Browngirl, Blackgirl Whitegirl

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Recommended: Racial Discrimination in Literature

What kind of language does Diaz use in the story? Is it believable, coming from who we understand the narrator to be?
“How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie” is a cultural story about the ever changing cultural stereotypes. The author, Junot Diaz is a Dominican Republic native who immigrated to the U.S. when he was 7 years old with his mother. He grew up in a Black and Hispanic neighborhood in New Jersey. (293) Diaz wrote the story in a Colloquial Language. He used informal writing to create a conversational tone. You can see this from the beginning of the story. “She said, ‘Go ahead and stay, malcriado.’” Diaz inputted words in Spanish to state his Latino roots. Identifying himself with his readers. He toggles back and for …show more content…

Especially, in poor neighborhoods where this kind of story can take place and people can relate to it. The language used can only be interpret and obtain the true meaning of the story by someone who has lived within the mix cultures. The bias way that he expresses himself about the “whitegirls”. "Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love your own" (Diaz 396) Can only make sense to a non-Caucasian. However, this can be offensive to some people. As derogatory that this kind of language may sound, this story expresses the way that different races view each other. Diaz is simply stating it like it is coming from his Latino point of view. We can see this when the “halfie” girl expresses herself of the narrator’s neighborhood. “You’re the only kind of guy who asks me out, she will say. Your neighbors will start their hyena calls, now that the alcohol is in them. You and the blackboys.” She is expressing herself from his race point of view just as the narrator has throughout the story. As color blind as we would like to be, the true reality is that we are not. Biases still are alive today in every race. Diaz is just stating the facts in this story. The colloquial language

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