‘I’ am an in-between-er. ‘I’ is first person. ‘I’ is personal. An in-between-er exchanges two contrasting principles and exists in two contrasting aspects. As I have lived equally amount of time in China and Australia, I fond myself questioning the means of ‘being’ which the Chinese 5,000 year heritage I brought with me constantly contradicting my Australian twenty-first century living. Regardless, I live mutually dependent on my Chinese tradition and modern western civilisations. I will not exist without either cultural element.
The contrast between my background and my present condition clarifies my investigation to my question. Frequently, I feel entangled, trapped. If I make a move, I feel two forces pulling me to opposite directions. Twenty years ago, when I just settled in Sydney, if anyone asked me where I was come from, ‘I’m from Beijing, China.’ I answered straight back, no blink. Twenty years later, same question: ‘where are you from?’ I inescapable take a pause, then, either to answer: ‘from home, St Ives.’ Or to clarify the question before answering it: ‘do you mean where I was originally from?’ If I intent to stay where I am, which, unmistakably, I feel I am collapsing and dissolving. Same question asked in recent years: ‘where are you from?’ I cannot answer: ‘I’m from Beijing, China.’, because it is not the truth anymore. Although, if I visit China, Chinese people ask me if I am Australian, my short answer would be: ‘still Chinese.’ I have to deny that I am 100% Australian because I do not consider I fit in that category even I am Australian by law. The way I have been blended changed me neither an Australian nor a Chinese. I am a mere in-between-er. How do I avoid the conflicts and contradictions of being a Chine...
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...tity with a palm size narrative picture. No human being is no indifferent to the misplacement of belonging, inside or outside, or in-between. ‘Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.’
Emerson said: ‘What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.’ Mankinds investigate all the possibilities to solve the biggest problem, namely life and death. The argument stays on whether east or west has the key to the unknown. Western scientists may breakthrough substance to expand life, eastern living philosophy unfold metaphysic and consciousness to expand life. Meeting west and east, yin-yang combined contrasting functions under the law of nature will evoke the globalisation.
At this note, the notion of my paper, although ‘I’ is first person, ‘I’ is not personal. Every viewer is framed in this “I”.
She clearly and logically illustrates her point of view. She writes, “cultural differences are assumed and expected. But when the cultures of individuals are under scrutiny, it becomes clear that cultural borders do not hold their dividing power.” (98) Combined with her ability to logically expound on her view of cultural borders, she uses several anecdotes to further her point. She identifies four individuals who exemplify multiculturalism. Each of these examples share a Korean heritage but have adopted many other cultural markers from additional sources including non-Korean parents, U.S. society, immigration, and through adoption. Chang poses the question, “Would it be possible for one to become culturally more Korean in the morning, German for lunch, ‘American’ in the afternoon, and back to Korean in the evening? In her conclusion and in answer to that question she states, “Once different standards are embraced by individuals, the differences are incorporated into their individual cultures…the cultural differences are reframed into multiculturalism.”
Yin and Yang is an ancient Chinese philosophy that says everything in the world works through opposing energies and that everything has its counter part which balances the world out. This idea of counter parts also carries into literature as shown in the book Sula by Toni Morrison. According to social conventions the character Nel is the yang (positive character/good) and Sula is the yin (negative character/evil). This is the way both characters are viewed on sole terms of how they conform to society. Nel is shown to be a good character because she plays a socially expectable role as a women and mother, while Sula conforms to no social stereotypes and let's almost nothing hold her back, thus she is viewed as evil.
Conflicting perspectives are an innate corollary of the subjective human experience. Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' explores disparate representations of events and personalities to give rise to truth and the language in which it is expressed as innately unstable. Moreover, Julius Caesar and Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' offer disparate class perspectives to undermine the possibility of truth as anything but iridescent and personal.
