Yellowface

Though brief, Yellowface was an impactful read. Because Asians are minorities in America their struggles are overlooked, an issue that other minorities can relate to. By simply bringing up the issue, David Henry Hwang has already succeeded.

Black face is something that many people in this country are familiar with. The black civil rights movement is something that children are taught about in school, and is also commonly referenced in political/social dialogues. But yellow face is not something that many people are familiar with. That is why I found this play interesting. Hwang does an amazing job of showing readers the irony of yellow face. America has long been able to acknowledge the importance of writing minority characters, but when it comes to casting the roles white Americans choose to give them to the most "qualified": white Americans. This brand of racism seems explicit in our day and age, where most Americans condemn the use of black face, but it is implicit in a way. This brand of racism is implicit in that casting directors and those who consume this form of art don't understand that they are inadvertently trying to keep minorities out of positions of power. This form of racism is very common, I believe. White Americans in the country, even today, often seek to preserve narratives that place minorities in subservient/second-rate positions. We may look at plays, movies, tv shows, and the like, as fiction but our reality reflects what we see on the screen and stage. We produce the ideas that we consume, which creates a vicious cycle; and should any racism enter that cycle, well, it doesn't just go away. Not unless something changes.

The subject matter at hand is important for this reason. Diagnosis is the first step. This is one of the reasons I appreciate this work from Hwang.

In the play, Hwang's father and Marcus G. Dahlman (or Marcus Gee) are key characters in discussing identity. Hwang's father thought that if he envisioned who he wanted to be in his mind, that he could eventually become that person. In the end, cancer was aided by institutional racism in breaking this man down. Marcus, on the other hand, after seeing for himself the unity of the Asian community, sought to pass himself off as an Asian man. In the end, this fictional character had to sacrifice his facade, or "face" to save the people he so dearly loved. Devotion is what these characters have in common. On the other hand Hwang manages to show us two sides of the same coin: the minority trying to emulate the dominate race, and the white person searching for culture through minorities. These are both relevant characters and they say a lot for the complexity of racial issues.

Hwang's personal conflict was one that continued throughout the entire work. In trying to maintain a strong sense of identity Hwang sabotaged himself and lost his way. His journey shows that even for those of us who feel as though we have a strong foundation in our identity, just the sheer weight of trying the balance the complex relationships race has to life in America can sometimes be too much to bear.

The ending message leaves me with what seems to have been intended to be a ray of light. Hwang wants the reader/viewer to find their face, and he would like to find his own. Who are you? Who are you to the world, and to yourself? This all circles back to identity, and Hwang has managed to tell a story primarily about Asians that is relatable, relevant and American.

Bedouin Hornbook

Nathaniel Mackey's descriptions of music are rich and full in every way possible. The most compelling aspect of his writing lies in his descriptions of music, and the way he utilizes musical jargon to communicate greater themes. Every scene is rich with musical language, which is interesting seeing as he has no background in music.

Another aspect of the book that is interesting is the letter form that Mackey elects to use. Some people might say that this form of literature is one sided and leaves the reader wanting for more dialogue. I would say, that in the way Mackey uses this style works. It works because the characters writing the letters are able to maintain a sort of dialogue by including opposing ideas and using colorful and vibrant expressiveness. The passion with which these characters, namely N, get across their messages is powerful and seems to indicate something larger that we may more fully understand later in the text.

Dictee 1

Dictee is by far one of the most experimental novels I have ever read. I can tell this only from the first 60 pages. The author, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, appraoches storytelling from multiples angles, most of which are very poetic. There is one portion of the book wherein Cha contextualizes the story by including a note from the Koreans of Hawaii to the President of the United States, who at the time was Theodore Roosevelt. In this letter the Koreans are beseeching the president to intervene in the abusive and underhanded affairs of the Japanese (who are occupying Korea, evidently under false pretenses). I thought that this letter had an interesting effect. It allows the American reader (such as myself) to connect these struggles to myself, and my country. Otherwise, this story could have been another one about the struggles of foreign people. The lack of context in stories like this one allows many readers to create a distance between themselves and the subjects of the story, but this small tie in helped me relate the Korean struggle to my history as an American, and it had a significant effect on me.

