Throughout America’s history, the convoluted concept of American national belonging has often depicted ethnic pride and American nationalism as mutually exclusive feelings, complicating the concept of self-identity for many citizens. The division between heritage and nationality became more pronounced during and after World War II, skewing Japanese Americans’ sense of national belonging by suggesting that the only alternative to being fiercely pro-American is being anti-American. This essay contends that the characters in John Okada’s No-No Boy lack the agency to find American national belonging, since Okada frames militant nationalism as a false signifier of belonging; the characters’ struggles consequently represent the elusiveness of national …show more content…
Through discursive commentary, Okada reveals that Bull still lacks a sense of national belonging despite being a veteran, as “the meanness which had prompted him to make a spectacle of him [Ichiro] was less to blame than the dull, beastly desire to feel the approval of the crowd, which had laughed with him for a moment instead of at him. The blond was a compensation for his lack of acceptance also” (74). The main motivation for Bull’s malice towards no-no boys like Ichiro is his need to be accepted in America, whose society denies him the belonging that he thought military service would give him. As a result of his ostracization, Bull tries to appeal to mainstream America and prove his American identity by harassing no-no boys, whom America despises, as well as flaunting his success in acquiring non-Japanese women. His efforts are in vain, though, because he only gains temporary acknowledgement for his expressed hatred of Ichiro, becoming a subject of mockery himself soon after. Frustrated by the realization that militant nationalism does not equate to belonging, Bull cannot discover any other way to find a sense of belonging besides relying on his veteran status, which has already proved to be ultimately useless. Bull consequently suffers an …show more content…
In this perspective, Ichiro’s refusal of Mr. Carrick’s job offer seems to prove his ability to determine his role in America. However, Ichiro bases his choice on this no-no boy status, believing that he is not “American” enough to deserve the job; even in this scene, postwar America’s ideal of militant nationalism controls his opinions, causing him to refuse the job that he wanted (136). Thus, in its historical context, Okada’s novel repeatedly shows that communities and the relationships within them determine individual senses of national belonging, not necessarily one’s personal choices. Although minorities may not see militant nationalism as the only way to belong in America today, political polarization continues to make national belonging a matter of picking sides. By proving that inflexible political views slow social progression, through the concept of militant nationalism, Okada shows that discriminating against others based on personal views is self-detrimental. All citizens have a responsibility in creating a space where individuals have the agency to find national belonging and a self-identity. If such action is taken, each person will have the chance to establish their role in society and give back to their community, supporting it in times of crisis. In redefining American
The ability for people to look at a situation from a different perspective is vital in today’s globalized society. Diversity is the most important core attribute we share that gives us a new perspective to assess situations differently through our diverse backgrounds and upbringings. Unlike Patrick J. Buchanan’s argument in his essay titled “Deconstructing America,” diversity is not a burden, but rather a necessity in America’s culture. Conversely, Fredrickson 's essay titled, “Models of American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective,” illustrated a more precise version of American history that disproves Buchanan’s ethnocentric ideologies. Buchanan speaks of diversity as a narrow, one-way street. The imprecise interpretations of history
This book was published in 1981 with an immense elaboration of media hype. This is a story of a young Mexican American who felt disgusted with being pointed out as a minority and was unhappy with affirmative action programs although he had gained advantages from them. He acknowledged the gap that was created between him and his parents as the penalty immigrants ought to pay to develop and grow into American culture. And he confessed that he was bewildered to see other Hispanic teachers and students determined to preserve their ethnicity and traditions by asking for such issues to be dealt with as departments of Chicano studies and minority literature classes. A lot of critics criticized him as a defector of his heritage, but there are a few who believed him to be a sober vote in opposition to the political intemperance of the 1960s and 1970s.
Bishop asserts that the American people are, consciously and unconsciously, segregating themselves into like-minded communities and losing any variety of thought, along with healthy debates or challenged beliefs; by doing so, these homogenously-forming groups are driving majorly divisive wedges in between one another. The amount of polarization that we are witnessing today in both the American government and public alike can be largely attributed to this communal and lifestyle segregation and it has been for a long time, though unknown to the mass public. Bishop notes that this pattern of cultural and population sorting mostly began in the 1960s, during that volatile period of riots, unrest, and revolution. Many people were dissatisfied from the conformity of the 1950s and wanted something different ...
Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong somewhere? Do you know what it feels like to be told you don’t belong in the place of your birth? People experience this quite frequently, because they may not be the stereotypical American citizen, and are told and convinced they don’t belong in the only place they see as home. In Gloria Anzaldúa’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, Anzaldúa gives the reader an inside look at the struggles of an American citizen who experiences this in their life, due to their heritage. She uses rhetorical appeals to help get her messages across on the subliminal level and show her perspective’s importance. These rhetorical appeals deal with the emotion, logic and credibility of the statements made by the author. Anzaldúa
America is a nation that is often glorified in textbooks as a nation of freedom, yet history shows a different, more radical viewpoint. In Howard Zinn’s A People's History of the United States, we take a look at American history through a different lens, one that is not focused on over glorifying our history, but giving us history through the eyes of the people. “This is a nation of inconsistencies”, as so eloquently put by Mary Elizabeth Lease highlights a nation of people who exploited and sought to keep down those who they saw as inferior, reminding us of more than just one view on a nation’s history, especially from people and a gender who have not had an easy ride.
