Blog Post 7: Extended Culture of One

As a second generation Taiwanese-American, I have been able to relate to a lot of the literature read in class. The feeling of being stuck between two countries, two cultures, and two lives, is a constant internal struggle for me. However, the literature that stuck out to me the most was "Recipe" by Janice Mirikitani. The simplicity of this poem reflects the unattainable dream for Asian Americans to pass as white and become American. Even this small desire to have "round eyes" means that the speaker is giving up her entire identity in order to assimilate into America (Mirikitani 85). Afraid that she will ruin the illusion of whiteness, the speaker continually tells herself "do not cry" (Mirikitani 85). Crying would reveal she is Asian. Crying would reveal her vulnerability. This poem reminds me of my own childhood, when like the main character of the poem, I would purposely fold my mono lids so that I might have the double eyelids "Americans" had. I would ask my mom if I looked pretty, and I remembered her telling me that my eyes looked much bigger and thus prettier. I was able to relate to the idea of passing because I grew up surrounded by the idea that no more "white" you looked, the more successful you will be in life.

The historical event that impacted me the most was the migration of refugees from Vietnam. They had originally immigrated to the United States hoping to finding freedom and relief from violence. However, they were unable to escape the "tyranny in Vietnam" because they "find that they face another tyranny in [America]" (Takaki 455). Unlike the other groups of Asian Americans, these war refugees have experienced countless horrors and experienced their family members' deaths. They were hoping to escape war and get refuge, only were met with more discrimination and prejudice. Perhaps the worst is that they are unable to keep their culture as their children drift further away from their home country and begin "to make America their new home" (Takaki 455). This is similar to a lot of the second generation children. These South Asian American immigrants have a lot in common with the Korean Americans, in that they both do not have a home country to return to due to war and oppression. The feeling of displacement was intensified as they had no home to return to and were unwelcome in the United States.

Overall, this class revealed a lot of what I felt living as a Taiwanese American. I was able to take the stories we read and the films we watched and relate them to my own experiences. I became more aware of my stance on racial equality and assimilation. Before the class, I had been struggling with my own identity as I wanted to live as a Taiwanese freely, but at the same time, embrace my American identity. Through this class, I have also learned about racism and why it exists. After learning that everyone is racist, I have begun to look at the world in a different perspective, with less judgement.