Spring Final 2015
What do the narratives and poems we've read this semester have to say about culture and identity?
Many of the works that we looked at this semester were focused on culture and identity. The works I have chosen to look at are Life of Pi, American Born Chinese, the poem "Hippie Barbie" by Denise Duhamel, my focus poem "Democracy" by Langston Hughes, and "I Too" by Langston Hughes. They all have similar ideas relating around inequality and living somewhere where you are different from most others and are not used to. They all sort of teach a lesson that simply says to be happy with who you are and don't try to change your identity in order to fit in.
American Born Chinese
This entire book is based around culture and identity. It has prime examples of cultural inequality. It is all about Jin Wang who has to face what could be called a typical American school after living in Chinatown all of his life. Literally from the moment he walked into his classroom, there was racism against him. The other kids in his class let the common stereotypes about Asians define who he is without even getting to know him.
This is Jin's first introduction to his class and it only gets worse from here. Jin goes through school getting teased and bullied just because of where he is from. He doesn't have many friends and even by the end of the book, the few he has are all Asian. Identity also has a prominent role in American Born Chinese. After years of being picked on, Jin decides that he doesn't want to be himself at all anymore. He tries to change so much that eventually, he does. He is completely changed from Jin Wang, into a white boy named Danny. After this Things start to get even worse and he realizes that he was better off being who he was originally supposed to be and not Danny. The book teaches a good lesson which is that people are meant to be who they are and no matter how much they want too, it is impossible change this and it will only make things worse by trying to be someone else.
"Hippie Barbie"
This poem is all about changing culture and being in a place in which you stand out from most others. Culture has changed a lot over the last few decades. It has always been evolving to match what people think is in style. This poem is mainly focused around culture changing in one country instead of multiple races and cultures coming together like in many of the other works. Barbie has found herself in a time that she does not really belong in. She has missed a lot and recognizes that what she has not changed with everyone else. There is a lot more diversity than she is used to in this new world. She notes that the only men she has to chose from are a blond haired Ken and a dark haired Ken. There are no other races or personalities in her world. She also notes that Ken is behind on fashion at one point.
Barbie has always been depicted as a perfect woman. The issue with this is, as time goes on one woman will not always be thought of as perfect. The dresses in the picture above are not exactly what Barbie was talking about in this poem but they can show just how much style has changed. The same goes for people. The last line of the poem sums it up. "She feels like Sandra Dee at a Janis Joplin concert." Unlike Barbie, not everyone is the same in the real world.
"I Too" and "Democracy"
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed-- I, too, am America. |
Democracy will not come
Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear. I have as much right As the other fellow has To stand On my two feet And own the land. I tire so of hearing people say, Let things take their course. Tomorrow is another day. I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread. Freedom Is a strong seed Planted In a great need. I live here, too. I want freedom Just as you. |
These two poems by Langston Hughes go hand in hand. They are both based around slavery and African American inequality in the United States. The speaker, in both poems, seems to be an African slave living among free people. In "Democracy" the speaker is more assertive. He is trying to empower those around him and fight for freedom. The first and last stanzas can sum up the entire poem. The first is just saying that there will never be equality as long as people are afraid to make their move and get it for themselves. In the last stanza, the speaker is simply stating that if the lives in the same place as everyone else, he should have the same rights as them too. In "I Too" the speaker seems more relaxed. He says that he is the "darker brother" indicating that he is of a different race but he still feels close to the others he lives with. Instead of wanting to fight for freedom, he simply says that freedom will come and one day people will think about him the same way they do everyone else and not only this but they will also be ashamed by how they treated him in the past and realize that he is just as beautiful as everyone else. There is a respect for the speakers in these two poems that was not necessarily there in the other works. It is admirable that he does not wish to change at all but he wants to change society. He is not like Jin Wang in wanting to become another race so he doesn't have to deal with racial inequality against him but he is proud of who he is and he knows that there is nothing wrong with him and wants to make everyone else realize this too.
Conclusion
All of these works have similar ideas about culture and identity. All of these show how much of an effect cultural inequality and racism can have on a person. They give insight into the mind of someone who has to deal with being discriminated against just because they were born somewhere else. Identity also played an important role in all of these works. There was a common theme which is that everybody should be happy about who they are and not try to be someone else in order to be liked better. All of these things can be applied to everyday life in the real world. The main ideas in these works could be good to think about for someone who thinks that they are not good enough.