows their dreams and America allows that. At the end of the day, an American knows that background history of the country. They know how America got started many many years ago.

Contrast 2 Readings- Blog 9

The works Wilshire Bus and Monkey have many differences. In Wilshire bus, a lady deals with racism and identity. A Chinese couple is called out in front of everyone on the bus by and American. He tells them to go back to china if they do not like what he is saying. The American is being racists towards the Chinese couple. Esther thinks to herself, does he think I am Chinese because I am Japanese. She does not want to be associated as a Chinese person. She also feels bad she did not stick up for the Chinese couple. I feel this is a clear case of identity crisis. She is more worried about what her true identity is, and does the American guy know she is not Chinese or is he even thinking she is Chinese? From my opinion, Ester is thinking he has me confused, Chinese and Japanese people look alike. Then she feels guilty for being more worried about if the American knew she was Japanese and not Chinese, instead of standing up for the couple. She got off the bus feeling down because she did not help them. I think that also tied into her identity. Ester felt as if she did not put her best foot forward by not standing up for something she felt like was the right thing to do. She lies to her husband about why she is upset. She is not true to her identity. This contrast with the story Ghalib, in this poem he feels lost and hurt. He has a bit of an identity issue with not writing in his language. He wrote his poem in Urbu. He made things different and easy but hard to understand. The poem had a sadness to it. For example, “springs cloud dies into its weeping rain.” He at the same time gives mixed feelings. He seems to feel lost. He says The rose changes, gives us joy, our eyes should have always been open. Ghalib was letting the readers know that in the day time the sun shines and he is great, but when night falls he remembers grief and pain. He wants the starts to look another way. Ghalib has troubles of letting go of the past I would say. Something has really affected him. It is not so much identity he is dealing with. He has a problem with letting go I think. He wants people to have sympathy for him. He lets everything out in a poem and writing. He seems to be lost in his past. He is perfect and precise by writing in couplets. And the lines of the poems he makes them equal length. He seems to be depressed with himself. He feels like a prisoner of love. He does not let the good emotions come through. I think in Wilshire bus Ester has issues with identity and racism. In Ghalib he feels stuck, not so much identity wise. He feels trapped in love and shows the good and bad of his problems. Although he does not tell us his problems, he uses other words to show us.

Teaching Literature: Part 2

There are three stories we have read that have one theme in common. American School, Wilshire bus, and Tripmaster Monkey all have racism in common. In these stories there were different stereotypes’. Every culture thought they were better than the next one (nationalism). In Wilshire bus you see the American be mean to the elder Chinese couple. Esther thinks to herself does he think I am Chinese, because I am Japanese. In American School the Japanese were given a hard time by other people, especially the Michiko. In Wilshire bus the Japanese rode the bus but in American School they walked. In Wilshire bus they Americans were more interacting then in American School. In Wilshire bus the Americans were raciest to the Japanese and put them in camps during the war. In Tripmaster monkey there was a difference of who is better when it came to the plays. There was a sense of racism between the martial art teachers. They used a sense of sexuality that was frowned upon in this culture. There was a lot that was in the writers head (Stream of conscious.) Wittman wants to get with Nancy who is the beautiful actress but at the same time he has a girlfriend. In American School, the word Negro was used to make him look bad, but when he did well they called him the black man. In American School, the Japanese could not speak well English but were known for being smarter in education. In every culture you see another one judging them in some way. Racism has come a long way, but is still around no matter what culture you are from or clam.

Personal Growth Part Two

I have a different thought now when it comes to the Japanese culture. I thought the Japanese culture was very proper and followed all the rules. After watching Memoirs of a Geisha, I learned that was not the case. There was a scene where a girl hooked up with her boyfriend which is frowned upon in their culture is how I took it. She was sneaking around to meet with him. I learned traditions are not always followed. She made her family think she was an angle and did nothing wrong. I also did not know the Japanese did prostitution like in Memoirs of a Geisha because of how the frown upon so many things. I did notice how they wore the white make up, hair pulled back and their lips smaller with red lipstick. I thought that was how Japanese always went around every day. I realized that they are more like us. Just because they are a different culture does not mean they are different. I also changed my mind when in Wilshire bus, Esther goes to visit her husband. An American go on the bus that day and was being loud and obnoxious. He told an elderly Chinese couple that if they did not like what he was saying they could go back to china. This left Esther speechless and she did not know what to say. She was thinking does he think I am Chinese because I am Japanese. She got off the bus and felt bad for not speaking up for elderly couple. This made me realize that you can judge someone just because of what culture they are from. Esther had good intentions. She wanted to say something. I made me see they are just like me. You can judge a book by its cover or in this case its culture.

