This reading was very easy to follow. Johnston has clear structure. I found it interesting that instead of Kingston writing a direct memoir about her life in America from China, Johnston gives small summaries of the rest of the memoir and connects that the myth is used for the reader to understand Kingston's upbringing in China. With this connection, Kingston reflects on her roots and adapts to her life in America. Johnston writes,
"By laying claim to her own language, her own voice, Kingston refuses the role of racial or sexual Other invents herself as speaking subject. While dramatizing the movement from silence to articulation, she may appear to be moving away from her roots in the Chinese and Chinese-American tradition, moving toward and essentially American "logic" that seems a necessary part of her American success. "
What I concluded from this point is that when we adapt to a new culture, is it mandatory to be able to switch off our roots? What I mean by that is, Kingston had to be flexible and hold on to her morals but she had to put "American logic" first to be able to succeed. Although some may conclude that we don't have to or can't ignore our roots, if you are of a different culture, is this concept really "necessary" for success?
Hi Diana ,
ReplyDeleteI love that you ended you blog post with a question.. it makes it easy to put in an opinion. I personally believe that it is almost impossible to ignore your upbringing unless you either want to or believe that you need to because it might interfere with your success. However, thinking about everyday situations and how you personally respond to certain issues it comes to mind that you formulated those actions or those opinions because of your culture & roots. In class we spoke about the diaspora and I think this has a lot to do with it. Although someone can live in America your native culture will have an influence on your life, whether it's marrying someone from your background, the food you eat, or even in your beliefs. It's sort of hard to filter out something native.
Once again, I totally agree with your blog post I just wanted to add a bit of my perspective : )
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI feel that the question you posed at the end of your response accurately sums up Johnston's text, in the sense that Kingston's story White Tigers revolves around this theme of losing ones roots/culture. In addition, I agree that it was pretty easy to follow, which made it more accessible and simple to understand.
Hey Diana,
ReplyDeleteI like your interpretation of Johnston's work. I think it pretty much explains how Kingston lived her life as an Chinese- American girl, and to answer your question I personally think that no matter how hard we try to ignore our upbringing and the nurture we received , it will somehow show through in our actions or choices we make. Whether or not it be a conscious choice is a whole other story.