Suicide Note Poem Analysis

Janice Mirikitani wrote a poem called the Suicide Note. Suicide Note is a tale about the struggle young Asian women face in college, involving the need to succeed and depression and the pain endured from friends, family, and social expectations. In the poem, it tells about the need to be perfect and how it can lead to depression. The also poem also shows the rough culture Asian women live in. Let us start by learning about the poem. Suicide Note tells the story about a young Asian woman in college who committed suicide. The girl was raised by strict parents who seem to want nothing but perfection from their daughter. The young girl did her best to have a 4.0-grade point average, but still ended up coming short. When she found out

Based on these words it is hinting that the girl had issues of perfectionism. Perfectionism is when you have an excessively strong desire for everything that you do. It can often lead to setting strenuous standards and excessive self-criticism when you fail to meet those standards. Perfectionism is something many straight “A” students from high school might face.
In college, perfectionism is one the most common problems student’s face. In a study, it was found that the number of perfectionists has increased since 1989 (LiveScience). The main source of perfectionism is from social media. When students get on Twitter or Instagram, they often compare themselves with their friends. Students also get the idea that they must succeed to be a socially accepted and happy with themselves. While it is evident that the girl places a lot of the blame for shortcomings on herself, part of the blame also goes to her parents. The poem often shows the girl apologizing to her parents for not being perfect. This brings about evidence that her parents were strict and had high expectations for their child. While there is nothing wrong with wanting the best for their child, a parent must show to their child that they are still loved even though their child fell short of the