People who emigrated over from China to America faced and dealt with many discrimination issues. It is clear that from research as well as from the short story by Amy Tan, that Chinese Americans had a hard time accepting themselves, and also being ok with their culture. From this it is also clear that the most important thing in life is to be ok with yourself, and who you are, that’s all that
Throughout life people are always seeking something, whether it is finding out ideals, desires, lovers, and perhaps themselves. However, recognizing, fulfilling, and rising above one’s true self are the hardest things in the world because one always seems certain of him or herself and is strongly influenced by his or her surroundings. Hence, taking the time to practice experiences is a way for an individual to precisely know him or herself and actively participate in society. In the essay, “The Power of Context,” Malcolm Gladwell states that the features of one’s current social and physical environment will strongly influence his or her behaviors. Those actions that an individual conduct in response to the situation
Chinese-Americans authors Amy Tan and Gish Jen have both grappled with the idea of mixed identity in America. For them, a generational problem develops over time, and cultural displacement occurs as family lines expand. While this is not the problem in and of itself, indeed, it is natural for current culture to gain foothold over distant culture, it serves as the backdrop for the disorientation that occurs between generations. In their novels, Tan and Jen pinpoint the cause of this unbalance in the active dismissal of Chinese mothers by their Chinese-American children.
The first-person account resonates with me, as a reader, due to the way the work was
The differences in Western and Eastern philosophy are marked. Eastern thinking has slowly become “discovered” by the West; meanwhile, the development of Western thought and philosophy has come under close scrutiny by modern and postmodern philosophers and thinkers as being flawed at its core. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger came to the conclusion that “Western philosophy is a great error” (Barrett xi). The manner in which Western thought was founded, the course of its development, and its incursion into every facet of life in the Western world has been and is now being questioned on all fronts by leading critics and thinkers.
These are the two questions that I get asked regularly by non-Asians. I always reply “Well I was born and raised in America but my family comes from Hong Kong.” I grew up constantly being told to take pride in being Chinese, however, I was also consistently told by my family to be proud that I even have the opportunity to grow up in America. There was never a definite answer as to what I was, so I learned to accept both. I am Asian American. Many people have questions about what “Asian American” really means and their questions brought on questions of my own. It was not until recently that Asian American influences became more prominent in my life. I was able to find books,
When asked to define ones cultural identity people usually take the path that leads to their country of origin. They describe their beliefs and tradition which mirrors the values of people within that geographic location. But what about the people who are torn between two cultures? How would they define their cultural identity? This is the problem faced by Henry Park, the protagonist of the book Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee. Originally from Korea, he immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was little. However, his struggle of trying to find his acceptance into the American culture still continues. The book outlines his endless uncertainty of trying to define his cultural identity and his feelings as an outsider to the American Culture. Not being able to commit to either of the cultures leaves Henry confused regarding his true Cultural identity which Chang very artfully presents as a fuzzy line between the American and Korean Culture.
Growing up people would ask me where I was from, I would answer Queens. There was never a doubt in my mind that this is where I am from since this is where I was born. People would often tell me that I’m not from Queens since my parents are immigrants. I’ve always felt that I’ve had to fight to say where I’m from. These constant battles came from family members, friends, and strangers. It always had questioning my language and personal identity. My family members would say I’m Mexican but I don’t share the culture, language, nor experiences. Strangers from America would say I couldn’t be American since my parents are from another country but I do share the culture, language, and experiences. The craziest part is that my parents did everything they could so there children could
There is a saying that says “You have three selves. The self you show the world (me or Nygeria), the self your friends and family see (myself or Nygee), and the self that no one but yourself sees (I or Nusa).” This paper is gonna explain all of those sides of myself plus the alter ego (her or Nuna).
As someone with a hyphenated-identity and, more specifically, as a Chinese-Canadian, I’ve spent much of my life looking for a middle-ground between my two identities and at times have wished that I was just one or the other. This is similar to one of the conflicts the protagonist of “Everyone Talked Loudly in Chinatown” by Anne Jew faces. Lin’s struggle between her Chinese roots and her new Western identity results in her isolation from her family and it is not until she is able to appreciate her family’s traditional nature that she is able to reconnect with them. Since a young age, Lin has despised parts of her culture and her attempts to distance herself from it also results in her distancing herself from her grandmother. For example, “[she
... alone, ‘the other figures in it/merely projections.’ And you consider the richness of the imagination of this ‘someone,’ their isolation and alienation and possible nervous breakdown and this sets you thinking about the conditions that have brought about this situation.
Who am I? Wrestling with identity— our history, our culture, our language— is central to being human, and there’s no better way to come to grips with questions of identity than through the crossing of borders. The transcendence of borders reveals the fluid nature of identity, it challenges absurd notions of rigid nationalities, and highlights our common humanity. It is no coincidence, then, that my experience as an immigrant has shaped my academic journey and pushed me to pursue graduate studies.