Establishing an identity has been called one of the most important milestones of adolescent development (Ruffin, 2009). Additionally, a central part of identity development includes ethnic identity (ACT for Youth, 2002). While some teens search for cultural identity within a smaller community, others are trying to find their place in the majority culture. (Bucher and Hinton, 2010)The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian chronicles Junior’s journey to discovery of self. As with many developing teens, he finds himself spanning multiple identities and trying to figure out where he belongs. “Traveling between Reardan and Wellpinit, between the little white town and the reservation, I always felt like a stranger. I was half Indian in one place and half white in the other” (p.118). On the reservation, he was shunned for leaving to go to a white school. At Reardon, the only other Indian was the school mascot, leaving Junior to question his decision to attend school he felt he didn’t deserve. Teens grappling with bicultural identities can relate to Junior’s questions of belonging. Not only is Junior dealing with the struggle between white vs. Indian identities, but with smaller peer group identities as well. In Wellpinit, Junior is th...
What being an American truly means is a topic that fascinates American authors and readers alike. What composes the American spirit, the American culture, the American identity and the American values are questions many authors answer and nearly all authors answer differently. In the novels Catch 22, by Joseph Heller and The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger the idea of Americanism, is explored in great detail. Each novel features a slightly different insight into what exactly being an American truly means. Through the use of characters and narration, the literary works Catch 22 and The Catcher in the Rye convey what their respective authors believe to be American spirit, American culture, American identity and American values.
Japanese immigration created the same apprehension and intolerance in the mind of the Americans as was in the case of Chinese migration to the U.S at the turn of the 19th century. They developed a fear of being overwhelmed by a people having distinct ethnicity, skin color and language that made them “inassimilable.” Hence they wanted the government to restrict Asian migration. Japan’s military victories over Russia and China reinforced this feeling that the Western world was facing what came to be known as “yellow peril”. This was reflected in the media, movies and in literature and journalism.4 Anti-Oriental public opinion gave way to several declarations and laws to restrict Japanese prosperity on American land. Despite the prejudice and ineligibility to obtain citizenship the ...
Nationalism is extreme loyalty and devotion to one particular nation, and many Americans are nationalistic about their country. But even though they are loyal to America, defining what it means to be a true American is tricky. Being American is one complex thing, but the concept of being American can not be fully grasped. What it means to be American may in fact be one of the biggest mysteries of all time. Indeed, discovering what it means to be a true American could possibly take an entire lifetime. One thing, however about all true Americans is certain: we are all alike in that each one of us is different from the Americans in important ways. We are diverse in our backgrounds, races, and religions. Nevertheless, we are exactly identical in the we feel toward our country, even though we express our pride in a million different ways.
As mentioned in Ralph Edward’s review An American Dilemma lies in its demonstration of how the mechanism of prejudice operates to disguise the moral conflict in the minds of whites produced by the clash on the social level between the American Creed and anti-Negro practices.
Gruesz explains the various definitions people of different nationalities and positions deemed the definition of ‘America’ to be. She explains that, “America carries multiple connotations that go far beyond its literal referent…[it] implies a consensual understanding of shared values, not just shared passports; the literal and figurative meaning tend to collapse into each other” (Gruesz 16). America is illustrated in two means in The Golden Door. The Italian immigrants see America as a new land; moldable to their power. They hold certain expectations and perceptions about it. To them, this is a place where diverse people are able to coexist while sharing different values and beliefs. Their anxiety towards becoming what it meant to be an American
Matsumoto studies three generations, Issei, Nisei, and Sansei living in a closely linked ethnic community. She focuses her studies in the Japanese immigration experiences during the time when many Americans were scared with the influx of immigrants from Asia. The book shows a vivid picture of how Cortex Japanese endured violence, discriminations during Anti-Asian legislation and prejudice in 1920s, the Great Depression of 1930s, and the internment of 1940s. It also shows an examination of the adjustment period after the end of World War II and their return to the home place.
In this book, Robert M. Utley depicts the life of Sitting Bull a Hunkpapa Indian, from when he was born to his death in 1890. Utley shows both the personal life and political life that Sitting Bull endured throughout the years. Utley looks at Sitting Bull's life from both “...the white as well as the Indian perspective. From both, he emerges as an enduring legend and a historical icon, but above all as a truly great human being.” (xvi). To his tribe Sitting Bull was an extraordinary man who was brave and respected, but to many in the US government believed him to be a troublemaker and a coward. Utley works to prove how Sitting Bull was a man who became an American patriot.
The obstacles Ichiro faced in searching for his lost identity reveal a discrepancy of American values, such as freedom and equality, which are deeply rooted in a segregated society. Through the negativity of many of the Japanese-American veterans and the differences among Ichiro’s entire family, he has literally gone from having a duel-heritage to no identity at all. Since he has no desire to be Japanese and feels unworthy to be American, he sees himself as nothing. His hatred of himself not only hinders the possibilities before him, but it also paints a whole new picture of America. Instead of a nation that is united and fights for freedom and equality, America is divided by racism and strips away the freedom of those they find inferior.
Ignatieff, Michael Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993.