Anthologies

There are many different cultures represented in the anthologies. The Japanese culture is represented in a few different stories. This is a well-know culture to many. When I think of Japanese, I think of a Japanese steak house and chopsticks. I think of people with make-up, hair in a bun most of the time the hair is black and wearing the dresses that bright colored with the different designs on them. I think it helps when the author is from or has some connection to the culture. I think the writers of the book uses this culture because many people have some kind of thought about Japanese culture. There is also the Chinese culture in some of the readings. The Chinese culture was included because Chinese is known throughout the world. A lot of people relate Chinese to the food. We all have had some type of Chinese food. I think a lot of people can relate to the Chinese culture because we have all read a fortune cookie. We have seen at one time or another how the Chinese language is written, in jibberish to us. This is just a well known culture throughout the world. I feel that the Indian culture is left out. I know the author of a poem in the books we are reading is Indian. I personally do not think the poem is really representing the Indian culture. It does not say anything about what their culture is like. Like in the other readings they paint the reader a picture of what the culture is like. In the poem it was more of how the author felt and his feelings, nothing related to his culture.

Teaching Literature

There are many ways you can go about teaching someone about a culture. This can include book, television shows, readings, movies and more. I would start out by asking the class what they know about the Japanese culture. I want to know what they think Japanese people eat, wear, do, and live. I would ask the class where these ideas about the culture came from. Where they taught this previous year in school? And why do they think this is really how the culture is. I would use “Memoirs of a Geisha” to teach them about the Japanese Culture. I want them to understand that they are a different culture from us. The Japanese culture has many different traditions then the American culture. I would let the class what the movie. Then I would ask are there any change in the classes opinions about the culture. I want the class to learn there are secrets in every culture. The Japanese culture had their way of prostitution without making it flat out known. They way they dress sometimes like Americans but other times the women had on a certain robe type dress. They have make-up, making their face really white and have tiny red lips. At one point there was a girl hooking up with her boyfriend. That was frowned upon just like in any culture before marriage. The town they showed and the style of the houses is different from the American culture. The houses are closer together and everyone is closer. There are always eyes watching you it seems like. I would tell the class my thoughts about the Japanese culture and what I learned from the movie. I just would want the class to walk away knowing the Japanese culture is similar and different then Americans and others cultures.

Personal Growth

We have studied some different cultures this far. Most of them I did not know much about but the one that caught my attention was the Japanese culture. The Japanese follow a lot of traditions unlike the Americans. I thought that the Japanese were shorter and smaller than the average American. This idea was put in my head when I had a friend travel to Japan and he was looking over everyone. The Japanese also eat better than most other culture. Their portions are smaller. I thought the Japanese culture was very proper and followed all the rules. After watching Memoirs of a Geisha, I learned that was not the case. There was a scene where a girl hooked up with her boyfriend which was frowned upon in their culture is how I took it. She was sneaking around to meet with him. I learned traditions are not always followed. She made her family think she was an angle and did nothing wrong. I also did not know the Japanese did prostitution like in Memoirs of a Geisha because of how the frown upon so many things. I did notice how they wore the white make up, hair pulled back and their lips smaller with red lipstick. I thought that was how Japanese always went around every day. Throughout the movie you would see the men wear suits or the women wearing average clothes and the women not wearing the long dress looking things. They don’t have the white make up and red lips on. They are more laid back. I guess over all I thought the Japanese culture had strict guide lines they have to follow. But after watching Memoirs of a Geisha I see that there culture is more like ours and everyone else’s culture. I have learned not to be so quick to judge or make a thought stick in my head.