While reading through different non-fiction essays, one that left a great impact on my thoughts was “I’m a Banana and Proud of It” by Wayson Choy. Choy gives his story as a North American citizen with a Chinese background. Families pushed for their children to belong in North America, causing children to be labelled as “Bananas” for being “yellow on the outside and white on the inside” (Choy); a term to describe people in Choy’s generation who assimilated very well into the American culture. Many teenagers like him were attracted to the American culture and strayed from their Chinese culture. Although at the same time, they didn’t feel like they belonged as an American due to looking Chinese. People had difficulties placing themselves in one …show more content…
The story focuses on how Chanda and the people around her are affected by AIDS. In the community that Chanda lives in, mentioning AIDS is taboo, and when Chanda felt the loss of her loved ones, she had difficulty finding anyone to talk to. When it was revealed that Chanda’s mother had AIDS, Chanda wanted to change what her community thought of the disease, “I’m tired of lies and hiding and being afraid. I’m not ashamed of AIDS! I’m ashamed of being ashamed” (Stratton 181). Rather than tolerating the truth and hiding from her community, Chanda wanted to teach people that AIDS should not be taboo. She wants them to accept that AIDS is a reality and it is a disease many are affected by. Chanda, Mrs. Tafa, and Esther, who were not afraid of the truth, inspired people to be less sensitive when bringing up the topic of AIDS. Personally, it is understandable why the people in Chanda’s community don’t want to bring up the topic of AIDS. It is human nature to avoid what we fear as our natural instincts tell us to flee from reality. This is related to our human condition, as all humans are terrified by death. Although, if one person bravely stands, many others are empowered to stand up and face their fear. Through her story, Chanda taught the readers that acceptance can be empowering and cause a positive chain reaction of
In the essay “Growing up Asian in America” by Kesaya E. Noda, being who you are, or accepting yourself is portrayed through her own life story. “Being Japanese means being a danger to the country during the war and knowing how to use chopsticks. I wear this history on my face” (Noda 34). Living in America can be said to be great, from those who are already the average American, because they don’t deal with the everyday life of being racialized. They also don’t have the label of having another ethnicity besides being American. “Clean, quiet, motivated, and determined to match the American way; this is us, and that is the story of our time here” (Noda 35). Kesaya struggled to learn about herself and her history, due to the fact that she didn’t know much about her Japanese race. When finding out that her family had been apart of the Japanese camps, Kesaya found it easier to just go along with the American way instead of being herself because she was ashamed of herself. “I come from a people with long memory and a distinctive grace. We live our thanks. And we are Americans. Japanese- Americans” (Noda 36). Kesaya had then accepted herself as a Japanese- American because she was proud of all that her family, and all Japanese, went through. Being American isn’t just about living in America, or being a citizen, but about knowing that you belong because America is your home. Along with being American, if it officially says it on paper or not,
“Two hundred thousand Americans are dead or dying” Two hundred thousand Americans, two hundred thousand brothers, friends, loved ones, all fighting a war; this war is not fought in foreign countries, this war is HIV/AIDS (“American Rhetoric: Mary Fisher”). Sadly, Mary Fisher is one of the many victims that are crushed by the heartbreaking diagnostic of being HIV positive, however, this was her alarm to the severity of the virus. As a result, Fisher dedicated her life to spread awareness of HIV and AIDS. In addition to the jaw-dropping speech, Fisher, has dedicated her whole life to the awareness of AIDS, through her store, biographies, non-profitable organizations, and many more. However, “A Whisper of AIDS” is the first domino in her line of work to break the “shroud of silence” known as AIDS (“American Rhetoric: Mary Fisher”).Fisher spoke from the heart, and as well as the mind in “A Whisper of AIDS”, which effectively touched the hearts of many and did exactly what she hoped it would, turned the whisper of the word AIDS into a shout spoken from numerous to prevent fear in the hearts of many. In order to show the dire importance of awareness of HIV/AIDS, Fisher, Effectively uses heartbreaking pathos, strong logos, and persuasive ethos.
In the poem “In Response to Executive Order 9066: All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to Relocation Centers” , by Dwight Okita, a young Japanese-American girl gives us her point of view on being the race she is at the time. She expirienced recism, at it's finest, and endured it like a champ. In the short story "Merican's," by Sandra Cisneros, a young Mexican-American girl gives us her experience growing up in an American household with a Hispanic grandmother that detested Americans. Both works show that cultural heritage and physical appearances do not determine what it means to be American.
Mary Fisher also wants her immediate audience to change their negative perspective toward the disease. She wants them to let the affected speak about AIDS and HIV and not ignore them. She is claiming that the rest of the nation has made the affected be fearful, with the words, “You are HIV positive, but dare not say it. You have lost loved ones, but you dare not whisper the word AIDS. You weep
In the beginning, there was a lot of shame in Bonang. The book shows this because, in the text, Chanda mentions something about AIDS, “If people say you have it, you can lose your job. Your family can kick you out.” (35). This shows that if you have AIDS, people would want to get rid of you so they won’t get shamed. They would kick you out so you can die alone and they would tell a lie about your death. It also shows that people are afraid of being shamed and the
The tale “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luch Wang depicts the story of three characters, Monkey, Jin, and Danny. They all have the problem of fitting into their new environments. Jin Wang has to deal with Asian stereotypes. Danny has to deal with embarrassment of his cousin. Lastly, Monkey has to deal with the fact that there is no position for him in the heavenly ranks. However, over time, these characters have to come together to fit in. Yet the question remains: what exactly about fitting in is the problem? Although Jin Wang takes the form of Danny to reject his Chinese roots, the embarrassment of Chin-Knee shows he cannot hide behind a false American identity, thereby delineating that race is the source of his problem.
