Who Killed Vincent Chin details the brutal beating of Vincent Chin to death by Robert Ebens and Michael Nitz as well as follows the aftermath and the subsequent reactions, particularly among the Chinese-American community. Ebens and some of his white friends interviewed for the documentary explicitly and vehemently deny him holding racial prejudice and committing this murder because of racism, instead insisting that Chin provoked the altercation and ignoring how the fight began in response to aggressive comments made by Ebens, particularly regarding how he was unemployed because of people like Chin, who he had mistaken for Japanese and thus held responsible for Japanese domination of the auto industry, formerly controlled by the U.S. The two …show more content…
He found one and met his wife, and as he also knew a lot of people and was charismatic, he was able to rise in ranks to higher supervising positions. Ebens had a history of involvement in bar scrapes, but he spent his first night in jail after murdering Chin. He described the experience as uncomfortable and was upset since the next day was Father’s Day, though he notes that he “expected” to be sent to jail and was “prepared” for that. On the day Chin was taken off of life support, Ebens, who had been released after a very quick stint in jail, was playing baseball with his team. When interviewed for this documentary, he held that the beating was “preordained to be” when he considers all of the other …show more content…
with her husband, who had served in the army during World War II, part of the wave of Chinese who were finally considered more American because of their patriotism. They had also come to Detroit for job opportunities, and lived and worked in a basement laundry operation. Chin’s mother distinctly recalls being harassed by neighborhood kids and people at a baseball game; she and her husband were also physically assaulted because their Chineseness marked them as perpetual foreigners. She could not have children so they adopted a boy from China, Vincent. He had integrated pretty well, establishing himself as an engineer who was popular, made friends easily, and was always laughing and
Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, was brutally beaten by two white men with baseball bats in Detroit during the summer of 1982. They had just lost their jobs in the auto-industry because Japanese cars were gaining popularity in America, and they had assumed Chin was Japanese. Chin died a few days later in the hospital due to injuries sustained during the attack. When the case was brought to court, the courts ruled that the two white men has simply been attempting to teach Chin a lesson, and the two men got off with a fine of a few thousand dollars and a couple years ' probation. This ruling was what sparked the modern Asian American civil rights movement in the United States. The information presented here is what I already know from multiple workshops I 've attended and led on Vincent Chin and his story. What I want to know is how much of this information should Wayne State’s faculty and students know? Telling and hearing this story multiple times, I personally feel that residents of Detroit should know about the spark of a revolution in their hometown, but should they really? My personal attachments the Vincent Chin story have led to pursue the attempt of answering this question.
Jonathan D. Spence weaves together fact and fiction in his book The Death of Woman Wang. Approaching history through the eyes of those who lived it, he tells a story of those affected by history rather than solely recounting the historical events themselves. By incorporating factual evidence, contextualizing the scene, and introducing individual accounts, he chronicles events and experiences in a person’s life rather than episodes in history. Spence pulls together the narrative from a factual local history of T’an-ch’eng by scholar Fenge K’o-ts’an, the memoir of magistrate Huang Liu-hung, and fictional stories by writer P’u Sung-ling. The book closely resembles an historical fiction while still maintaining the integrity of an historical reconstruction.
This is evident in the persistence of elderly characters, such as Grandmother Poh-Poh, who instigate the old Chinese culture to avoid the younger children from following different traditions. As well, the Chinese Canadians look to the Vancouver heritage community known as Chinatown to maintain their identity using on their historical past, beliefs, and traditions. The novel uniquely “encodes stories about their origins, its inhabitants, and the broader society in which they are set,” (S. Source 1) to teach for future generations. In conclusion, this influential novel discusses the ability for many characters to sustain one sole
In the novel, Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson, Kabuo Miyamoto is arrested for murder without any substantial evidence. He was charged with a crime he did not commit. He was accused based strictly on his race. Kabuo’s trial was unfair because there was racial conflict with the Japanese following World War II.
Imagine feeling and looking different from all those around you. Imagine if you weren’t understood the same way as the majority. In the book “American Born Chinese”, two characters, Jin and Monkey King who went through the same situations, but in different societies. The Monkey King insight into the impact of society on Jin as they both face social exclusion through experiencing internalized racism. Further as Monkey King transforms into another character, Chin-Kee, which Jin sees as an embarrassing Chinese culture.
