Gail Tsukiyama and Asian American Experience, Sensitivity, and Personality - Coursework Example

Running Head: Sur 298792: Gail Tsukiyama and Asian American Experience Gail Tsukiyama is an Asian Americanwriter who was born of a Japanese father who hailed from Hawaii and Chinese mother whose home of origin was Hong Kong. Both of her parents were immigrants to San Francisco, California. This gives her a deep multicultural background which vividly reflects in her strongly personal narratives as postulated by her characters particularly concerning the plight of Chinese women since the publication of ‘women of silk’, her first novel in 1991. Much of her inspiration that is clearly depicted in all her works is her keen research and understanding of what the Silk era Chinese women workers went through in their concerted efforts to make a living under very severe conditions they were subjected to (Jean, 1990, pp. 507). Tsukiyama had a very humble beginning in her earlier years. She pursued her studies undergoing through all the stereotyping that was, and still is in some circumstances, expected to be directed to all Asian American personalities. However, she managed to achieve a Bachelors and a Master of Arts degree at San Francisco State University. Initially, she dedicated much of her college work to poetry and received an award of the Academy of American Poets. She is currently a San Francisco Bay Area resident. For quite some time, she works at the San Francisco State University’ Creative Writing Department as a part-time lecturer and at the same time as the San Francisco Chronicle’s freelance books reviewer. In addition, she is also the Water Bridge Review- an online magazine- book review editor (Elaine, 2003, pp. 423). Gail specifically considers herself to be one of the ‘early Chinese feminists’ examiner as well as going across the border to give different accounts of the differences between the Japanese and Chinese cultures, with particular interests in early immigration encounters to the present. Furthermore, she doesn’t restrict herself two these two but goes further to enlighten on many other minority groups in matters regarding personality, sensitivity, and the general Asian American experience. Her books are master pieces in which she has succinctly been able to blend emotional ploy with historical facts to address the parallels between the current political climate with the pre as well as the post WW11 ideologies. This paper therefore intends to highlight on some of these issues and how they have impacted on both the American perspective and the Asian American perspective as well. Asian American experience in San Francisco, especially for those of the Japanese origin has been one that is characterized by many hardships including adversity, community initiative, and hard work, incessant hope for the future, heartaches, indomitable spirits and triumphs. In the earlier years for example, Gail point blankly explores the issues of class, race, and personality as major components by which colored people in the USA are often depicted by legislature and discriminatory practices as helpless victims who more often than not do not appreciate their struggle with adversity or their unwavering strength (Jean, 1990, pp. 516). Moreover, it has wrongly been thought that these people of color are ignorant of what they went through as they defined and established themselves in various facets of their marginalized lives. However, Tsukiyama strongly holds that most of the valuable aspects of these communities have often passed undocumented. Neither their energy nor their spirit has been depicted fully, a fact that is not only true for the Japanese Americans in San Francisco, Hawaii and other parts, but one that also applies to other minorities as well (Hall, 1996, pp. 118). It was concern for matters such as the above that led , and to some extent still dictates, the selection by the minorities of places that are associated with the Asian American’s history in the US (Jean, 1990, pp. 498). These places reflect the experience of these people and their attempts of self establishment in many aspects of life including economical, educational, social, political, religious, as well as artistic backgrounds. Much discriminative actions were directed against them, especially the Japanese Americans, but they made determined efforts aimed at determining the direction and nature of their destiny. The 2nd World War is perhaps the greatest traumatizing experience that people of color went through with particular emphasis to Japanese Americans. In what has been documented as “the trauma”, and which is a major reference point by Tsukiyama in her novels, Americans of the Asian origin underwent horrifying moments during the internment. This involved incarcerations within barbed fencing, unmerciful resettlement within their own country, and dictatorial mass-uprooting based on class and ethnicity. It therefore goes without saying that the emotional scars that begot the internees are indescribable. The Asians have been in most instances treated as foreigners. More often than not, they have been