A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki - Essay Example

A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki Ronald Takaki, the author of the article “A Different Mirror” asserts that the concept of race has created social division between the American minorities and the European immigrant groups. In this article, Takaki is engaged in a deep conversation with a taxi driver that shades light on how America was discovered and how the different ethnic groups created social constructions between one another. The article reveals the different experiences that the Africans, Japanese, Chinese, Jews and Native Americans went through after the civil war. As such, Takaki points out different existing overlaps and divergences between different racial groups that resided in America. Essentially, Takaki uses this article to explicitly show how the southern plantation owners were determined to replace the “black” farmers and laborers with the Chinese. This is because they believed that the Chinese were more hardworking and industrious and thus they could teach the “black” laborers to become equally hardworking and industrious. Comparatively, Takaki uses this article to complicate the commonly held perceptions regarding interracial competition by pointing out that the immigrants from different backgrounds attempted to get along with one another. To explicate, Takaki presents how both the Japanese, Mexican and Asian workers worked unanimously, ignoring their racial problems and differences. In addition, by stating that the Japanese immigrants thought that in America “money grows in trees,” (Takaki, 1993), Takaki aims to clarify how indeed the immigrants saw America as a land of many opportunities. Bharati Mkherjee, the author of the article “Jasmine” argues that like the character Jasmine, many immigrant Americans, including her, have tended to present themselves as Americans, cutting off their association with the traditional world which surprisingly predetermines their fate. Generally speaking, after the main character Jasmine losses her husband at a tender age of only seventeen years through a bomb attack (Mkherjee, 1989, p. 12), she is depressed and seems destined to live a solitude and lonely life, in a rural Indian village which is also her birth place. However, Jasmine has burning desires to explore a more dangerous and larger world. Originally, Jasmine and her husband were planning to move to Florida. Nonetheless, after her husband’s death, Jasmine decides to single handedly take the long journey. Notably important, as she travels, Jasmine is faced with many challenges and obstacles thus transforming her into a more adventurous and stressful life. However, in quite a short period of time, Jasmine, now known as Jane, gets married to Ripplemeyer, a middle-aged banker at Iowa. She is impregnated by Ripplemeyer at the age of twenty four and they live happily together. Depicting slow evolutionary stages and unexpected upheavals, the metamorphosis that Jasmine goes through presents the making of an American personality. More interestingly however, Mukherjee uses Jasmine to show how American immigrants experience shifting contours during their transformative stages. Helena Maria Viramontes, the author of the short story “Snapshots” raises awareness on how women are presented particularly in the Chicano culture. The article “Snapshots” paints a picture of how women struggle to live in a transforming world more so because of the various traditions that holds them back. Generally speaking, the article “Snapshots” presents an old woman who is in a state of reconciliation. To illustrate, Olga a postmenopausal woman, and currently a divorcee, faces the struggle to go back to being the woman that she was brought up to be, that is, a good mother and a wife (Viramontes, 1985, p. 14). As such, Olga becomes largely depressed due to the societal pressures and degradation of the woman figure. However, Viramontes points out that Olga’s former husband and her daughter are in the dark of what is causing her depression. As brought up, Olga’s depression does not simply arise from her divorce, but rather from the vast amount time she wasted to perfect a domestic career that is simply meaningless and valueless in the modern world. Notably important, this article presents a sarcastic analysis of housework politics. To elucidate, through the female character Olga, Viramontes explains how women in the modern society are seen as alienated laborers with decreased value. Edwidge Danticat, B.A., M.F.A., the author of “Between the Pool and the Gardenias,” raises awareness on how women go through various struggles in their way to motherhood. The article talks about a Haitian woman, Marie, who had passed through various struggles and challenges. To begin with, all through her life, Marie had yearned to have a baby and become a mother. Unfortunately however, she always miscarried each time she became pregnant. This routine prolongs to the point that even her husband doubts whether Marie deliberately kills the children before they are born. Quite surprisingly, the woman stumbles upon a newborn discarded along the Haitian streets and treats it as her own. Unexpectedly though, Marie realizes that the infant she had taken was actually dead. This fact however does not deter her attempt and focus to achieve motherhood as she still treats the dead child as if it was alive. In fact, she states that “I swayed her in my arms like she was and had always been mine” (Danticat, 1995, p. 72). As such, Marie was deluded to leave the absolute reality for an imagination of a caring mother. This act truly represented her willingness and desire to become a caring mother. However, this dream remains unfulfilled as the decomposition process snatches away the baby, Rose, from her. For another time, Marie undergoes the pain of burying her child. However, this time, the society treats her like a criminal rather than a grieving parent. George Saunders, B.S., the author of “Bohemians” uses this short story to show the oddness ion the nature of human beings. Generally speaking, “Bohemians” is a conventional story about small children growing up among old survivors of the tragic Eastern European massacres. This story takes place in a small town setting and as it engulf, Saunders incorporates the use of pathos, wits to bring up the concept of human oddness. For instance, quite ironically though, Saunders uses the character of Mrs. Poltoi, the stouter Bohemian, to explain how the church was causing misfortunes and taking away everything that the poor had worked hard for. In fact, Mrs. Poltoi states that the “Catholic Church was a jeweled harlot drinking the blood of the poor” (Saunders, 2006, p.1). As such, this story talks about the oddness that exists among individuals living in quite a new country or environment. Informal Response Edwidge Danticat’s “Between the Pool and the Gardenias,” is quite an interesting piece of fiction. In this story, Danticat brings the audience to the realization that indeed the beautiful girl, Rose, discarded in the Haitian streets was a gift from God. Quite ironically however, the story takes a surprising twist. To elucidate, the small child that Marie views as a gift from heaven, turns out to be the ultimate evidence that incriminates her. In this article, the author incorporates the use of a systematic chronology to show how the different events in the story engulf. To illustrate, Danticat has used flashbacks, and dilemma to create confusion amidst reality as well as bring out the true motives of the characters in the story. Furthermore, in a bid to inform the audience of the fact that pain and suffering is inevitable to most, Danticat uses Marie’s persistent character to show how one should accept reality rather than live in delusion. As such, “Between the Pool and the Gardenias” is a good piece of writing that can be of important value more so to hopeless individuals and those undergoing challenging life experiences. Generally speaking, I was particularly intrigued by the way the author gave a vivid description of the infant Rose. Through the use of imagery, the author was quite successful in creating a deep understanding to the audience on how Marie felt joy at holding her new princess. Furthermore, the fact that Marie had always tried to become a mother but failed due to repetitive miscarriages also brings hope to those with similar problems. Sadly however, the author points out that the infant was deceased. Despite realizing that baby Rose was dead, Marie usually carried and treated her like her real live child. As such, the author clearly managed to create an emotional upset to the audience. Personally, I found it quite upsetting that it is those who could not bear children that were truly in dire need of them. Moreover, it is quite disturbing that the public looks at Marie as a criminal rather than a caring, goodhearted mother. Works Cited Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak! New York: SoHo Press, 1995. Print. Mukherjee, Bharati. Jasmine. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1989. Print. Saunders, George. In Persuasion Nation: Stories. New York: Riverhead Books, 2006. Print. Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown & Co, 1993. Print. Viramontes, Helena M. The Moths and Other Stories. Houston: Arte Public Press, 1985. Print. Read More