Two Chinese-American Children's Book Summary
I have been researching the recent events regarding librarian Liz Soerio and her returning of Mrs. Trump’s gifts. I grew up in Westfield, Massachusetts - the town neighboring Dr. Seuss’ birthplace of Springfield. My childhood was filled with many of his stories, visits to his museum, and discussions and celebrations of his writings. The mural in question - representing a “cliche of Chinese culture” is one that I cannot wholly claim as racist, for I am not of Chinese descent, nonetheless it could be justified with a description of Theodor Geisel’s growth.
Two Chinese-Americans, Lisa and Andy Yee gave contrasting opinions on this situation. Lisa Yee and two Asian-American authors stated “imagery this offensive damages not only Asian American children, but also non-Asian kids who absorb this caricature and could associate it with all Asians or their Asian neighbors and classmates”. Andy Yee, co owner of The Student Prince told a press conference “This is how Asian people came into this country. We didn’t come here wearing Louis Vuitton ad Gucci”. I do recall
…show more content…
Seuss’ story first children’s book, What I think I saw on Mulberry Street expresses a child’s daydreams while walking home, the sights that would have been more interesting than what he actually saw. As you know, the book included a stereotyped Chinese boy. My fellow classmate and activist Marisa Clark said “The main focus of the boy is the chopsticks, to a child eating with sticks is fascinating,” unlike Geisel’s political cartoons, the intent behind the Chinese boy was to intrigue his audience rather than deter them. Over the years, his views certainly evolved to more liberal ones. Later in his career, he republished What I think I saw on Mulberry Street, changing the yellow skin tone of the Chinese boy to white. He went on to write stories with more liberal and intersectional concepts, like The Lorax advocating environmental protection and Horton Hears a Who representing the shutting out of
Racial Fault Lines Analysis
1871 Words | 8 PagesChapter six examines the anti-Chinese sentiment with the emerging class antagonism and turmoil between white capitalists and workers. The unwelcomed arrival of Chinese immigrants brought along their own social organizations such as the huiguan, fongs, and tongs. These types of social organizations secured areas of employment and housing for Chinese immigrants in California. This social structure that was unknown to Anglos led them to also categorize Chinese on the same level as Indians by depicting them as lustful heathens whom were out to taint innocent white women. These images were also perpetuated onto Chinese women, thus, also sexualizing them as all prostitutes.
Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria Summary
765 Words | 4 PagesIn the first chapter of Beverly Tatum’s, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”, And Other Conversations About Race, the author immediately clarifies that racism is not a thing of the past. People in today’s society are merely raised with racial concepts at such a young age that they do not realize the injustice going on around them. She reinforces her statement by showing an example of a group of preschoolers who were told to draw a picture of a Native American. Most of the children didn’t even know what a Native American was, but after being told to draw an Indian, complied. Recurring elements in all of their drawings were feathers, along with a violent weapon, such as a knife.
Creating African Americans Chapter 1 Summary
485 Words | 2 PagesIn Chapter 1 and 2 of “Creating Black Americans,” author Nell Irvin Painter addresses an imperative issue in which African history and the lives of Africans are often dismissed (2) and continue to be perceived in a negative light (1). This book gives the author the chance to revive the history of Africa, being this a sacred place to provide readers with a “history of their own.” (Painter 4) The issue that Africans were depicted in a negative light impacted various artworks and educational settings in the 19th and early 20th century. For instance, in educational settings, many students were exposed to the Eurocentric Western learning which its depiction of Africa were not only biased, but racist as well.
Uncle Sams Thanksgiving Dinner Analysis
1167 Words | 5 PagesAlthough sharing identical titles and depicting presumably interchangeable scenes, Thomas Nast and G.F. Keller’s political cartoons, Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner, illustrate the East and West coast’s contradictory opinions toward the prevailing issues of immigration and its relation to their differing views of the immigrants’ social status, specifically in regards to the Chinese. Written four years after the conclusion of the Civil War and heavily published in the prominent political magazine, Harper’s Weekly, Nast’s cartoon portrays a simple binary of race consisting of an in-group and out-group, with the Chinese as members of the out-group, in reality but incorporated into the national body in Nast’s idealistic depiction. In contrast, Keller’s image, published eight years later in
Racism In Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet By Jamie Ford
1492 Words | 6 PagesEthnic mislabeling is an extremely problematic form of “casual racism.” Casual racism can be defined as racism that is predominately based off stereotypes or prejudices about people based on their race, skin tone, or ethnicity and that is used casually and without thought throughout day to day life. An example of casual racism outside of ethnic mislabeling is racist jokes made about stereotypes about a certain race or ethnicity. Ethnic mislabeling occurs commonly for people of Asian ethnic descent.
Racism Exposed In Charles Chesnutt's The Doll
536 Words | 3 PagesAs defined on p.17 of Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, “[t]he movement considers many of the same issues that conventional civil rights and ethnic studies discourses take up, but places them in a broader perspective that includes economics, history, context, group- and self-interest, and even feelings and the unconscious.” This theory mainly explores six core elements regarding race: (1) Racism is ordinary, not aberrational, and is therefore often ignored, (2) racism advances the interests of both white elites and working-class Caucasians, and therefore leaves society with little reason to eradicate it, (3) race is the product of social thought and relations, (4) different minority groups receive different racializations at different times as a result of shifting needs, resulting in changing stereotypes, (5) each race has its own origins and ever-evolving history, resulting in potentially conflicting, overlapping identities, loyalties, and allegiances, (6) minority status brings out a presumed competence to speak about race and racism, creating unique voices of color (Delgado et al. 19-21). Keeping these elements in mind, the prevalence and existence of such factors in Chesnutt’s “The Doll” can therefore be
American Born Chinese Thesis
880 Words | 4 PagesIn the novel “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang (2006), it talks about three different people’s stories. The author starts off with telling a story about a monkey called the Monkey King, who lives in the jungle, seeking for higher power to become considered a god in the book. The author also tells a story about an American born Chinese boy named Jin Wang, who moves from San Francisco and struggles with fitting in at a new school. The last story the author tells is about a boy named Danny who has his cousin Chin-Kee from China visit every year. Danny ends up struggling to keep his reputation in adequate shape at school after his cousin visits causing him to switch schools often.