approached by both the white and black Americans alike, with mixed reactions such as curiosity, superiority, ridicule, and hostility. It is well known that even the media has played a major role in advancing some of these condescending and demeaning stereotypical attitudes. One example is “celestials”, a name by which the Chinese were referred to by during 1908 New Year celebrations (Elaine, 2003, pp. 408). Chinese delicacies were unduly mocked and statements like “bird’s nests” and “staring eyes of dried fish” were common. Furthermore, motion pictures that were derogative to Asian identity in many regions were shown to symbolize negative images about these minorities. Such mocking connotations led to aggravated racial intolerance, but due to the strong will and endurance of the Asian Americans, the reinforced American superiority attitudes over them didn’t falter their resilience. This is portrayed by the fact that not only did they get established and recognized but they also have played an integral part in influencing the American personality, attitudes and sensitivity as well. Racism, class and status are significant factors that predominantly shape the identity, personality and sensitive of individuals and larger social institutions as well. Tsukiyama unearths this common knowledge by designing her characters in a way that since childhood, they grow up knowing where they exactly belong in the social ladder both in their native societies and foreign ones (Mangiafico, 1988, pp. 72). There is little or no allowance to escape from growing with the understanding that one is a Hispanic, Japanese American, and Chinese American, Black American, White American or any other categorization since very early in life. Recent research studies have shown that in all these circumstances, it is the parents that have the lions share in perpetuating most of the social stereotypes. In the case of the minority groups, parents are known to caution their children how the ‘superior’ groups discriminated their people as a way of preparing them for their inevitable encounters with the facets of racism and discrimination (Hall, 1996, pp. 112). However, as times change, these stereotyping attitudes sometimes lead to positive results such as acculturation. This is mainly in such cases such as when one of the rival parties is willing to withstand subordination with the hope for long-term positive recognition in future like most of the Asian American minorities did. A practical example of this is where the white Americans would mock the Asian Americans as ‘frog eaters, rat eaters, dog eaters, snake eaters’ among many others. But look at the current situation today with specific reference to San Francisco, a place that has become a favorite destination for many who are after the Asian delicacies (Elaine, 2003, pp. 412). Other fundamental issues that have come up over time include mixed reactions regarding such matters like the evacuation claims that authorized compensation of Japanese ancestry who were supposed to receive payments due to economic losses they suffered during the internment. Some feel that this ought to be regarded as any other war onset factor which should not have warranted such compensation or otherwise any other person would claim reimbursement for all other war damages that have ever or will ever emerge. The argument here is that many of the victims of the United States internment camps were within the second as well as the third American generation citizenry (Kerr, 1974, pp. 94). Similarly, even with the War Brides Act that removed Asian brides from entry on racial restrictions, there are complains that significant complains exists to date, a matter that has reached international intervention and negotiation levels. Moreover, when the September 11 terrorist attack hit Washington D.C and New York, many Asian Americans became and are continually being circumstantial victims of racial profiling, violence, harassments and threats irrespective of their religious affiliations (Hall, 1996, pp. 120). These are just a few of the many empirical evidences that support Gail Tsukiyama’s relentless efforts in bringing to light the kind and magnitude of the rifts we have in our attitudes towards each other according to their stereotyped characters, personalities, identities, class, race and sundry. Work cited: Elaine Chan. “Ethnic Identity in Transition: Chinese New Year through the Years,” Journal of Curriculum Studies Vol. 35, no. 4 (2003): pp. 406-423 Hall, Stuart. “Cultural Identity and Diaspora,” in Padmini Mongia (ed.) Contemporary Postcolonial Theory: a reader. New York, (1996): Arnold Publishing Press, pp. 110-121 Jean Phinney. “Ethnic Identity in Adolescents and Adults: A Review of Research,” Psychological Bulletin Vol.108 (1990): pp. 498-519 Kerr, George. Formosa: Licensed Revolution and the Home Rule Movement, 1895-1945. Honolulu, (1974): University of Hawaii Press, pp. 94 Mangiafico, Luciano. Contemporary American Immigrants: Pattern of Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese Settlement in the United States. New Jersey, (1988): John Wiley & Sons, pp. 72 Read More