Although his parents had no previous knowledge of America’s society, they were able to learn from watching films and reading books. When Liu was born, they decided it was a good idea for him to adapt to this new environment that may benefit his life with better opportunities that the culture provides. Some of these opportunities involved independence and a luxurious lifestyle that they thought was different than the Chinese culture. Liu took pride in believing that he was considered an Asian American when he perceives himself as a unique individual coming from two different cultures. He learns about the daily lives of white people and eventually made friends who were able to support and teach him to fit in with the society. During his life in America, Liu faced struggles and tries to overcome them by learning how to get along with white people, using the social-class to help him make connections with other white people, and getting involved with his internship which provided a good career opportunity while becoming an upper class person. Overall, Liu’s success in achieving his goals of individuality, career opportunities, and lifestyle as well as understanding himself about his Asian American
Chinatown is regarded by many as one of the best films ever created. In 2007, The American Film Institute named “Chinatown” as #21 on their list of 100 greatest films! Chinatown is a great film because it is able to show how far people are willing to go to obtain riches and how a detective is willing to go to great lengths to solve the mysteries in front of him. The movie has been talked about in abundance and has even been influenced by real life events from the water company in Los Angeles. It is closely related to corruption and the 1% which people still talk about till this day. In the movie “Chinatown” directed by Roman Polanski, a private detective hired to expose an adulterer finds that he is caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder. Somewhat relating to this is the article “Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%” written by Joseph E. Stiglitz. In the article Stiglitz writes about how democracy in America is a mirage and that the rich
The “Man I Killed” takes us into the Vietnam War and tell us about a soldiers first time of killing another individual. The author describes a Viet Cong soldier that he has killed, using vivid, physical detail with clear descriptions of the dead mans’ fatal wounds. O'Brien envisions the biography of this man and envisions the individual history of the dead Vietnamese soldier starting with his birthplace moving through his life, and finished with him enrolling in the Vietnamese Army. O'Brien also describes some of the dead soldiers’ hopes and dreams. The author uses this history in an attempt to make the dead man more realistic to the reader
Jin Wang, the main character in American Born Chinese transforms in order to deal with stereotypes and prejudice. After moving from Chinatown San Francisco to a new school, Jin realizes he is the only Asian other than Suzy Nakamura (31). Jin immediately faces racial stereotypes and slurs, such as “Chinese people eat dogs”, and arranged marriages (31). Even the teachers have preconceived ideas about Jin’s heritage. His third grade teacher Mrs. Greeder has little understanding of the pronunciation of Jin’s name and from where he moved, thinking he came “all the way from China” (30). In order to integrate in his new environment, he assimilates himself into American culture, transformed into a “regular” American. After stereotyped for eating dog, Jin is seen eating without chopsticks, part of his Asian tradition, and begins to eat “normal” American cuisine, such as sandwiches (37). When Wei Chen arrives, Jin tells him “(he’s) in America” and to “speak English” (37). Even though Jin is fully capable of communicating with Wei-Chen, he decides to abandon his previous culture. Jin chooses to fully transform into an American. He tries to completely dispose of his Asian identity and develop a new one. In order to do this he develops the n...
“The minute our train leaves the Hong Kong border and enters Shenzhen, China, I feel different. I can feel the skin on my forehead tingling, my blood rushing through a new course, my bones aching with a familiar old pain. And I think, my mother was right. I am becoming Chinese. (179). In the story A Pair of Tickets by Amy Tan, the protagonist character, Jing-mei, finds herself in several difficult situations due to how her social and cultural upbringing has shaped her. She finds herself pulled between her Chinese DNA and her American background. While she was raised being told that she was Chinese and “it’s in her blood”, she does not identify as such, because she grew up in America and only sees herself as an American. After her mother’s passing,
Oftentimes the children of immigrants to the United States lose the sense of cultural background in which their parents had tried so desperately to instill within them. According to Walter Shear, “It is an unseen terror that runs through both the distinct social spectrum experienced by the mothers in China and the lack of such social definition in the daughters’ lives.” This “unseen terror” is portrayed in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club as four Chinese women and their American-born daughters struggle to understand one another’s culture and values. The second-generation women in The Joy Luck Club prove to lose their sense of Chinese values, becoming Americanized.
Chinese immigrants to the United States of America have experienced both setbacks and triumphs in the quest to seek a better life from themselves and their families. First arriving in America in the mid-1800s to seek jobs and escape poor conditions in their home country, the Chinese found work as labors and settled in areas known as Chinatowns (Takaki 181-183). In the early years, these immigrants experienced vast legal racism and sexism as women were forbidden to enter the country and the Chinese Exclusion Act prevented laborers from entering the country for years (Takaki 184-192). Today, the modern Chinese-American experience has changed from the experience of early Chinese immigrants. Many immigrants enter the country seeking better education as well employment (Yung, Chang, and Lai 244). Immigrant women have made great strides in achieving equality to men. Despite advancements, many immigrants still experience discrimination on some level. One example of a modern Chinese immigrant is “Ruby”, a college student who, with her parents, immigrated from Hong Kong to a suburb of Providence, Rhode Island, 7 years ago. Ruby’s story shares insight on the modern Chinese-American experience and the struggles this group still faces. Chinese immigrants have long maintained a presence in the United States, and despite many struggles, have eventually began to reap the benefits of this great nation.
...dice that the Chinese encountered as immigrants in America. Although the Chinese resented the fact that they were being discriminated against, they continued to immigrate because they felt that their opportunities in the United States of America were still better than in China. Together they endured poor treatment because they knew they had nothing if they went back home to China. The Chinese resisted such horrible conditions by sticking together as a community and establishing their own businesses and towns such as Chinatown, in San Francisco. After studying the Chinese we can draw the conclusion that many Chinese made the journey to America in search for freedom and for a better life, but instead were detained and treated poorly. Together the Chinese community made their voice heard by challenging laws, starting their own businesses, and becoming self-sufficient.
June-May fulfills her mother’s name and life goal, her long-cherished wish. She finally meets her twin sisters and in an essence fulfills and reunites her mother with her daughter through her. For when they are all together they are one; they are their mother. It is here that June-May fulfills the family portion of her Chinese culture of family. In addition, she fully embraces herself as Chinese. She realizes that family is made out of love and that family is the key to being Chinese. “And now I also see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood.” (Tan 159). Finally, her mother’s life burden is lifted and June-May’s doubts of being Chinese are set aside or as she says “After all these years, it can finally be let go,” (Tan 159).
Such as it is hard for him to buy a house, most of people don’t want to sell their house to Chinese during that time. When he graduated, he looked for a job and he went to maybe half a dozen interviews, but nobody hired him. After half a dozen of these rejections, he was just kind of kicking around. Finally he hear someone said, “California Department of Transportation is hiring.” It is in 1951 and it was Eisenhower’s idea of national defense, so a lot job opens up. He went for an interview. It turned out that the guy who interviewed him was a Cal Berkeley graduate, so he got the job. When he was 70 years old, he move to New York, because he children is lived in New