The religious focus of the book so far is definitely one of interest to me. It seems to focus on Western religion, which surprised me slightly even though I know how expansive Western religious tradition is. The descriptions of the religious rituals are fragmented and seem to mimic a sort of staccato rhythm. Cha also writes in 2nd person for a portion of the novel. This technique is rare, but oddly effective. It made me feel as though I was witnessing an interior monologue, rather than being told a story. This made that bit of the story intimate and delicate, which was fitting seeing as it was a girl talking about her mother's life.

Cha makes use of French, kanji, and pictures. Somehow the book feels more interactive this way, though at first it threw me off. Her writing style, or rather her style of storytelling is one that takes patience and getting used to, but the benefit of having to adjust to a writer's style is that you are almost forced to see things from a different perspective. The adjustments you have to make allow you to shed all of the notions regarding writing and storytelling that have built up within you over the years. At least, this is what the novel has done for me so far.

Bearheart: The Heirship Chronicles 1

Bearheart: The Heirship Chronicles

     The subject matter of this novel and the culture being examined are both something of interest to me. To be specific, I am very interested in how they relate to each other. Native Americans are often discussed in the context of the wrongs that have been inflicted upon them in this country by European settlers, and the current perpetuation of harm and isolation being impressed upon them. Then there is the issue of fuel dependency, which is a growing global concern as we rapidly approach peak oil. It is interesting that Gerald Vizenor took on this issue way back in the seventies and, not unlike Orwell, has foreshadowed future events and dilemmas. The issue of fuel dependency reflects the rabid industrialization of the USA and the world as a whole, and the concept of industrialization is in stark contrast to the traditional values and philosophy of early Native Americans. For this reason I find it interesting that Vizenor chose to discuss these topics in the same context. Also, the decline of the country seems ironic, because the course of America then seems cyclical; originally hosting indigenous tribal people, then being overwhelmed by modern technology and industrialization, then back to the basics after the fuel is nearly gone. The topic Vizenor is  grappling with is very edgy.

Proude Cedarfair is a unique character, in that the author seems to use him to demonstrate some enormous differences between Native American culture and American culture. The peace described in Proude's tribe is of a kind that seems alien to most people today. I find this lamentable, because any culture that is overwhelmed and eventually reduced to insignificance is a great loss. Also, because Native American history is the history of every US citizen today, and we don't quite have a firm grip on our own history because ithe stories told are always about how this "great country" or "land of the free" came to be; stories wherein Native Americans are painted as victims, but in a larger sense, just collateral damage.

Song of Solomon 1

Of the things I have read in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, one of the most interesting is the Seven Days, and Guitar's involvement in it. The number seven sticks out immediately because it is a recognizable religious number and the title seems to make a clear reference to the seven days from the Bible. Seeing as Morrison makes several other references to the Bible, such as the names of the characters Pilate, Corinthians and Magdalene, this one does not seem out of place. The Biblical seven days and the idea of black retribution are two ideas that are being closely associated, and naturally I wanted to stop and reflect upon that relationship. When Milkman asks Guitar why he must kill white people, Guitar says "To keep the ratio the same." (Morrison, 155) The idea of mortal intervention in the business of sustaining the existence of an ethnic group can be related to God, in that one could make the argument that Guitar and his companions are trying to play God.

I think that Morrison is touching upon an issue that was much more prevalent in the time period in which this book is set, but remains an active attribute of black identity in modern culture. She is touching on the hostility that blacks are able to harbor against whites. The men of the Seven Days had one dose too many of injustice and therefore their sense of justice has been skewed. One could even say that, in that time, with the way that blacks were being treated, justice only existed as a concept and because that concept was not being put into action, but rather being defied, young men made the choice to implement their own form of justice; one that suited their racial group exclusively, not unlike the judicial system of their time. The actions of the Seven Days by my standards and the standards of our time seem to be blatantly wrong. However, in a time where justice is reserved for whites, the actions of the Seven Day seem inevitable and it seems there would require an inhuman amount of enlightenment to simply take the injustice lying down.

Oscar p.167-261

In these next few chapters we hear the voices of Yunior, Lola, Oscar and the stories of Abelard, his wife Socorro and his two daughters Jackie and Astrid. The ordering of these personal anecdotes/tales seems to be strategic, in that the story is told, in a way, through a family friend then to family members all the way down to the actual story of the famed and frequently mentioned Cabrals.

