Analysis Of A Different Mirror By Ronald Takaki
Emily Ikeda
Music 171
10 March 2023
Reflection Paper (Takaki)
In his chapter "A Different Mirror" from Multicultural America, Ronald Takaki highlights the neglected stories of different ethnic groups in American history, arguing that the Eurocentric lens used to present American history erases the contributions and experiences of people of color. To create an inclusive and just society, Takaki emphasizes the significance of acknowledging and celebrating America's multicultural past. He sheds light on the impact of systemic racism on marginalized communities, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the diversity of American history.
Takaki's discussion of the Chinese immigrant experience in America in the late 1800s and early 1900s is one of the specific points that stands out. He explains how they were subjected to racism and discrimination, scapegoated for economic hardships, and excluded from
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I had always thought of race as a biological construct, but Takaki's argument that whiteness is a social construct created to maintain power and privilege for white people challenged my understanding of race in society. He challenges the previous understanding of race and how it operates in society by explaining how different ethnic groups were considered "non-white" but eventually assimilated into mainstream American society by adopting whiteness. Takaki's exploration of the concept of whiteness is particularly insightful as it reveals how social constructs can be used to oppress and marginalize certain groups. This idea highlights the importance of understanding the ways in which power and privilege operate in society and how they affect different communities. Overall, Takaki's chapter serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of recognizing and celebrating the diversity of America's history and the ongoing struggle for social
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412 Words | 2 PagesReader Response of Chapter 2 of A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki In the book, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America, Ronald Takaki gives an anecdote about how the lives of both the Indians and the Irish were dramatically destroyed and how they were even almost extinct because of the violent and corrupted acts of the English. Moreover, the English expansion led to the “making of an English-American identity based on race” (Takaki 26). Furthermore, the Irish were the first people to be considered as savages. The English felt as if the Irish did not have any respectful manners or obedience to God.
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743 Words | 3 PagesIn the book A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki, he argues that the “Master Narrative of American History” does not accurately reflect the meaning behind what it means to be an American, because this country is populated by immigrants from around the world. Therefore, Takaki wrote this book to make us look into a different mirror and showing us a more inclusive outlook by reflecting us the true history of America that includes Native Americans. Many also lack information about the history of several other ethnicities and for that reason, society created a construction through a separation between the minorities and whites. By conveying the history of the original settlers who have been inhabiting America, Takaki is able to exclude many people’s mentality that the history of whites are more superior than other racial minorities, in which have made them feel unimportant because of their lifestyle, when America is a country of all people, and not only
Ronald Takaki A Different Mirror Analysis
300 Words | 2 PagesThe fourteenth chapter of Ronald Takaki's A Different Mirror briefly covers American dilemmas during the Second World War. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian military governor General Delos Emmons declared: "We must distinguish between loyalty and disloyalty among our people"(Takaki 342). At first, this assured faithful Japanese citizens and aliens of Hawaii that the government would not produce mass concentration camps due to their ethnicity. President Roosevelt eventually settled for the internment of 1,444 Japanese after his original demand for 20,000 following Emmons' argument claiming that "such a removal of Japanese would severely disrupt both the economy and the defense of Hawaii" (Takaki 342). Meanwhile, on the west
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287 Words | 2 PagesRonald Takaki a renowned pioneer in the field of ethnic studies has over the years authored numerous books on diversity in American society. As a grandson of Japanese immigrants who became the first black studies professor at UCLA, Takaki for many years has continually tried to bridge cultures and ethnic groups in the United States. In his book “A different mirror: A history of multicultural America”, Takaki addresses the idea of multiculturalism in our society, and also talks about how for many years we have been told to acknowledge the notions that the core principles of our nation uprooted only from one group rather than a contribution from other various cultures as well. The ‘master narrative’ posed by Takaki describes the growing
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