Hey everyone!

What shall I talk about today? I actually thought today's discussion about Asian American as model minorities and why we might be considered "passive" was very interesting. Many of the points made in class really made sense and made me think. Having taken Asian American Studies 20A, seminars in APATH (Asian Pacific American Theme House), and now this Asian American R2A class, I’m really starting to understand the history of Asian Americans and its importance.
On the topic of Asian Americans as the model minority, I think that most Asian Americans, as mentioned by a few of the students in class, are satisfied with their lifestyle and don’t want to create havoc with protests that might not even get them anywhere, in the sense of politics. They would rather improve themselves (because in life, the only person you can totally control is yourself) and win the society’s heart by their virtues. For some, this actually proved true, with many Asian American students doing well in schools and getting accepted into prestige universities. But for some, no matter how intelligent or hardworking or diligent, they are unable to overcome the oppression or discriminations from other races. Till this day, we still have the glass ceiling (or bamboo ceiling). This concept is saying that when the Asian Americans want to improve their status, like by becoming a manager or CEO, they often hit a glass ceiling/bamboo ceiling. In the glass ceiling, you can see the position and see the opportunity but because of the ceiling, you are unable to go up. The bamboo ceiling is the same concept; instead of a glass ceiling that you can see through the transparent ceiling, the bamboo ceiling can bend. As it bends, it feels like you’re improving and might get a chance at promotion but it can only bend so far. You’re still stuck under this ceiling. This has not happened to me personally but I’m sure it has happened to a lot of promising Asian Americans want to get promoted to head positions but are denied because of their race or ethnicity. This situation was actually presented to me in my APATH seminar class. I’ve never noticed this because I have not been working long, but now that I think about it, I don’t see many Asian American CEOs or hotel managers, etc.
Going on to another topic, I also agreed with a student today in class, who said that Asian Americans don’t go into constant strikes or protests because they weigh their profits and loss and realize that it is not worth it to go into a big strike for something small that they can endure. You can argue that something small may become something bigger later on or that we have the right to fight for our rights and so we should. But I think I can understand why they don’t. I mean, while you’re fighting for your rights, you still have to support your family and earn an income. You still have to think of your children. Why risk getting fired and losing income? A lot of first generation Asian American parents tend to think like that. They put their families first and are used to being enduring and being patient, waiting for things to change. I’m not saying this is the right or wrong way. I’m actually in the middle. I want to fight for our rights but I think there are things more important. Yet, if we fight now, it may be better for the future. I’m thoroughly confused.
This is just my opinion; I don’t think I’m right or that I’m wrong. I’m just thinking.

In Response ...

As I am the last person to post, I guess I’ll respond to all of your posts. All of you have really compelling things to say, and I’m glad we have this medium of sharing our thoughts and getting to know more about each other (even if it’s required).

Dao, I think you chose a really good topic for The Namesake. Coming from the perspective of American culture, it was really strange to read about the lack of outward displays of affection between Ashima and Ashoke. I am an extremely affectionate person to all my friends and family. To not express my love and care for others in that way would somehow alter my relationships towards them I feel. However, these displays of affection can be attributed to the Western culture. Just because Ashima and Ashoke do not show their love for each other in the American fashion does not mean that love is not present in their relationship. As for Gogol and his failed relationships, I believe that it is because he has not truly found his identity that he is unable to have a successful relationship. He begins to depend on these women for happiness, seeking to find himself in them. I never thought about the significance of Moushimi coming from the past. It could be that he felt closer to finding himself through Moushimi rather than in her. Thus, because she came from the past, he must look to the past in order to fully find his identity. I don’t know if that makes sense …

Thank you, Dao and Jenn, for sharing with us the stories of your families. While I personally have never experienced anything like your parents, I know that all of our families have struggled in the same way for us to be here right now. Whenever I complain about something, my parents tell me how much I don’t understand hardship, how there are so many worse things that could be happening. And I forget that this is true. It’s so hard to fall into this way of thinking, forgetting that there are so many people suffering every day. Stories like those of your families are like big slaps in the face to wake me up to my selfishness.

When I was reading The Gangster We Are All Looking For, I honestly didn’t get it. I was confused and annoyed that there was no structure to the book and that there were random metaphoric scenes. But, after finishing the book and doing my response, I realized that what Le had written was powerful. Extremely powerful. The novel’s conciseness and simplicity are added to the impact of what Le had to say and showed her skill as a writer. The characters in the book, despite their inability to properly communicate, were depicted as a true family. Yes, they did have their problems, but, in the end, they were all they had.