This deal with addressing the community, family and social networks that people are part of. Nurses should in this case analyze the different social environments that people live in so as to successfully address the AIDs pandemic. This is mainly due to the fact that people may tend to form their attitudes towards the disease depending on their social network. Nurses should form groups, and educate the people as a community, about the effects of the disease on both the community and family, an undertaking which will raise awareness among the community members. This is likely to help the community to be cautious and responsible for their actions, as well as prevent the promotion of any negative values that may increase chances of people in the society acquiring the disease (Levine & What Works Working Group, 2007). Additionally, nursing should address the issue of stigma that family and social networks have towards the AIDs pandemic and those suffering from it, and which hinder people from seeking help and knowing their status (Qubuda & Mphumela, 2009).
What is it like to be born in one country and then grow up in another where people speak a different language and follow different traditions? And is it easy to grow up in another country where members of the native country pressure one to be "one of their own"? If anyone wishes to find insightful and interesting answers to these questions, one should go no further than read Lac Su's I Love Yours Are for White People. In this book, Lac tells the story of his child- and adolescent-hood, growing up in "urban" Los Angeles as a Vietnamese living with a "traditional" Vietnamese family. As Lac demonstrates in the book, he once was between two worlds, sometimes unable to figure out who he was, and sometimes rejecting one or the other altogether. After going through difficult and painful experiences, Lac learns to embrace his ethnic identity. He realizes that he is a Vietnamese-American who belongs to both cultures. He learns to appreciate his Vietnamese background but also acknowledges that he is partly American because some Vietnamese habits are so uncommon for him.
The film describing an ordinary woman Noerine Kaleeba devoting herself fighting social stigma around AIDS in Uganda is a powerful scene. Her personal account of seeing her husband dying from AIDS propelled her to fly to Geneva to meet with Jonathan Mann, the leading researcher in the global AIDS program. When she arrived at the WHO building, she was rejected to meet with Mann. However, her emotional response caught Mann’s attention and when she sat down with Mann, he told her that her husband is going to die. But Mann asked Kaleeba “there is a prejudice that is attached to this disease that we have to fight, and will you help me fight it?” Kaleeba later became the co-founder of the AIDS activism group “The AIDS Support Organization,” a group that provides care, support and counselling as well as community education for prevention in Uganda. In this scene, Jonathan Mann recognized an important social factor of the disease which is that AIDS is attached to a serious stigma and discrimination. Due to the fact that there is
The article is conveying how orphans live and are affected by AIDS taking one, both or a loved one who is afflicted with AIDS. Surviving the death of a loved one ensures a hard life that is vividly verbalized by the orphans. VanRooyen, Frood, & Ricks will follow an organized and appropriate presentation of these orphans that live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Frank Chin has been the most vocal critic of Kingston's who accused her "of reinforcing white fantasies about Chinese Americans" (Chin, 1991) and claimed that writers like Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan and David Henry Hwang who won approval of the American white readers deliberately distorted the image of Chinese American to reinforce stereotypes and cater to the fantasies of American readers about a traditionalist Chinese culture. (Frank Chin, 1991, pp. 3-29)
Mary attempted to bring attention to the quickly spreading disease to an uneducated audience. In her bold and inspiring speech, Mary argues the importance of opening the eyes of Americans and abolishing the hushed whispers of what AIDS really is.
In this fragment, Stratton uses perspective to develop the novel’s underlying theme of the shame this society has towards people who are affected with unfortunate diseases like AIDS. For instance, Chanda’s mother doesn’t recieve any love or support from her family in Tiro due to her having AIDS. Her own family has placed her “in one of the old huts” so “her sickness wouldn’t shame the family.” This reflects to the use of conflict in this situation which develops two different perspectives on the disease AIDS. How Chanda sees it and how her aunt and granny see it. Which extends furthermore on how close-minded the society this novel is placed in is. What Chanda has to go through on a daily basis, from the shaming she is recieving, shows the
Unique within media promoting AIDS education, Kwame Dawes portrays the fragile disease culture of Kingston and surrounding ghettos with a series of personal, introspective portrayals. Poems, interviews, and documentary footage about key individuals magnify the challenge of overcoming the disease and the social stigmas facing disease patients in the small country of
In this fragment, Stratton uses conflict to develop the novel’s underlying theme of the shaming this African society has towards people with AIDS. Moreover to the extinct of sacrificing the existence of a family member better than receiving hate and ignorance from other people. Stratton uses the conflict between Mrs.Tafa and Chanda to signify how much ignorance, terror, hate and shaming their society carries towards people who have unfortunately caught the disease. Regardless, there are people like Chanda who aren’t willing to keep on lying about the truth, hiding it and being afraid of it. “ I’m not ashamed of AIDS! I’m ashamed of being ashamed!” As seen, Chanda does not consider AIDS is what identifies someone or what is to be used to determine