Yunior's point of view provided a fresh look into the world of Oscar, which as we all know is one of self-deprecation, self-pity and self-loathing. This look into to Oscars like allowed the readers to extract themselves from the cesspool that is Oscar's psyche long enough to see the presumed "fuku" at work on the exterior. Oscar's suicide attempt, I felt, was inevitable. He is tragically inclined to be hopeless, Lola was gone and it was only a matter of time. But beyond getting to know Oscar's story a bit better we got to know Yunior a bit too. There were hints of his having a difficult past and so on, which opened up that character a bit.

Lola's perspective, as usual, provided a more mature, even maternal vibe.It was interesting getting to see how she went about pursuing this destiny that she so longed for. In a particular moment of wisdom Lola realizes, unlike Oscar, that running away is not the answer: "But if these years have taught me anything it is this: you can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in." (TBWLOW, pg.209) Lola's realizations that her mother "could not have been any different" (TBWLOW, pg.208) seemed to be a neutralizer to the supernatural theories that preoccupied the "old-school" Dominicans like her mother, in that she was accepting her mother's nature rather than blaming her ill fortune (which stemmed from her supposedly cursed mother) on the fuku. I think that in accepting her mother for who she was Lola, at least on her own part, lifted her own burden somewhat and did what the others did not by looking within to become her own zafa.

The story of the Cabrals (Abelard and his family) was a compelling one. The series of events that followed his arrest seem to be undoubtedly point to some supernatural intervention. But one must ask when reading about this family, is it not more unusual that they lived in such good fortune for as long as they did under the rule of Trujillo than the fact that they at some point met their doom? I think it is. However unfortunate, the Cabral family suffered an ill fate like the narrator has described of so many other people. After all, there is nothing supernatural about bad fortune in a country whose dictatorial leader has an impossible grip on it's every aspect.
What I did find interesting was that however great Abelard's mind was, his will to rise against the establishment was non-existent. That, to me, makes a powerful statement about the anemia of the DR, where a man with every gift, natural and material, in his possession has no inclination to light the flame of a hope of revolution.

It seems the Trujillo;s effect on the DR is everlasting; at least in the way that Diaz portrays it. "For Trujillo is not a man. He is...a cosmic force..." (TBWLOW, pg.204) Which brings it all back to the supernatural. The fuku. He had a grip on the DR so extraordinary that people sought explanation outside of their known world. What that must do to a culture, and to a people is mind blowing. I believe that is what Diaz is trying to communicate to the reader.

Oscar 1

A sadly disproportionate amount of the population only have one developed point of view, that being the American one (and plenty people here don’t even have that). We listen to American politicians, and American entertainers and we read American literature, and little do so many of us realize that while gaining knowledge and perspective we are also running the risk of losing a broader, all-encompassing perspective, which stems from learning about other cultures and the products of their imagination and creation. Cultural bias can’t be helped in most cases, but one can possibly move to change their own ideas or at the very least seek to have them challenged, in order to become more cultured and learned. That, at least, is my personal goal. I believe that all people have a unique perspective, but on a smaller scale than I discussed previously, it is important for individuals to hear the thoughts of others for the same reason I believe people should be aware of other cultures; for the sake of growth, and blogging is a great tool for social interaction on a large scale.

If unfamiliar with Dominican culture, which most non-Dominicans probably are, the footnotes serve to give some history about the Dominican Republic, their culture and their prevailing mythical preoccupations.

Personally, I can say without the footnotes I would have been slightly lost in this story, even only after a few pages. They allow the reader to play catch up and understand the underpinnings of the story at large without having to stop reading the book and look things up. The footnotes in this particular book retain the same voice and character of the narration, which is a bit uncommon. This technique allows for the reader to stay immersed in the story and allows for the narrator to explain the history in a brief and fluid manner. Though there weren’t many, the footnotes supplied a surprisingly large amount of information that was both educational and characteristic. Of course some tell the story of Trujillo, former Dictator-for-Life, and they also give insight into some of the more obscure comic book and middle earth references, which established the character and the viewpoint early on without having to explain that this person is a nerd. So this narration and these footnotes make it possible for the reader to pick up on the history and myths as well as the person they will be reading about and the overall tone of the book.

He story that the footnotes establish let the reader know that the fuku is a major theme in this book, which ties in with Dominican history. It seems possible that maybe the footnotes are a part of a counter spell to fuku. Maybe they are a counter spell because they establish a clear history of events as they were, and maybe they were presented in such a way that their accuracy acts a preventative measure against the fuku. Otherwise I’d like to read more and figure things out a bit more when I have a stronger grasp on what the fuku really IS.