For my paper, I wrote about both The Namesake and The Gangster We are All Looking For. I found that there were some major themes that were similar in both novels. My paper focused on the importance of the main characters’ relationships with their fathers and how these affected their struggle for identity. My thesis states that, though they seek to run away from the shadow of their fathers, the protagonists must understand their fathers before they can truly understand themselves.

With much appreciation,

Laurie

Similar experience

hey girls,

For The Gangster We Are All Looking For, I, like Precious, did not really understand the book. Her writing is too lyrical and poetic that it takes my mind away from the story and toward trying to understand what she means. But I can feel what the author is trying to depict. I can feel the poverty, the entrapment, the pain, the hardships, and the joy felt by each of the characters. I think, in order for an author to transfer these emotions to the readers, the author has to write well. So even though I did not really appreciate or comprehend the author’s writing, I value her story.

Actually, like Dao, my dad had to escape Vietnam during the war too. My dad is Chinese but was born in South Vietnam. At the age of seventeen, my dad was instructed to escape Vietnam. My aunts and grandparents got on a ship and hid there for several months out at sea, landing in the Philippines. One of my uncles was actually rescued and taken to America. As for my dad, he had to suffer a lot. He wasn’t told where to escape to, but just to escape. He got on a boat and left Vietnam. But along the way, he got caught and was thrown in jail in Cambodia. I don’t know how long he was there for (my dad never told me) but the conditions they were under were excruciating. After awhile, he managed to escape again and ended on the shores of Hong Kong. There, he was able to start a new life. He worked his way through college and eventually became an architect. The point I want to make is that, even after escaping Vietnam, there are still hardships ahead. So coming back to the book, even though the girl’s family escaped Vietnam and the author never told us what they went through between the times they escaped Vietnam to the time they arrived in San Diego, we should realize that they went through a lot. We can hardly blame the parents for their bitterness. When my dad told me his stories, even I don’t know how to react. One time, he talked about how they escaped on a boat but the “police” caught up to them and pointed a gun at one of the escapers and killed him. At this point, recalling this incident, my dad broke down and cried. At that time, I really, really don’t know how to react. Whether to console him or to leave him alone. I don’t think I will ever be able to understand fully his past pains and sufferings.

For my essay, I decided to write about The Namesake because I had such a hard time with Thuy’s book. I had such a hard time finding what I was going to write about. There are so many things I want to cover. But after my conference with Christine yesterday, I am able to finally able to narrow down my many ideas to a narrower topic. I’m still not quite sure what I should focus on but I’m leaning toward the topic of Gogol’s increase of understanding toward his parents’ points of view. Through his various relationships, he was able to learn something about his parents in the process. I guess I’ll see how things go~

Thanks for listening to my ramble.

Intense story!

Initially after reading The Gangster We Are All Looking For, i was so confused. I kind of got some parts but nothing very deep. But even though I didn't understand every aspect of the book, i did feel the emotions. All i gotta say is that they were so intense. The violence constantly going on from the war and the domestic disagreements between Ba and Ma, cannot go unnoticed. They honestly got so bad that the narrator had to seek refuge in the waters of her bathtub, which is something i probably would've done in her situation. For me, the water has always been this peaceful and calming medium for me to just soak it all up. So i really do get where she is coming from with her comfort with water. I'm not going to go onto say that the water was a symbol for home like what we've been talking about in class, but i sincerely believe that it is a symbol for refuge. Where did the refugees flee towards, where does the narrator find solace, and were does the entire family just exist in peace near: the water. The water that is undeniably tumultuous but yet doesn't it just take everything that the tides throw there way? The water changes forms, has unspeakable strength, and cools anything that comes within it. Water is theirs (and mines) sanctuary. That was just something i thought about in class during our discussions but didn't have the nerve to say out loud.

And Dao, for your essay on the Namesake, I really think you got something there. It is definitely an approach never thought of taking. I think that his relationships never seem to last forever because its not a reflection of him really but of the women he sees. Ruth dumps him after her stay in London, Maxine dumps him after he becomes distant and different from how she knew him after Ashoke died, and Moushimi cheats on him. So just by extension, his only real fault is in the type of women that he chooses to see. They all have a common thread, of being strong, independent, educated, motivated, and proactive women. They have very strong characteristics that some may say are masculine qualities, somethings i think he lacks. And that's why his relationships don't work because he constantly puts himself in situations where he is over-powered and left in the end just standing there, unable to do anything. At least in my opinion.

And also, thank you so much for sharing your dad's refugee story with us to put things in better clarity, at least for me, because I honestly have never encountered anyone who has or is related to someone who went through such a traumatizing experience. That is really INTENSE, and couldn't imagine going through such hardships. But that is just a major account of the strength of your family members to overcome and persevere through that all.

