Month: January 2018

As an Asian-American, I was interested to watch and have the chance to write about Fresh off the Boat, a TV show that revolves around Asians in the UnitedStates. In season 2, episode 20 (“Hi My Name Is…”), Evan, the youngest of the Huang family, becomes perplexed because he has to decide between writing his American or Chinese name for his bank account. The rest of the episode is spent as Evan’s family members attempt to tell him how names have no significance. His grandmother’s comments seemed most significant, as she tells him that his name does not make him; rather, he makes his own name.

Much like Evan, I have an American and a non-American name. However, I personally have never felt the conflict which Evan felt for having two names. This is partly attributed to the fact that everyone calls me by one name, so I have disregarded the other one. Although I believe that names do have a significance to a certain extent, there are numerous factors that mold a person apart from names. The way we act, the words that are spoken from our mouths, our passions––these all constitute us as individuals, despite what our name may be.

As a Korean-American, I have faced cultural conflicts because there would be times when I have to choose between something American or Korean. This sprouts from the fact I want to move towards the American side because I live here, but at the same time, because I am of Korean descent, I want to stick to my roots. In essence, I relate to Evan to an extent because we both face cultural conflicts, I have learned to move past the difficulty of having two names.

Sources:
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Monday’s reading, “Stop Doing That” by Aneta Pavlenko, was mainly about why bilingual or multilingual families choose to speak in one language over theother. As a child who grew up from a bilingual household, much of the content was applicable to what I had previously experienced.

The author conveys how the parents may resort to using the first language when certain sentiments emerge, which is shown through “a Puerto-Rican mother… spoke to the children in Spanish when she was angry: her Spanish comments were commands or threats that followed the English versions and served to underscore them” (Pavlenko 181). This phenomenon captures the example of language dominance, as the mother resorted to her native language when speaking out of emotions. This is personally applicable to me, as my parents would speak Korean when feeling an extreme sentiment––not because they wanted to, but due to instinct. While my parents turned to Korean, I would use English when getting in an argument because that was my first language learned. In essence, people tend to speak in a manner of what feels most natural in order to clearly express themselves.

In addition to speech of language and emotions, the author presents another part of the spectrum: languages of emotions. This second form of speech in bilingual/multilingual households indicates how “linguistic means for emotional expression [are only] offered by a particular language” (183). This substantiates for the existence of families that speak multiple languages in the United States, as there are certain words that are incapable of conceiving the same meaning as one in their respective languages. I even find myself often mixing English with slight Korean in the presence of other Korean-Americans, as there are words that simply cannot convey my sincere emotion.

Sources:
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After reading the seventh chapter in Borderlands, I learned that having multiple identities has the potential to cause problems within oneself. These conflicts emerge when people struggle to define a harmonious relationship internally, as their mixed backgrounds perpetually tug at different directions. Anzaldua states that the aftermath includes “insecurity and indecisiveness”, which is “plagued by psychic restlessness” (100). Because I am full Korean, I have yet to face trouble within my own ethnic background. Furthermore, coming from Cupertino, I grew up in a city that is dominated by Asians, which is why I did not encounter racial discrimination.

I believe this attributes to why I felt a little different when I first came to Santa Clara, as I became a distinguishable minority. I met people from all over the world and saw the predominantly white student body and faculty. However, I have not seen racist outlashes against anyone, and I believe that this is constituted by Anzaldua’s theory on reaching harmony. She states that we must be able to combine our identities by moving from a position that excludes to includes. At SCU, many are open to accepting students the way they are. By learning to be flexible, only then can we “stretch the psyche horizontally and vertically” (101). Anzaldua implies that through this flexibility, individuals can incorporate dualistic thinking, which may be the solution to ending rape, violence, and war (102).

I understand Anzaldua’s thought process, as conflicts are sorted by finding a mutual solution for both sides. The first step to identifying such means is to be open to both sides, which is what Anzaldua dubs as “flexibility”. This may develop our characters to form collective consciousness, which is how we are able to come to a negotiation between two disagreeing positions.

Sources:
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The second chapter in The Craft of Research emphasizes the importance of communicating with the audience. By connecting with the readers, the writer is able to establish a growing relationship as the audience continues to read, which encourages completion of absorbing the written ideas. This is why it is imperative to write by predicting the readers’ judgement on the writing in order to appeal to as many people as possible; readers judge writers, “but a thoughtful writer has in advance also judged her readers, by imagining who they are, what they are like, what they know, what they need and want” (18). Evidently, good writers are capable of writing in a manner that predicts the audience’s emotions, which shapes how a message is conveyed.

The authors of The Craft of Research theorize that distinguishing the roles the writers and readers play is the first step for a good research paper. Writers should be able to learn to convey whatever they found interesting in a manner that involves the reader. The authors state that one must “take a bigger step toward focused research when you can imagine saying to readers not just I have information that might interest you, but My information will help you solve a problem you care about” (20). Drawing a relatable picture for the readers will keep the readers engaged to the text, which is the primary goal of the writer: conveying his or her message.

 

 

 

 

In essence, the key to writing an exceptional research paper is to create a role for the readers, develop a relationship with the readers, and cater to their interests in order to keep them attached.

 

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