Assimilation In Marilyn Chin's Trying To Find Chinatown
1686 Words | 7 PagesSimilarly, David Hwang’s 10-minute play “Trying to Find Chinatown” centers on an encounter between Ronnie, a Chinese-American street musician, and Benjamin, a Caucasian tourist from Wisconsin who identifies himself as Asian-American, in the busy street of New York. In the play, “each character defines who he believes he is: Benjamin is convinced he is a Chinese American, and Ronnie sees
Stereotypes In The Film Breakfast At Tiffany's
750 Words | 3 PagesAsian culture is extremely beautiful and diverse; it deserves to be portrayed as such. Hollywood’s constant use of typecasting in it’s films contributes and reinforces stereotypes and racial biases towards the Asian American community. Historically, Hollywood does not have a very good track record of being kind to actors of color. The use of black and yellow face was quite popular in the early 20th century to portray people of color as unflattering.
Analyzing Themes Of Dr. Seuss Political Cartoon
265 Words | 2 PagesTheodor Geisel was known to the world as Dr. Seuss, a supporter of the United States going into the war. There are numerous of themes in the political cartoon of Dr. Seuss political cartoons of Dr. Seuss. The themes he wrote were, “Go to War”, “Dr. Seuss Goes to War”, You, “Too, can Sink U-Boats”. When it came to isolationism, it was stated that Dr. Seuss, wasn’t known to attack isolationism, because he wanted America to stay out of the World War II. Isolationism quotes were “Get you Stich Bonnet here relieves Hitler Headache” and “Forget the terrible news you’ve at ease, in an ostrich head (Geisel, 1904-1991).
Fan Shen And China Summary
614 Words | 3 PagesAs Americans, we are supposed to be willing to widely and attentively consider other cultures traditions, practices, and styles of life. I personally don’t presume in this line from the American anthem “the land of the free and the home of the brave. A substantial amount of Americans’ are chauvinist’s, or just simply don’t take other cultures into consideration. This is why Fan Shen chooses to be his Chinese cultured, self while writing in America. There are many differences in American and Chinese writing.
Plot Elements In American Born Chinese
461 Words | 2 PagesIn American Born Chinese, there are many plot elements used to make readers feel multiple things. Three elements I will be talking about in this essay are parallel plots, foreshadowing, and conflict. I will give some examples from the story that show how the author used the three plot elements. I will also explain whether or not I think these plot elements were successfully used.
The Filth They Breathe In China By Michael Auslin
518 Words | 3 Pages“The Filth They Breathe in China,” by Michael Auslin reflects on what is happening to the air and water in China. This article describes the air pollution and why it is happening. It tells us what this is doing to our health and what scientist are saying. China 's air pollution has had great deal of problems and that the united states should step in to help generate better lives.
Susan S. Lanser's The Yellow Wallpaper
464 Words | 2 PagesThe argument throughout the article then shifts to the concept of color and how race is represented in “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Similar to Lanser’s previous arguments, she describes one side of “yellow groups” in a way that comes off as offensive and harmful to minorities (430). She depicts the “inscribed racism” throughout the story incorrectly with vague examples that do not specifically tie into the argument (429). The lack of specificity in her examples creates ambiguity in the argument and overall destroys the claim for the reader. Lanser’s article combines a radical feminist approach with vague examples which leads to a
Essay On Asian Stereotypes
732 Words | 3 PagesThere’s a myth about Asian Americans, that generalizes them into one group. People create false images of us through stereotypes. These stereotypes have been manifested in books, movies, and literature, but they have repercussions for Asian Americans in society. We are often treated as foreigners, people leading us to believe that we don’t belong in American society, and that we have no purpose being here. Stereotypes are natural things that people will talk about.
More about Two Chinese-American Children's Book Summary
Racial Fault Lines Analysis
1871 Words | 8 PagesBlack Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria Summary
765 Words | 4 PagesCreating African Americans Chapter 1 Summary
485 Words | 2 PagesUncle Sams Thanksgiving Dinner Analysis
1167 Words | 5 PagesRacism In Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet By Jamie Ford
1492 Words | 6 PagesRacism Exposed In Charles Chesnutt's The Doll
536 Words | 3 PagesAmerican Born Chinese Thesis
880 Words | 4 PagesAssimilation In Marilyn Chin's Trying To Find Chinatown
1686 Words | 7 PagesStereotypes In The Film Breakfast At Tiffany's
750 Words | 3 PagesAnalyzing Themes Of Dr. Seuss Political Cartoon
265 Words | 2 PagesFan Shen And China Summary
614 Words | 3 PagesPlot Elements In American Born Chinese
461 Words | 2 PagesThe Filth They Breathe In China By Michael Auslin
518 Words | 3 PagesSusan S. Lanser's The Yellow Wallpaper
464 Words | 2 PagesEssay On Asian Stereotypes
732 Words | 3 Pages