-Precious

Seeking help and seeking understanding

Hmm, what to blog about.

I guess I could begin by talking about what I wrote about in my essay. I chose to write on The Namesake because I seriously believe I fell in love with the character of Gogol. The way in which Gogol struggles to choose between his American identity and his Indian identity is very similar to the way I have struggled to identify with my Vietnamese culture and my American culture, as well as French culture (born and raised for 7 years).

For my essay, I chose “affection” as my unifying motif and the one emotion or lack thereof that I identified page after page in The Namesake. Basically, I have a dual thesis. My first claim is that affection was not prevalent in Ashima and Ashoke’s relationship like it was in Gogol’s relationships to Ruth, Maxine, and finally Moushimi because Gogol’s parents are Indian-born and therefore have instilled conservative Indian values whereas Gogol has grown up in an American culture that encourages boasting affection. This ties into my second claim that it is because of having been exposed to an almost detached relationship between his parents that Gogol has strived to do just the opposite—he has pursued relations with American women in hopes of being able to identity with the American culture. I hope that made sense, haha.

For this paper, I found that writing out an outline really helped me construct my argument in a much more organized way. I think I spent more time writing out a 4 page outline laden with evidence than I did writing my 7 page essay, which has yet to be finished. I just couldn’t think of the right way to conclude it. I’ve tried to find a pattern that really fuses my ideas together. I’m trying to explore the fact that in the cases of Ruth, Maxine, and Moushimi, Lahiri established a sense of familiarity to how they are linked to Gogol’s life. For example, Gogol explains how even though Ruth and Maxine roamed the same halls as he did in the same schools he attended, he never came across them. Also, Moushimi is a character who emerges from his past. I don’t know what this could mean and I’m really trying my hardest not to delve into something that may not be there. Does anyone know what this could mean? Furthermore, I’m trying to find a good answer to why Gogol never has a lasting relationship with any of these women. Any thoughts? It’d be much appreciated. Comment if you feel me :]

In response to what we discussed in class today during our open discussion on The Gangster We Are All Looking For, I felt like the book was beautifully written and being Vietnamese myself, I was able to relate to the story she told and the emotions that Thuy Le was trying to evoke. The stories that I have heard from my father about his experience with escaping the war are pretty heartbreaking and always manage to bring tears to my eyes. My grandmother suffered a mental illness because of culminating paranoia and fear just when the North was invading the South. My father’s entire family was thrown out of their own home, a home in which 5 of his brothers and sisters were born and raised. Because of the war, both of my parents were not allowed to attend college (which later caused a problem for them when they immigrated to France). In an attempt to escape Vietnam, my father and some of his siblings were caught and sent to prison for three months (my father was lucky to get away with a sentence of one month). My father told me how he remembers being in a stuffy jail cell where he would witness fellow refugees defecating next to the place where they slept. He told me that they were only fed a bowl of porridge twice a day.

When my father and mother were finally able to escape from the Vietcong, they struggled to restart their lives in France both emotionally and financially. They put up with menial jobs such as waitressing to pay the rent and my father had to put himself through college to attain a degree that would allow him to look for better jobs.

Even though my father and mother have expressed notions of wanting to go back to their home country, they know that the homes in which they grew up have been paved over and nothing will ever feel the same. They don't tell me this but I think deep down, they are still afraid to face a place and time in their life where they were most damaged.

So yeah, I just wanted to share another side of the story to you guys so you get a better idea what it was like for Thuy Le’s family. However, don’t blame yourself if you can’t identify or relate, I wasn’t born in Vietnam and I don’t think I can ever begin to understand how much my family suffered.

Best,

Dao Nguyen

Heeeello

hey girls ^.^~
I was starting my essay this weekend, but ended up just gathering notes. If I remembered correctly, there are no prompts for this essay right? So we can write about any topic?? That's the impression I'm under. What's everyone writing about?

Jenn

Hi

Hey girls!

Laurie- Thank you for taking the initiative to do this, I wasn't sure what we could have done. I really appreciate it!

So what are we to blog about this week? Anyone know what they're going to write their paper about yet? Are the guidelines pretty flexible as to what we're allowed to write about?

-Dao

Yo!

This is the online blog of Jenn Yeung, Dao Nguyen, Precious Guan, and Laurie Bailon. We are using this as a method for recording our thoughts, discussions, feelings, etc. for our Asian American Studies R2A class.

Remember, girls, this is a safe space. Feel free to write anything you like with the knowledge that we all respect one another. Nothing leaves this blog without the permission of the authors who have created it.

"For me, words are a form of action, capable of influencing change. Their articulation represents a complete, lived experience." - Ingrid Bengis

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